Critical Care Alert – June 1, 2005
June 1, 2005
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The Effect of Prompt Physician Visits on ICU Mortality and Cost
This observational study from a university-affiliated, urban, tertiary hospital in Toledo, OH, retrospectively reviewed the records of 840 patients admitted to various ICUs to determine if the time to first visit by a physician had an effect on a number of clinically relevant outcomes. -
Subglottic Secretion Drainage for Preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of subglottic secretion drainage in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Dezfulian and colleagues performed a comprehensive analysis of randomized trials that have compared subglottic secretion drainage with a standard endotracheal tube care in mechanically ventilated patients. -
Closing the Books on Low-Dose Dopamine in the ICU
In the absence of definitive systematic reviews, and in the presence of evidence for continued widespread administration of low-dose dopamine infusions to critically ill patients for the purpose of preventing renal failure, Friedrich and colleagues performed an exhaustive review of the literature on this subject. -
Special Feature: The Critically Ill Pregnant Patient: Chapter I
Care of the critically ill pregnant patient poses unique challenges. The normal physiology of a pregnant patient differs considerably from that of a non-pregnant patient and these differences may affect many aspects of routine care: resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, choice of drugs and use of diagnostic studies are some examples. -
Pharmacology Watch: Is Nesiritide Associated with a Higher Death Rate?
Stopping Aspirin Before Surgery; The Sponge Returns; Preventing Metabolic Syndrome; FDA Actions -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement