Tag: intensive care

1. Compared to standard care, 6 months of primary care interventions were not associated with any improvement in mental health-related quality of life (QoL) among survivors of sepsis. 2. At 6 months of follow up, patients receiving primary care interventions reported improved physical functioning and an increased ability to perform...

1. Among at-risk patients in the emergency department, administration of aspirin within 24 hours of presentation was not associated with a reduction in the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)        Study Rundown: ARDS, characterized by the rapid development of respiratory failure, is...

1. Discordant expectations about a critically ill patient’s prognosis were common among surrogate decision makers and were due both to a surrogate’s misunderstandings of the physician’s assessment and differences in belief systems. 2. Prognostic estimates by surrogates were significantly more accurate than random chance, but were less accurate than physician...

1. Patients with sepsis were predisposed to ICU-acquisition of further infections. 2. Sepsis is associated with a degree of immunosuppression. Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)        Study Rundown: Sepsis is one of the leading causes of death in hospitalized patients, and has been associated with an increased risk of secondary...

1. Early, goal-directed therapy was shown to reduce mortality in severe sepsis and septic shock in a single-center, randomized controlled trial. 2. This multicenter trial conducted in England demonstrated that early, goal-directed therapy did not significantly reduce 90-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock when compared to...

1. Publication of the Leuven I trial resulted in increased tight glycemic control and hypoglycemia in critically ill adults. 2. The publication of the NICE-SUGAR trial, while having an initial impact on decreasing hypoglycemia, was not associated with decreased tight glycemic control in critically ill adults. Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good) Study...

1. In a cohort of elderly adults more than 70 years of age admitted to an ICU, more than half of all patients experienced functional decline or early death after critical illness. 2. Functional status characterized as mild to moderate and severe disability prior to ICU admission were associated with...

1. In this study, daily bathing with chlorhexidine did not decrease the rates of hospital-acquired infections in ICU patients. 2. The hospital-acquired infections that were assessed in this study included central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), and C. difficile infections. Evidence...

1. This survey of Asian intensive care unit physicians’ attitudes towards end of life care showed that, for patients who had little chance of a meaningful recovery, more than two-thirds of physicians withheld life sustaining treatment, but less than one-quarter withdrew such care. 2. Three-quarters of the responding physicians felt...

1. In 47 end-of-life discussions recorded at 2 Dutch PICUs, most physicians communicated information regarding the situation, treatment, prognosis, options, and the team’s preferred course of action to parents. 2. Though parents actively participated in discussions, none were asked their preferences for the decision-making process. Parents were asked to share...