Transforming Research to Improve Therapies for Trauma In ICU Tue, 30 Apr 2024 The impact of trauma on global health is significant, resulting in millions of deaths and disabilities annually, with a particularly high toll on young people. However, the elderly are also increasingly affected. Variances in trauma-related death patterns worldwide are influenced by factors such as prompt treatment availability and the prevalence...

Understanding Respiratory Drive In ICU Tue, 30 Apr 2024 Understanding respiratory drive is crucial in managing critically ill patients. Recent data suggest  high and low respiratory drive can negatively impact patient outcomes. However,  “respiratory drive” can be ambiguous without understanding its determinants and underlying pathophysiology.  In critically ill patients, ventilatory demands reflected by respiratory centre o...

Editor's Note  May 28, 2024 Health Care Expenses and Household Resources for Families With Low Income Mitchell H. Katz, Raegan W. Durant, Deborah Grady JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 28, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.1473 Families must juggle many different expenses, including housing, utilities, food, transportation, medical care, and child care. When any of these expenses eat up too much of a family’s budget, there is a proble...

Errors in Nursing Interventions in Critically Ill Patients: Less is More In ICU Fri, 19 Apr 2024 In the treatment of critically ill patients, evidence-based nursing practices are essential, highlighting the need for precision in procedural management. This discussion identifies nine common errors encountered in clinical practice. Introduction Patient care is the essence of the nursing profession, focusing on the preservation, restoration, and promoti...

Editor's Note  May 28, 2024 Value in Optimizing the Components of App Interventions Before Final Testing Heather Gwynn Allore, Mitchell H. Katz JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 28, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.0833 Intensive care unit survivors are at increased risk of psychological distress, but few scalable interventions have been found effective. Interventions in behavioral health often have multiple components that may includ...

When Hospitals Shrink: Preventing Loss of Hospital Beds Through Effective Bed Management In ICU Fri, 19 Apr 2024 With an ageing population and more sophisticated treatments, hospitals must become more bed-efficient or risk contracting. Strategic management is needed since ineffective bed management can reduce bed availability. Introduction There are multiple challenges for healthcare institutions in the coming decades. Important demographic changes a...

Decision-Making in Uncertainty: Time-Limited Trials In ICU Fri, 19 Apr 2024 An overview of time-limited trials (TLT), collaborative agreements between the treating team and the patient to apply life-sustaining therapies to help reduce prognostic uncertainty and foster trust between teams and patients and/or patient surrogates. Introduction Medical indication and a patient's consent form the basis of every diagnostic or therapeutic medical measure (Mi...

The Least Bad Decision: Crisis Standards of Care After the Pandemic In ICU Fri, 19 Apr 2024 COVID-19 was an emergency that lasted for years and left few regions of the world untouched. The pandemic shone a spotlight on both the strengths and weaknesses of our disaster planning. What worked, what did not, and how can we better plan for future emergencies? The COVID-19 pandemic forced hospitals and health systems around the world to confront shortages on ...

Anti-Inflammatory Therapies for Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia In ICU Fri, 19 Apr 2024 Emerging evidence highlights the potential advantages of employing anti-inflammatory therapies like macrolide antibiotics and corticosteroids in managing severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Although their use remains a subject of debate, recent findings indicate improved clinical outcomes, and support the adoption of a tailored approach that emphasises person...

Dealing With Uncertainty in ICU Decision-Making: A Practical Guide In ICU Fri, 19 Apr 2024 When the stakes are high, and the path ahead is uncertain, the decisions made, especially if a patient continues to worsen, can be sources of self-torment and can haunt us for a long time. Our goal is to suggest ways to steer decision-making for intensivists in the face of uncertainty by proposing a clear, practical, stepwise approach through the creation of a new al...