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Although previous studies have suggested that hypocalcemia, a common problem in critical illness, is associated with increased mortality in ICU patients, and correction of hypocalcemia has been advocated to prevent neurologic and cardiovascular complications, the literature is still unclear as to the precise relationship between abnormal calcium levels both hypo- and hypercalcemia and ICU outcomes.
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In this issue: Anticholinergic drugs for COPD; pioglitazone for diabetes prevention; insulin degludec in Phase 3 trials; and FDA Actions.
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Communicating with family members in a manner that ensures satisfaction with the information received, assists in reducing distress, and supports decision making is challenging.
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Cardoso and colleagues at University Hospital in Londrina, Brazil, prospectively studied all patients who were admitted to their 17-bed, closed, general adult ICU during a 12-month period.
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Flandreau and colleagues at the Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse in Lyon, France, report their experience with patients with chronic neuromuscular disease (CNMD) admitted to their 15-bed medical ICU because of acute respiratory failure (ARF).
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If your ED patient sustained a few rib fractures, would you expect this to lead to rapid respiratory decompensation, pneumonia, and death? Minor injuries can have profound effects in the elderly, warns Avery Nathens, MD, division head of trauma and general surgery at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada.
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If ED nurses believe a patient poses a risk of harm to themselves or others, a patient safety checklist is used for "closed-loop" communication with security, says Alexandra Penzias, RN, MEd, MSN, CEN, clinical nurse educator in the department of emergency medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA. "This ensures that all members of the ED team are aware of the patient's status and plan of care," she explains.
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Is a cardiac-arrest patient failing to wake up and follow commands? "Therapeutic hypothermia is one of the few therapies we can offer," says Marion Leary, BSN, RN, assistant director of clinical research at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Resuscitation Science in Philadelphia.
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Editor's Note: This is a two-part series on medication safety for inpatients being held in the ED. This month, we give strategies to reduce errors with inpatient medications. Last month, we gave strategies to avoid missed dosages.
