Nutrition in Surgery and Critical Care

DCRI Perioperative Nutrition focuses on the study of hospital-based treatments to improve preparation and recovery from surgery, major illness, and critical care. We put real science into improving patients' lives with interventions... read more

Antibiotic Prescription Fill Rates Declining

Since 2010, antibiotic prescription rates in the U.S. have been declining among the commercially insured population, falling 9 percent during this period. In this report, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, in partnership... read more

Individualizing Thresholds of Cerebral Perfusion Pressure Using Estimated Limits of Autoregulation

Individualized autoregulation-guided cerebral perfusion pressure management may be a plausible alternative to fixed cerebral perfusion pressure threshold management in severe traumatic brain injury patients. Prospective randomized... read more

Most pediatric ICU physicians don’t use current guidelines to diagnose acute kidney injury

A study by University at Buffalo researchers has shown that physicians in pediatric intensive care units are not using the newest guidelines to diagnose acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill children, a practice that... read more

Hospitals with most heart patients in ICU have worse results: Study

Heart attack or heart failure patients are more likely to get worse or die at hospitals that are more likely to treat them in the ICU, a new study suggests.... read more

5-Year Trends of Critical Care Practice and Outcomes

According to researchers in the U.S., analyses of patients, practices, and outcomes from a large geographically dispersed sample of adult ICUs revealed trends of increasing age and acuity, higher rates of adherence to best... read more

An Alternative Consent Process for Minimal Risk Research in the ICU

Seeking consent for minimal risk research in the ICU poses challenges, especially when the research is time-sensitive. Our aim was to determine the extent to which ICU patients or surrogates support a deferred consent process... read more

NIH Herpesvirus Study Leads to Discovery of Potential Broad-Spectrum Antiviral

Scientists studying how regulated herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection unexpectedly found that inhibiting EZH2/1 suppressed viral infection. The research group, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases... read more

Increased ICU Costs for Opioid Overdoses

ICU costs for treating opioid overdose patients increased 58% in a seven-year span, and annual deaths almost doubled, according to a study that included 162 academic hospitals. ICU admissions increased 34% over the study... read more

COPD Patients Who Live Alone are Less Active

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who live with a spouse, partner, or other caregiver are more active than patients who live alone, and are also more likely to participate in pulmonary rehabilitation... read more

Most ICU Patients Underfed

A large international multicentre cohort study shows that most of the patients are underfed during their ICU stay. In their findings published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, researchers say most of the patients in intensive... read more

SOFA Effective Pediatric Version

An age-adjusted version of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score for sepsis has been found to be at least as good, if not better than, other pediatric organ dysfunction scores at predicting in-hospital mortality.... read more

Can Electronic Alerts Help Identify Sepsis in Sick Children?

A two-step electronic alert system successfully reduced missed sepsis diagnoses in children by 76 percent. The new pediatric protocol, which incorporates the use of vital signs, risk factors, and a clinician's judgment,... read more

This Startup Could Revolutionize How We Fight Infectious Diseases

Karius Test has raised $50 million to develop a novel technology that can detect more than 1,000 infectious diseases, without requiring the usual trial-and-error tests. The test is expensive at $2,000, and is meant for use... read more

Delirium in Advanced Cancer Patients Worsens Survival

Patients with advanced cancer who arrived at the ED with delirium had increased rates of hospitalization and ICU admissions, as well as shorter survival rates, according to a study published in The Oncologist. Many patients... read more

Improving Long-Term Outcomes Research for ARF

Alison Turnbull, DVM, MPH, PhD discusses the heterogeneity in outcome measures in our field and the need for a Core Outcome Measurement Set (COMS) to standardize reporting of important outcomes. As part of the consensus process,... read more

Examining Mechanical Chest Compressions

Mechanical chest compression (CC) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with AutoPulse or LUCAS devices has not improved survival from cardiac arrest. Cohort studies suggest risk of excess damage. Therefore, Koster et... read more

The Science and Art of Pediatric Critical Care Nutrition

Malnutrition is prevalent in the pediatric ICU population, and is associated with worse outcomes. Nutrition support teams, dedicated dietitians, and educational programs facilitate surveillance for existing malnutrition and... read more

Doctors frustrated that electronic records steal time from patients

Researchers asked doctors licensed to practice in Rhode Island the question: How does using an EHR affect your interaction with patients? They got an earful. Most who responded complained that electronic records undermined... read more

Patients with postoperative delirium more likely to suffer dementia

Delirium is common in elderly hospitalized patients, affecting an estimated 14 - 56% of patients. It frequently manifests as a sudden change in behavior, with patients suffering acute confusion, inattention, disorganized... read more

When Evidence Says No, but Doctors Say Yes

Long after research contradicts common medical practices, patients continue to demand them and physicians continue to deliver. The result is an epidemic of unnecessary and unhelpful treatments.... read more

How to Beat Burnout

Burnout takes a toll on physicians, their patients, and their practices. Short visits, complicated patients, lack of control, electronic health record stress, and poor work-home balance can lead to physicians leaving practices... read more