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Never too late to operate? Surgery near end of life is common, costly

At 87, Maxine Stanich cared more about improving the quality of her life than prolonging it. She suffered from a long list of health problems, including heart failure and chronic lung disease that could leave her gasping for breath.

28 Feb 2018

Concerns raised about saline in intravenous fluid

A new set of studies has explored the saline used in intravenous fluids in hospitals and found that they may not be as safe as earlier believed. These two large studies have found that the presently used concentration of saline leads to an increased risk of kidney damage and death and replacing them with an alternate fluid could reduce the deaths by 50,000 to 70,000 and reduce the number of kidney failures by 100,000 annually in the United States.

27 Feb 2018

ICU risk scores can be repurposed as continuous markers of illness severity

Commonly used ICU risk scores can be "repurposed" as continuous markers of severity of illness in critically ill patients--providing ongoing updates on changes in the patient's condition and risk of death, according to a study in the March issue of Critical Care Medicine, official journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

27 Feb 2018

New treatment shows promise to fight against serious inflammatory disease

Still's disease is a serious orphan disease manifested by high fevers, skin and joint involvement, including paralysis, as well as damage to other organs such as the liver or spleen. It is caused by a deregulation of the immune system triggering an acute inflammatory response.

27 Feb 2018

U.S. clinical sites evaluating antibody-based therapies to prevent two common bacterial infections

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is supporting U.S. clinical sites participating in two ongoing international Phase 2 clinical trials evaluating investigational antibody-based therapies aimed at preventing potentially antibiotic-resistant infections.

23 Feb 2018

Researchers explore how people with Alzheimer's disease use end-of-life medical services

Because people are now living longer and often healthier lives, the rate of some illnesses that are more likely to develop with age has risen. These illnesses include dementia. In fact, the number of us living with dementia was already 47 million worldwide in 2015. It could reach 131 million by 2050.

22 Feb 2018

Prophylactic use of haloperidol does not reduce delirium burden

Prophylactic use of the drug haloperidol does not help to prevent delirium in intensive care patients or improve their chances of survival. Therefore, there is no reason anymore to administer the drug as a preventive measure to reduce the burden of delirium.

21 Feb 2018

Participation of family members in basic care enhances healing of hospitalized patients

A voluntary program being spearheaded by Intermountain Healthcare that allows family members of hospitalized patients to participate in their care enhanced healing and reduced readmission rates, according to a new study published in the February issue of the medical journal, CHEST.

13 Feb 2018

Mortality risk found to be higher for Canadian stroke victims treated in rural hospitals

Canadians who suffer a stroke have a higher risk of dying if they are treated in a rural hospital rather than an urban one.

12 Feb 2018

Doctors learn how to talk to patients about dying

Lynn Black’s mother-in-law, who had lupus and lung cancer, was rushed into a hospital intensive care unit last summer with shortness of breath. As she lay in bed, intubated and unresponsive, a parade of doctors told the family “all good news.”

12 Feb 2018

Elderly women take longest time to arrive at the hospital after myocardial infarction, study reveals

It takes women aged over 65 the longest to arrive at the emergency department after the onset of myocardial infarction symptoms. As a consequence, valuable time is lost to reopen the occluded blood vessels and limit the damage to the myocardium.

9 Feb 2018

New blood test offers quick, accurate diagnosis of deadly yeast infection

A new blood test seems to perform as well as, if not better than, traditional blood cultures at detecting a type of fungal yeast infection that commonly strikes hospital patients, according to an analysis led by UPMC.

8 Feb 2018

Study finds increase in antibiotic use and resistance in intensive care units

Since 2001 the use of antibiotics in intensive care units in Germany has increased by 19%. This is a result of a cohort study that was initiated at that time: the SARI study.

26 Jan 2018

Researchers trace root cause of bronchiolitis symptoms

Every winter, doctors' offices and hospital emergency rooms fill with children who have bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways in the lung.

25 Jan 2018

Preterm babies likely to experience delays in auditory brain development, study reveals

Preterm babies born early in the third trimester of pregnancy are likely to experience delays in the development of the auditory cortex, a brain region essential to hearing and understanding sound, a new study reveals.

15 Jan 2018

Transcendental Meditation technique offers relief for veterans suffering from PTSD

Veterans of the war in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder found significant relief from their symptoms as a result of practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique, according to a new study published in Military Medicine.

12 Jan 2018

Implanted robotic system stimulates tissue growth in stunted organs

An implanted, programmable medical robot can gradually lengthen tubular organs by applying traction forces -- stimulating tissue growth in stunted organs without interfering with organ function or causing apparent discomfort, report researchers at Boston Children's Hospital.

11 Jan 2018

Implanted robots could help grow esophagus and gut

A programmable medical robot has been developed that could be implanted into an animal and help increase the size of the tube-like organs by pulling on them appropriately. The robot can stimulate tissue growth. This new robotic system was unveiled in an article published in the Science Robotics.

11 Jan 2018

Malnutrition remains underdiagnosed, undertreated for decades among hospitalized patients

Malnutrition among hospitalized patients remains a serious issue that has been underdiagnosed and undertreated for decades.

9 Jan 2018

Adrenomedullin could serve as biomarker, therapeutic target in disorders caused by leaky blood vessels

Disorders caused by a leaky vasculature are more common than most people think. Despite ICU treatment, one third of the 27 million patients globally that suffer from sepsis, and up to 20% of the more than 5 million US patients with congestive heart failure die every year from their condition.

5 Jan 2018

Intensive Care News and Research

Never too late to operate? Surgery near end of life is common, costly

Concerns raised about saline in intravenous fluid

ICU risk scores can be repurposed as continuous markers of illness severity

New treatment shows promise to fight against serious inflammatory disease

U.S. clinical sites evaluating antibody-based therapies to prevent two common bacterial infections

Researchers explore how people with Alzheimer's disease use end-of-life medical services

Prophylactic use of haloperidol does not reduce delirium burden

Participation of family members in basic care enhances healing of hospitalized patients

Mortality risk found to be higher for Canadian stroke victims treated in rural hospitals

Doctors learn how to talk to patients about dying

Elderly women take longest time to arrive at the hospital after myocardial infarction, study reveals

New blood test offers quick, accurate diagnosis of deadly yeast infection

Study finds increase in antibiotic use and resistance in intensive care units

Researchers trace root cause of bronchiolitis symptoms

Preterm babies likely to experience delays in auditory brain development, study reveals

Transcendental Meditation technique offers relief for veterans suffering from PTSD

Implanted robotic system stimulates tissue growth in stunted organs

Implanted robots could help grow esophagus and gut

Malnutrition remains underdiagnosed, undertreated for decades among hospitalized patients

Adrenomedullin could serve as biomarker, therapeutic target in disorders caused by leaky blood vessels

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