Critical Care Alert
RSSArticles
-
Organ Donation: Perspective for the Intensivist
Organ donation and transplantation are important and lifesaving procedures.The complexities of management include determination of death, communication with families, pre-procurement optimization of potential donors, and bereavement support for families.
-
Decision-Making Capacity in the ICU
A multicenter, one-day prevalence, prospective, observational, double-blind study in 19 ICUs revealed that the decisionmaking capacity of ICU patients was widely overestimated by all clinicians as compared with a capacity score measured by the Mini-Mental Status Examination and the Aid to Capacity Evaluation.
-
Acute Kidney Injury With Combination Antibiotics in the Critically Ill
In this retrospective study, a short course (24 to < 72 hours) of combination antibiotic therapy with piperacillin-tazobactam and vancomycin was not associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury among critically ill patients when compared with other β-lactam and vancomycin combinations.
-
NOACs vs. Warfarin: What Are the Data in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury and Intracranial Hemorrhage?
A three-year analysis of a prospectively maintained database with traumatic brain injury patients revealed that novel oral anticoagulant use is associated with increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage progression, neurosurgical intervention, and mortality.
-
Early Neuromuscular Blockade in Moderate-to-Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
When the early use of a continuous infusion of cisatracurium was compared to contemporary supportive care for moderate-to-severe ARDS, including a light sedation target, high positive-end expiratory pressure, and conservative fluid strategy, there was no difference in 90-day mortality. Patients in the early neuromuscular blockade group more frequently experienced a severe cardiovascular event and ICU-acquired weakness by day 28.
-
Reader Survey Now Available
-
Trajectory of Physical Function Recovery May Help Inform Prognosis for Survivors of Acute Respiratory Failure
There are several distinct trajectories of recovery after acute respiratory failure. The group with the highest physical function consisted primarily of younger women who experienced less continuous sedation time and shorter ICU length of stay.
-
Impact of Early Low-Dose Norepinephrine in Adults Experiencing Sepsis With Hypotension
Adult patients experiencing sepsis with hypotension but who did not meet the definition of septic shock received a median of 800 mL of intravenous fluid prior to initiation of norepinephrine 0.05 mcg/kg/min as a non-titratable infusion. Patients in this early vasopressor group had much lower odds of failing to achieve their primary outcome of adequate mean arterial pressure and tissue perfusion when early norepinephrine was provided.
-
Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia: What’s the Latest?
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is an iatrogenic, potentially life-threatening complication that occurs after exposure to heparin therapy in hospitalized patients. Early recognition and timely initiation of treatment are critical for improved prognosis.
-
Reader Survey Available
We'd love to hear from you how we can do better!