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In this review of patients admitted to the ICU with acute respiratory failure secondary to COPD exacerbation or cardiogenic pulmonary edema, nearly two-thirds of patients who apparently met criteria for noninvasive ventilation (NIV) were intubated without a trial of NIV.
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Institution of a daily pharmacist-enforced intervention designed to improve adherence to sedation guidelines decreased the duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay.
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Elevated troponin i is a nonspecific finding, but suggests a poor prognosis regardless of its cause.
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Ceftobiprole, a novel broad-spectrum cephalosporin with activity against MRSA, was non-inferior to vancomycin plus ceftazidime in a study of complicated skin and skin-structure infections. This is the first β-lactam with reliable activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to be evaluated in advanced-stage clinical trials.
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Randomized studies of neuroprotective agents for ischemic stroke have resulted in a series of failures, as multiple agents, promising in animal models, have failed when applied to human subjects. By contrast, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has been somewhat a "neglected stepsister" when compared to ischemic stroke; it has been studied minimally, despite its high morbidity and mortality.
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The Nurses' Health Study reported an update of its data on the use of hormone therapy and stroke, focusing on the timing of initiation of treatment and the effect of estrogen doses.
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The authors hypothesized that certain pain symptoms characterize IC/PBS. They reviewed criteria used in two recent studies to look for commonalities.
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It has been common practice to "strip" or "sweep" membranes after 38 weeks to initiate spontaneous labor or, at least, to discourage patients from delivering after 42 weeks.
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Berg and colleagues from 21 centers in the U.S. report the results of a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial designed to validate the performance of screening ultrasound in conjunction with mammography in women with dense breasts and at high risk for breast cancer.
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The two main modifiers of pathogenesis are age and sex. Reversible and irreversible modifications to cellular machinery through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms begin with embryogenesis. For instance, certain aspects of in vitro culture conditions "imprint" genetically normal embryos by altering methylation patterns and gene expression.
