Intensive Care News and Research

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COVID-19 and renin-angiotensin system inhibitors

A new viewpoint article published in the journal JAMA Network in April 2020 deals with the use of a widely used category of cardiovascular medications in COVID-19 patients with hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). These are the most common medical conditions that are found in COVID-19 patients and contribute disproportionately to mortality.

5 Apr 2020

Francis Crick Institute and UCLH play vital role in national COVID-19 testing effort

NHS staff testing for COVID-19 has been boosted by repurposing the Francis Crick Institute’s laboratory facilities as a testing facility, to help combat the spread of infection and allow key workers to perform lifesaving duties and remain safe.

3 Apr 2020

Study shows way to safely remove low-risk penicillin allergy labels in ICU patients

Many patients previously diagnosed with a penicillin allergy can have their allergy label removed after testing and safely undergo treatment with penicillin medications, according to a study published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

2 Apr 2020

Visualization tool enables doctors to get an overview of critical care bed capacities

Computer scientists in the team led by Professor Daniel Keim, professor of data analysis and visualization at the University of Konstanz, developed a visualization tool called "Coronavis".

2 Apr 2020

COVID-19: What the illness looks like

With increasing information about COVID-19 disease gathered first-hand, a more accurate picture of the clinical features is coming together.

2 Apr 2020

AI to predict risk of an individual patient's need for ventilator

As coronavirus patients are hospitalized, it is difficult for doctors to predict which of them will require intensive care and a respirator. Many different factors come into play, some yet to be fully understood by doctors.

2 Apr 2020

Standardized screening for early identification of delirium improves quality of care

A concerted effort to standardize delirium assessment and treatment helped a west Texas hospital reduce the use of high-risk medications and improve the quality of care for critically ill patients, according to a study published in Critical Care Nurse.

2 Apr 2020

What are coronaviruses and COVID-19?

The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.

1 Apr 2020

Putting an end to the pandemic

From the plagues of medieval Europe to the influenza pandemic of 1918, the specter of the next public health disaster has gripped the minds of scientists, captivated the imaginations of writers and vexed conspiracy theorists.

1 Apr 2020

What are the challenges facing palliative care during COVID-19?

The current COVID-19 outbreak affecting 180 countries and territories across six continents is taking its toll on healthcare systems globally. In particular, there is growing pressure on and concern for triage and palliative care departments. Now, researchers from the University of Toronto, Université Laval, Québec, and the University of Ottawa have published a new study titled, “Pandemic palliative care: beyond ventilators and saving lives,” in the latest issue of the journal Canadian Medical Association Journal that looks to address the challenges in providing palliative care during a viral pandemic.

1 Apr 2020

California hospitals face surge with proven fixes and some Hail Marys

California's hospitals thought they were ready for the next big disaster.

1 Apr 2020

New guidelines for health-care workers treating ICU patients with COVID-19

An international team including McMaster University researchers has come together to issue guidelines for health-care workers treating intensive care unit patients with COVID-19.

1 Apr 2020

Virtual Hospital becomes flagship test site for COVID-19 virus

The Virtual Hospital (Advanced Centre for Clinical Simulation) of Valencia's Catholic University (UCV) has become the flagship site for the tests of researchers, universities and companies to measure the suitability of mechanical respirator prototypes created for patients affected by COVID-19.

1 Apr 2020

COVID-19 peak could be delayed until November with social distancing

While these numbers are alarming, a group of experts has predicted that we are far from seeing a peak effect of this infection, and if the present measures of social distancing work, the peak of the epidemic in New South Wales, Australia would be less severe and occur in November.

31 Mar 2020

Three Australian experts explain the course of COVID-19

Researchers have been studying the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) closely since its beginning in December 2019. To date, the virus has infected over 850,000 individuals across the globe and killed over 41,000.

31 Mar 2020

Critical care team creates blueprint for emergency operations during COVID-19 epidemic

As patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) flood hospitals, the health care system must not only determine how to redeploy limited resources and staff to care for them but must also make well-calculated decisions to provide other types of critical care.

31 Mar 2020

Trial confirms the effectiveness of TAVR strategy in a real-world setting

Patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) did not have a higher rate of death at one year compared with those who had their heart valve replaced via open-heart surgery, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology.

30 Mar 2020