Driving Pressure Is Associated with Outcome during Assisted Ventilation in ARDS

In patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), plateau pressure, driving pressure, and respiratory system compliance can be measured during assisted ventilation, and both higher driving pressure and lower compliance... read more

Long-Term Outcomes and Health Care Utilization after Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation

Critically ill patients who undergo mechanical ventilation in an ICU for longer than 21 days have high in-hospital mortality and greater postdischarge mortality, health care utilization, and health care costs compared with... read more

Low-dose Atrial Natriuretic Peptide for Prevention or Treatment of AKI

Theoretically, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), especially low-dose ANP, is beneficial in acute kidney injury (AKI). In this study, we examined whether low-dose ANP is effective in preventing or treating AKI by conducting... read more

Impact of Delayed Admission to ICUs on Mortality of Critically Ill Patients

When the number of patients who require intensive care is greater than the number of beds available, intensive care unit (ICU) entry flow is obstructed. This phenomenon has been associated with higher mortality rates... read more

Outcomes of ARDS in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Cirrhosis

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is common in mechanically ventilated patients with cirrhosis but is not independently associated with increased mortality. The mean age in 181 eligible patients was 53 ± 11 years;... read more

The Effect of Vitamin C on Clinical Outcome in Critically Ill Patients

In a mixed population of ICU patients, vitamin C administration is associated with no significant effect on survival, length of ICU or hospital stay. In cardiac surgery, beneficial effects on postoperative atrial fibrillation,... read more

Accuracy of Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score to Predict Sepsis Mortality

Overall, quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score outperforms systemic inflammatory response syndrome in predicting sepsis outcome, but quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score has relative strengths/weaknesses... read more

Improving Outcomes for ICU Survivors

In response to the many challenges faced by ICU survivors today, there has been an increasing need to relieve this burden. Despite that many clinical trials have been implemented to find new strategies, post-intensive care... read more

Blood Cultures From Arterial Catheters Reliable for Detection of Bloodstream Infection in PICUs

Cultures of arterial catheter–drawn blood are reliable for the detection of bloodstream infection in PICUs. The study group consisted of 138 patients admitted to the general or cardiac PICU in 2014–2015 who met the following... read more

The Speaker Gender Gap at Critical Care Conferences

There is a speaker gender gap at critical care conferences, with male faculty outnumbering female faculty. This gap is more marked among physician speakers than those speakers representing nursing and allied health professionals.... read more

Microbial Strategies to Reduce Pathogens and Drug Resistance in Clinical Settings

Healthcare‐associated infections (HAIs) are a global concern, affecting all western hospitals, and profoundly impairing the clinical outcome of up to 15% of all hospitalized patients. Persistent microbial contamination... read more

Blood Culture Results Before and After Antimicrobial Administration in Patients With Severe Sepsis

Among patients with severe manifestations of sepsis, initiation of empirical antimicrobial therapy significantly reduces the sensitivity of blood cultures drawn shortly after treatment initiation. Of 3,164 participants... read more

Occupational Therapy in the ICU

The role of occupational therapists in ICU rehabilitation is not currently well established. Current interventions in the ICU are dominated by physical rehabilitation with a growing role in communication and delirium... read more

Myocardial Ischemia During Ventilator Weaning

This observational study showed the pulmonary edema (WiPO) occurred in a significant number of critically ill patients who failed a first spontaneous breathing trial (SBT), while cardiac ischemia (WiCI) was less frequent.... read more

Incidence of Hypoglycemia in Following Insulin‐based Acute Treatment of Hyperkalemia

Iatrogenic hypoglycemia, as a result of treatment for hyperkalemia, is a common occurrence. Hyperkalemia occurs disproportionately in patients with acute kidney injury or end‐stage renal disease, and these patients are... read more

Oxygen Treatment in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

Hypoxemia should certainly be avoided, but the fact that the liberal administration of oxygen to patients in intensive care units and emergency rooms tends to increase morbidity and mortality implies the advisability of a... read more

Sedation is Necessary to Minimize Patients’ Discomfort During Mechanical Ventilation

More than half of critical care nurses believe sedation is needed to minimize discomfort and distress among patients receiving mechanical ventilation, according to survey results published recently in the American Journal... read more

Neonatal Early-Onset Sepsis Evaluation

Twelve years ago, we began a National Institutes of Health–funded study of neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS) whose goal was to develop multivariate predictive models that could be used by clinicians to evaluate a newborn’s... read more

Platelet Function During ECMO in Adult Patients

Employing impedance aggregometry and flow cytometry, we found both impaired platelet aggregation and decreased platelet activation on day 1 of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support compared with healthy controls.... read more

Implementation of a Standardized Transfusion Protocol for Cardiac Patients Treated With Venoarterial ECMO Is Associated With Decreased Blood Component Utilization and May Improve Clinical Outcome

The data indicate that implementation of a standardized transfusion protocol, using more restrictive transfusion indications in cardiac ECMO patients, was associated with reduced blood product utilization, decreased complications,... read more

Mechanical Ventilation-induced Diaphragm Atrophy Strongly Impacts Clinical Outcomes

Diaphragm atrophy developing during mechanical ventilation strongly impacts clinical outcomes. Targeting an inspiratory effort level similar to that of healthy subjects at rest might accelerate liberation from ventilation.... read more

Determinants of Health-Related Quality of Life After ICU

Preexisting comorbidity counts, but not severity of ICU illness, are strongly associated with health-related quality of life and physical symptoms in the year following critical illness. We prospectively collected data... read more