Tag: treatment
Music and Medicine: Something Important
Every week or 2 when I don’t have a daytime shift, I set up my iPad and play piano for an hour or so. Nothing depressing or too complicated—feel-good music from the 1930s to the latest by John Legend or Coldplay. The... read more
Effects of Physical Activity on Poststroke Cognitive Function
Despite the social, health, and economic burdens associated with cognitive impairment poststroke, there is considerable uncertainty about the types of interventions that might preserve or restore cognitive abilities. The... read more
Increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria hinders treatment of kidney infections
Researchers use hospital emergency room data from around the country to document emergence of E. coli strain that fights medication. They recommend development of new antibiotics and treatment guidelines.... read more
Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoproducts determine antibiotic efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus
Chronic coinfections of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa frequently fail to respond to antibiotic treatment, leading to significant patient morbidity and mortality. Currently, the impact of interspecies interaction... read more
The Role of Hospital Pharmacist in the Screening, Prevention and Treatment of Delirium
An interdisciplinary approach is fundamental for effective prevention and treatment of delirium. Pharmacists could play a role in identifying and resolving medication-related delirium. However, little is known about their... read more
Tissue Edema, Fluid Balance, and Patient Outcomes in Severe Sepsis
Severe sepsis and septic shock remain among the deadliest diseases managed in the intensive care unit. Fluid resuscitation has been a mainstay of early treatment, but the deleterious effects of excessive fluid administration... read more
Faecal Transplant Effectively Treats Recurrent or Unresponsive Clostridium Difficile
Using a faecal microbiota transplant cured 92% of people with Clostridium difficile that had recurred or had not responded to antibiotics. Faecal transplant also had a lower risk of treatment failure than the antibiotic vancomycin.... read more
Hypoxia and Hypotension in Patients Intubated by Physician Staffed Helicopter EMS
The effective treatment of airway compromise in trauma and non-trauma patients is important. Hypoxia and hypotension are predictors of negative patient outcomes and increased mortality, and may be important quality indicators... read more
Effect of Procalcitonin-guided Antibiotic Treatment on Mortality in Acute Respiratory Infections
Use of procalcitonin to guide antibiotic treatment in patients with acute respiratory infections reduces antibiotic exposure and side-effects, and improves survival. Widespread implementation of procalcitonin protocols in... read more
Challenges and Opportunities for a Precision Medicine Approach to Critical Illness
Precision medicine in critical care is a key part of our present and future. However, many challenges limit its application for all patients in the ICU. Complex acute illness among patients with multi-morbidity, integrated... read more
Multicenter Assessment of Sedation and Delirium Practices in the ICU in Poland
A majority of Polish ICUs do not adhere to international guidelines regarding sedation and delirium practices. There continues to be inadequate use of sedation and delirium monitoring tools. High usage of benzodiazepines... read more
Pearls and Pitfalls in Comprehensive Critical Care Echocardiography
Comprehensive critical care echocardiography is a useful, rapid and non-invasive method to both diagnose pathology and monitor treatment response in the critically ill. Although growing dramatically in use around the world,... read more
Lowering systolic blood pressure would save more than 100,000 lives per year, study finds
Intensive treatment to lower systolic (top number) blood pressure to below 120 would save more than 100,000 lives per year in the United States, say scientists. Two thirds of the lives saved would be men and two thirds would... read more
The New Blood Pressure Guidelines
The last time a major updates to the identification, classification and treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension) was 2003. Finally, the long anticipated updated comprehensive guidelines were released earlier this month... read more
Responding to Ten Common Delirium Misconceptions With Best Evidence
Delirium (acute confusion) is a serious, common health condition, and it predicts poor outcomes, including greater rates of mortality, institutionalization, prolonged hospitalization, and cognitive impairment. Expedient diagnosis... read more
High Flow Nasal Cannula Use Outside of the ICU – Factors Associated with Failure
High FiO2 requirements, history of intubation, and cardiac co-morbidity are associative predictors of HFNC failure. Bronchiolitis patients may be treated with HFNC outside of the ICU with lower odds of failure. Two hundred... read more
Effect of treatment delay on the effectiveness and safety of antifibrinolytics in acute severe hemorrhage
Antifibrinolytics reduce death from bleeding in trauma and post-partum haemorrhage. We examined the effect of treatment delay on the effectiveness of antifibrinolytics. We obtained data for 40,138 patients from two randomised... read more
Assessing Usefulness of Randomized Clinical Trials
In the pyramid of evidence based medicine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered to be one of the most reliable study designs when evaluating the cause and effect of treatment modalities. When evaluating randomized... read more
Furosemide in the Treatment of Acute Pulmonary Edema
CHF is a common problem in the US with over 5 million patients carrying the diagnosis and 500,000 new diagnoses each year.1 Cardiogenic acute pulmonary edema (APE) occurs when blood backs up into the pulmonary vasculature... read more
Catheter ablation lowers long-term risk of recurrent stroke in atrial fibrillation patients
Atrial fibrillation patients with a prior history of stroke who undergo catheter ablation to treat the abnormal heart rhythm lower their long-term risk of a recurrent stroke by 50 percent. The Intermountain study compared... read more
When Antibiotic Treatment Fails
What to do when antimicrobial treatment fails and when and how to define it? These are three very common questions arising when clinicians use antibiotics. Categorization of responders and non-responders early in the course... read more
Humanizing the Treatment of Hyperactive Delirium in the Last Days of Life
When patients with advanced cancer near the end of their life, it is important for physicians, nurses, and other health care personnel to respect and dignify the dying process of the patient. This requires a shift in focus... read more
