Editorial
Infection Management
Author Jean-Louis Vincent Head, Department of Intensive Care, Erasme Hospital Free University of Brussels, Belgium Infections are common in many hospital departments, but no more so than on the intensive care unit (ICU) where, in a recent European study of more than 3000 ICU patients, 37% were infected at some point during their ICU stay (Vincent et al. 2005). While some patients will, of cours...
Europe
News from the European Institutions
Author Helicia Herman Editor European Affairs Correspondence [email protected] Parliament Committee Issues Report on Services Directive In Early 2004 the European Commission tabled a draft directive for the liberalisation of services within the EU, designed for example, to enable doctors or nurses to work anywhere in Europe. Many in the medical profession, however, feared that this liberal...
The European Commission
Author Helicia Herman Editor European Affairs Correspondence [email protected] Helicia Herman introduces the EU’s executive body, the European Commission Presenting the EU´s Executive Body and Working The European Commission is the European Union´s executive body and fulfils its day-to-day tasks. Its official seat is in Brussels (Belgium), although it also has offices in Luxe...
Interview with Peter Arlett: Proposing a Medicinal Products Regulation
Interviewee Peter Arlett Principal Administrator at the Pharmaceuticals Unit, DG Enterprise and Industry Correspondence [email protected] Peter Arlett’s responsibilities include amongst others medicines for children, the safety of medicines, orphan medicines and international relations. In this interview with Helicia Herman, he describes thedevelopment of a draft regulation by t...
Your Relevant Directorate-Generals and Commissioners
Author Helicia Herman Editor European Affairs Correspondence [email protected] Helician Herman overviews the European Commission Directorate-Generals, active in policies relevant to ICU Managers and presents examples of their legislation, activities and contact details. DG Enterprise & Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen Relevant to intensive care, this DG is responsible fo...
News and Innovations
Products, Companies and Research
Website ESA www.euroanesthesia.org ISICEM www.intensive.org Maquet www.maquet.com SIRS-Lab www.sirs-lab.com BIOSITE ® Inc. www.biosite.com Zoll www.zoll.com ESA Poster Awards There were three awards for abstracts at Euroaneasthesia this year. The full abstracts are available in the European Journal of Anaesthesiology, volume 22, supplement 34, 2005. Fish Oil Could Prov...
Improving Outcomes: ANZCA Annual Scientific Meeting
Authors Brian Anderson PhD FANZCA FJFICM Scientific Convenor, Associate Professor Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland, New Zealand Charles Bradfield MB BS FANZCA, Congress Convenor Clinical Advisor for Information, Services/Management Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand Vanessa Beavis MB BS FANZCA, Director Anaesthesia, Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand Correspo...
Review: Euroanaesthesia 2005, Vienna
Author Gordon Drummond FRCA, Scientific Programme Chairman, ESA, University Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine Edinburgh, UK Correspondence [email protected] Website www.euroanesthesia.org Dr Drummond reviews the extremely successful annual meeting of the European Society ofAnaesthesiologists, held in Vienna this year. A record number of delegates...
Cover Story:Outreach
Antibiotics in the ICU: Current Use and Future Strategies
Author Michael S. Niederman MD, Chairman, Department of Medicine, Winthrop University Hospital Mineola, New York. Professor of Medicine Vice-Chairman, Department of Medicine, SUNY at Stony Brook Correspondence [email protected] Professor Niederman discusses the reasons for increased antibiotic resistance, how to address thesefailings and innovative strategies for the future....
Optimizing Antimicrobial Therapy in Critically Ill Patients
Author Pierre-François Laterre MD, Head of the ICU, St Luc University Hospital, UCL, Brussels Correspondence [email protected] Dr Laterre presents the case for appropriate dose adjustment of antimicrobial agents with critically ill patients. Inadequate antimicrobial therapy during the first 24 hours of severe infection is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality...
GenOSept: Genetics of Sepsis and Septic Shock
Author Frank Stüber MD, Professor of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine Dept. of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine University of Bonn Germany Correspondence [email protected] Website www.esicm.org Frank Stüber introduces an EU funded project, GenOSept, which aims to unravel the genetic predisposition of sepsis and septic shock. Introducti...
Pulse High Volume Haemofiltration (PHVHF): Novel Treatment for Sepsis
Authors Claudio Ronco Ranistha Ratanarat Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, Ospedale San Bortolo, Vicenza, Italia Correspondence [email protected] Pulse high volume haemofiltration (PHVHF) in the treatment of sepsis may offer a practical, efficacious and relatively inexpensive compromise between continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and high volume haemofiltration...
Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the ICU - A Remunerative Investment?
Authors Axel R. Heller MD, PhD, DEAA Thea Koch MD, PhD, Head of Department Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, University of Technology, Dresden, Germany Acknowledgement This research into omega 3 fatty acids was in part sponsored by Fresenius-Kabi, Germany Correspondence [email protected] Omega-3 fatty a...
Treatment of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock in Germany – the Gap Between Perception and Practice
Author Frank Martin Brunkhorst MD, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Friedrich-Schiller- University Jena, Germany Correspondence [email protected] Acknowledgement This study was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) grant No: 01 KI 0106 and Lilly Deutschland GmbH Research into perceived and actual treatment behavio...
Features
Performance Evaluation of European Pressure Sensors
Author Jean-François Cochard Surgical and trauma intensive care unit, Pellegrin Hospital, Bordeaux, France Correspondence [email protected] Dr Cochard explains the significance of inaccuracy with pressure sensors, describes a simple technique to evaluate accuracy and reports on tests with eight European products. Introduction The arterial pressure is a basic h...
ICU Europe: What do We Know and How can We Improve?
Authors David L. Edbrooke Intensivist Gary H. Mills Intensivist Daniela Negrini Statistician Medical Economics and Research Centre Sheffield (MERCS) Website www.mercs.org.uk David Edbrooke calls for intensive care professionals to participate in a new initiative to identify and publish ICU statistics from across Europe in ICU Management. Introduction Intensivists are well...
Product Comparison
Defibrillator/Monitors for ICU and Hospital Use
Authors Raúl J. Gazmuri MD, PhD, FCCM Professor of Medicine and Associate Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Medical Service, Section of Critical Care Medicine, North Chicago VA Medical Centre, Illinois Erika Kube BA, Medical student, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Correspondence [email protected]...
Defibrillators: From Science to Guidelines
Author Jerry Nolan FRCA, Co-Chairman, International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospital, Bath Correspondence [email protected] Dr Nolan previews the new European Resuscitation Council guidelines to be published in December, which reflect an international consensus on state of the art res...
Defibrillator/Monitors: Comparison Charts
Contact ECRI Europe Weltech Centre Ridgeway Welwyn Garden City,Herts AL7 2AA,United Kingdom Correspondence Tel. +44 (0)1707 871511 Fax. +44 (0)1707 393138 Email:[email protected] Website www.ecr...
Management
The Essentials of Conflict Management
Skill in conflict resolution and management is an important tool for those involved in any aspect of critical care medicine, but especially for those in leadership positions. Failure to accurately assess and manage conflict can result in a number of deleterious effects with important implications for patient care. Introduction Conflict is an inevitable event for those caring for critically ill patient...
Team Management of Patient-Centred Conflicts in the ICU
Team management is important in running an ICU. Team members have little faith that conflicts can be dealt with effect. In this article indicators of (impending) conflicts are provided. Patient-centred team meetings are powerful tool to deal with these conflicts, for which a model is presented.IntroductionThere is general awareness amongst intensivists that good management of the ICU team is of vital imp...
Points of View
Medical Emergency Teams (METS): Let Us be Careful
Author Jean-Louis Vincent Head, Department of Intensive Care, Erasme Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Belgium Correspondence [email protected] Where Will We Find the Doctors to Fill These Posts? Professor Vincent presents his concerns over MET-type systems and proposes alternative solutions. Background: Agreed The development of medical emergency teams (METs) or "outreach tea...
Medical Emergency Teams (METS):Preventive Practice
Author Ken Hillman MBBS, FRCA, FANZCA, FJFICM Professor of Intensive Care, University of New South Wales, Director, The Simpson Centre for health Services Research Co-Director, Division of Critical Care, Liverpool Health Service, Sydney, Australia. Correspondence [email protected] Professor Hillman discusses the preventive potential of MET-type systems in the aim towards hospita...
Trends
Interview with Dr. Julian F. Bion, President of ESICM
Interviewee Julian F. Bion, FRCP, FRCA, MD, Reader in Intensive Care Medicine, University Department of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, UK President, European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) In an interview with Kirstie Edwards, Dr Julian Bion explains the Society’s activities towards developing integrated acute care and improving pat...
Country Focus:Benelux
Healthcare in the Netherlands: Trends
Author Jan C. F. M. Aghina Director of the National association of healthcare institution directors (NVZD) Correspondence [email protected] Website www.nvzd.nl Healthcare in the Netherlands is undergoing considerable changes. Dr Aghina describes some of the current trends and their implications on care provision. Functions of Primary and Secondary Healthcare In the Netherlands,...
Organisational Aspects of IC in the Netherlands
Contact Arthur R. H. van Zanten MD, Director of Intensive Care, Gelderse Vallei Hospital, Ede, The Netherlands Chairman of the committee on quality of intensive care medicine Dutch Society of Intensive Care Correspondence [email protected] Website www.nvic.nl Acknowledgement The author would like to thank D.H.T. Tjan, anaesthesiologist- intensivist and deputy director of Intensive C...
National IC Evaluation (NICE): A Dutch Quality Control System
Authors On behalf of the NICE foundation Nicolette F. de Keizer Dept. of Medical Informatics, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Evert de Jonge Dept. of Intensive Care, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands The National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) is a quality system for Dutch intensive care, with registries including effectiveness and...
Health and IC in Belgium
Authors On behalf of the Belgian Society of Intensive Care Medicine Koenraad Hendrik D.K. Vandewoude Dept.of Intensive Care, Centre for Solid Organ Transplantation Ghent University Hospital Patrick Ferdinande MD, PhD, Department of Intensive Care, Universitaire Ziekenhuizen Leuven – Campus Gasthuisberg Christiaan Decoster Master in Law, Director-general - Directorsh...
Organisation of IC in Luxembourg
Author Margaret Hemmer MD, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg Correspondence [email protected] FTE = Full time equivalent nurses budgeted for each ICU Source: UCM with the agreement of the Directorate of Health. Dr Hemmer describes the organisation of health- and intensive care in Luxembourg, one of the smallest countries in Europe. Healthcare in Luxembourg Luxembourg is...
Congress Previews
SCCM Milestone: 35th Annual Congress
Author Submitted by the Society of Critical Care Medicine Connie A. Jastremski MS, RN, FCCM, Vice President, Patient Care Services and Nursing, Bassett Healthcare, Cooperstown, New York Lena M. Napolitano MD, FCCM, Professor of Surgery/Chief, Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan Contact [email protected]...