Critical Care Alert – March 1, 2005

March 1, 2005

• Annie, Annie, Are You OK? Does Anyone Know CPR?

  This single-center, prospective, observational study of resuscitation for in-hospital cardiac arrest reveals that the performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation is inconsistent with current guidelines.

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• Heat and Moisture Exchangers and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

  This meta-analysis of published trials comparing HMEs and heated humidifiers found a significant reduction in VAP when they were used, particularly among patients who required more than 7 days in the ICU.

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• Hydrocortisone for Severe Community- Acquired Pneumonia

  In this multicenter clinical trial of patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia, a 7-day course of low-dose hydrocortisone infusion was associated with decreased signs of inflammation and significant reductions in duration of mechanical ventilation, hospital length of stay, and in-hospital mortality.

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• Antibiotic Cycling in the ICU

  Once intensive care practices have been well standardized, patient safety becomes one of the biggest issues in the ICU in terms of management of health care quality (affecting the outcomes of patients admitted to the ICUs). The acquisition of nosocomial infections in the ICU is known to significantly affect patient outcomes such as ICU and hospital mortality and length of ICU and hospital stays.

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• Pharmacology Watch: The Risk of Aspirin Withdrawal in ACS Patients

  Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia, FDA Actions.

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• Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement

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