Critical care explorations
-
To determine whether ICU surrogates with "insecure" psychologic attachment orientations are more prone to requesting tracheostomy and gastrostomy (i.e., life-sustaining therapy) for severe acute brain injury patients with poor prognosis compared to surrogates with "secure" orientations.
-
Preventing the dispersion of virulent particles during aerosol generating procedures has never been more relevant than during the current coronavirus pandemic. The American Heart Association released interim guidelines to assist in limiting exposure during advanced cardiovascular life support. These include maintaining a closed circuit on the ventilator for intubated patients and to use a high-efficiency particulate air filter during airway management of nonintubated patients. ⋯ For the intubated patient, our protocol maintains the patient to the ventilator in addition to being draped with a plastic barrier over the mouth and nares. In the nonintubated patient, a plastic drape or a non-rebreather mask is used to help reduce aerosolization during manual chest compressions. Our modified protocol allows providers to perform advanced cardiac life support by further minimizing exposure risk.
-
Patients' stays in the ICU are often characterized by prolonged immobility, sedation, disrupted sleep, and extended periods of pain, which put ICU patients at greater risk for ICU-acquired weakness and delirium-related mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of using meditative virtual reality to improve the hospital experience of ICU patients. ⋯ The use of meditative virtual reality technology in the ICU was easily implemented and well-received by patients.
-
To describe the practice of physical therapy for patients requiring continuous renal replacement therapy and assess data related to the safety and feasibility of physical therapy interventions. ⋯ Ambulation while on continuous renal replacement therapy was not associated with an increased risk of safety events and was feasible with the use of nonfemoral catheters and dialysis equipment with internal batteries.
-
Coronavirus disease 2019 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 infection to which there is no community immunity. Patients admitted to ICUs have high mortality, with only supportive therapies available. Our aim was to profile plasma inflammatory analytes to help understand the host response to coronavirus disease 2019. ⋯ While many inflammatory analytes were elevated in coronavirus disease 2019 positive ICU patients, relative to healthy controls, the top six analytes distinguishing coronavirus disease 2019 positive ICU patients from coronavirus disease 2019 negative ICU patients were tumor necrosis factor, granzyme B, heat shock protein 70, interleukin-18, interferon-gamma-inducible protein 10, and elastase 2.