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Use of specially trained palliative care teams in the ICU has increased in frequency in recent years. Consultation by these teams tends to occur very late in patients' length of stay. Few studies have been performed evaluating outcomes, such as length of stay.
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This single-center, retrospective study examined ICU mortality and various risk factors among critically ill patients who developed bacteremia during their VAP episode.
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In this issue: FDA warnings for existing drugs dominate pharmaceutical news this month.
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Previous work demonstrates that selective gut decontamination decreases the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), but the practice has been limited by concerns about promoting antibiotic resistance.
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De Jong and colleagues in The Netherlands conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical study of intravenous vs oral corticosteroids in the treatment of patients hospitalized because of an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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Multiple recent studies have demonstrated that red blood cell (RBC) transfusion may be deleterious to critically ill patients, as it has been found to be associated with increased mortality following coronary artery bypass surgery, increased rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia and worse outcomes in patients with burn injury and trauma.
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In an attempt to enhance what it considered a sluggish nationwide response to the Institute of Medicine's calls for reducing error and improving patient outcomes in hospital care, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) initiated in 2004 an ambitious, highly visible, 18-month program.
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In this randomized, controlled trial, European investigators looked at the role of vasopressin in treating out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Although the study did not show any benefit of using vasopressin when compared to epinephrine in terms of survival to hospital, this study nonetheless makes a weak argument to use vasopressin in cardiac arrest patients with asystole.
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This article points out the disadvantages of partial DNR ordersfor both clinicians and patientsand offers clear steps for mitigating the problem by developing a supplemental patient care plan for patients who are less than full code.
