Invited Commentary  Pediatrics June 5, 2024 The Quest for Evidence on Time to Antibiotics in Children With Sepsis—Finding the Sweet Spot Nora Luethi, Luregn J. Schlapbach, Philipp Baumann JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(6):e2413926. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.13926 Timely recognition and management of sepsis in children remains a major challenge in pediatric emergency care, where most patients with sepsis present. Avoiding delays in antimicro...

Adaptive Platform Trials in Critical Care In ICU Tue, 5 Mar 2024 Over the last fifty years, randomised clinical trials have advanced medical practice, particularly in critical care. These trials offer the most rigorous means of determining treatment effects, allowing for evaluating new and established medical interventions within ICUs. Despite their profound impact, clinical trials are challenging endeavours. They are costly, time-consuming, and com...

Viewpoint  June 5, 2024 Failure to Rescue as a Quality Measure in Sepsis Stephanie Parks Taylor, Marc Kowalkowski JAMA. Published online June 5, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.6771 Successful initiatives like the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, with a focus on early diagnosis and treatment, have resulted in significant improvements in mortality for patients with sepsis. However, sepsis remains the leading cause of death and disability, present in 53%...

Decision-Making in the PICU: Ethical Aspects in Paediatric Critical Patients In ICU Fri, 19 Apr 2024 This article highlights some particularities to be considered when making decisions in paediatric ICUs and the role of parents (or legal guardians) and the physician in the dilemma involved in paediatric decision-making.   In these times, an ill individual is believed to be an autonomous moral agent to make decisions regarding their health. Decis...

Invited Commentary  Critical Care Medicine May 31, 2024 Sepsis Quality Measurement and the Fraying of the Safety Net Jeremy M. Kahn JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(5):e2412781. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.12781 Hospitals in the US are increasingly subject to government regulations intended to improve the quality of care for patients with sepsis. Examples include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sepsis management bundle program (S...

Transforming Research to Improve Therapies for Trauma In ICU Tue, 30 Apr 2024 The impact of trauma on global health is significant, resulting in millions of deaths and disabilities annually, with a particularly high toll on young people. However, the elderly are also increasingly affected. Variances in trauma-related death patterns worldwide are influenced by factors such as prompt treatment availability and the prevalence...

Understanding Respiratory Drive In ICU Tue, 30 Apr 2024 Understanding respiratory drive is crucial in managing critically ill patients. Recent data suggest  high and low respiratory drive can negatively impact patient outcomes. However,  “respiratory drive” can be ambiguous without understanding its determinants and underlying pathophysiology.  In critically ill patients, ventilatory demands reflected by respiratory centre o...

Editor's Note  May 28, 2024 Health Care Expenses and Household Resources for Families With Low Income Mitchell H. Katz, Raegan W. Durant, Deborah Grady JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 28, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.1473 Families must juggle many different expenses, including housing, utilities, food, transportation, medical care, and child care. When any of these expenses eat up too much of a family’s budget, there is a proble...

Errors in Nursing Interventions in Critically Ill Patients: Less is More In ICU Fri, 19 Apr 2024 In the treatment of critically ill patients, evidence-based nursing practices are essential, highlighting the need for precision in procedural management. This discussion identifies nine common errors encountered in clinical practice. Introduction Patient care is the essence of the nursing profession, focusing on the preservation, restoration, and promoti...

Editor's Note  May 28, 2024 Value in Optimizing the Components of App Interventions Before Final Testing Heather Gwynn Allore, Mitchell H. Katz JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 28, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.0833 Intensive care unit survivors are at increased risk of psychological distress, but few scalable interventions have been found effective. Interventions in behavioral health often have multiple components that may includ...