Critical Care Alert – February 1, 2023

Noninvasive Ventilation Can Be Used Safely for Patients with COVID-19

When appropriate precautions (adequate room ventilation, use of total face masks, dual-limb circuits, and filters) are used, environmental contamination of SARS-CoV-2 during noninvasive ventilation is low. Noninvasive ventilation does not appear to increase the risk of COVID-19 infection for healthcare workers or patients when precautions are applied.

An Early Rigorous Mobilization Approach Did Not Increase Number of Days Out of the Hospital for Intubated Patients

Among adults requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, the TEAM study reported that increased early mobilization resulted in no significant difference in the number of days that patients were alive and out of the hospital at 180 days after randomization.

Apixaban Had Lower Risk of GI Bleed than Other Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

In this multinational, population-based cohort study among patients with atrial fibrillation, apixaban use was associated with lower risk of gastrointestinal bleeding with similar rates of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism, intracranial hemorrhage, and all-cause mortality.

Black and Hispanic People Are Less Likely to Receive Out-of-Hospital Bystander CPR Regardless of Cardiac Arrest Location

Based on a large U.S. registry that included information on witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, Black and Hispanic people were less likely than white people to receive bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, independent of the neighborhood where the cardiac arrest occurred.