Search Tag: mortality

2025 19 Mar

  The complexity of clinical trials in critical illness remains a significant challenge. A discussion at the ISICEM Congress in Brussels focused on why trials often fail, the role of heterogeneity in patient responses, and emerging methodologies to improve our understanding of pathways to outcomes.   For over 30 years, researchers have debated...Read more

2025 12 Mar

Early recognition and treatment of sepsis are crucial for improving patient outcomes, leading to clinical guidelines recommending sepsis screening programmes. However, evidence supporting these programmes is limited. Observational studies suggest screening improves care processes , such as timely lactate measurement and antibiotic administration,...Read more

2024 10 Dec

  Sepsis is a common cause of ICU admissions and mortality, with its incidence increasing over recent decades. Although hospital mortality has declined, long-term mortality remains high, with 1-year mortality rates for survivors ranging from 7% to 44% and over 2-year mortality exceeding 53%. Factors contributing to this risk are debated, including...Read more

2024 18 Nov

What is the impact of prolonged emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS), particularly ED-to-ICU time (from ED admission to ICU admission) and ED-boarding time (time between ICU admission decision and transfer), on hospital outcomes? Studies suggest prolonged ED-to-ICU times may increase ICU and hospital mortality, though findings are mixed. ...Read more

2024 26 Aug

Researchers at Mass General Brigham found that women have a lower risk of developing postoperative atrial fibrillation (poAF) after surgery compared to men but face a higher risk of long-term mortality once poAF occurs. The study is published in JAMA.    The objective of the research was to identify the protective factors that reduce the incidence...Read more

2024 24 Jul

  Sepsis is a global health issue with high mortality and morbidity rates among hospitalised patients. To enhance the quality of sepsis management, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) developed an evidence-based bundle comprising five key elements to be implemented within the first hours of sepsis recognition. These elements include fluid resuscitation...Read more

2024 24 Jul

  Physician-scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine conducted a nationwide study to evaluate the predictive value of cardiovascular health scores for mortality. Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Advances, the study compares two cardiovascular health metrics developed...Read more

2024 03 Jul

  Sepsis and septic shock, caused by a dysregulated response to infection, affect nearly 50 million people globally, resulting in approximately 11 million deaths. Early identification and management, including source control, antimicrobial therapy, and fluid resuscitation, are associated with reduced mortality. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC)...Read more

2024 18 Jun

  A recent systematic review evaluated the effectiveness and safety of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) for preventing stress ulcers in critically ill patients. The review included randomised trials that compared PPIs with placebo or no prophylaxis in critically ill adults. Meta-analyses were performed, and evidence was assessed using the Grading...Read more

2024 04 Jun

  Sepsis is a severe condition characterised by organ dysfunction due to impaired oxygen delivery and utilisation by cells. In ICUs, oxygen is often administered to sepsis patients, especially those with sepsis-induced hypoxaemic respiratory failure. Traditionally, the goal is to maintain a partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2) around...Read more

2023 22 Nov

Sepsis affects 1.7 million patients annually, with a mortality rate of 10–50%. Current biomarkers like WBC count, lactate, and blood cultures have variable impacts on prognosis. Recent evidence suggests that circulating renin is proposed as a more predictive biomarker for septic shock outcomes than lactate.  The Vitamin C, Thiamine, and Steroids...Read more

2023 03 Oct

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition resulting from a dysregulated response to infection, historically associated with bacterial infections. However, viral infections are increasingly recognised as significant contributors to sepsis, especially with events like the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and surges of respiratory viruses like RSV and influenza. Despite...Read more

2023 03 Oct

Mechanical ventilation is crucial for supporting critically ill patients, and a timely extubation strategy is essential for improved patient outcomes. Despite standard weaning procedures, a significant percentage of patients (3-20%) require reintubation. Post-extubation respiratory failure can cause respiratory fatigue, requiring additional mechanical...Read more

2022 25 Oct

Physical activity is associated with mortality risk. Several studies have shown that people who engage in more moderate-to-vigorous activity and are less sedentary have lower mortality rates. These findings have been further confirmed in meta-analyses in which activity sensors record total activity and statistical models predict mortality risk using...Read more

2022 26 Jul

Sepsis is a life-threatening disease with high mortality. More than 10,000 people die from sepsis every year in Japan. Septic shock is when sepsis is associated with circulatory and cellular metabolic abnormalities. International guidelines recommend the use of antimicrobial therapy and source control with drainage or surgery, intensive care with fluid...Read more

2022 31 May

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the most significant challenges faced by critical care workers worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented number of patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia were admitted to the ICU. As a result, most healthcare facilities faced capacity issues and had to designate clinical areas to accommodate...Read more

2022 10 May

According to new findings published in The BMJ, U.S. has the highest heart attack mortality rate across six high income countries. The country may have the latest tech and low readmission rates, but its mortality rate is one of the highest in the world.  Interestingly, the study has found substantial differences in care for heart attack patients...Read more

2022 27 Apr

The risk of late mortality in sepsis survivors can persist for years with high readmission rates and poor quality of life. However, due to an incomplete understanding of the relevant causal mechanisms of post-sepsis syndrome, there has been limited success in implementing preventive interventions.  The French and European Outcome Registry in Intensive...Read more

2022 12 Apr

Transfers from one ICU to another ICU are associated with an increased length of stay in the ICU and the hospital. Inter-hospital ICU transfers occur for three main reasons: clinical transfers, capacity transfers and repatriations.  A study was conducted to show that different ICU transfers differ in risk-adjusted mortality rate. The primary endpoint...Read more

2022 15 Feb

A major feature of infection is fever. However, less than half of critically ill patients with sepsis have a fever at the time of diagnosis. Afebrile patients with sepsis have nearly twice the mortality and are more likely to develop secondary infections than patients with fever. Fever is thus an adaptive response to the infection and is critical for...Read more

2021 19 Dec

New research presented at Euroanaesthesia 2021 shows that middle-aged men are nearly 50% more likely to die after surgery than middle-aged women.   Previous studies also report sex differences in the risk of complications after surgery, but the results have been mixed. One study showed that men were at higher risk of complications and death after...Read more

2021 09 Nov

Acute respiratory failure in septic patients is associated with higher in-hospital mortality. Early management and treatment with antibiotics, fluids, vasopressors, and source control, can reduce morbidity and mortality. Sepsis-related acute respiratory failure is also frequent and may require non-invasive or invasive ventilator support.   While...Read more

2021 02 Nov

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a potentially fatal condition characterised by acute hypoxaemia, and bilateral radiographic infiltrates and a mortality of 36 to 47%. Interventions like lung protective ventilation (LPV) and prone positioning have been shown to improve survival but remain underused. Other treatment methods such as neuromuscular...Read more

2021 29 Sep

A study was conducted to assess the outcome of elderly intensive care unit patients who were treated during the spring and autumn surges of COVID-19 in Europe. The COVIP study included patients aged 70 years and older who were admitted with COVID-19 from March to December 2020. A total of 2625 patients – 1327 from the first surge of the pandemic...Read more

2021 27 Jul

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction. It is the leading cause of death in the U.S. It is also one of the most expensive conditions to treat. However, the burden of sepsis-related mortality in the U.S. in recent years is not well-characterised. Previous studies utilise hospital databases and electronic health records to determine trends, but...Read more

2021 06 Jul

Sepsis is a leading cause of death worldwide and is also associated with a high burden of patient mortality.  This burden is expected to increase as populations age. Patients with sepsis typically require high-cost interventions in ICUs. Even with urgent treatment, the probability of death still remains high. However, ICUs that have more experience...Read more

2021 04 May

COVID-19 is associated with a high incidence of thrombotic complications. The burden of thrombin complications, in particular, pulmonary embolism, remains high in patients with COVID-19, especially those requiring admission to the ICU. Data suggest an incidence of thromboembolic events between 27 to 57% in COVID-19 patients despite standard thromboprophylaxis....Read more

2021 27 Apr

Timely delivery of antibiotics is a major cornerstone of sepsis therapy. Clinical evidence suggests that every one-hour delay in antibiotics after emergency department (ED) triage or the onset of organ dysfunction or shock could result in a 3-7% increase in the odds of a poor outcome. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines recommend antibiotic...Read more

2021 25 Apr

A new study explores the data on COVID-19 infections and deaths among healthcare workers around the world and outlines some implications for policy and practice.   You might also like: Almost 1 in 3 COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU in U.S. hospitals died, although the mortality rate decreased over the course of the pandemic, a new...Read more

2021 20 Mar

New research compares the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients against those of influenza patients to find if hospitalis ations, morbidity and mortality differ for two diseases.   You might also like: WHO has launched a free online course dedicated to the rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients. Learn more...Read more