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This study from Portugal addresses an important gap in managing patients who have been extubated after an episode of acute respiratory failure facilitating the clearance of airway secretions to avoid the necessity of reintubation.
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The purpose of this study was to use data from the multi-institutional APACHE IV database (Cerner Corporation) to compare characteristics of and outcomes for patients who were readmitted to the ICU and those who were not readmitted after ICU discharge; to identify risk factors for ICU readmission; and to examine case-mix adjusted outcomes for patients with and without ICU readmission.
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In this contribution from Germany, Schulz and colleagues provide an annotated, referenced table of therapeutic, toxic, and potentially fatal blood concentrations of nearly 1000 drugs and other xenobiotics (substances foreign to the body that may be ingested or otherwise reach the circulation).
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Much of the recent attention to the high cost of health care has focused on opposing political viewpoints. Less attention has been given to an equally important issue: How do health care delivery organizations reliably deliver high-value health care and, by doing this, ensure optimal patient outcomes?
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Kumar et al set out to describe the cost of ICU telemedicine programs (tele-ICU). They had two objectives: to systematically review the existing literature reporting costs of tele-ICU programs and to provide cost figures for tele-ICU implementation in a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospital network.
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Goldberger and colleagues at the University of Michigan sought to determine the variation in duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempts following in-hospital cardiac arrest among different institutions across the United States.
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In this issue: Side effects of statins; effects of cannabis use; antihypertensives and lip cancer; and FDA actions.
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The purpose of this article was to provide a systematic review and critical appraisal of the literature on the incidence and risk factors for unplanned endotracheal extubations, factors associated with reintubations, and outcomes of unplanned extubations. Several evidence-based recommendations were presented to prevent unplanned extubations.
