Breaking it Down: Post Intensive Care Syndrome and Recovery – Emotions

Breaking it Down: Post Intensive Care Syndrome and Recovery – Emotions

The emotional aftermath of critical illness/injury is something that often catches people by surprise but can have a significant impact on daily life. People who have been critically ill/injured often describe difficulty... read more

The Needs of Families of Trauma Intensive Care Patients

The Needs of Families of Trauma Intensive Care Patients

This mixed methods study identified that families of trauma patients have different needs to families of general patients and the nurses rated the needs of the families of trauma patients as less important than the families... read more

Predictors of Return to Work in Survivors of Critical Illness

Predictors of Return to Work in Survivors of Critical Illness

Major trauma, lower GCS and increased hospital length of stay predicted inability to return to work due to health at six-months post-ICU admission. Compared to employed patients, those who had not returned to work reported... read more

Music Helps Prevent Delirium in Elderly Critical Care Patients

Music Helps Prevent Delirium in Elderly Critical Care Patients

A randomized controlled trial demonstrates that music intervention to prevent delirium among older patients is one of few strategies that provide support in a critical care setting. This study builds on non-pharmacologic... read more

Giving plasma in helicopters, before hospital, may save trauma patients

Giving plasma in helicopters, before hospital, may save trauma patients

Giving plasma to trauma victims during air transport, rather than waiting until arrival at the hospital, saved lives, according to the results of a study that involved patients treated aboard MetroHealth Medical Center's... read more

The Effect of Alcohol Consumption on the Risk of ARDS

The Effect of Alcohol Consumption on the Risk of ARDS

Chronic high alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of ARDS. This finding suggests that patients admitted to hospital should be screened for chronic alcohol use. Seventeen observational studies (177,674 people)... read more

Prehospital Plasma during Air Medical Transport in Trauma Patients at Risk for Hemorrhagic Shock

Prehospital Plasma during Air Medical Transport in Trauma Patients at Risk for Hemorrhagic Shock

In injured patients at risk for hemorrhagic shock, the prehospital administration of thawed plasma was safe and resulted in lower 30-day mortality and a lower median prothrombin-time ratio than standard-care resuscitation.... read more

I Had PTSD After a Critical Illness. Apparently That’s Fairly Common

I Had PTSD After a Critical Illness. Apparently That’s Fairly Common

The emotional trauma of a near-death experience causes ongoing emotional and physical symptoms in one-third of ICU patients. PICS doesn't have a time limitation and can be triggered by almost anything. I was suddenly anxious... read more

Choice of Fluid Therapy in the Initial Management of Sepsis, Severe Sepsis, and Septic Shock

Choice of Fluid Therapy in the Initial Management of Sepsis, Severe Sepsis, and Septic Shock

Sepsis results in disruption of the endothelial glycocalyx layer and damage to the microvasculature, resulting in interstitial accumulation of fluid and subsequently edema. Fluid resuscitation is a mainstay in the initial... read more

Why is trauma activation so expensive?

Why is trauma activation so expensive?

I can understand hospitals charging a fee for trauma activations to help recover some of the costs of having a trauma service. The staff may require some special training. Managing the service, collecting data, and other... read more

Trauma

Trauma

Supported by numerous x-rays, CT scans, plus informative tables throughout, this trusted reference begins with an informative look at kinematics and the mechanisms of trauma injury. Subsequent chapters provide useful background... read more

Intracranial Pressure Thresholds in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Pro

Intracranial Pressure Thresholds in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Pro

Teleologically, the mammalian brain has evolved to be the central component of life. It coordinates afferent and efferent neural pathways, integrates neurohormonal responses and, in humans, produces higher cortical effects... read more

Survival outcomes after prolonged ICU length of stay among trauma patients: The evidence for never giving up

Survival outcomes after prolonged ICU length of stay among trauma patients: The evidence for never giving up

Prolonged intensive care unit length of stay (ICU-LOS) is associated with high mortality for medical and surgical patients. Existing literature suggests that this may not be true for trauma patients.The results reveal that... read more

Peer Support in Critical Care

Peer Support in Critical Care

Peer support appeared to reduce psychologic morbidity and increase social support. The evidence for peer support in critically ill populations is limited. There is a need for well-designed and rigorously reported research... read more