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

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

Big Data Detects Sepsis In Major Hospitals

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

Fluid resuscitation in human sepsis: Time to rewrite history

Fluid resuscitation in human sepsis: Time to rewrite history

Fluid resuscitation continues to be recommended as the first-line resuscitative therapy for all patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. The current acceptance of the therapy is based in part on long history and familiarity... read more

No Major Azithromycin Arrhythmia Risk in Huge European Cohort

No Major Azithromycin Arrhythmia Risk in Huge European Cohort

Current use of azithromycin (Zithromax/Zmax, Pfizer) was linked with a twofold increased risk of ventricular arrhythmia compared with no antibiotic use, but this risk disappeared when azithromycin use was compared with amoxicillin... read more

Clinical summaries for hospitalised patients: time for higher standards

Clinical summaries for hospitalised patients: time for higher standards

The average person remembers less than half of the information provided by healthcare professionals during a medical visit. The situation is arguably most challenging for patients leaving the hospital, where acute illness,... read more

Mindfulness Program Aims to Help Nurses Better Manage Stress

Mindfulness Program Aims to Help Nurses Better Manage Stress

Creating a nursing workforce that is resilient to occupational stress and burnout is critical for engagement, job satisfaction and retention, as well as the overall success of any healthcare organization. The overall goal... read more

Early Palliative Care in Advanced Illness

Early Palliative Care in Advanced Illness

As the on-call pulmonary critical care fellow, I listened to a family member plead with me to "do right by Mama." The emergency department team consulted me for possible intensive care unit (ICU) admission on a... read more

The Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU-7 Delirium Severity Scale

The Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU-7 Delirium Severity Scale

Delirium severity is independently associated with longer hospital stays, nursing home placement, and death in patients outside the ICU. Delirium severity in the ICU is not routinely measured because the available instruments... read more

Spontaneous Breathing during Mechanical Ventilation. Risks, Mechanisms, and Management

Spontaneous Breathing during Mechanical Ventilation. Risks, Mechanisms, and Management

Spontaneous respiratory effort during mechanical ventilation has long been recognized to improve oxygenation, and because oxygenation is a key management target, such effort may seem beneficial. Also, disuse and loss of peripheral... read more

Many Factors Contribute to Nurses' Alarm Response Time

Many Factors Contribute to Nurses' Alarm Response Time

Multiple factors including nurses' experience and assignments determined how fast they responded when monitoring alarms were triggered in a children's hospital, a video analysis found. Nurses were more likely to... read more

Changing Mindsets to Enhance Treatment Effectiveness

Changing Mindsets to Enhance Treatment Effectiveness

This Viewpoint defines mindsets - frames of mind that orient beliefs or expectations - discusses how they can influence patients' perceptions about treatment and self-efficacy, and proposes ways physicians might shape... read more

Building Global Collaboration in Acute Care Research

Dr. Ludwig Lin, MD, speaks with John C. Marshall, MD, FRCSC, FACS, about his talk given at the 46th Critical Care Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii on, "Building Global Collaboration in Acute Care Research." Dr. Marshall discusses... read more

Communicating Context in Quality Improvement Reports

Communicating Context in Quality Improvement Reports

The study by Demb and colleagues reports on the positive results of an intervention strategy to reduce excess radiation exposure across 5 academic medical centers associated with the University of California. Leading up to... read more

The Prevalence of Acute Critical Neurological Disease in Children

The Prevalence of Acute Critical Neurological Disease in Children

Neurologic insults are a significant pediatric international health issue. They are frequent and contribute substantial morbidity and mortality. These data suggest a need for an increased focus on acute critical neurologic... read more