Critical Care Alert – October 1, 2003
October 1, 2003
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Education to Prevent Nosocomial Infections Works in Community Hospitals, Too
Warren and colleagues performed a nonrandomized pre- and postobservational trial of an educational intervention to prevent catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CABSIs) in a 500-bed private community hospital in Missouri. -
ICU Airway Management: Practice Variation, Inconsistent Evidence Base
To determine practices regarding use of closed-system suctioning (CSS) and airway management of intubated patients, Sole and colleagues surveyed a national sample of 1665 registered nurses (RNs) and respiratory therapists (RTs) in 27 institutions. -
Do Anaerobic Bacteria Cause Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia?
Of 26 mechanically ventilated patients, 22 developed bacterial lower respiratory tract colonization, and in 15 patients anaerobes were recovered; 2 of 5 patients diagnosed with ventilator-associated pneumonia had anaerobes present in sufficient quantity to suggest that they were considered pathogenic. -
Is Insulin the ICU ‘Magic Bullet’?
A wide variety of therapeutic interventions have failed to produce a significant change in the mortality of critically ill patients. Studies of these interventions include numerous trials of anti-inflammatory agents in sepsis, the trial involving growth hormone in critically ill patients, as well as a host of other investigations. -
ARDSNetwork Mechanical Ventilation Trial Still Making Waves
The ARDSNetwork trial that began in 1996 (ARMA trial)1 was designed to test the validity of using lower tidal volumes in mechanical ventilators was halted because critics who were not a part of the ARDSNetwork argued that the control arm chosen was harmful and unethical. -
High-Tech Beds: Better Outcomes or Needless Expense?
Specialty beds marketed for ICU patients range from simple air-filled mattresses designed for use on ordinary hospital beds to high-tech, electronically controlled rotating or vibrating devices. -
Pharmacology Watch: Vardenafil Will Compete for Share of ED Market
The FDA has approved vardenafil (LevitraBayer and GlaxoSmithKline) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men. Vardenafil joins sildenafil (Viagra) as the only 2 drugs approved for this indication in this country. -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement