Prevention of AKI and protection of renal function in ICU

Acute kidney injury (AKI) in the intensive care unit is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. The results of recent randomised controlled trials have allowed the formulation of new recommendations and/or increase... read more

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for poisoning in adult patients: outcomes and predictors of mortality

Data on outcomes from severe poisoning in adults receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is currently confined to single-center experiences or specific etiologies. While ECMO cannot facilitate toxin removal,... read more

Sepsis E-alert System with Response Team Improves Outcomes

According to a new study, the use of a multifaceted intervention including an electronic sepsis alert (e-alert) system with sepsis response team was associated with improvement in care processes of sepsis and septic shock... read more

Humidification During Mechanical Ventilation: A Systematic Review

Mechanical ventilation (MV) suppresses the mechanisms that heat and moisturise inhaled air; hence, humidification is mandatory during MV. However, a systematic review published in the journal Critical Care finds no clear... read more

Potential survival benefit of polymyxin B hemoperfusion in patients with septic shock

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether polymyxin B hemoperfusion (PMX-HP) improves the survival of patients with septic shock. Our results strongly suggest that PMX-HP reduces all-cause hospital mortality and... read more

A Randomized Trial of the Amikacin Fosfomycin Inhalation System for the Adjunctive Therapy of Gram-Negative VAP

Clinical failures in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by gram-negative bacteria are common and associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and resource utilization. In this trial of adjunctive aerosol therapy... read more

Intraoperative Infusion of Dexmedetomidine for Prevention of Postoperative Delirium and Cognitive Dysfunction in Elderly Patients

Intraoperative infusion of dexmedetomidine for prevention of postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients undergoing major elective non-cardiac surgery. Postoperative delirium occurs in 10% to 60%... read more

Malnutrition, Critical Illness Survivors, and Postdischarge Outcomes

The exposure of interest was malnutrition determined at intensive care unit (ICU) admission by a registered dietitian using clinical judgment and on data related to unintentional weight loss, inadequate nutrient intake, and... read more

Systolic Blood Pressure Reduction and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality

Clinical trials have documented that lowering blood pressure reduces cardiovascular disease and premature deaths. However, the optimal target for reduction of systolic blood pressure (SBP) is uncertain. This study suggests... read more

ER Overcrowding Delays Sepsis Treatment

Prompt antibiotic initiation is associated with improved mortality in sepsis and septic shock. However, new research shows that patients with sepsis, a life-threatening complication of an infection, had delays approaching... read more

Association Between US Hospital Teaching Status and Mortality

In an observational study of approximately 21 million hospitalizations of Medicare beneficiaries, adjusted 30-day mortality rates were significantly lower at 250 major teaching hospitals compared with 894 minor teaching and... read more

Prediction of Survival and Functional Outcomes After ICU Admission

This study assesses the 6-month discriminative accuracy of patient mortality and functional outcome predictions made by intensive care unit (ICU) physicians and nurses at the time of ICU admission. Intensive care unit physicians'... read more

Effect of Home NIV on Outcomes After Acute COPD Exacerbation

This randomized clinical trial compares the effects of home oxygen therapy with vs without home noninvasive ventilation (NIV) on time to readmission or death in patients with persistent hypercapnia after an acute chronic... read more

Early EEG for outcome prediction of postanoxic coma

We recently showed that electroencephalography (EEG) patterns within the first 24 hours robustly contribute to multimodal prediction of poor or good neurological outcome of comatose patients after cardiac arrest. Here, we... read more

Malbrain Fluid Overload

Fluid overload is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In this presentations an overview is given of the different definitions followed by a step-by-step description of the deleterious effects of fluid overload... read more

Blood pressure deficits in acute kidney injury: not all about the mean arterial pressure?

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Although there are many causes of AKI, it is known that patients undergoing high-risk surgery are known to be at significant risk. Although much... read more

Albumin Administration in Sepsis: The Case for and Against

Serum albumin is an essential plasma protein, with a variety of homeostatic and predictive roles in health and disease. Hypoalbuminaemia is common in critical illness. Human albumin solution has been administered clinically... read more

Both Positive and Negative Fluid Balance May Be Associated With Reduced Long-Term Survival in the Critically Ill

Among critically ill patients with acute kidney injury, exposure to positive fluid balance, compared with negative fluid balance, has been associated with mortality and impaired renal recovery. However, it is unclear whether... read more

Serial Procalcitonin Predicts Mortality in Severe Sepsis Patients

Objectives: To prospectively validate that the inability to decrease procalcitonin levels by more than 80% between baseline and day 4 is associated with increased 28-day all-cause mortality in a large sepsis patient population... read more

The impact of oral care on oral health status and prevention of VAP in critically ill patients

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common nosocomial infections which increase mortality rate and length stay of hospitalization. Oral care would not only improve patient’s oral health and well-being,... read more

Systemic and Microcirculatory Effects of Blood Transfusion in Experimental Hemorrhagic Shock

The microvascular reperfusion injury after retransfusion has not been completely characterized. Specifically, the question of heterogeneity among different microvascular beds needs to be addressed. In addition, the identification... read more

Big Data Detects Sepsis In Major Hospitals

Data analytics have found that large medical facilities have higher rates of death from sepsis than their smaller hospital counterparts. Researchers from Houston Methodist Hospital recently used Big Data analytics to learn... read more