Tag: study
Hemodynamic Support after Cardiac Surgery
Low cardiac output syndrome is a common complication of cardiac surgery and is associated with increased mortality. Levosimendan has been shown in small studies to be an effective therapy.... read more
Antifungal Treatment in the ICU
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Almost 80% of IFIs are due to Candida spp., which are the third most common isolated microorganisms in the intensive... read more
Electrophysiological Investigations of Peripheral Nerves and Muscles
Resting trans-membrane potential difference (Em) of skeletal muscle is correlated to the energy status of the organism: the more severe the illness, the lower the Em. In 1971, Cunningham demonstrated this association with... read more
Hoopla Aside, hs-cTnI is Not Catching Missed Mis
We have been searching for a tool to identify myocardial infarction patients who are truly safe for discharge ever since Pope, et al., found that we were discharging two percent of patients with MIs from the emergency department.... read more
Aid Tool Does Not Help Care Decisions in Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation
Treatment decisions commonly have to be made in intensive care units (ICUs). These decisions are difficult for surrogate decision makers and often lead to decisional conflict, psychological distress, and treatments misaligned... read more
Medical Dispatchers’ Perception of Visual Information in Real Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest
Providing medical dispatchers with visual information from the location of OHCA might improve their understanding of the OHCA-scenario, which might enhance communication, their ability to guide more bystanders and improve... read more
Widespread use of Chlorhexidine Doesn’t Promote Resistance in S. Aureus
Investigators from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Division of Infectious Diseases recently published reassuring data indicating that use of chlorhexidine (CHG) to bathe hospitalized patients does not lead... read more
The Effect of Defining COPD by the Lower Limit of Normal of FEV1/FVC Ratio in TIOSPIR Participants
Using the lower limit of normal to define airflow obstruction would have excluded patients in TIOtropium Safety and Performance In Respimat study with a higher risk of nonfatal major adverse cardiovascular events and a lower... read more
When is Patient Feedback Valid? Supporting Patient Feedback as a Catalyst for Change
As part of the revalidation process, doctors must collect patient feedback at least once every five years. While it is encouraging to see patient feedback included in this process, questions must be asked about what message,... read more
Recommendations on the Use of Ultrasound Guidance for Adult Thoracentesis
The use of ultrasound guidance for thoracentesis has been associated with increased success rates and decreased complication rates. Ultrasound can be used to estimate the pleural fluid volume, characterize the effusion as... read more
Optimizing Patient and Family Education Resources for the ICU
Offering stronger patient and family education tools in the ICU will ease patient and caregiver fears and make them more comfortable with the care setting. An integrated, centralized, and digital platform is best suited for... read more
The Psychological Impact of Intensive Care
A period in intensive care is known to negatively affect patients' long term physical, cognitive and psychiatric health, in what's known as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). Researchers from the University of Oxford sought... read more
50 States Ranked by Amount of Active Nurses
California contains the most professionally active registered nurses in the U.S. with 337,738 RNs, according to a ranking from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The ranking is based on October 2018 data compiled by Redi-Data... read more
Partial Pressure of Oxygen and Neurological Outcome in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients
Following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), patients regularly suffer from post cardiac arrest syndrome including symptoms of anoxic brain injury and reperfusion-related damage. Hyperoxemia or hypoxemia exposure occurred... read more
Systematic Review of the Effects of ICU Noise on Sleep of Healthy Subjects and the Critically Ill
ICU patients exhibit disturbed sleeping patterns, often attributed to environmental noise, although the relative contribution of noise compared to other potentially disrupting factors is often debated. We therefore systematically... read more
ICU RN Job Dissatisfaction, Burnout Linked to Moral Distress
Job satisfaction and practice environment are associated with moral distress among critical care nurses, according to a study published online Jan. 3 in the American Journal of Critical Care. The researchers found that 56... read more
Host Genetic Variants in Sepsis Risk
Published data revealed that host genetic variants have a substantial influence on sepsis susceptibility. However, the results have been inconsistent. We aimed to systematically review the published studies and quantitatively... read more
A Framework for Increasing Trust Between Patients and the Organizations That Care for Them
Trust matters in health care. It makes patients feel less vulnerable, clinicians feel more effective, and reduces the imbalances of information by improving the flow of information. Trust is so fundamental to the patient-physician... read more