Surgical Stabilisation of Rib Fractures in Chest Wall Injury A new study compared the effectiveness of surgical stabilisation of rib fractures (SSRF) to non-operative management in cases of severe chest wall injury. The effectiveness of SSRF has been demonstrated in patients with clinical flail chest and respiratory failure. However, the impact of SSRF on outcomes in cases of severe chest wall injuries without clinical flail chest remains uncertain. This stud...

Editorial  September 12, 2023 Blood Transfusion and Brain Amyloidosis: Should We Be Worried? Steven M. GreenbergJAMA. 2023;330(10):921-922. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.14522 Is misfolding of the amyloid β peptide—the primary constituent of senile plaques in Alzheimer disease and toxic cerebral vessel wall deposits in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA)1—contagious? Data from experimental and clinical sources argue that prion-like transmission of amyloid β mi...

Real Time Early Warning System Using Machine Learning Delayed recognition of haemodynamic and respiratory deterioration in hospitalised patients is linked to increased morbidity and mortality. Measures have been developed to improve the recognition of acute deterioration and reduce the occurrence of major adverse events like all-cause mortality and unplanned ICU admission. One such measure is the implementation of Early Warning Scores (EWS), including widely used s...

Research Letter  September 15, 2023 Receipt of BNT162b2 Vaccine and COVID-19 Ambulatory Visits in US Children Younger Than 5 Years Sara Y. Tartof, Timothy B. Frankland, Jeff M. Slezak, et al JAMA. Published online September 15, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.17473 Wild-type COVID-19 mRNA vaccines were recommended for children aged 6 months through 4 years on June 18, 2022.1However, COVID-19 vaccine uptake in this age group is low, with less than...

Preliminary Communication  September 12, 2023 Intracerebral Hemorrhage Among Blood Donors and Their Transfusion Recipients Jingcheng Zhao, Klaus Rostgaard, Elsa Lauwers, et al JAMA. 2023;330(10):941-950. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.14445 Key Points Question  Is there an association between the occurrence of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage among blood donors and the risk of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in patients who recei...

CHEST INFECTIONS: ORIGINAL RESEARCH| VOLUME 164, ISSUE 3, P596-605, SEPTEMBER 2023 Procalcitonin-Guided Antibiotic Prescription in Patients With COVID-19: A Multicenter Observational Cohort Study Lisa M. Hessels, Esther Speksnijder, Nienke Paternotte, et al Chest 2023; 164: 596-605 Published:April 26, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2023.04.032 Background Despite the low rate of bacterial coinfection, antibiotics are very commonly prescribed in ...

Editorial  October 12, 2023 Contemporary Adjuncts to Hemorrhage Control Samuel A. Tisherman, Megan L. Brenner JAMA. Published online October 12, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.16135 Trauma remains the most common cause of death among people 1 to 45 years of age, with hemorrhage being the most common cause of preventable death. For patients with hemorrhagic shock, expeditious control of bleeding is required to maximize chances for survival. Hemostasis...

CRITICAL CARE: ORIGINAL RESEARCH| VOLUME 164, ISSUE 3, P656-666, SEPTEMBER 2023 Outcomes in Patients Perceived as Receiving Excessive Care by ICU Physicians and Nurses: Differences Between Patients < 75 and ≥ 75 Years of Age? Ruth D. Piers, Valerie Banner-Goodspeed, Eva Åkerman, et al Chest 2023; 164: 656-666 Published:April 13, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2023.04.018 Background The benefit of the ICU for older patients is often debated. ...

Editorials NSAIDs, hormonal contraception, and venous thromboembolism Morten Schmidt BMJ 2023; 382 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p1990 (Published 06 September 2023)Cite this as: BMJ 2023;382:p1990 A harmful drug interaction that deserves more attention Venous thromboembolism is a multifactorial disease, involving interactions between inherited and acquired risk factors such as immobilisation, active cancer, trauma or fracture, recent surgery, and—in youn...

Original Investigation  Caring for the Critically Ill Patient October 12, 2023 Emergency Department Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta in Trauma Patients With Exsanguinating Hemorrhage: The UK-REBOA Randomized Clinical Trial Jan O. Jansen, Jemma Hudson, Claire Cochran, et al JAMA. Published online October 12, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.20850 Key Points Question  Does the addition of resuscitative endova...