Ventilatory Support for Asthma - An Overview of Critical Asthma Management In ICU Thu, 28 Nov 2024 ICU Management & Practice, Volume 24 - Issue 5, 2024 Critical asthma is relatively uncommon, with its incidence on the decline; however, it can require intensive care, including mechanical ventilation. This article provides an overview of critical asthma management. Critical asthma (CA) is an umbrella term embracing different definitions, all r...

Adverse Prehospital Events and Outcomes After TBI In ICU Tue, 4 Feb 2025 Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major global health issue, affecting approximately 70 million people annually. Severe TBI can lead to death or irreversible disability within hours. Emergency medical services (EMS) provide initial care guided by the Brain Trauma Foundation (BTF) guidelines, which focus on preventing secondary brain injury by managing hypoxia, hypotension, and hyp...

Invited Commentary  March 10, 2025 Awake Prone Positioning in COVID-19—Is There a New Standard of Care? Michael A. Matthay, Katherine D. Wick, Narges Alipanah-Lechner JAMA Intern Med. Published online March 10, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.0021 In this issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, Luo et al1 presented compelling evidence for awake prone positioning for patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure from COVID-19. Thei...

SUNRRISE: Negative Pressure Dressings to Prevent SSI After Emergency Laparotomy In ICU Tue, 4 Feb 2025 Surgical site infections (SSI) occur in up to 40% of patients after emergency laparotomy, leading to delayed healing, wound dehiscence, hernia risk, longer hospital stays, and higher readmission rates. These infections are a significant burden on patients, hospitals, and healthcare systems. Emergency laparotomies are critical for treating conditions l...

Invited Commentary  Pediatrics March 6, 2025 Changes in Respiratory Viral Testing Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic Todd W. Lyons, Caroline G. Kahane JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(3):e250168. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.0168 As an intern during the winter of 2008, I presented a full service of children admitted overnight with bronchiolitis. It had been 2 years since the initial publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ “Diagno...

AI-Powered Prediction Model to Enhance Blood Transfusion Decision-Making  In ICU Fri, 24 Jan 2025 Researchers at Emory University have developed an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model that accurately predicts the need for blood transfusions in non-traumatic ICU patients. Published in Health Data Science, the study tackles longstanding challenges in forecasting transfusion requirements across diverse patient populations with varying me...

Invited Commentary  March 5, 2025 Indocyanine Green Fluorescence for Colectomy—Better Than the Naked Eye? Matthew Z. Wilson, David B. Stewart JAMA Surg. Published online March 5, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2025.0015 Anastomotic leaks (ALs) are often devastating complications that frequently require unplanned reoperation, creation of a stoma that may be permanent, and months of management until the potential restoration of gut continuity.1&nbs...

In-hospital Mortality in Patients Admitted to IMCUs With and Without ICUs In ICU Mon, 27 Jan 2025 ICUs provide critical treatment for severely ill patients but are resource-intensive and costly, requiring efficient and equitable utilisation. Guidelines for ICU admission and discharge have been established in several countries to optimise resource use. Intermediate care units (IMCUs), also known as high-dependency or step-down units, offer care for pati...

AI-Guided Lung Ultrasound Performed by Non-Experts In ICU Mon, 27 Jan 2025 Lung ultrasound (LUS) is increasingly used for diagnosing and monitoring shortness of breath due to its portability, low cost, and lack of radiation exposure. It provides real-time lung assessments and is more accurate than chest radiography in detecting conditions such as pneumonia, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, and pulmonary oedema. LUS is particularly useful in emergency de...

Comment Anticoagulation for extended venous thromboembolism treatment: less is really more Saskia Middeldorp, Jenneke Leentjens Lancet 2025; 405: 676-677 Venous thromboembolism, comprising pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, is a common disease with considerable mortality and morbidity, such as post-thrombotic and post-pulmonary-embolism syndrome.1, 2 Anticoagulation is the main treatment for venous thromboembolism, although the decision on ...