Oxygen Use, Lower Lung Function Seen as Predictors of Death or Transplant in IPF

Oxygen Use, Lower Lung Function Seen as Predictors of Death or Transplant in IPF

The use of oxygen at rest is associated with a greater likelihood of death or lung transplant in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a study shows. The results also showed that lower lung function at the start... read more

Perioperative Kidney Injury: Principles of Risk Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment

Perioperative Kidney Injury: Principles of Risk Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment

The kidneys participate in all vital processes of the body to maintain overall homeostasis and health. When kidneys are injured during surgical interventions, metabolic and hemodynamic control is disrupted, leading to dysfunction... read more

What influences critical care doctors in withdrawing life support for patients with brain injury?

Decisions to withdraw life support treatments in critically ill patients with severe brain injury are complicated, are based on many factors, and are usually made by critical care physicians and families in the intensive... read more

Early Protocolized Versus Usual Care Rehabilitation for Pediatric Neurocritical Care Patients

Early Protocolized Versus Usual Care Rehabilitation for Pediatric Neurocritical Care Patients

A protocol for early personalized rehabilitation by physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy in pediatric neurocritical care patients could be safely implemented and led to more ICU-based treatment... read more

Serotonin Syndrome

Serotonin Syndrome

Serotonin syndromes comes up a lot in critical care medicine. Sometimes we are admitting patients because of a primary diagnosis of serotonin syndrome. Other times we are afraid of causing serotonin syndrome ourselves, due... read more

Antibiotics for Sepsis

Antibiotics for Sepsis

Antibiotics for Sepsis - Does Each Hour Really Count? Or is it Incestuous Amplification? - by Prof Mervyn Singer "Each hour's delay in initiating antibiotics costs lives" is a doctrine that has attained quasi religious status.... read more

Angiotensin II For Septic Shock Treatment

Angiotensin II For Septic Shock Treatment

Angiotensin II has been studied for many years and has consistently shown to increase MAP. This medication adds a new mechanism of action to the vasopressor arsenal that is already used for septic shock. Angiotensin II should... read more

Pretreating red blood cells with nitric oxide may reduce side effect linked to transfusions

Pretreating red blood cells with nitric oxide may reduce side effect linked to transfusions

A new treatment may diminish a dangerous side effect associated with transfusions of red blood cells (RBCs) known as pulmonary hypertension, an elevated blood pressure in the lungs and heart that can lead to heart failure.... read more

Reversal of Oral Anticoagulation in Patients with Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Reversal of Oral Anticoagulation in Patients with Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage

In light of an aging population with increased cardiovascular comorbidity, the use of oral anticoagulation (OAC) is steadily expanding. A variety of pharmacological alternatives to vitamin K antagonists (VKA) have emerged... read more

Pediatric Hypertension and Hypertensive Emergencies: Recognition and Management in the Emergency Department

Pediatric Hypertension and Hypertensive Emergencies: Recognition and Management in the Emergency Department

Pediatric hypertension generally presents to the ED in 2 forms: (1) the otherwise asymptomatic child with elevated blood pressure, and (2) the child with a true hypertensive emergency. This issue provides recommendations... read more

Cost-effectiveness analysis of initial treatment strategies for mild-to-moderate Clostridium difficile infection in hospitalized patients

Cost-effectiveness analysis of initial treatment strategies for mild-to-moderate Clostridium difficile infection in hospitalized patients

A decision-analytic model revealed vancomycin to be cost-effective, compared with metronidazole, for treatment of initial episodes of mild-to-moderate Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in adult inpatients. From the hospital... read more

Antibiotics, Immunosuppressive Drugs and the Downfall of the Human Immune System

Antibiotics, Immunosuppressive Drugs and the Downfall of the Human Immune System

Today I'll discuss two more factors that can debilitate the human immune system (allowing the microbiome to better cause disease). They are antibiotics (when used too frequently) and immunosuppressive drugs: two of the most... read more

Addressing Shortcomings in Infection and Sepsis Treatment Should Be Top of the Priority List

Addressing Shortcomings in Infection and Sepsis Treatment Should Be Top of the Priority List

Hospitals are increasingly facing the challenge of cutting costs while also improving clinical outcomes. This is certainly true in the infectious disease sector, as unrecognized or ineffectively treated bacterial infections... read more

Is Pre-hospital Coagulation Management in Trauma Feasible?

Is Pre-hospital Coagulation Management in Trauma Feasible?

Coagulation management remains a formidable challenge in severely bleeding trauma patients. A strong rationale suggests starting treatment of trauma-induced coagulopathy in the pre-hospital phase. The burden of trauma is... read more