Search Tag: ICU
Algorithm for early diagnosis and treatment of thrombocytopaenia in ICU
2018 20 Jun
Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) have a range of clinical problems, including multi-organ failure, sepsis, and shock, and early diagnosis and management are crucial to optimise outcomes. A report in the journal Critical Care proposes a new algorithm to help intensivists make a rapid diagnosis so that they can initiate early appropriate... Read more
Bright spots: music in the ICU
2018 19 Jun
The intensive care unit (ICU) is a rather obscure place for many people. It is a place where you are exposed to the fragility of existence, where you have to deal with the fine line between life and death. Every day I desperately try to illuminate this dark place, with a conversation, with a joke, with trying to facilitate the patients’ or families’... Read more
The way forward for critical care ultrasound
2018 12 Jun
The X-Porte’s touchscreen control and excellent image resolution offer significant benefits for time-critical care Ultrasound technology is playing a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of critical care patients at Watford Hospital, part of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Dr Devaraja Acharya, Consultant in Anaesthesia and... Read more
Abnormal microcirculation increases mortality in critically ill patients
2018 06 Jun
In a general ICU population, an abnormal microcirculation at baseline is an independent predictor for mortality, according to results of the MicroDAIMON (Microcirculation DAIly MONitoring in critically ill patients) study. In this setting, additional routine daily microcirculatory monitoring did not reveal extra prognostic information. The... Read more
Point-of care ultrasonography in critical care
2018 01 Jun
A brief overview of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the ICU: for the already converted, a reminder of how POCUS has changed ICU practice; for the ultrasound naïve, an aperitif to leave the reader with interest in this evolving paradigm shift of patient care. As intensivists, we have all faced this scenario: a 28-year-old woman, 35... Read more
Immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions in the ICU
2018 01 Jun
For the ICU patient, correct and timely diagnosis of drug hypersensitivity is required to administer emergency epinephrine treatment, and retrospective allergological investigation is needed to identify the culprit drug and safe alternatives. For ICU departments, epidemiological data regarding the incidence of drug-induced immediate-type hypersensitivity... Read more
Have you answered these surveys on intensive care medicine?
2018 01 Jun
Three surveys seeking information from ICUs around the world are currently open for data collection. ICU inter-professional rounding practices This online survey, supported by the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, is led by Dr. Andre Amaral, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada. It is open to... Read more
From code cart to comfort cart in the ICU
2018 23 May
In the ICU we see our fair share of loss, most the result of unplanned tragedy both for the patients and their families. As healthcare providers we work as part of a high functioning team always working to provide exemplary patient-centred care. We maintain a calm cool demeanor, approachable and open to suggestions and feedback from families,... Read more
Reducing diagnostic errors in the ICU
2018 23 May
Diagnostic error occurs in 5-20 percent of physician-patient encounters, with a comparable prevalence among ICU admissions and patients who die in the intensive care unit (ICU). Further, diagnostic errors comprise 9-12 percent of adverse safety events leading to ICU admission, and the majority of these errors are deemed preventable, says a review... Read more
A glimpse into the life of an ICU nurse - 2: Mr. Reed
2018 08 May
A week later, Mr. 'Reed’ came into our ICU at 5 am. The sun was already up and was shining softly into the room. Earlier that night, Mr. Reed was hospitalised in the emergency room. They couldn't get an infusion in because his veins were destroyed by chemotherapy. He was in the palliative state of cancer and now suffering with a variceal bleed.... Read more