Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Nov 2024
The Impact of Delayed Transition From Noninvasive to Invasive Mechanical Ventilation on Hospital Mortality in Immunocompromised Patients With Sepsis.
To determine whether mortality differed between initial invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV) followed by delayed IMV in immunocompromised patients with sepsis. ⋯ Prolonged NIV trial before delayed IMV transition is associated with higher mortality in immunocompromised sepsis patients ultimately intubated.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 2024
Observational StudyImpact and Feasibility of Mechanical Ventilation at a Surgical Center in Sierra Leone: Experience From EMERGENCY's Hospital in Goderich.
Despite the large burden of critically ill patients in developing countries, mechanical ventilation (MV) is scarce in these low-resource settings. In the absence of data, issues like costs and lack of training are often felt to outweigh the benefits of potential MV implementation in such places. We aimed to investigate the impact and feasibility of MV in a surgical ICU in West Africa. ⋯ This study strongly supports the implementation of MV in low-resource settings. In our experience, the consistent benefit of reduced mortality among critical patients largely outweighs the associated challenges.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 2024
Healthcare Use and Expenditures in Rural Survivors of Hospitalization for Sepsis.
Sepsis survivors have greater healthcare use than those surviving hospitalizations for other reasons, yet factors associated with greater healthcare use in this population remain ill-defined. Rural Americans are older, have more chronic illnesses, and face unique barriers to healthcare access, which could affect postsepsis healthcare use. Therefore, we compared healthcare use and expenditures among rural and urban sepsis survivors. We hypothesized that rural survivors would have greater healthcare use and expenditures. ⋯ In this large cohort study, we report important differences in healthcare use and expenditures between rural and urban sepsis survivors. Future research and policy work is needed to understand how best to optimize sepsis survivorship across the urban-rural continuum.
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Critical care medicine · Nov 2024
Best Practices in Telecritical Care: Expert Consensus Recommendations From the Telecritical Care Collaborative Network.
Telecritical care (TCC) refers to the delivery of critical care using telehealth technologies. Despite increasing utilization, significant practice variation exists and literature regarding efficacy remains sparse. The Telecritical Care Collaborative Network sought to provide expert, consensus-based best practice recommendations for the design and delivery of TCC. ⋯ These expert consensus recommendations cover a broad range of topics relevant to delivery of TCC. Experts agreed that TCC is most effective when delivered by care teams with specific expertise and by programs with explicit protocols focusing on effective communication, technical reliability, and real-time availability. Interventions should be tailored to local conditions. Although further research is needed to guide future best practice statements, these results provide valuable and actionable recommendations for the delivery of high-quality TCC.