Tag: research
Are We Creating Survivors or Victims in Critical Care?
Delivering targeted nutrition to improve outcomes. Over the last 10 years, we are proud of the fact we have finally begun to reduce in-hospital mortality following severe sepsis in some countries worldwide. Further, mortality... read more
Heart Rate Variability in Critical Care Medicine
Heart rate variability (HRV) has been used to assess cardiac autonomic activity in critically ill patients, driven by translational and biomarker research agendas. Several clinical and technical factors can interfere with... read more
High-Observation Protocol Cuts Length of Stay in Head
A high-observation protocol (HOP) appears to optimize clinical care for patients with head and neck cancer undergoing primary surgery, according to a study published online June 20 in Head & Neck. The researchers found... read more
The Role of Oliguria and the Absence of Fluid Administration and Balance Information in Illness Severity Scores
Urinary examination has formed part of patient assessment since the earliest days of medicine. Current definitions of oliguria are essentially arbitrary, but duration and intensity of oliguria have been associated with an... read more
The Complexities of Intravenous Fluid Research: Questions of Scale, Volume, and Accumulation
Despite near ubiquity, information regarding fluids consumption at a health care systems level, and patient exposure at an individual level, is surprisingly limited in the medical literature. The epidemiology of the foundational... read more
I’m your Anesthesiologist. Let me explain what that means
Anesthesiologists are the guardian angels of the operating room. Their primary purpose is to keep you alive so you can undergo whatever procedure you need. While we may only meet you shortly before we take you to the operating... read more
Effective Care for High-Need Patients
To advance insights and perspectives on how to better manage the care of the high-need patient population, the National Academy of Medicine, with guidance from an expert planning committee, was tasked with convening three... read more
New Institute to Focus on Immune System
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is launching a new institute to coordinate initiatives among the rapidly evolving disciplines of infection biology, immunology and inflammatory diseases. The Vanderbilt Institute... read more
WHO Resolution: Recognizing Sepsis as a Global Health Priority
The true burden of disease arising from sepsis remains unknown. The current estimates of 30 million episodes and 6 million deaths per year come from a systematic review that extrapolated from published national or local population... read more
Defending Biomedical Science in an Era of Threatened Funding
Supporting scientific research should be a top priority of any society that aims to make progress and thrive. Reducing funding for research will adversely affect individual and population health. However, mounting pressure... read more
An NIH-Kennedy Center Initiative to Explore Music and the Mind
Music is fundamental to the human species in ways that reach beyond entertainment or pastime. In Musicophilia, Oliver Sacks noted that music can "calm us, animate us, comfort us, thrill us, or serve to organize and synchronize... read more
Angiotensin II may improve vasopressors’ efficacy
Adding angiotensin II to available vasopressor therapies correlated with significantly improved arterial pressure in patients with catecholamine-resistant vasodilatory shock and less adverse effects, according to a study... 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
Differentiating Delirium From Sedative/Hypnotic-Related Iatrogenic Withdrawal Syndrome
The main objectives of this study is to identify available assessment tools for sedative/hypnotic iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome and delirium in PICU patients, the evidence supporting their use, and describe areas of overlap... read more