Critical Care Alert – May 1, 2013
May 1, 2013
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Lung Recruitment Maneuvers in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
A recruitment maneuver (RM) is the technique of briefly increasing alveolar pressure to levels in excess of what normally is recommended to reopen collapsed peripheral airways and alveoli so that both resting lung volume, or functional residual capacity (FRC), and oxygenation are restored.1 -
Can Chest CT Help Predict Quality of Life in Acute Lung Injury Survivors?
This study reports a correlation between the degree of abnormalities on high-resolution chest CT and both restrictive pulmonary dysfunction and poorer health-related quality of life among survivors of acute lung injury. -
Are Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals Cost Effective for Chronically Critically Ill Patients?
Chronically critically ill patients who receive care in either acute care ICUs or in long-term acute care hospitals have similar 1-year survival rates. However, long-term acute care hospitals incur a higher overall cost, due to higher Medicare reimbursement rates to these facilities. -
Is Your Smart Phone Spreading Infection in the ICU?
Bacteria were present on the cell phones of all hospital clinicians studied, with potentially pathogenic microorganisms isolated from 29% of them. Contamination with pathogens was found more commonly with smart phones than with non-smart phones, and by multivariable analysis no other factor was associated with this difference. -
Pharmacology Watch: New Study on Chelation Therapy Proves Controversial
Chelation therapy for cardiovascular disease; statins and kidney injuries; chlorthalidone for hypertension; and FDA actions. -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement