Intensive Care News and Research

RSS

Innovative computer app could be invaluable tool empowering patients who are voiceless

There are almost 800,000 patients in the United States who are intubated and require mechanical ventilation annually. More than half of these patients are awake, alert and desperately attempting to communicate with nurses, physicians and their loved ones.

9 Sep 2016

Smartphone application may be feasible, effective sexual health education tool for teenage girls

Across the globe, there is increased focus on developing interventions related to comprehensive sexual health education for adolescents, with the ultimate goal of combatting unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

8 Sep 2016

Delirium in advanced cancer patients: an interview with Dr Knox Todd

Delirium is a terribly distressing syndrome of acute confusion. We often see it in the emergency department in older patients and in those with multiple medical problems. They may be acting strangely at home and concerned loved ones bring them to the emergency department.

7 Sep 2016

New study details design and validation of accurate screening test for detecting deadly HAIs

A new study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute details the design and validation of a low-cost, rapid and highly accurate screening tool -- known as KlebSeq -- for potentially deadly healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), such as Klebsiella pneumoniae.

2 Sep 2016

Study examines perspectives linked to family-centered ICU rounds

Families are increasingly welcome in intensive care units (ICUs), including as active participants in discussions with physicians and nurses during daily bedside rounds.

1 Sep 2016

Simple steps can improve survival of sepsis patients

Sepsis, commonly called blood poisoning, is a common affliction that can affect people of all ages. A series of simple measures tested at a Norwegian hospital can make a difference in successfully treating sepsis.

31 Aug 2016

Novel technology LifeVest can help newborns breathe

LifeVest, a technology being developed at St. Michael's Hospital to help newborns breathe, won the Global Healthcare Innovation Academy's international competition in Calgary.

30 Aug 2016

Outpatient CLABSIs costly for pediatric stem cell transplant and oncology patient population

Pediatric stem cell transplant and cancer patients often are discharged from the hospital with an external central venous line for medications that parents or other caregivers must clean and flush daily to avoid potentially life-threatening infections.

29 Aug 2016

ESC-ACCA launches first European standards for management of heart attack patients

The first European standards for the management of heart attack patients are launched today by the European Society of Cardiology-Acute Cardiac Care Association.

29 Aug 2016

Study: Low socioeconomic status linked to higher risk of second heart attack or stroke

Low socioeconomic status is associated with a higher risk of a second heart attack or stroke, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2016 today. The study in nearly 30 000 patients with a prior heart attack found that the risk of a second event was 36% lower for those in the highest income quintile compared to the lowest and increased by 14% in divorced compared to married patients.

27 Aug 2016

PinnacleHealth replaces aortic valve in two patients using minimally invasive surgery

This week, PinnacleHealth became the first hospital in the country to implant the EDWARDS INTUITY Elite valve, a rapid deployment device for surgical aortic valve replacement, after U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

26 Aug 2016

UNC cardiologist examines challenges facing cardiac intensive care units and clinicians

Jason Katz, MD, MHS, associate professor of medicine at UNC School of Medicine and medical director of the cardiac intensive care unit, was the lead author of a recently published manuscript in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that examined the early growth and maturation of critical care cardiology, and the challenges and uncertainties that threaten to stymie the growth of this fledgling discipline.

25 Aug 2016

Study explores how parental use of religious coping strategies in NICU affects family's interactions

Understanding how parents cope while their child is in the neonatal intensive care unit could lead to better support for the family and a more successful transition to home when the baby is healthy, according to Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Harrisburg researchers.

25 Aug 2016

mOm raises £630,000 in seed funding to develop revolutionary infant incubator

mOm has raised £630,000 in seed funding from a prominent set of investors to further develop its revolutionary baby incubator. Led by MaSa Partners (a US-based impact fund), investors include Holly Branson (as part of the Virgin Group), Lord Rumi Verjee (as part of the The Rumi Foundation), Continuity Capital, Dr. Joshua Boger, Johannes Heine, Rockspring, and The London Co Investment Fund.

24 Aug 2016

Trauma Innovation unites healthcare professionals across Europe to discuss future of patient care

Across the globe, the threat level for international terrorism is high. The unpredictable timings and locations of the recent atrocities in Belgium, France and Germany have highlighted how important it is for medical professionals to be prepared for mass casualty incidents.

17 Aug 2016

Steroid treatment linked to increased risk of retinopathy in very low birth weight infants

Because of the beneficial effect of corticosteroids on lung function, especially in infants who are ventilator dependent, corticosteroids are, at times, administered to very low birth weight neonates to treat established or evolving lung disease. However, it has long been suspected that steroids may have negative neurodevelopmental effects on very premature infants.

16 Aug 2016

Study reveals 1 in 3 people experience depression symptoms after ICU stay

A so-called meta-analysis of reports on more than 4,000 patients suggests that almost one in three people discharged from hospital intensive care units (ICUs) has clinically important and persistent symptoms of depression, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

16 Aug 2016

Rare genetic variations linked to severe porphyria

An international research team has linked rare variations in a cell membrane protein to the wide variation in symptom severity that is a hallmark of porphyria, a rare disorder that often affects the skin, liver and nervous system.

10 Aug 2016

Pang receives NSF award to improve ICU management

Guodong (Gordon) Pang has been awarded $150,000 by the National Science Foundation for research that aims to improve discharge predictions within intensive care units (ICUs) and a patient's subsequent flow through the hospital system.

9 Aug 2016

Clinics with comprehensive care for premature infants alleviate concerns for parents

On January 24, 2013, Iris Vega-Figueroa's life changed completely. That's the day she gave birth to her twin girls, Iris and Geraldine. The twins were monoamniotic-monochorionic, meaning they shared one amniotic sack and one placenta in the womb. These rare pregnancies are considered high risk because of the uneven blood flow that occurs between the infants through the placenta.

8 Aug 2016