Drug Dosing Recommendations for Obese COVID-19 Patients Obesity is highly prevalent in patients who are hospitalised with COVID-19. It is a widely recognised risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection with a greater risk for mortality compared with non-obese patients. With each 1 kg/m2 increase in body mass index, the risk for severe infection increases by 9% and mortality by 6%.  While there are evidence-basedevidence-based guidelines to treat patients...

Medical News & Perspectives  June 1, 2022 Challenges of Deciding Whether and How to Update COVID-19 Vaccines to Protect Against Variants Rita Rubin JAMA. Published online June 1, 2022. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.9367 Seasonal influenza vaccines are updated every year, depending on what strains are circulating globally, leaving many people—especially those who still contracted COVID-19 after 2 booster shots—wondering why vaccines against SARS-C...

Abionic's Unique Sepsis Detection Solution Based in Switzerland, Abionic is an in vitro diagnostic company, uniquely positioned at the intersection of medical technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology. The company has developed an unparalleled nanofluidic technology-based platform, the abioSCOPE® to offer patients fast blood test results right at the Point-of-Care (PoC). The abioSCOPE® is a compact and ultra-fast diagnostic solution, prov...

Indirect Calorimetry in Critically Ill Patients In a new review, the authors identify the pros and cons of indirect calorimetry to estimate resting energy expenditure and define individual nutritional energy targets among critically ill patients.  Indirect calorimetry (IC) is a monitoring tool that provides factual information on metabolism. There is significant evidence to show an important association between mortality and calorie intake in early critical...

Medical News & Perspectives  June 8, 2022 American Thoracic Society 2022 Conference Highlights Kristin Walter JAMA. Published online June 8, 2022. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.8598 Studies that examined whether prone positioning or undergoing a lung transplant are effective approaches in treating COVID-19 were among the diverse presentations at the American Thoracic Society’s (ATS) recent annual conference. In this May 26 conversation, Andrew J....

Less is More in Delirium Critical care physicians often use ineffective treatments that lack evidence-based data. This is especially true for delirium. To date, no medications have demonstrated therapeutic benefit for this condition. Medical treatment is either targeted toward preventing delirium or treating agitation associated with it. Behavioural interventions are rarely incorporated.  Delirium has a high incidence among critically ill patients. Approxim...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 22 - Issue 1, 2022 Information Transfer as a Strategy to Improve Safety in ICU The transmission of information (TOI) in extremely variable environments, such as the ICU, is crucial. The content and how it is transmitted can be decisive in the safe care of the critical patient. Introduction In an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), we attend people with a wide range of pathologies. All the information obtained from monitoring o...

Editorials Are vaccines a potential treatment for long covid? Manoj Sivan, Trisha Greenhalgh, Ruairidh Milne, et al BMJ 2022; 377 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o988 (Published 18 May 2022)Cite this as: BMJ 2022;377:o988 Benefits are possible, but we need more evidence and a mechanism of action Vaccines in the covid-19 pandemic have been a game changer in reducing rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospital admission for, and death with, covid-19. They als...

Editorial  July 19, 2022 Albumin vs Crystalloid Fluid for Resuscitation in Cardiac Surgery: New Evidence and Arguments in the Timeless Debate Mihai V. Podgoreanu, Negmeldeen Mamoun JAMA. 2022;328(3):246-248. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.10113 Adequate intravenous (IV) fluid administration is essential during and after cardiac surgery to restore circulating blood volume and improve end-organ tissue perfusion. Clinical decisions about which fluid type...

EDITORIAL Acute Hepatitis in Children in 2022 — Human Adenovirus 41? Saul J. Karpen N Engl J Med July 13, 2022DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2208409 Acute hepatitis in children is certainly not new, and it can be worrisome. Successful worldwide vaccination campaigns over the past few decades have led to demonstrable improvements in public health and well-being by reducing the incidence and consequences of two viral causes — hepatitis A and B viruses. Many other viruses, so...