Analgosedation practices and the impact of sedation depth on clinical outcomes among patients requiring mechanical ventilation

Analgesia and sedation are cornerstone therapies for mechanically ventilated patients. Despite data showing that early deep sedation in the intensive care unit influences outcome, this has not been investigated in the emergency... read more

A Randomized Controlled Study to Evaluate the Effect of an Enteral Formulation

A randomized controlled pilot study to evaluate the effect of an enteral formulation designed to improve gastrointestinal tolerance in the critically ill patient - the SPIRIT trial. In this pilot study, we found a high incidence... read more

ECMO for Adult Respiratory Failure: 2017 Update

The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for respiratory failure in adults is growing rapidly, driven in large part by advances in technology, which have made ECMO devices easier to implement, safer and more... read more

New Biomarker Improves Early Sepsis Detection in the Emergency Department

Sepsis most often presents to the emergency department (ED), and delayed detection is harmful. The white blood count (WBC) is often used to detect sepsis in the ED. New research shows that volume increases of circulating... read more

Evaluation of early antimicrobial therapy adaptation guided by the BetaLACTA test

Rapid diagnostic tests detecting microbial resistance are needed for limiting the duration of inappropriateness of empirical antimicrobial therapy (EAT) in ICU patients, besides reducing the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.... 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

A Novel Computerized Test for Detecting and Monitoring Visual Attentional Deficits and Delirium in the ICU

Delirium in the ICU is associated with poor outcomes but is under-detected. Here we evaluated performance of a novel, graded test for objectively detecting inattention in delirium, implemented on a custom-built computerized... read more

Sepsis and Therapeutic Interventions

The global burden of sepsis is substantial. Therefore, in a retrospective before-after clinical study, Marik et al compared the outcome and clinical course of consecutive septic patients treated with intravenous vitamin C,... 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

Drug might alleviate post-surgical delirium and confusion

To blunt postoperative pain and reduce the need for opioid drugs following surgery, anesthesiologists often give patients low doses of the drug ketamine during operations. Recent research even suggests that the drug might... 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

Burn Till You’re Out

When using the technical definition of burnout: "The reduction of a fuel to nothing", it clearly describes the state of being of the few people that I have met who are having a burnout. The problem is huge and almost... read more

Management of Septic Shock

The results of the PRISM trials confirm that early intervention strategies, including early detection of sepsis, risk stratification, early administration of antibiotics, and appropriate fluid resuscitation, improve the outcomes... 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

Critical care at the end of life: a population-level cohort study of cost and outcomes

Despite the high cost associated with ICU use at the end of life, very little is known at a population level about the characteristics of users and their end of life experience. In this study, our goal was to characterize... read more

Sevoflurane for Sedation in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Sevoflurane improves gas exchange, and reduces alveolar edema and inflammation in preclinical studies of lung injury, but its therapeutic effects have never been investigated in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).... read more

3 Reasons Many Nurses are Leaving the Profession

A 2017 study from RNnetwork, one of the largest, travel nursing companies in the country, shows nearly half of the nurses they surveyed are considering leaving the field altogether. RNnetwork provided an email poll to more... read more

Accuracy of Medical Claims for Identifying Cardiovascular and Bleeding Events After Myocardial Infarction

In this secondary analysis of a clinical trial of 12 365 patients with acute myocardial infarction, the cumulative 1-year event rates for myocardial infarction, stroke, and bleeding were lower when medical claims were used... read more