Search Tag: ICU
5-Year Trends of Critical Care Practice and Outcomes
2017 15 Aug
According to researchers in the U.S., analyses of patients, practices, and outcomes from a large geographically dispersed sample of adult ICUs revealed trends of increasing age and acuity, higher rates of adherence to best practice, use of non-invasive mechanical ventilation and decreased use of antimicrobials, transfusions, and duration of renal replacement... Read more
Global Study: Most ICU Patients Underfed
2017 08 Aug
A large international multicentre cohort study shows that most of the patients are underfed during their ICU stay. In their findings published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, researchers say most of the patients in intensive care are receiving the same amount of calories regardless of their condition, patient's well-being is not satisfied, and delayed... Read more
Detecting Consciousness in Patients with Severe TBI
2017 25 Jul
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) can be used to identify ICU patients with severe traumatic brain injuries who have a level of consciousness not revealed by the standard bedside neurological examination. Early detection of consciousness and brain function in the intensive care unit could alter time-sensitive... Read more
ICU Patients: Delayed Intubation Linked to Poor Outcome
2017 27 Jun
The optimal timing of endotracheal intubation in critically ill patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation remains undefined. A new analysis of the large, prospective Intensive Care Over Nations (ICON) database compares patients who underwent intubation early – within two days of ICU admission – to those who underwent intubation later. Results... Read more
Critical Care at the End of Life: A Study of Cost and Outcomes
2017 07 Jun
New research indicates that the majority of individuals admitted to ICU at the end of life are elderly and burdened by chronic illness. The existing medical literature indicates that this is the exact type of population that would be expected to do worse in the ICU, researchers note.The study also shows that a significant proportion of those with ICU... Read more
To Withhold or Withdraw Life-support in the ICU
2017 15 May
New research finds considerable worldwide variability in decisions to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining therapy in the ICU. Notably, researchers found that almost one-third of patients with a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment left the hospital alive. The multicentre study, already available online as an accepted manuscript,... Read more
Expert Statements: Treatment of Critically Ill aHUS Patients
2017 02 May
A review paper provides a summary of available data on the diagnosis and treatment strategies of atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) in the ICU, with a view to enhancing the understanding of aHUS diagnosis and outcomes in patients managed in the ICU. The report was written by a panel of experts that met at an advisory board to discuss thrombotic... Read more
6 Must Attend Intensive Care Meetings in 2017
2017 27 Feb
1. ISICEMThe International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (ISICEM) is a highly esteemed event in the intensive care medicine arena, which has become one of the largest congresses in this field. The 2017 meeting, which will mark its 37th year, will be held 21-24 March in the Square - Brussels Meeting Center in Belgium. It is open... Read more
Study: ICU May Be Overused for Some COPD, Acute MI, HF Patients
2017 17 Feb
For patients with COPD, heart failure and myocardial infarction, who are not critically ill, a stay in the ICU may be no more beneficial than staying on a ward, according to an analysis just published in the Annals of the ATS. Thomas Valley, MD, MSc, a pulmonary and critical care researcher at the University of Michigan Medical School, and colleagues,... Read more
ICU Organisational Changes: Impact on Patient Outcome and Cost
2017 07 Feb
Changes in the organisation of the intensive care department over the past decades – including the implementation of the closed format and electronic patient record – have resulted in better patient outcome and reduction of cost, according to a review published in Journal of Intensive Care. In addition to planning for future improvements, the paper... Read more