March 1, 2008

• Effects of Eliminating Daily Chest X-Rays in the ICU

  A prospective observational study was conducted to assess diagnostic and therapeutic efficacies of a daily routine CXR and to evaluate the impact of discontinuing this practice. The setting was a 10-bed mixed medical-surgical ICU of a non-academic teaching hospital in The Netherlands.

  Read more

• Special Feature: The Role of Weaning Parameters in 2008

  Most critically ill patients require mechanical ventilation, and, according to one large survey, the weaning process occupies about 40% of the time that patients spend connected to the ventilator.

  Read more

• Arterial Line Insertions in the ICU: To Gown or Not To Gown?

  Most of the attention on catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSI) in the ICU focuses on central venous catheters (CVC), a bias that likely derives, in part, from the 2002 Centers for Disease Control guidelines which stipulate that arterial catheters (AC) have "low infection ratesrarely associated with bloodstream infections.

  Read more

• Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement

  Read more

• Pharmacology Watch: FDA Heightens Warnings on Chantix

  n this issue: Stop smoking drug Chantix rates stronger warning from FDA; Type 2 diabetes surgery on the way?; Vytorin study inconclusive; Influenza A virus found resistant to Tamiflu; FDA actions.

  Read more