Tag: treatment
Adjunct and Rescue Therapies for Refractory Hypoxemia
Prone position, inhaled nitric oxide, high frequency oscillation, extra corporeal life support. The mortality of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), defined with a PaO2/FiO2 ratio of 100 mmHg... read more
Mechanical Ventilation/Ventricular Assist Devices, An Issue of Critical Care Clinics
This issue of Critical Care Clinics focuses on Mechanical Ventilation and Ventricular Assist Devices, with topics including: Targeted management approach to cardiogenic shock; Prevention and treatment of right heart failure... read more
Should ICU clinicians follow patients after ICU discharge? No
Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) describes new or worsening impairments of physical, cognitive or mental health resulting from an episode of critical illness and its treatment and lasting after discharge... read more
Should ICU clinicians follow patients after ICU discharge? Yes
The trajectory of recovery from critical illness is often portrayed as a continuum. At one extremity lies an unstable patient dependent on life-sustaining treatments in the intensive care unit. At the... read more
Do phenylephrine and epinephrine require central access?
Until recently I believed that prolonged vasopressor administration requires a central line, to avoid extravasation. I lumped together all vasopressors, treating them all as equal. I used the occurrence of an extravasation... read more
Haloperidol Serum Concentrations in Critically Ill Patients Included in the REDUCE Study
ICU delirium occurs frequently and is associated with unfavorable outcome. A recent delirium prevention study, the REDUCE study, has assessed the efficacy of prophylactic use of haloperidol. In this subset... read more
Six Reasons to Avoid Fluoroquinolones in the Critically Ill
As an internal medicine resident and pulmonary/critical care fellow, I loved fluoroquinolones. They were effective, easy to prescribe, and had 100% oral bioavailability. However, working full-time in the ICU has forced me... read more
Viral Sepsis in Children
Sepsis in children is typically presumed to be bacterial in origin until proven otherwise, but frequently bacterial cultures ultimately return negative. Although the incidence of viral-induced sepsis is not precisely known,... read more
Withdrawing vs. Not Offering Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Is There a Difference?
In light of the SCC's Cuthbertson v. Rasouli decision, the distinction between withdrawing and not offering a medical treatment is increasingly relevant. Because CPR is a "default" treatment for cardiac arrest, it requires... read more
High Flow Nasal Oxygen for Acute Bronchiolitis?
Since bronchiolitis is a clinical diagnosis, there is no test, including viral testing and radiography, which rules it in or out (Schuh et al 2007). Sadly, despite multiple guidelines (NICE, AAP, CPS), there has also been... read more
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
Hospitals Prepare To Launch Their Own Drug Company To Fight High Prices And Shortages
Shortages of commonplace generic drugs have plagued hospitals in recent years. And with short supplies and fewer suppliers for key drugs, there have been price increases. Hospital purchasing agents keep searching for new... read more
Device Delivers Drugs to the Brain to Stop Seizures
The failure of systemic drug treatments to address numerous neurological disorders has spurred the development of alternative approaches that attempt localized treatment. These localized treatments focus therapy on the region... read more
Lessons From Everest’s Sherpas Could Aid Intensive Care Treatment
A research expedition to Mount Everest has shed light on the unique physiological basis of adaptations seen in the native Sherpa people, which make them better suited to life at high altitude. This improved understanding,... read more
