-
In a recent issue of Critical Care Alert I discussed the epidemiology and pathophysiology of invasive fungal infections that afflict patients in the ICU. In this issue, I review the current treatment options.
-
Synopsis: The clinical decision rule tested in this study reduced unnecessary hospital admissions in patients with suspected acute cardiac ischemia without affecting safety.
-
-
-
Ventilator-related deaths and injuries often are caused by multiple system failures, especially in the ICU, according to a recent report from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
-
The fatality rates for hospital-associated pneumonia in general, and of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in particular, are high. For hospital-associated pneumonia, attributable mortality rates of 20% to 33% have been reported, according to the draft pneumonia prevention guideline by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
-
Synopsis: This carefully done systematic review of the existing literature shows that overall mortality and ICU length of stay are better with increasing involvement of critical care physicians in patient care.
-
The purpose of this pre- and postintervention observation study was to evaluate the effect of an educational initiative on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rate. The educational program was directed towards respiratory therapists and critical care nurses.
-
-
This article, the second of two parts, deals with the potentially disastrous situation in which either the patients airway presents a substantial challenge or standard intubation methods have failed.