The role of serum amyloid A staining of granulomatous tissues for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis

Previous studies demonstrated that SAA staining of sarcoidosis granulomas was qualitatively and quantitatively different from other granulomatous diseases. These data suggest that positive SAA staining of granulomatous tissue... read more

Sodium Lactate Improves Hemodynamics

Sodium lactate has been shown to improve hemodynamics and avoid fluid overload. The objective of this study was to confirm a beneficial effect on fluid balance with sodium lactate infusion and to specify whether the advantage... read more

Patient Experiences of Trauma Resuscitation

In this qualitative study that included semistructured interviews and video observations of trauma resuscitation, patients drew satisfaction from trauma team members' demeanor, expertise, and efficiency and valued clear... read more

Trends and Patterns of Antibiotic Consumption in China

The consumption of antibiotics is a major driver in the development of antimicrobial resistance. This study aims to identify the trends and patterns of the total antibiotic consumption in China’s tertiary hospitals from... read more

Should Transfusion Trigger Thresholds Differ for Critical Care vs Perioperative Patients?

The safety of restrictive transfusion strategies likely differs for critically ill patients versus perioperative patients. Further trials investigating transfusion strategies in the perioperative setting are necessary. The... read more

Effect of Boarding on Mortality in ICUs

Mortality increased with boarding of critically ill patients. Further research is needed to identify safer practices for managing patients during periods of high ICU occupancy. The study population consisted of 8,429 patients... read more

Balanced Crystalloids vs Saline for Critically Ill Adults

Among critically ill adults, use of balanced crystalloids for intravenous fluid administration reduced the composite of death, new renal replacement therapy, and persistent renal dysfunction compared with use of saline. Patients... read more

Cisatracurium Ups Some ARDS Outcomes Versus Vecuronium

Among patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), cisatracurium does not improve mortality versus vecuronium but is associated with improvements in other outcomes, according to a study published online in the... read more

Pilot Feasibility Study of Therapeutic Hypothermia for Moderate to Severe ARDS

Neuromuscular blockade alone does not cause hypothermia but allowed acute respiratory distress syndrome patients to be effectively cooled. Results support conducting a randomized clinical trial of hypothermia in acute respiratory... read more

Safety of MRI in Patients with Cardiac Devices

Patients who have pacemakers or defibrillators are often denied the opportunity to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) because of safety concerns, unless the devices meet certain criteria specified by the FDM. We evaluated... read more

Elevated BNP Levels in CFS Associated with Cardiac Dysfunction

This study confirms an association between reduced cardiac volumes and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Lack of relationship between length of disease suggests that findings are not secondary... read more

Clinicians’ Expectations of the Benefits and Harms of Treatments, Screening, and Tests

Clinicians rarely had accurate expectations of benefits or harms, with inaccuracies in both directions. However, clinicians more often underestimated rather than overestimated harms and overestimated rather than underestimated... read more

Development and Validation of an Empiric Tool to Predict Favorable Neurologic Outcomes Among PICU Patients

This proposed prediction tool encompasses 20 risk factors into one probability to predict favorable neurologic outcome during ICU stay among children with critical illness. Future studies should seek external validation and... read more

Burnout and Stress Among US Surgery Residents

Burnout among physicians affects mental health, performance, and patient outcomes. Surgery residency is a high-risk time for burnout. We examined burnout and the psychological characteristics that can contribute to burnout... read more

Dexmedetomidine-Associated Hyperthermia

Dexmedetomidine-associated hyperthermia: a retrospective cohort study of intensive care unit admissions between 2009 and 2016. Dexmedetomidine-associated hyperthermia has not been previously studied. Analysis is warranted... read more

Top 10 Critical Care Trials for 2017

We held a poll within our editorial group, rating all 36 of the published trials from 2017 that we have summarised and critiqued. We considered the importance of the clinical question, how game changing the conclusion was... read more

How Big Tech Is Going After Your Health Care

When Daniel Poston, a second-year medical student in Manhattan, opened the App Store on his iPhone a couple of weeks ago, he was astonished to see an app for a new heart study prominently featured. People often learn about... read more

Knowledge of Constituent Ingredients in Enteral Nutrition Formulas Can Make a Difference in Patient Response to Enteral Feeding

The selection of an EF should be a conscientious process based on a number of factors, including the patient's clinical and medical status. The ingredients need to be carefully evaluated in their quality and quantity as they... read more

Meta-Analysis Shows Mixed Results with Palliative Care

Palliative care was tied to some improvements in quality of life (QOL) in critically ill patients, but the impact on caregiver outcomes was mixed, and there was no significant association between palliative care delivery... read more

Prognostic Effect and Longitudinal Hemodynamic Assessment of Borderline Pulmonary Hypertension

Borderline PH is common in patients undergoing RHC and is associated with significant comorbidities, progression to overt PH, and decreased survival. Small increases in mPAP, even at values currently considered normal, are... read more

What Can Psychologists Do in Intensive Care?

As awareness has grown of the great distress intensive care patients may suffer, units have begun recruiting psychologists to their teams. Intensive care unit psychologists aim to assess and reduce distress for patients,... read more

Causes of Mortality in ICU-Acquired Weakness

Intensive care unit–acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is a common complication of critical illness and is associated with increased mortality, longer mechanical ventilation and longer hospital stay. Little is known about the causes... read more