In a shrinking global village it seems a pathogen emerging anywhere is soon a threat everywhere, but public health officials are not conceding victory to the New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) variety of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
An upper endoscopy procedure performed on some half million patients annually in the U.S. may pose risk for transmission of the emerging New Delhi variety of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) even if current cleaning and high level disinfection protocols are followed.
In 1818, James Blundell performed the first successful human blood transfusion in a woman with postpartum hemorrhage. Nearly 200 years later, about 15 million red blood cell (RBC) units are transfused annually in the United States. Many of these transfusions occur in the intensive care unit (ICU), where up to 30-50% of patients are transfused. Despite the frequency of RBC transfusions, there is little evidence that transfusions benefit patients.
This prospective, single-center study reported that critical care perceived to be futile is common, is associated with certain patient factors, and can be quite costly.
Results from a large, multinational study indicate that ICU patients worldwide experience moderately intense pain, most commonly from chest tube removal, wound drain removal, and arterial line insertion.
