Intensive Care News and Research

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Acid suppression drugs frequently prescribed for high-risk newborns, study shows

Since 2006, several published studies have associated the use of some acid suppression medications in hospitalized high-risk babies with infections, necrotizing enterocolitis and increased risk of death. Those medications - histamine-2 receptor antagonists, such as ranitidine (Zantac and others), and proton pump inhibitors, such as esomeprazole (Nexium and others) - were originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in adults and older children.

27 Apr 2016

Patients who survived life-threatening illness in ICU at increased risk for psychiatric symptoms

Results of a multi-institutional national study of nearly 700 people who survived life-threatening illness with a stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) suggest that a substantial majority of them are at high risk for persistent depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder — especially if they are female, young and unemployed.

21 Apr 2016

Study indicates mRS is poorly suited to evaluate, report quality of neuro-surgery

Surgery has become a volatile field during the past few years, with study after study challenging prevailing treatment practices. For example, surgical treatment of acute appendicitis and arthroscopic surgery on degenerative knees have been called into question by recent research results reached by Finnish researchers.

18 Apr 2016

New study links high-volume lung transplant centers with lower costs, readmissions

High-volume lung transplant centers have lower transplantation costs and their patients are less likely to be readmitted within 30 days of leaving the hospital following surgery, according to a new study of more than 3,000 Medicare patients who received lung transplants.

16 Apr 2016

Quality improvement intervention in ICUs does not reduce in-hospital mortality, study reveals

Implementation of a multifaceted quality improvement intervention with daily checklists, goal setting, and clinician prompting did not reduce in-hospital mortality compared with routine care among critically ill patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs) in Brazil, according to a study appearing in the April 12 issue of JAMA.

13 Apr 2016

Researchers find evidence that protein involved in regulating inflammation has anti-septic effects

Sepsis represents a serious complication of infection and is one of the leading causes of death and critical illness worldwide due in part to the lack of effective therapies. A report in the American Journal of Pathology provides evidence from both mouse and human studies that SHARPIN, a protein involved in regulating inflammation, has anti-septic effects. These findings may spur development of novel sepsis treatments.

11 Apr 2016

Cutaneous ureterostomy with single stoma may reduce complications in older patients undergoing bladder cancer surgery

A retrospective study indicates that for certain elderly patients undergoing surgery for bladder cancer, diverting urine from the bladder can be safely achieved with what's known as a cutaneous ureterostomy with a single stoma rather than the commonly used ileal conduit.

6 Apr 2016

Analysis reveals improved survivorship for acute liver failure patients

More patients hospitalized with acute liver failure - often the result of acetaminophen overdose - are surviving, including those who receive a liver transplant and those who don't, an analysis led by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher showed.

5 Apr 2016

Researchers explore rapid changes in oxygen levels as aggravating factors in lung failure

Mechanical ventilation can contribute to lung damage by inducing rapid changes in oxygen levels. Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna are now conducting studies for the first time into the significance of these changes as aggravating factors in lung failure.

5 Apr 2016

Researchers propose new method for diagnosis of bacterial infection in preterm infants

A research group led by Kobe University Professor MORIOKA Ichiro (Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics), Associate Professor OSAWA Kayo (Graduate School of Health Sciences, Department of Biophysics), and Clinical Technologist SATO Itsuko (Kobe University Hospital, Department of Clinical Laboratory) is proposing a new criterion for diagnosis of bacterial infection in preterm infants.

2 Apr 2016

Patients undergoing mini-MVR have similar outcomes compared with conventional surgery

Patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve repair or replacement (mini-MVR) have similar outcomes as patients undergoing conventional surgery and also experience shorter hospital stays and fewer blood transfusions, according to an article posted online today by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

31 Mar 2016

Simple tips to help parents and children lead a healthy life

Obesity is almost at epidemic proportions; it has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years nationwide. Rosa Cataldo, DO, MPH, Director of the Healthy Weight & Wellness Center at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, says that the most effective approach to addressing weight loss in children are lifestyle-based modifications that involve parents.

26 Mar 2016

UAM implements family-centered care model to provide better patient outcomes

Family presence when a child is undergoing tracheal intubation in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) can safely be implemented as part of a family-centered care model, reported a research team led by a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences professor in the March 7 issue of JAMA Pediatrics.

24 Mar 2016

Increased use of PNBs in hip and knee arthroplasty could improve medical outcomes

The use of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) is associated with better medical and economic outcomes in patients receiving hip and knee replacement, according to research being presented at the 41st Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting later this month.

24 Mar 2016

Guardian system can predict risk of dangerous diseases

If an infectious disease outbreak or an attack using an agent such as anthrax were to occur in Chicago, it most likely first will be noticed in emergency rooms throughout the city. Swift identification of the cause of an incoming patients' illness could be crucial to public health and safety personnel being able to intervene in time to save lives.

23 Mar 2016

Laser light could be used to measure oxygen supply in premature babies' lungs

Premature babies have a hard time getting the oxygen they need as their lungs are not sufficiently developed. Today you can only use X-rays to see how much air babies' lungs contain, but, according to research from Lund University in Sweden, in the future, these types of tests could be done using laser light.

22 Mar 2016

Professor Michael Grocott appointed as new member of Sphere’s Medical Advisory Board

Sphere Medical, an innovator company in critical care monitoring and diagnostics equipment, today announces the appointment of Professor Michael Grocott to its Medical Advisory Board.

22 Mar 2016

Stimulus-induced discharges in critically ill not linked to in-hospital death

Stimulus-induced rhythmic, periodic or ictal discharges in critically ill patients are not independently associated with in-hospital death, but are often associated with other electrographic abnormalities signalling poor outcomes, electroencephalography findings show.

17 Mar 2016

New treatment reduces cerebral damage in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients

Among comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, treatment with inhaled xenon gas combined with hypothermia, compared with hypothermia alone, results in less white matter damage.

16 Mar 2016

Children who receive little to no nutrition during first week in intensive care recover faster

Critically ill children are artificially fed soon after their arrival in intensive care. This common practice is based on the assumption that it will help them recover more quickly. An international study coordinated at KU Leuven, Belgium, has now disproven this theory. The study shows that receiving little to no nutrition during the first week in intensive care makes children recover faster.

15 Mar 2016