Critical Care Alert – November 1, 2006
November 1, 2006
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Volume May (Or May Not) Impact Mortality in ICU Patients
Associations between the number of patients managed (hospital volume) and improved patient survival have been extensively documented in the surgical literaturesuch as cardiac surgery, ruptured aortic aneurysm, and several types of cancer surgeryand suggested for selected medical conditions, such as acute myocardial infarction and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. -
Clinician Estimates of Ideal Body Weight Are Inaccurate
Over a 3-month period, all patients who required mechanical ventilation in the ICU of Tygerberg Academic Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, were enrolled in this study. -
Vertical Positioning in ARDS?
Studies using computed tomography have shown that patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) typically have a cephalocaudal gradient in the distribution of lung density, with the greatest density (and collapse) in the lung bases adjacent to the diaphragm. -
Special Feature: Risk Management in the ICU
It has been said that "medicine is a science, patient care is an art and healthcare is a business." To that end, physicians wear three hats, and must possess a broad range of skills to perform their jobs effectively. This demand is acutely evident in the tasks of an intensive care unit (ICU) director. -
Pharmacology Watch: Wait and See Prescriptions for Treatment of Otitis Media
New Hope for Macular Degeneration?; Can Cialis be Used for Edema?; FDA Actions -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement