Angiotensin II may improve vasopressors’ efficacy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

ICU Admission for the Very Elderly: A Cost Analysis

ICU Admission for the Very Elderly: A Cost Analysis

Considering the poor clinical outcomes, and that many intensive care unit (ICU) admissions may be undesired by very elderly patients (aged 80 or older), ICU costs in this population are substantial, according to a new study... read more

Clinical Implications of Sarcopenia on Decreased Bone Density in Men With COPD

Clinical Implications of Sarcopenia on Decreased Bone Density in Men With COPD

Sarcopenia and osteoporosis are systemic features of COPD. The present study investigated the association between sarcopenia and osteopenia/osteoporosis and the factors associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) in men... read more

Using Ventilator to Control Oxygen May Be COPD Game-changer

Using Ventilator to Control Oxygen May Be COPD Game-changer

Using a ventilator to control the level of supplemental oxygen a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient receives halved patients' trips to the hospital from disease flare-ups, according to a clinical trial. British... read more