What is the value of physicians and their contribution to the healthcare system and economic growth? This article talks about the need to understand the real value of physicians and to encourage them to be creative and innovative as this would improve their value beyond that of daily clinical labour. Disruptive innovations are critical...
READ MORESusan East, a patient speaker at the ATS 2017 International Conference in Washington D.C. and a three times ARDS survivor shares her experience about her stay in the ICU. I am Susan East, a three times ARDS survivor. July 3, 2008, I had ARDS! I went to my primary physician on June 30, 2008 with symptoms of a sinus infection. He diagnosed...
READ MOREAdvanced haemodynamic monitoring methods Bernd Saugel, MD, EDIC is a Professor of Anesthesiology and works as a consultant in the Department of Anesthesiology, Center of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. Prof. Saugel is a specialist in anaesthesiology, intensive care medicine,...
READ MOREAcute postoperative pain is associated with persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP). The incidence of PPSP ranges from 10 to 50% while severe, chronic pain after surgery is reported by 2 to 10% of patients. Both the severity and duration of postoperative pain are influenced by other factors including pre-existing pain. A secondary analysis of the...
READ MOREThe intensive care unit has a unique environment, mainly because it treats severe and critically ill patients who require special care. Critical care patients often require high-risk surgeries, and there is also a frequent need for invasive devices such as central or peripheral venous catheters, urinary catheters or tracheal tubes, among others. This...
READ MOREDiaphragm ultrasound is a valuable tool to diagnose and prevent ventilator induced diaphragm dysfunction. This review focuses on the use of ultrasound to assess diaphragm structure and function in ventilated patients. The diaphragm is the primary muscle of inspiration. It is a thin dome-shaped muscle that inserts into the lower ribs, xiphoid...
READ MOREAdvice from a radiologist For the Imaging issue, ICU Management & Practice spoke to radiologist Dr. Marcelo Sanchez about radiology-ICU collaboration. How can communication between radiology and ICU be optimised as both specialities become ever more complex? The collaboration must be maintained by establishing protocols and...
READ MOREA critical care pharmacist’s perspective and advice on medication safety around sedative and analgesic therapy in the ICU. Medication errors occur at every stage of the drug therapy process. A recent report on medicines processes in English hospitals identified notably high error rates in prescribing (8.8%) and preparation and administration...
READ MOREAsking why the patient needs to be sedated is as important as the choice of drug for sedation. Why use sedation? Intensivists should ask why they use sedation every time they order it. Sedation is used to reduce the burden and stress of critical illness. Sedative agents mixed with analgesic agents reduce pain and keep the patient calm,...
READ MOREReport of a symposium presented at LIVES 2018: 31st congress of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, Paris, France Chairs: Michael Sander, Germany & Jean-Daniel Chiche, France Knowledge and practice in sedation and analgesia in the ICU have advanced greatly in recent years. The risks of delirium and of over-sedation...
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