Helping The ITU Patient Sleep

It is well-known that patients in the intensive care units do suffer from a lack of sleep and frequent sleep disturbances. So how can we help the ITU patient sleep? This is a Cochrane review looking at the efficacy of non-pharmacological... read more

Helping The ITU Patient Sleep

Central Venous Catheter – Which Needle?

A prospective randomised trial comparing insertion success rate and incidence of catheterisation-related complications for subclavian venous catheterisation using a thin-walled introducer needle or a catheter-over-needle... read more

Central Venous Catheter – Which Needle?

The Way We Think About Nurse Burnout is Broken

There are several things wrong with the way we think about nurse burnout. This is troubling for several reasons. If we do not have a clear understanding about burnout, then we cannot help nurses who may be suffering from... read more

The Way We Think About Nurse Burnout is Broken

Ethics in the NICU: Principles, Methods, and Application

Dr. Mark Mercurio gives a basic review of some of the fundamental principles and approaches relevant to decision-making in the NICU. Adequate fellowship training in ethics and professionalism is essential so that neonatologists... read more

The Epidemiology of Hospital Death Following Pediatric Severe Sepsis

Margaret Parker, MD, MCCM, speaks with Scott L. Weiss, MD, MSCE, about the article, "The Epidemiology of Hospital Death Following Pediatric Severe Sepsis: When, Why, and How Children With Sepsis Die," published in the September... read more

Antibiotic Prescription Course

In July, The BMJ published an analysis article called "The Antibiotic Course has had it’s day" - a provocative title that turned out the garner a lot of debate on our site. The article said that the convention for the length... read more

Antibiotic Prescription Course

Workup, Management, and Critical Sequelae of Burn Injuries

Richard Iuorio, MD speaks with Laura Johnson, MD, and Jim Reilly, MD, about the workup, management, and critical sequelae of burn injuries. Using a fictional burn case as an example, Dr. Johnson talks about airway considerations,... read more

The Septic Shock 3.0 Definition and Trials

Ranjit Deshpande, MD, speaks with James A. Russell, MD, about the article, "The Septic Shock 3.0 Definition and Trials: A Vasopressin and Septic Shock Trial Experience," published in the June 2017 issue of Critical Care Medicine.... read more

Are Biomarkers Ready for Prime Time?

Kyle Enfield, MD, speaks with John A. Kellum, MD, MCCM, about his talk presented at the 46th Critical Care Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii entitled, "Are Biomarkers Ready for Prime Time?" Dr. Kellum works as an Intensivist in... read more

Medical Misdiagnosis: More Common Than You Think

Each year an estimated 12 million Americans get the wrong diagnosis from their doctor--a medical problem is seen as something else, missed entirely or identified late. Most of the diagnostic errors are not about rare diseases,... read more

Medical Misdiagnosis: More Common Than You Think

New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in the Critically Ill

Kyle Enfield, MD, speaks with Travis J. Moss, MD, MSc, and J. Randall Moorman, MD, about the article, "New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in the Critically Ill," published in the May 2017 issue of Critical Care Medicine. Drs.... read more

Emergency Preparedness in Healthcare

Ludwig Lin, MD, speaks with Grete Porteous, MD, about emergency preparedness in healthcare and the role of critical care personnel in catastrophic situations. Dr. Porteous advises on how to prepare institutions for disaster... read more

International Survey of Critically Ill Children with Acute Neurological Insults

Margaret Parker, MD, MCCM, speaks with Ericka L. Fink, MD, MS, about the PANGEA study (Prevalence of Acute Critical Neurological Disease in Children: A Global Epidemiological Assessment), published in the April 2017 issue... read more

International Survey of Critically Ill Children with Acute Neurological Insults

Developing an ICU Diary in the Pediatric ICU

Todd Fraser, MD, speaks with Jenny Tcharmtchi, BSN, RN, CCRN, about the article, "Family Experience in the PICU," published in Critical Connections, the Society of Critical Care Medicine's newsletter. Ms. Tcharmtchi... read more

New Diagnostic Tests: More Harm Than Good

Although new diagnostics may advance the time of diagnoses in selected patients, they will increase the frequency of false alarms, overdiagnosis, and overtreatment in others. Bjorn Hofmann and H. Gilbert Welch explain how... read more

New Diagnostic Tests: More Harm Than Good

Why a stay in the ICU can leave patients worse off

Almost 6 million patients land in an intensive care unit every year, and for many, it marks a turning point in their lives. A substantial number of patients leave the ICU with newly acquired problems, from dementia to nerve... read more

Why a stay in the ICU can leave patients worse off

The Basics of Veno-Arterial and Veno-Venous ECMO and the Indications of ECMO Therapy

Sean P. Kane, PharmD, BCPS, speaks with Elliott Cohen, MD about extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In the episode, the basics of Veno-Arterial (VA) and Veno-Venous (VV) ECMO are outlined and the indications of ECMO... read more

Reflections on the ICU Liberation ABCDEF Bundle Improvement Collaborative

Ludwig Lin, MD, speaks with Brenda Pun, DNP, RN, ACNP, about the ICU Liberation ABCDEF Bundle Improvement Collaborative. Dr. Pun reflects upon Collaborative work, including origins and logistics of the project, team training... read more