Intensive Care News and Research

RSS

Removal of a critical enzyme may help cases of sepsis finds research

Scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shown that removal of an enzyme called the PH domain Leucine-rich repeat Protein Phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) could help laboratory mice with sepsis in a model they had created for their experiment. The study titled, “PHLPP1 counter-regulates STAT1-mediated inflammatory signalling,” was published this week in the journal eLife.

15 Aug 2019

Mortality risk from yellow fever can be identified sooner

Approximately ten out of every 100 people who are bitten by mosquitos infected by the yellow fever virus develop symptoms of the disease. Although most infected people do not develop the disease, it is lethal to approximately 40% of those who do.

14 Aug 2019

Removing single enzyme improves outcomes in mouse model of sepsis

Sepsis occurs when the body goes overboard in its attempt to fight off an infection. Immune cells rush in, overreact and wreak havoc on tissues and organs, often resulting in organ failure and death.

14 Aug 2019

Antibody may help the immune system fight sepsis-related fungal infections

An antibody that blocks the "programmed cell death" pathway may help the immune system fight off sepsis-related fungal infections, according to animal studies reported in SHOCK: Injury, Inflammation, and Sepsis: Laboratory and Clinical Approaches, Official Journal of the Shock Society.

12 Aug 2019

Home births and hospital births equally safe, says large international study

A large study has confirmed what many midwives and mothers instinctively knew – it’s really not safer giving birth in a hospital than at home if you had a low-risk pregnancy so far. This is bound to reassure the growing number of low-risk pregnant women living in countries with reasonably good access to healthcare who want to deliver their babies at home.

8 Aug 2019

New therapy improves survival rate to 99% in preemies with chronic lung condition

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is the most common illness that develops in babies born premature with underdeveloped lungs.

6 Aug 2019

New model for ICU pharmacists resolves common dilemma for hospitals

A new team-based model for intensive care unit pharmacists, developed by Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health System, resolves a common dilemma for hospitals and improves care for critically ill patients.

6 Aug 2019

Study finds fewer deaths among elderly intensive care patients vaccinated against influenza

It appears that an influenza vaccine does not just work when it comes to influenza. A new study shows that elderly people who have been admitted to an intensive care units have less risk of dying and of suffering a blood clot or bleeding in the brain if they have been vaccinated.

2 Aug 2019

The talk seniors need to have with doctors before surgery

The decision seemed straightforward. Bob McHenry's heart was failing, and doctors recommended two high-risk surgeries to restore blood flow. Without the procedures, McHenry, 82, would die.

1 Aug 2019

Autonomic nervous system of babies functions well regardless of mode of delivery, study finds

Late in pregnancy, the human body carefully prepares fetuses for the rigors of life outside the protection of the womb. Levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, ramp up and spike during labor.

31 Jul 2019

Researchers discover new blood-borne marker for atrial damage

Atrial fibrillation is a common abnormal heart rhythm. It is treated either with medications or by applying heat or extreme cold to destroy small specific tissue areas in the atrium. This inevitably causes small wounds.

24 Jul 2019

Study examines role of plastic exposure in irregular heart rhythms, arrhythmias

Calling an ambulance during an emergency, emailing a breaking news or journal article before a 5 p.m. deadline and maintaining conditions during the fifth week of a 6-week lab study, without altering the light or temperature, requires electricity and translates into time, money and lives

22 Jul 2019

Acute air pollution exposure may increase risk for NICU admissions

Infants born to women exposed to high levels of air pollution in the week before delivery are more likely to be admitted to a newborn intensive care unit (NICU), suggests an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

21 Jul 2019

Danbury Hospital launches 'Healing Hugs' for its most vulnerable patients

Hugs matter. And for babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, hugs can change their lives. With the goal of delivering the highest quality care to every NICU baby, Danbury Hospital launched Healing Hugs, a new service where trained volunteer cuddlers provide comfort to babies in the Spratt Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

18 Jul 2019

Empa researchers aim to fight unwanted biofilms

Some of us who are hospitalized are feeling worse rather than better. On average, seven percent of all patients in industrial countries are affected by "nosocomial" infections. In intensive care units, the risk increases even more. This can result in serious illnesses and life-threatening blood poisoning.

17 Jul 2019

Study analyzes high capacity of A. baumannii to persist on various surfaces

A group in the Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology at the UPV/EHU has conducted an in-depth study into the capacity to survive of the Acinetobacter baumannii bacterium as well as the strategies it uses to survive.

16 Jul 2019

Experts release scientific statement on predicting survival for cardiac arrest survivors

If a loved one has a heart attack that stops the heart, ends up in a coma, and the treating physician approaches you about taking the person off life support, would you trust that the physician knows when to make the call or how to judge that the person won’t recover? It turns out that the science is rather shaky on when to decide the likelihood of recovery from a coma after the heart stops.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 12 Jul 2019

$Team approach to care increases likelihood of surviving refractory cardiogenic shock$

Team approach to care increases likelihood of surviving refractory cardiogenic shock

When multidisciplinary health care teams were engaged in caring for patients suffering from refractory cardiogenic shock, a severe condition that can occur after a heart attack, the likelihood of survival increased significantly, by approximately 50 percent.

11 Jul 2019

New imaging probe allows earlier detection of acute kidney failure

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed a type of imaging probe that allows for earlier detection of acute kidney failure, a rapidly-developing condition that can be fatal.

11 Jul 2019

Puzzling paralysis affecting healthy children warns CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that a series of rare and difficult to treat cases of paralysis are being seen in otherwise healthy children since 2018. This outbreak is 2018 may soon make a comeback in 2020 the organization warns doctors and paediatricians. The report was published in the CDC’s Vital Signs this week.

11 Jul 2019