ICU Medicine
Updated guidelines for patients with sepsis
For patients with sepsis, a serious infection causing widespread inflammation, immediate treatment is essential to improve the chances of survival. An updated "Hour-1 Bundle" of the international, evidence-based guidelines for treatment of sepsis...Low dose of sedative may prevent delirium in critically ill patients
A low dose of the sedative dexmedetomidine given at night may prevent delirium in critically ill ICU patients, according to research. Researchers report on what is believed to be the first investigation to identify a drug to prevent adults from...No reason for haloperidol for delirium in ICU patients
Prophylactic use of the drug haloperidol does not help to prevent delirium in intensive care patients or improve their chances of survival, found a large three-year Dutch study. Therefore, there is no reason anymore to administer the drug as a...Light adapted to time of day improves ICU patients' health
With light adapted to the time of day, health even improves for intensive care unit (ICU) patients who are barely conscious when they are admitted for care, found Swedish research. The light environment in intensive care affects how patients feel...High ICU use linked to more procedures, no mortality benefit
A large study suggests hospitals that used intensive care units (ICUs) more readily were more likely to perform invasive procedures and have higher costs ,while showing no improvement in mortality. The potential clinical implications of overusing...Simple organisation can save lives in ICU
Oncologic patients are among the most fragile ICU patients and prone to complications, but a large Brazil-US study found that the risk of these problems can be reduced through relatively simple organisational processes. Oncologic patients are...Helmet is superior to face mask in ARDS patients
An air-tight helmet instead of a face mask helps patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) breathe better without needing a ventilator, with less time in ICU and better survival, found a University of Chicago study....Persistently critically ill patients are different - and costly
Persistently critical ill patients comprise just 5% of ICU patients but account for 33% of all days that ICU beds get used, a joint US-Australia study of over 1m patients shows.Value of artificial nutrition in ICU children challenged
In critically ill children, an international study found that withholding intravenous feeding for the week in the ICU was clinically superior, with those receiving little to no feedings having fewer infections, less organ failure, and a quicker...ARDS is under-recognised and under-treated
Among ICUs in 50 countries, the prevalence of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) was 10.4% of ICU admissions and appeared to be under-recognised, under-treated and associated with a high mortality rate.Updated sepsis guidelines
Updated definitions and clinical criteria for sepsis the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine.Ventilation fails immuno-compromised patients
Among immuno-compromised patients admitted to the intensive care unit with hypoxemic acute respiratory failure, early non-invasive ventilation compared with oxygen therapy alone did not reduce the risk of death at 28 days, according to a large...ICU delirium increases risk of dying
About one-third of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) will develop delirium, a condition that lengthens hospital stays and substantially increases risk of dying in hospital, according to a Johns Hopkins Medicine study.ECMO survival is a hospital lottery
Survival following use of the advanced form of life support known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) depends on which hospital provides it – with the best odds at ones that use the technique dozens of times a year.Vitamin D affects respiratory support
Vitamin D status may influence the duration of respiratory support needed for surgical intensive care patients, according to a cohort study by Harvard Medical School.