Health Disparities in ECMO A recent review explored the extent and quality of literature investigating the influence of social determinants of health (SDoH) on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) utilisation and outcomes among children and adults. The researchers examined the relationship between factors like socioeconomic status, education, and access to healthcare with the use and effectiveness of ECMO. A total of 219 publications were identified. The p...

Interrater Reliability of the 2015 Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference Criteria for Pediatric ARDS Layne Silver, Daniel Kaplan, Jessica Asencio, et al Chest 2023; 164: 650-655 Published:April 14, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2023.04.019 Background Diagnostic guidelines for pediatric ARDS (PARDS) were developed at the 2015 Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference (PALICC). Although this was an improvement in creating pediatri...

Original Investigation  September 11, 2023 Two-Year Outcomes After Minimally Invasive Surfactant Therapy in Preterm Infants: Follow-Up of the OPTIMIST-A Randomized Clinical Trial Peter A. Dargaville, C. Omar F. Kamlin, Francesca Orsini, et al JAMA. Published online September 11, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.15694 Key Points Question  For preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome supported with continuous positive airway p...

Original Investigation  Caring for the Critically Ill Patient October 12, 2023 Small-Volume Blood Collection Tubes to Reduce Transfusions in Intensive Care: The STRATUS Randomized Clinical Trial Deborah M. Siegal, Emilie P. Belley-Côté, Shun Fu Lee, et al JAMA. Published online October 12, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.20820 Key Points Question  Does transitioning from standard-volume to small-volume blood collection tubes for l...

Editorial  October 12, 2023 Precision in Transfusion Medicine Matthew D. Neal, Beverley J. Hunt JAMA. Published online October 12, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.16134 Blood transfusion management has come a long way since the introduction of blood banks in the 1930s, leading to the widespread use of plasma and blood in the Second World War. The gradual introduction of blood components, such as platelets and cryoprecipitate, occurred in the foll...

Original Investigation  Caring for the Critically Ill Patient October 12, 2023 Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Intensive Care Unit Senta Jorinde Raasveld, Sanne de Bruin, Merijn C. Reuland, et al JAMA. Published online October 12, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.20737 Key Points Question  What were transfusion practices worldwide among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU)? Findings  In this internation...

Editorial  September 5, 2023 Blood Pressure Management After Successful Thrombectomy Amrou Sarraj JAMA. 2023;330(9):811-812. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.14588 Despite the success of endovascular therapy (EVT) in acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion,1-3opportunities to further optimize clinical outcomes remain. One such avenue is to reduce hemorrhagic transformation in the infarcted tissue bed after successful reperfusion, which has b...

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Adjunctive Dexamethasone for Tuberculous Meningitis in HIV-Positive Adults Joseph Donovan, Nguyen D. Bang, Darma Imran, et al N Engl J Med 2023; 389:1357-1367DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2216218 Abstract BACKGROUND Adjunctive glucocorticoids are widely used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–associated tuberculous meningitis despite limited data supporting their safety and efficacy. METHODS We conducted a double-blind, randomized, p...

Mechanical Ventilation Across Countries Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is a crucial component of intensive care in modern healthcare. However, it remains uncertain whether the rates of IMV usage differ between countries. A recent study analysed data from 2018, focusing on patients aged 20 years and above who underwent IMV in England, Canada, and the United States. The study aimed to determine the per capita rates of IMV in adults within these three high-i...

Original Investigation  September 5, 2023 Intensive vs Conventional Blood Pressure Lowering After Endovascular Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: The OPTIMAL-BP Randomized Clinical Trial Hyo Suk Nam, Young Dae Kim, JoonNyung Heo, et al JAMA. 2023;330(9):832-842. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.14590 Key Points Question  Does early intensive blood pressure management improve outcomes after successful reperfusion with endovascular thromb...