-
In this issue: Side effects of finasteride; new ruling on pharmaceutical companies paying generic manufacturers; and FDA actions.
-
This blinded, randomized, multicenter trial compared the colloid solution low-molecular-weight hydroxyethyl starch (HES 130/0.42) with the crystalloid solution Ringer's acetate for the treatment of severe sepsis.
-
Coquin and colleagues evaluated the accuracy of noninvasive total hemoglobin measurement using a widely marketed pulse oximeter in patients admitted to the ICU with acute gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage.
-
-
The purpose of this study was to measure light levels in patient rooms, and also to determine if there were any relationships between greater light levels and mortality, length of stay, ventilator-free days, and amount of medication.
-
The cuff-leak test (CLT) was performed prospectively in this study using the volume technique whereby the difference between inspired and expired tidal volume before and after cuff deflation is used to detect the presence of laryngeal edema and the likelihood of developing post-extubation stridor.
-
Family members of patients recovering from critical illness may experience psychological problems, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Jones and colleagues reasoned that provision of an ICU diary, written in everyday language by ICU staff, would be beneficial to family members by providing an explanation of daily events and opportunity for expression of feelings and contribution to the plan of care.
-
The authors note a paucity of literature on early (0-48 hours of ventilation and ICU admission) sedation practices and their impact on outcomes; thus they performed this multicenter prospective cohort study with the hypothesis that early sedation is associated with delirium, time to extubation, and hospital and 180-day mortality.
-
-
As more patients are surviving critical illness, there is documentation of serious cognitive, physical, and psychiatric consequences arising from lengthy ICU stays in these patients.
