Editorial
Problem Bugs
Despite considerable marked efforts over the years, infections among critically ill patients have continued to be an almost insurmountable hurdle for clinicians to cross. The Extended Prevalence of Infection in Intensive Care (EPIC II) study confirmed this prevalence of infection, with 51% of the 13,796 adult patients classified as infected, and 70% undergoing anti - biotic therapy. The results also show...
EU News
Council Agrees on New Rules for Patients' Rights in Cross-Border Healthcare
The Council in charge of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs has agreed on a draft directive concerning the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare. The draft directive aims to facilitate the access to safe and high-quality cross-border healthcare and to promote cooperation on healthcare between member states. The compromise reflects the Council's intention to fully...
Research News
World's First Transcontinental Anaesthesia: Researchers Pioneer Anaestetics Via Videoconferencing
Videoconferences may be known for putting people to sleep, but never like this. Dr. Thomas Hemmerling and his team of McGill's Department of Anaesthesia achieved a world first on August 30, 2010, when they treated patients undergoing thyroid gland surgery in Italy remotely from Montreal, Canada. The approach is part of new technological advancements, known as 'Teleanaesthesia', and it involves a team of...
Cover Story
The Geographical Dimension of Hospital-Acquired Infections
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a constant battle for hospitals, often making the headlines. But how do these infections spread and what can be done to stop them? This article investigates the use of mapping tools for epidemiological investigation, which could allow for early warning and response for hospital infections. The Epidemiology of Hospital-Acquired Infections Hospital-acquired infecti...
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Caused by High Risk Microorganisms
Author Arzu Topeli,MD Director Medical Intensive Care Unit and Division of General Internal Medicine Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, Turkey [email protected] Infection is a major problem in intensive care units (ICU) as it is the leading cause of death in non-cardiac ICUs around the world. Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) presents a special challenge for intensivi...
Protecting Patients from Clostridium Difficile Infection
Author Robert Orenstein, DO, FIDSA Associate Professor Department of Medicine Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Consultant, Division of Infectious Diseases Mayo Clinic in Arizona Phoenix, Arizona [email protected] Protecting patients from acquiring Clostridium difficile infection has become a major challenge for healthcare institutions worldwide. Antimicrobial stewardship, early isol...
Infectious Diseases Specialist Consultation in the Intensive Care Unit: Worth the Money?
Particularly in an intensive care unit setting, patients admitted with or developing infection during their stay are at increased risk for adverse outcomes, unless presence or onset of infection is diagnosed early and appropriate antibiotics are administered promptly. This brief overview will elaborate on the contributing role of infectious diseases specialist consultation in achieving the aforementioned g...
Series
Conventional and Non Conventional Interfaces for Non Invasive Respiratory Support
Paolo Pelosi, MD Department of Environmental Medicine, Health and Safety,University of Insubria Varese, Italy [email protected] Cesare Gregoretti, MD Department of Emergency and Intensive Care CTO-M. Adelaide Torino, Italy Giovanna Chidini and Edoardo Calderini Paediatric Intensive Care Unit,Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Fondazione Cà Granda IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Milan, It...
Delirium Monitoring in the Intensive Care Unit
Delirium is an acute confusional state associated with increased mortality in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and long-term global and neurologic impaired functional recovery. Despite its elevated incidence and major impact in the outcomes of critically ill patients, delirium remains underdiagnosed. Presently, there are validated instruments to diagnose and monitor delirium, allowing the detection of early o...
Matrix
Facing the Press
Imagine you are about to appear on TV to answer allegations over lapses in patient safety in your unit. You have never been on TV before, but you pride yourself on your communication skills. (You really know your subject and have been invited to lecture all over the world). In the studio, you find yourself competing for airtime against an earthquake in Chile, a world summit at the UN, the death of a Hollyw...
Interview
Overview of Healthcare in the United Kingdon
Healthcare in the United Kingdom (UK) is mainly provided by the National Health Service, a public health service, which provides healthcare that is free at the point of use to all permanent residents of the UK, and is paid for from general taxation. Though the public system dominates healthcare provision in the UK, private healthcare and a wide variety of alternative and complementary treatments are availa...
The English National PACS Programme
Picture and archiving communication systems (PACS) are now embedded into the day-to-day work of the NHS in England. By December 2007 all hospital trusts in England were using PACS, digital imaging technology which enables x-rays and scans to be made available simultaneously at multiple locations within a hospital trust. PACS has been helping to support major improvements in both the speed and quality of...
Clinical Research and the Delivery of Excellence
Author Iain Mackenzie Consultant & Honorary Senior Lecturer Chairman, Critical Care Research Management Group Critical Care Medicine University Hospital Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre Birmingham, UK [email protected] To many, the natural path to clinical excellence would lie through a “professional” rather than a ‘commercial’ approach, with ‘management’ s...
Viewpoints
Critical Care in the United Kingdom
Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the University of Birmingham, Prof. Julian Bion also has an honorary consultant appointment with the University Hospital in Birmingham. He also has a number of high-profile national and international roles in the field of intensive care, including being an Editorial Board Member of ICU Management and is a former President of the European Society of Intensive Care Med...
Special Focus
Special Focus on ESICM Congress
The 23rd Annual Congress of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine held in Barcelona, Spain is one of the major intensive care meetings taking place in 2010. It features 10 parallel sessions including over 500 lectures, presentations, debates, round table discussions, tutorials and interactive educational sessions. Presentation of original research is one of the priorities of this series of congre...