OBJECTIVE To detect possible reasons for mortality of critical patients transferred from the ICU to the hospital wards and to analyze the possible attributable causes for such mortality. DESIGN An observational study of prospectively collected data, analyzed retrospectively. POPULATION Cohort analysis of 5328 with consecutive admissions to our ICU, whose evolution was followed up to hospita...

BACKGROUND Intensive care unit (ICU) survivors have reduced long-term survival compared to the general population. Identifying parameters at ICU discharge that are associated with poor long-term outcomes may prove useful in targeting an at-risk population. The main objective of the study was to identify clinical and biological determinants of death in the year following ICU discharge. METHODS...

BACKGROUND Delirium occurs in the intensive care unit and identification is often performed using a validated assessment tool such as the Confusion Assessment Method for Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) patients. The CAM-ICU has three ratings: positive, negative, and unable to assess (UTA). Patients may often be assigned UTA when it is inappropriate given the level of sedation or medical condition...

RATIONALE The extent to which geographic variability in ICU admission across the United States is driven by patients with lower risk of death is unknown. OBJECTIVES To determine whether patients at low to moderate risk of death contribute to geographic variation in ICU admission. METHODS Retrospective cohort of hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries (age > 64 years) admitted for ten ...

Clinical handover is a process of transferring a patient's clinical information from one team to another. Poor quality of handover of critically ill patients associates with misunderstanding, delay in treatment, and adverse outcomes. Therefore, a high quality and standardized information flow process and documentation are definitely crucial. We have developed a web-based platform for generating...

BACKGROUND Humidified, high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) enables mucociliary clearance, accurate oxygen measurement, precise control of flow, and low-level positive airway pressure. There is sparse information concerning the timing of HFNC on patient outcomes such as incidence of adverse events during hospitalization, ICU stay, and post-ICU stay. METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of a het...

INTRODUCTION In patients with severe sepsis and septic shock as cause of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, we analyze the impact on mortality of adequate antimicrobial therapy initiated before ICU admission. METHODS We conducted a prospective observational study enrolling patients admitted to the ICU with severe sepsis or septic shock from January 2008 to September 2013. The primary end-po...

BACKGROUND Neuromuscular ultrasound is a noninvasive investigation, which can be easily performed at the bedside on the ICU. A reduction in muscle thickness and increase in echo intensity over time have been described in ICU patients, but the relation to ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is unknown. We hypothesized that quantitative assessment of muscle and nerve parameters with ultrasound can dif...