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More than 2000 cases of severe acute respiratory disease (SARS) with more than 70 deaths were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by April 2, 2003.
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Pneumococcal vaccine protects older adults from developing pneumococcal bacteremia but does not prevent community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), according to a new study from Group Health Cooperative in Seattle.
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Jaber and colleagues report a series of 112 intubations of patients in their multidisciplinary ICU in Montpellier, France, during a 14-month period. Every ventilated patient underwent a cuff-leak test prior to extubation, and the incidence of post-extubation stridor was determined.
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Providing a universal consent form to patients, proxies, and staff increased the frequency with which consent was obtained without compromising understanding of the process.
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Of 100 keyboards in 29 clinical areas tested for bacterial contamination, 95% were positive for microorganisms, including one with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus.
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In a cohort of 91 ICU patients without known causes for hemoglobin decline other than blood draws and critical illness, serum hemoglobin levels declined by an average of 0.52 g/dL/d. The decline was more rapid during the first 3 days in the ICU and among patients who were septic.
