Is a Daily Sedation Protocol Enough to Reduce Length of Stay?

31 Oct

Posted by SCCM as Concise Critical Appraisal

Strategies to reduce excessive sedation, including protocol implementation, have been shown to reduce length of stay and improve morbidity and mortality rates for critically ill patients. While intuitively appealing, the results of some clinical trials in this area have been inconsistent. In the October issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, investigators from [...]

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Intra-Aortic Balloon Support for Cardiogenic Shock

17 Oct

Posted by SCCM as Concise Critical Appraisal

Despite relative scarce evidence to support their use, intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs) have received high-grade recommendations in both U.S. and European guidelines for use in the management of cardiogenic shock. In the October issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, Holger Thiele, MD, and the IABP-SHOCK II trial investigators conducted a controlled study to [...]

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Increased Risk of Death with Insulin Control and Hypoglycemia

28 Sep

Posted by SCCM as Concise Critical Appraisal

The Normoglycemia in Intensive Care Evaluation-Survival Using Glucose Algorithm Regulation (NICE-SUGAR) trial recruited 6,104 intensive care unit (ICU) patients in 24 hospitals. In this post hoc analysis of the trial’s database, the NICE-SUGAR investigators explored the association between different levels of hypoglycemia and death. Findings were published in the September 20 issue of The New [...]