Critical Care Alert – November 1, 2005

November 1, 2005

• Activated Protein C for Severe Sepsis and A Low Risk of Death

  In 2001, the PROWESS trial of 1690 patients with severe sepsis1 demonstrated that a 96-hour infusion of activated protein C, or drotrecogin alfa (activated) (DrotAA, Xigris®) at 24 g/kg/h decreased mortality at 28 days from 30.8% to 24.4% (P = 0.005).

  Read more

• How Long Should You Wait Before Removing a Chest Tube?

  Standard teaching advocates placing a chest tube on water seal in patients with a prior hemothorax or pneumothorax and obtaining a chest radiograph (CXR) the following morning.

  Read more

• Special Feature: Recombinant Factor VIIa in Hemorrhagic Shock and Massive Transfusion

  Uncontrolled hemorrhage remains an important cause of death in the ICU. Patients with severe traumatic injuries, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and ruptured abdominal aortic aneurisms are but a few examples of those who develop coagulopathy and hemorrhage that is not amenable to surgical control and may not respond to traditional approaches to blood product transfusion.

  Read more

• Pharmacology Watch: Roche is Under Pressure Over Its Antiviral Drug Tamiflu

  ACE Inhibitors or ARBs for Prediabetics?; Xigris is Approved for Severe Sepsis; ACE Inhibitors Inhibiting Aortic Valve Stenosis?; FDA Actions

  Read more

• Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement

  Read more