Comparison of T-piece and Pressure Support Ventilation Weaning from mechanical ventilation is one of the most importance challenges in the ICU. The longer the patients remain on the mechanical ventilator, the greater the risk of complications including longer ICU and hospital stay, higher rates of infection and greater mortality. In some patients, a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) is conducted to determine if the patient will be able to sustain spontaneous breathi...

Coronavirus and the Potential Role of ECMO The relatively new coronavirus has already infected thousands of patients in China and is now rapidly spreading globally. Many countries have already reported cases of coronavirus and the WHO has declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a public health emergency and has released preliminary guidelines on management of patients.  Most reports out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, indicate that COVID-19 primarily a...

Critical Care Response to Coronavirus Outbreak in Shenzhen, China In December 2019, there was an outbreak of a novel virus in Wuhan, China. Termed nCOV or coronavirus disease by the WHO, this infection is now a major public health concern not only in China but globally. The 2019 nCOV pandemic has led to a major influx of infected patients to hospitals and in particular to intensive care units. In China, this has already strained medical facilities and healthcare w...

Editorial March 16, 2020 Editorial Concern—Possible Reporting of the Same Patients With COVID-19 in Different Reports Howard Bauchner, Robert M. Golub, Jody Zylke JAMA. Published online March 16, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.3980 Since January 1, 2020, JAMA and the JAMA Network journals have received hundreds of manuscripts and direct queries related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including research reports, case series and cas...

Clinical Trials of Artificial Intelligence With the introduction of computers and advanced technology, the majority of patient data is now captured digitally. And this has allowed opportunities for machine learning. Today, machine learning is frequently used to make diagnosis or predict disease outcomes, optimise treatment decisions and determine the prognosis of patients.  While there is growing excitement about the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) in medici...

Delirium Subtypes in Adult ICUs Delirium is a common problem in patients admitted to the intensive care unit and is associated with increased length of hospital stay, high mortality and long term cognitive impairment. Delayed diagnosis can often make things worse. Delirium is known to fluctuate in its presentation and its severity can also vary. Delirium is generally classified into one of three subtypes- hypoactive (inattentiveness, lethargy, and motor slown...

Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia The recent outbreak of coronavirus has created a global hysteria mainly because not much is known about its clinical presentation, morbidity, and mortality. Prior to this outbreak, only anecdotal reports existed about coronavirus. The outbreak has infected thousands of people and has resulted in hundreds of deaths in China. However, despite this outbreak and global concerns, there is a lack of data regarding th...

Early Prediction of Sepsis From Clinical Data Sepsis continues to be a leading cause of death in hospitalised patients. Approximately 1.7 million individuals develop sepsis each year in the US and of these, around 270,000 die from the infection. Sepsis affects nearly 30 million patients worldwide and nearly 6 million die from sepsis each year. Billions of dollars are required to manage sepsis, far exceeding the cost of most other healthcare disorders. Sepsis is trea...

The INCEPT Study: Impact of Post-Traumatic Cerebral Infarction In the Hospital Senior Patient Rests on the Bed, Nurse in Ward Does Checkup. Recovering Man Sleeping in the Modern Hospital Ward. Post-traumatic cerebral infarction (PTCI) is common after traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity mostly among young people, but its incidence is also increasing in older people, particularly in high-income countries. The outcome of a TB...

Violent Attacks Against Emergency Physicians young drunk man gets shirty with an ambulanceman at casualty Violent attacks against emergency physicians remain a problem. While mass shootings at hospitals are quite rare, violent attacks against emergency physicians are becoming too common these days. There have been cases where emergency physicians have been knocked unconscious, physically assaulted, hit, bitten, kicked, and punched by patients. According to a recent ...