Tranexamic Acid Has Nominal Benefit for TBI

Tranexamic Acid Has Nominal Benefit for TBI

Studies examining the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) inescapably seem to pit our rigorous methodological demons against our practical clinical angels. The CRASH-2 trial randomized 20,211 adult trauma patients presenting... read more

Best Practice Advisories Improve Sedation Protocol Compliance in the ICU

Best Practice Advisories Improve Sedation Protocol Compliance in the ICU

Best practice advisories can be effectively used in ICUs to improve sedation protocol compliance and may mitigate potential propofol-related hazardous conditions. Best practice advisories should undergo continuous quality... read more

Automated Anesthetic Management Outperforms Manual Control and May Have an Impact on Delayed Neurocognitive Recovery

Automated Anesthetic Management Outperforms Manual Control and May Have an Impact on Delayed Neurocognitive Recovery

Among older, non-frail patients undergoing moderate and high-risk noncardiac surgery, an automated anesthetic management using the combination of three independent closed-loop systems outperformed manual control and may have... read more

Critical Care Opioids Impact in the 21st Century

Critical Care Opioids Impact in the 21st Century

Critical Care is impacted by opioids in multiple ways. Not only do they form the backbone of managing pain and sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU), the burgeoning opioid epidemic also feeds into opioid-related ICU admissions.... read more

Modified Version of the ACC’s low-dose 4PCC Warfarin Reversal Option Achieves Similar Outcomes for Lowering INR

Modified Version of the ACC’s low-dose 4PCC Warfarin Reversal Option Achieves Similar Outcomes for Lowering INR

A modified version of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) low-dose four factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4PCC) option for warfarin reversal achieves similar outcomes for lowering International Normalized Ratio... read more

Fentanyl Infusion Pharmacokinetics Variables in Obese and Nonobese Children

Fentanyl Infusion Pharmacokinetics Variables in Obese and Nonobese Children

The differences in total clearance (CLS) may increase less than proportional to weight in obese children greater than 6-year-olds, while volume of distribution at steady state increases more than proportional to weight in... read more

Optimizing Therapy of Bloodstream Infection Due to Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae

Optimizing Therapy of Bloodstream Infection Due to Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae

Carbapenems should be used in patients with serious infections; alternatives could be used individually, particularly for definitive treatment of patients with milder presentations. Meropenem and imipenem are the drugs... read more

Transfusions Stuck in an Endless Cycle of Denial

Transfusions Stuck in an Endless Cycle of Denial

Each publication from Maitland, et al., gives us a glimpse of a greater medical truth, but our view is obstructed by questions about external validity. This group published the landmark FEAST trial that questioned the... read more

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

Clinical Examination for the Prediction of Mortality in the Critically Ill

Clinical Examination for the Prediction of Mortality in the Critically Ill

Clinical examination has reasonable discriminative value for assessing 90-day mortality in acutely admitted ICU patients. In our study population, a single, protocolized clinical examination had similar prognostic abilities... read more

Extubating Ventilated Patients on Vasoactive Infusions is Safe

Extubating Ventilated Patients on Vasoactive Infusions is Safe

In a large single centre study, 21% of intubated patients who received infusions of vasoactive infusions while mechanically ventilated were extubated for the first time while still receiving them. Coincident with their earlier... read more

Subanesthetic Ketamine Infusions for the Management of Pediatric Pain in Non‐critical Care Settings

Subanesthetic Ketamine Infusions for the Management of Pediatric Pain in Non‐critical Care Settings

Ketamine can effectively be used as part of a multimodal analgesic regimen in pediatric patients in non‐critical care settings. Our five‐year experience using low‐dose ketamine infusions highlights an acceptable side... read more

Intravenous Lidocaine Does Not Improve Neurologic Outcomes after Cardiac Surgery

Intravenous Lidocaine Does Not Improve Neurologic Outcomes after Cardiac Surgery

Intravenous lidocaine administered during and after cardiac surgery did not reduce postoperative cognitive decline at 6 weeks. Among the 420 allocated subjects who returned for 6-week follow-up, there was no difference in... read more

Midazolam Dose Optimization in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients with ARF

Midazolam Dose Optimization in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients with ARF

This work leveraged available knowledge on non-heritable and heritable factors affecting midazolam pharmacokinetic in pediatric subjects with primary respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, providing the basis... read more

Sedation in the ICU – Good Past – Better Future?

Sedation in the ICU – Good Past – Better Future?

The concepts for good sedation include defining the range of sedation, the need for agents with rapid response that can be easily and rapidly varied in restless and confused patients, various modes of ventilation, continuous... read more

Fluid Responsiveness in Sepsis

Fluid Responsiveness in Sepsis

Fluid challenge is a common practice in the ICU. It is one of the most important resuscitation manoeuvres of acute circulatory failure management in critically ill patients. Adequate fluid resuscitation is very important... read more

Neuromuscular Blockade for ARDS Was No Help, In Supine Patients

Neuromuscular Blockade for ARDS Was No Help, In Supine Patients

Continuous neuromuscular blockade for severe ARDS became common practice after the ACURASYS trial showed it reduced mortality by an absolute 9%. A larger trial, ROSE, now finds no benefit of the therapy over usual care, but... read more