2017’s Tell-All Social Media Guide for Doctors and Hospitals

You may have thought "this too shall pass", but now you’ve realized the inevitable truth: social media is here to stay. If you’ve never given social media much thought when it comes to your physician practice... read more

2017’s Tell-All Social Media Guide for Doctors and Hospitals

ICU Study Shows Significant Reduction in Time to Blood Gas Result using Sphere Medical’s Proxima

A recent time and motion study by University Hospital Southampton demonstrated a 1.5 minute (>20%) reduction in time to blood gas results when using the Proxima bedside blood gas monitoring system. The study also found... read more

ICU Study Shows Significant Reduction in Time to Blood Gas Result using Sphere Medical’s Proxima

Early, Goal-Directed Therapy for Septic Shock

After a single-center trial and observational studies suggesting that early, goal-directed therapy (EGDT) reduced mortality from septic shock, three multicenter trials (ProCESS, ARISE, and ProMISe) showed no benefit. This... read more

Early, Goal-Directed Therapy for Septic Shock

How to keep up with the scientific literature

Few aspects of scientific work may be as crucial - and yet as easy to neglect - as reading the literature. Beginning a new research project or writing a grant application can be good opportunities for extensive literature... read more

How to keep up with the scientific literature

How Well Do Leapfrog Safe Practices Scores Correlate with Hospital Compare Ratings and Penalties

Hospital quality scores are publicly available, but the extent to which they reflect patient safety remains controversial. This study compared measures from the Leapfrog Group, which incorporates mandatory publicly reported... read more

How Well Do Leapfrog Safe Practices Scores Correlate with Hospital Compare Ratings and Penalties

Data Authorship as an Incentive to Data Sharing

Data from well-designed and well-executed research not only are useful for the original purpose and secondary analyses by the original researchers but also can be repurposed for a variety of applications, including independent... read more

Data Authorship as an Incentive to Data Sharing

Gastric Acid Suppression and Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection

This meta-analysis examines the association between recurrent Clostridium difficile infection and use of gastric acid suppressant medications. Meta-analyses of observational studies suggest that patients who receive gastric... read more

Gastric Acid Suppression and Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection

Placebo Plus Usual Treatment Achieves Clinically Significant Back Pain Relief

A placebo of a pill added to treatment as usual for chronic low back pain resulted in clinically significant improvements in patients who were informed about the placebo beforehand, according to a new study from Portugal. All... read more

Placebo Plus Usual Treatment Achieves Clinically Significant Back Pain Relief

Utility and diagnostic accuracy of bedside lung ultrasonography during MET activations for respiratory deterioration

We investigated the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasonography during medical emergency team (MET) activations for respiratory deterioration. The ultrasound exam was completed in 49/50 (98%) patients enrolled... read more

Utility and diagnostic accuracy of bedside lung ultrasonography during MET activations for respiratory deterioration

Addition of vitamin B12 to exercise training improves cycle ergometer endurance in advanced COPD patients

Vitamin B12 is essential in the homocysteine, mitochondrial, muscle and hematopoietic metabolisms, and its effects on exercise tolerance and kinetics adjustments of oxygen consumption (V'O2p) in rest-to-exercise transition... read more

Addition of vitamin B12 to exercise training improves cycle ergometer endurance in advanced COPD patients

Perceived safety and value of inpatient "very important person" services

Providing care to "very important person" (VIP) patients can pose unique moral and value-based challenges for providers. No studies have examined VIP services in the inpatient setting. Through a multi-institutional... read more

Perceived safety and value of inpatient "very important person" services

Vitamin C and the Ethics of Borrowing data

I was recently amazed to be engaged in a Twitter kerfuffle which generated more than 10,000 Impressions within 24 hours. Passions were running high, libellous comments were being broadcast, and old friendships seemed to be... read more

Vitamin C and the Ethics of Borrowing data

A patient and family initiated rapid response system

Rapid response teams (RRTs) help in delivering safe, timely care. Typically they are activated by clinicians using specific parameters. Allowing patients and families to activate RRTs is a novel intervention. 240 patients/family... read more

A patient and family initiated rapid response system

Quantifying the Mortality Impact of Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders in the ICU

Do-not-resuscitate status is an independent risk factor for ICU mortality. This may reflect severity of illness not captured by other clinical factors, but the perceptions of the treating team related to do-not-resuscitate... read more

Quantifying the Mortality Impact of Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders in the ICU

Perceptions of the Appropriateness of Care in California Adult ICUs

Increased demand for expensive intensive care unit (ICU) services may contribute to rising health-care costs. A focus on appropriate use may offer a clinically meaningful way of finding the balance. Thirty-eight percent of... read more

Perceptions of the Appropriateness of Care in California Adult ICUs

Doctor Turns Up Possible Treatment For Deadly Sepsis

It is hard not to get excited about news of a potentially effective treatment for sepsis, a condition that leads to multiple organ failure and kills more people in the hospital than any other disease. The study, from Eastern... read more

Doctor Turns Up Possible Treatment For Deadly Sepsis

Management of COPD exacerbations: a European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society guideline

This document provides clinical recommendations for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. This recommendation places a high value on improving clinical outcomes and a lower value on the burden... read more

Management of COPD exacerbations: a European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society guideline

The Current State of Glycaemic Control Practice

Study involving intensivists from 90 ICUs in northwest Europe confirms significant variability in glycaemic control practices. The study confirmed that there are still controversies over what constitutes optimal glucose management... read more

The Current State of Glycaemic Control Practice