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Based on the findings of this meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials, early (7 days after intubation) or late (any time after 7 days) tracheostomy placement did not alter clinical outcomes in study patients, including no differences in mortality, incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU stay, hospital stay, or sedation.
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In a nationally representative sample of U.S. hospitals, reported routine use of daily interruption of sedation for mechanically ventilated patients was associated with the presence of a leadership emphasis on safety culture, receptivity of the staff to practice change, and participation in a collaborative to prevent health care-associated infections. There was no association with the number of hospital beds or with the presence of a medical school affiliation.
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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis interventions in gynecologic surgery are meritorious, supported by Level 1 evidence and the subject of multiple guidelines, including those published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. However, new evidence suggests nearly one-third of women undergoing hysterectomy in this country still receive no VTE prophylaxis, placing thousands of women at unnecessary risk for preventable morbidity.
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Most patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) present to hospitals that are not capable of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
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An outbreak of dengue fever in northeastern Kenya has recently sickened at least 5,000 people.
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To examine the association between being placed in contact isolation and delirium, Day and colleagues at the University of Maryland Medical Center reviewed administrative data on all patients admitted during a 2-year period ending in 2009.
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Lemyze and colleagues studied a simple bedside procedure for detecting expiratory airflow obstruction in intubated, mechanically ventilated patients.
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This study was a survey of all the physicians and nurses working in 82 adult ICUs on a particular day in 2010. It was conducted by a study group of the Ethics Section of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, and the ICUs involved were in nine European countries plus Israel.
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