Association Between Pre-Existing Respiratory Disease and COVID-19 Pre-existing respiratory disease could worsen the severity of COVID-19. A review of cases has shown that the prevalence of chronic respiratory disease in hospitalised COVID-19 patients was lower compared to prevalence in the general population. Another systematic review found mixed evidence on asthma. Some data suggests hospitalisation was equally probable, but disease severity might be more severe. ...

EORTC/MSGERC Definitions of Invasive Fungal Diseases: Summary of Activities of the Intensive Care Unit Working Group Matteo Bassetti, Elie Azoulay, Bart-Jan Kullberg, et al Clin Infect Dis 2021; 72(S2): S121-7 INVASIVE CANDIDIASIS Defining Proven and Probable Invasive Candidiasis in the Intensive Care Unit After several rounds of review and discussion, the proposed definition for proven IC by the ICU Working Group required definitive evidence of the organis...

A-E Assessment of Post-ICU COVID-19 Recovery The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant strain on healthcare and critical care services worldwide. While most resources have focused on acutely ill patients, the burden of patients who have been chronically affected by COVID-19 will remain. From what we know of COVID-19 so far,  a significant number of patients show symptoms that last more than eight weeks. Hence, several of these patients will suffer from p...

ONLINE FIRST (FREE ACCESS)  Dekeyser T. et al. ~Combined psychologist-physician post-death meeting as part of an integrated bereavement program for families Metnitz P.G.H. et al. ~ Evaluation and calibration of SAPS 3 in patients with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care units Du M. et al. ~Integrative omics provide biological and clinical insights into acute respiratory distress syndrome Dallmeier K. et al. ~ COVID-19 and the...

Original Investigation May 19, 2021 Triple vs Dual Inhaler Therapy and Asthma Outcomes in Moderate to Severe Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Lisa H. Y. Kim, Carol Saleh, Anna Whalen-Browne, et al JAMA. Published online May 19, 2021. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.7872 Abstract Importance The benefits and harms of adding long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs) to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting β2-agonists (LABAs) for ...

Corticosteroid Treatment in ARDS Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening condition that is characterised by bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging and refractory hypoxaemia. ARDS is common in critically ill patients in ICUs and is associated with significant mortality. Findings from a recent study show that approximately 10% of ICU patients suffered from ARDS, and hospital mortality of ARDS patients was around 40%. Despite the ...

Closed incision negative pressure wound therapy versus standard dressings in obese women undergoing caesarean section: multicentre parallel group randomised controlled trial Brigid M Gillespie, Joan Webster, David Ellwood, et al BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n893 (Published 05 May 2021)Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n893 Abstract Objective To determine the effectiveness of closed incision negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) compared with sta...

Multicomponent Intervention for Sleep and Delirium in SICU Delirium affects nearly 60% of patients in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Sleep-wake disruption is a common risk factor in critically ill patients. However, to date, few SICU-focused delirium interventions have been implemented, even though factors like sleep-wake disruption are modifiable.  A study was conducted to determine the effect of a multicomponent non-pharmacologica...

Research Hospital admission and mortality rates for non-covid diseases in Denmark during covid-19 pandemic: nationwide population based cohort study Jacob Bodilsen, Peter Brønnum Nielsen, Mette Søgaard, et al BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1135 (Published 25 May 2021)Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1135 Abstract Objective To determine the incidence of hospital admissions and associated mortality rates for non-covid medical conditions during ...

Optimising Patient Care During COVID-19: The Four Ps The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on ICUs around the world. Most healthcare systems were prepared to handle natural disasters or accidents, but as we have all witnessed, they were unprepared to handle the massive influx of patients during the COVID-19 crisis. Last year was quite a challenge for healthcare providers around the world, and as clinicians continue to battle the second wave of COVID-19, he...