#LIVES2023: Effects of Online Tool on PTSD in Relatives of ICU Patients ICU hospitalisation of critically ill patients is exceptionally challenging for their family members, leading to anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, acute stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A significant portion of these family members, between 20% and 60%, subsequently experience adverse mental health effects. The presence of family members is crucial for patients, either ...

Editorial  December 19, 2023 Automation Bias and Assistive AI: Risk of Harm From AI-Driven Clinical Decision Support Rohan Khera, Melissa A. Simon, Joseph S. Ross JAMA. 2023;330(23):2255-2257. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.22557 At the point of care, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have been developed to augment diagnostic decisions and suggest appropriate care pathways,1 by leveraging complex information in a patient’s electronic health...

#LIVES2023: Ten Recommendations for Child-Friendly Visiting Policies The debate over whether children and adolescents should be allowed to visit their sick family members in ICUs has persisted for years. Paediatric ICUs generally permit children's visits, but there are diverse policies for adult ICUs. In most cases, children's visits have more positive than negative effects, as they desire contact with their loved ones and can handle visits well with appropriate su...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 23 - Issue 4, 2023 Using iMg Testing for Clinical Management in the ICU An overview of ionised serum magnesium as an important biomarker for critically ill patients and how iMg testing is utilised at Mater Intensive Care. Ionised Serum Magnesium - An Important Biomarker Magnesium is the fourth most common cation in the body and the second most abundant intracellular cation, exceeded only by potassium. The bulk of it i...

#LIVES2023: Magnesium Sulphate in Patients with Thrombotic Thrombocytopaenic Purpura Previous research has indicated the potential benefits of using magnesium sulphate in thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura (TTP) treatment. The goal of the Magnesium sulphate in patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (MAGMAT) study was to assess the impact of magnesium sulphate supplementation on the recovery of patients with TTP. This was a multicentre study invo...

Invited Commentary  November 15, 2023 Who Looks Like a Surgeon?—Evaluating Reflections From a Digital Mirror Rebecca Sorber, M. Libby Weaver JAMA Surg. Published online November 15, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2023.5705 As the number of publicly available tools using artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly expanded, innumerable attempts to find beneficial applications for such tools in medicine follow close behind.1 Perhaps one of the mo...

#LIVES2023: Initiation of CRRT versus IHD In critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), renal replacement therapy (RRT) is often necessary. The choice of RRT modality, such as intermittent haemodialysis (IHD) or continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), has been a subject of debate. IHD involves shorter, more frequent sessions, while CRRT is continuous and slower. CRRT is generally preferred for haemodynamically unstable patients, while IHD is used ...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 22 - Issue 5, 2022 Improving Haemodynamic Management of ICU Patients: Decatecholaminisation & Cardiac Stress Reduction  summary of a symposium organised by AOP Health with presentations from Ricard Ferrer, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain; Bruno Levy, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, CHU Nancy · Réanimation Médicale Brabois, France; and Michael Fries, St. Vincenz Krankenhaus Limburg, De...

Editorial  November 29, 2023 The Value of Not Intubating Comatose Patients With Acute Poisoning Zaffer Qasim, Jeanmarie Perrone, M. Kit Delgado JAMA. Published online November 29, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.22462 Imagine if a new multicenter, randomized trial of a pharmaceutical drug found that for every 3 patients treated on presentation to the hospital with a common severe illness, one intubation and an intensive care unit (ICU) admission ...

IMMUNOCITRE Trial - Enteral L-citrulline Administration vs Placebo Critically ill patients admitted to the ICU often experience temporary immune deficiencies, leading to persistent organ dysfunction and a higher risk of ICU-acquired infections. Researchers have been exploring immune-enhancing diets to address these issues, focusing on nutrients like L-arginine. L-arginine is important because it can become deficient in critically ill patients and is associated with...