Life-Saving Effect of Dexamethasone in COVID-19 In ICU Tue, 9 Jul 2024 Dexamethasone is a life-saving treatment for severe COVID-19, though patients exhibit varied responses to the therapy. Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have uncovered how this cortisone compound influences the impaired inflammatory response and which patients benefit from it. Their method, utilising singl...

Evaluating Remote Patient Monitoring for Reducing Return Visits to the Emergency Department In ICU Tue, 30 Apr 2024 Return visits to the emergency department (ED) pose a challenge to healthcare organisations, with significant financial and care implications. About 20% of patients return to the ED within 30 days, with some visits being preventable. Factors contributing to return visits include fear, anxiety, convenience, and expedited evaluation. While ...

Hot Topic Session: Frequency of Screening and SBT Techniques In ICU Wed, 9 Oct 2024 Approximately 20 million individuals globally undergo mechanical ventilation each year, and this number is expected to increase. While lifesaving, invasive ventilation can lead to complications, with 40% of ventilated time spent on liberating patients from the ventilator. Reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation is a key research priority for better outcomes. Res...

Editorial  August 21, 2024 Uncovering Long COVID in Children Suchitra Rao JAMA. Published online August 21, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.13551 The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences globally, and the immediate and short-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been well described. Although most individuals recover, many endure longer-lasting effects, referred to as long COVID, post-COVID condition, or postacute sequelae o...

Editorials Doctors and suicide Clare Gerada, Amandip Sidhu, Frances Griffiths BMJ 2024; 386 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1758 (Published 21 August 2024)Cite this as: BMJ 2024;386:q1758 Female doctors are still at higher risk than their non-medical peers According to some estimates, one doctor dies by suicide every day in the United States,1 and around one every 10 days in the United Kingdom.2 This high rate is borne out by a linked meta-analy...

EDITORIAL Why Was the Azithromycin “for Life” Trial Necessary? Kathryn Maitland, A. Sarah Walker N Engl J Med 2024;391:760-762 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2407000 In 2009, a cluster-randomized trial showed a 49% reduction in all-cause mortality among Ethiopian children 1 to 9 years of age in the year after mass distribution of a single dose of azithromycin for trachoma prevention — a reduction that was sustained over the following 26 months.1 ...

Editorial  October 9, 2024 Ventilator Weaning Strategies—Managing Interaction Between Randomized Treatments Steven A. Webb, Lindsay R. Berry, Ary Serpa Neto JAMA. Published online October 9, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.19853 Weaning of mechanical ventilation is a critical aspect of care for patients in intensive care units (ICUs). The process of weaning involves the gradual reduction in intensity of ventilatory support sufficient to allow the...

Analysis Wider use of tranexamic acid to reduce surgical bleeding could benefit patients and health systems Ian Roberts, Michael F Murphy, Ramani Moonesinghe, et al BMJ 2024; 385 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2024-079444 (Published 12 June 2024) Cite this as: BMJ 2024;385:e079444

Continuous vs Intermittent β-lactam Antibiotics in Sepsis In Sepsis Sun, 23 Jun 2024 A new study aimed to determine if continuous infusion of a β-lactam antibiotic (piperacillin-tazobactam or meropenem) reduces all-cause mortality at 90 days compared to intermittent infusion in critically ill patients with sepsis. The BLING III randomised clinical trial was conducted across 104 ICUs in Australia, Belgium, France, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sweden, and t...

Editorial  October 9, 2024 Impact of Adsorptive Blood Purification on Kidney Outcomes Yuenting Diana Kwong, Kathleen D. Liu JAMA. Published online October 9, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.20928 Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in hospitalized patients, associated with significant short-term morbidity and mortality, and for which the only current therapeutic strategies are supportive. Of the common causes of AKI, cardiac surger...