Critical Care Alert – July 1, 2012
July 1, 2012
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Nighttime Intensivist Coverage May Not Benefit All ICUs
Supporters of 24-hour intensivist staffing in the ICU cite potential benefits to the patient as a result of more timely and accurate diagnostic evaluation, consistent provision of complex treatment, and overall higher quality, safer care. -
High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen Therapy in Acute Respiratory Failure: What Do We Know?
High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) is a generic name for oxygen delivery devices that provide oxygen nasally at higher flow rates than conventional nasal cannulae. Conventional ventilation usually can only provide flow rates up to 15 L/min, while HFNC can deliver flow rates up to 60 L/min. -
Medical Emergency Team Calls in the Radiology Department
Ott and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh reviewed all medical-emergency team (MET) calls to the radiology department involving adult inpatients during a 2-year period. -
Hand Hygiene Exemplars: Lead the Followers
In this study, a research assistant who was already embedded in patient care teams to observe the process of care during bedside rounds was recruited to document hand hygiene compliance by nine internal medicine teams over a 3-month period. -
Does Aspirin Reduce Mortality in the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome?
In this retrospective cohort study of patients with the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in an Australian ICU, those with SIRS who received acetyl salicylic acid (ASA; aspirin) were compared to those who did not receive aspirin. -
Pharmacology Update: Does Azithromycin Cause Cardiovascular Death?
In this issue: Azithromycin and cardiac risk; warfarin and heart failure; aspirin and VTE; effectiveness of long-acting contraceptives; and FDA actions. -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement