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The purpose of this pre- and postintervention observation study was to evaluate the effect of an educational initiative on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rate. The educational program was directed towards respiratory therapists and critical care nurses.
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Synopsis: This carefully done systematic review of the existing literature shows that overall mortality and ICU length of stay are better with increasing involvement of critical care physicians in patient care.
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The fatality rates for hospital-associated pneumonia in general, and of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in particular, are high. For hospital-associated pneumonia, attributable mortality rates of 20% to 33% have been reported, according to the draft pneumonia prevention guideline by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Ventilator-related deaths and injuries often are caused by multiple system failures, especially in the ICU, according to a recent report from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
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This article, the second of two parts, deals with the potentially disastrous situation in which either the patients airway presents a substantial challenge or standard intubation methods have failed.
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As the number of foreign-born individuals in the United States continues to grow, the emergency physician must be adept at handling the medical issues unique to this population.
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Thomson American Health Consultants offers the Hospital Handbook on Smallpox Vaccination, a facilitywide resource for the information you need about smallpox vaccination in most health care facilities.
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The Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) is a bedside ultrasound examination used primarily by emergency physicians and trauma surgeons to identify free intraperitoneal, intrathoracic, or pericardial fluid. This article describes the sonographic acoustic windows and technique of the FAST examination.
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The controversial vaccination of health care workers for smallpox is here, with emergency department (ED) staff among the first to be inoculated. For the ED manager, your nightmares may include staff who are unable or unwilling to have the vaccine, staff who become ill after having the vaccine, and a situation worse than an unannounced accreditation survey: a smallpox outbreak.
