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This meta-analysis of studies examining the efficacy of systemic corticosteroids for preventing laryngeal edema following extubation concludes that this treatment is effective. This result differs from those of several previous meta-analyses, and raises practical issues such as whether extubation should be delayed for at least 12 hours after a patient passes a spontaneous breathing trial and qualifies for extubation so that a course of steroids can be given.
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Ray et al examined the computerized files of Tennessee Medicaid recipients to estimate the effects of atypical antipsychotic drugs on the risk of sudden cardiac death.
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The use of normal saline instillation with suctioning has been debated over the years due to uncertainty about the benefits of use. Caruso and colleagues assessed the use of the instillation of 8 mL of saline before tracheal suctioning and compared VAP rates among control and treatment patients receiving mechanical ventilation for > 72 hours who had an orotracheal or tracheo-tomy tube.
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Hough et al set out to determine incidence and outcomes of early neuromyopathy in patients with persistent acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and to evaluate the association of neuromyopathy with the use of methylprednisolone in this population.
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Patman and associates at the Lung Institute of Western Australia in Perth undertook this study to determine whether the routine, intensive administration of chest physiotherapy (PT) to mechanically ventilated patients with severe acute brain injury would prevent the occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), or speed its resolution once it was present.
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The effects of selective digestive tract decontamination (SDD) and selective oropharyngeal decontamination (SOD; SDD without systemic antibiotics), which are measures for preventing ICU-acquired infections, on patient outcomes and microbial resistance patterns remain unsettled and controversial.
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To determine whether relationships existed between the use of clinical information technology (CIT) and measures of patient outcomes, Amarasingham and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study of urban hospitals in Texas using the questionnaire-based Clinical Information Technology Assessment Tool, which measures a hospital's level of automation based on the interactions of its physicians with the information system.
