Impact of Stress and Shortages on Critical Care Physicians As hospitals continue to struggle with accelerating rates of coronavirus infections, hospitalisations, and deaths, the impact of the pandemic and the experiences of critical care physicians caring for the sickest COVID-19 patients should be examined. This is especially important because infection rates are increasing, and there are concerns about the capacity of the acute care system to care for severely il...

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. ...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

Effects of Ventilatory Rescue Therapies in Mechanically Ventilated COVID-19 Patients Several publications have highlighted the features of COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Patients with COVID-19 ARDS have a form of injury that resembles ARDS unrelated to COVID-19. International guidelines recommend adherence to evidence-based management strategies, including lung-protective mechanical ventilation and positive end-expiratory pressure (...

Biomarkers to Identify Acute Kidney Injury for Early Sepsis Detection Early recognition of sepsis is vital for improving patient outcomes. If detected on time, sepsis can be treated with antibiotics and source control, recognition and reversal of shock and organ support. The three most common organ dysfunctions in sepsis are cardiovascular, renal and respiratory. Cardiovascular and respiratory organ dysfunctions are easier to recognise. But detection of acute kidne...

Cognitive Impairment, Brain Insult After Mechanical Ventilation Mechanical ventilation is an essential treatment strategy in the ICU. It is a life-support tool that is often needed in critically ill patients. However, mechanical ventilation is known to cause injury to distal organs such as the lungs, diaphragm and brain.  A systematic review was conducted to identify publications that assessed the link between mechanical ventilation and either cognitive imp...

COMMENT| VOLUME 397, ISSUE 10291, P2226-2228, JUNE 12, 2021 Anticoagulation in COVID-19: reaction to the ACTION trial Jeffrey S Berger, Jean Marie Connors Lancet 2021; 379: 2226-2228 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01291-5 Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that coagulopathy leading to macrovascular and microvascular thrombotic events was a considerable potential complication for patients with COVID-19.1Increased inflam...