Effect of Vitamin C Infusion on Organ Failure in Patients With Sepsis and ARDS

Effect of Vitamin C Infusion on Organ Failure in Patients With Sepsis and ARDS

In this preliminary study of patients with sepsis and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a 96-hour infusion of vitamin C compared with placebo did not significantly improve organ dysfunction scores or alter markers... read more

Cognitive Outcomes After Critical Illness

Cognitive Outcomes After Critical Illness

Persistent cognitive impairment is a major complication of critical illness. Our knowledge of this problem remains incomplete. Collaborative research is indispensable to improve our understanding of this disabling sequel... read more

Accuracy of Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score to Predict Sepsis Mortality

Accuracy of Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score to Predict Sepsis Mortality

Overall, quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score outperforms systemic inflammatory response syndrome in predicting sepsis outcome, but quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score has relative strengths/weaknesses... read more

The Spleen: The Forgotten Organ in AKI of Critical Illness

The Spleen: The Forgotten Organ in AKI of Critical Illness

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an increasing medical burden and is independently associated with mortality. AKI is a common comorbidity in the intensive care unit (ICU), with sepsis-associated AKI seen in almost a quarter of... read more

The negative effect of initial high-dose methylprednisolone and tapering regimen for ARDS

The negative effect of initial high-dose methylprednisolone and tapering regimen for ARDS

The efficacy of corticosteroid use in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains controversial. Generally, short-term high-dose corticosteroid therapy is considered to be ineffective in ARDS. On the other hand, low-dose,... read more

Predictive Utility of DNI in Patients with MOF After Severe Traumatic Injury

Predictive Utility of DNI in Patients with MOF After Severe Traumatic Injury

Post-injury multiple organ failure (MOF) is the result of a systemic uncontrolled inflammatory response and it is the one of leading cause of late post-injury mortality. Delta neutrophil index (DNI) may serve useful marker... read more

Practical Management of Invasive Candidiasis in Critically Ill Patients

Practical Management of Invasive Candidiasis in Critically Ill Patients

The heterogeneity of this patient population necessitated the creation of a mixed working group comprising experts in clinical microbiology, infectious diseases and intensive care medicine, all chosen on the basis of their... read more

Similar Metabolic, Innate Immunity, and Adipokine Profiles in Adult and Pediatric Sepsis vs. SIRS

Similar Metabolic, Innate Immunity, and Adipokine Profiles in Adult and Pediatric Sepsis vs. SIRS

Sepsis presents with similar profiles in adult and pediatric patients, characterized by enhanced inflammatory hormonal response and by repressed innate immunity, metabolism, and myocardial contractility. These features early... read more

Antibiotics, Immunosuppressive Drugs and the Downfall of the Human Immune System

Antibiotics, Immunosuppressive Drugs and the Downfall of the Human Immune System

Today I'll discuss two more factors that can debilitate the human immune system (allowing the microbiome to better cause disease). They are antibiotics (when used too frequently) and immunosuppressive drugs: two of the most... read more

Mechanical Ventilation Enhances Extrapulmonary Sepsis-induced Lung Injury

Mechanical Ventilation Enhances Extrapulmonary Sepsis-induced Lung Injury

These data show for the first time that otherwise noninjurious mechanical ventilation can exacerbate acute lung injury (ALI) due to extrapulmonary sepsis underscoring a potential interactive contribution of common events... read more

A Positive Fluid Balance is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Patients with Sepsis

A Positive Fluid Balance is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Patients with Sepsis

Intravenous fluid administration is an essential component of sepsis management, but a positive fluid balance has been associated with worse prognosis. We analyzed whether a positive fluid balance and its persistence over... read more

Why Most Diagnostic Procedures Aren’t Beneficial

Why Most Diagnostic Procedures Aren’t Beneficial

We often assume that diagnostic procedures will help patients. A lot of training goes into learning how to do these procedures. Procedures are dramatic. We like performing them. Patients are impressed, perceiving that we... read more

Mortality and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Morbidity in Individuals with Impaired FEV1 (PURE)

Mortality and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Morbidity in Individuals with Impaired FEV1 (PURE)

The associations between the extent of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) impairment and mortality, incident cardiovascular disease, and respiratory hospitalisations are unclear, and how these associations might vary... read more

CRRT for Sepsis-induced Acute Kidney Injury

CRRT for Sepsis-induced Acute Kidney Injury

Sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (SI-AKI) represents the first cause of AKI in ICUs, and renal replacement therapy (RRT) is frequently applied in advanced AKI stages. The debate between 'rescue' indications for RRT start... read more

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Exacerbate Severity of Infant Sepsis

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Exacerbate Severity of Infant Sepsis

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are innate defense mechanisms that are also implicated in the pathogenesis of organ dysfunction. However, the role of NETs in pediatric sepsis is unknown. This study reveals a hitherto... read more

Expanding the Differential for Hypotension in the Pediatric Patient

Expanding the Differential for Hypotension in the Pediatric Patient

As many ED practitioners are aware, food allergies are common in the first 2 years of life, with a prevalence cited between 1-10% of the population. Most food allergies are IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions. Food protein-induced... read more

A Rare Group of White Blood Cells May Be the Secret to Prevent Sepsis

A Rare Group of White Blood Cells May Be the Secret to Prevent Sepsis

Basophils are evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates, despite their small numbers and short life span, suggesting that they have beneficial roles in maintaining health. However, these roles are not fully defined. Here we... read more