BACKGROUND Recanalisation for coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) is associated with high rates of restenosis and reocclusion. The use of intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS) may improve immediate and long-term outcomes following recanalisation. To our knowledge, no study has examined the use of ICUS-guided balloon angioplasty in CTO. AIM To compare the results of ICUS-guided balloon angioplast...

Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative, non fermenting cocobacills that its species are opportunistisic pathogens and cause nosocomial infections among patients in intensive care unit (ICUs).This bacteria cause various infections such as pneumonia, meningitis, endocarditis, and urinary tract [1]. Three decades ago, Acinetobacter baumannii infections treated with traditional antibiotics but ...

We have shown that intensive care units (ICUs) in countries with limited resources have rates of device-associated health care-associated infection (HAI), including central line-related bloodstream infection (CLAB), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), 3 to 5 times higher than rates reported from North American, Western European, and Au...

BACKGROUND Intensive care units (ICU) are epicenters for the emergence of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (ARGNB) because of high rates of antibiotic usage, rapid patient turnover, immunological susceptibility of acutely ill patients, and frequent contact between healthcare workers and patients, facilitating cross-transmission.Antibiotic stewardship programs are considered important...

BACKGROUND Present practice guidelines recommend sedative-analgesic and neuromuscular blocking administration during therapeutic hypothermia in comatose patients after cardiac arrest. However, none suggests the best administration protocol. In this study, we evaluated intensivists' preferences regarding administration. METHODS A systematic literature review was conducted to identify clinical ...

INTRODUCTION Indications for renal replacement therapy (RRT) have not been generally standardized and vary among intensive care units (ICUs). We aimed to assess the proportion, indications, and modality of RRT, as well as the association between the proportion of RRT use and 90-day mortality in patients with septic shock in Finnish adult ICUs. METHODS We identified patients with septic shock ...

Many classes of antibacterial drugs are currently available for physicians to use, however the plan of antibiotic development has slowed during the last decade. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified antimicrobial resistance as one of the 3 most important problems for human health. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem worldwide, especially in hospitals, where resistant orga...

Nosocomial bacterial infections in critically ill patients are generally preceded by asymptomatic carriage (i.e. colonization) at one, or even several, body sites such as the skin, the gastro-intestinal and the respiratory tract. Different routes of transmission between the colonized sites create a complex epidemiology, which is additionally complicated by the smallness of the patient populatio...