Many patients who suffer a type of heart attack known as an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are treated in the intensive care unit (ICU), despite a relatively low risk of developing a complication requiring ICU care, according to a new study published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. A STEMI is caused by a blocked blood supply… Continue reading Study: Many Heart Attack Patients May Be Needlessly Treated in ICU
Tag: ICU
Cycling in Bed is Safe for ICU Patients
Early bicycle exercise during their stay in a hospital intensive care unit (ICU) may help some patients recover more quickly, according to researchers at McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton in Canada. The team has demonstrated that physiotherapists can safely start in-bed cycling sessions with critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients early on in their… Continue reading Cycling in Bed is Safe for ICU Patients
ICU Is Best for Older, Low-Risk Patients With Pneumonia
Among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with pneumonia, intensive care unit (ICU) admission of patients, which appeared to be discretionary, was associated with improved survival and no significant differences in Medicare spending or hospital costs compared with patients admitted to general wards. That is the finding of a University of Michigan study published in the September 22/29… Continue reading ICU Is Best for Older, Low-Risk Patients With Pneumonia
Delirium in the ICU Linked to Fatal Outcomes
About one-third of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) will develop delirium, a condition that lengthens hospital stays and substantially increases one’s risk of dying in the hospital, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers and published in June 2015 in the British Medical Journal. A release from Johns Hopkins… Continue reading Delirium in the ICU Linked to Fatal Outcomes
Palliative Care in the ER for Seniors Could Reduce Admissions to the ICU
Applying palliative care principles to emergency departments may reduce the number of geriatric patients admitted to intensive care units, possibly extending lives and reducing Medicare costs, according to a three-year analysis by Mount Sinai researchers published online in the May edition of Health Affairs. A release from Mt. Sinai quotes Corita Grudzen, MD, the lead… Continue reading Palliative Care in the ER for Seniors Could Reduce Admissions to the ICU
Older Trauma Patients Would Benefit from Palliative Care
Half of older adults who sustain injuries severe enough that they could die in the hospital or become unable to function independently are not asked in the intensive care unit (ICU) if they wish to speak with palliative care specialists about their preferences for end-of-life care, according to a study done at Rutgers University. The… Continue reading Older Trauma Patients Would Benefit from Palliative Care
Dental Care Reduces Respiratory Infections in ICU
Research done in Brazil and published in the November 2014 issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, found that vulnerable patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) who received enhanced oral care from a dentist were at significantly less risk for developing a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) such as ventilator-associated pneumonia, during their stay.… Continue reading Dental Care Reduces Respiratory Infections in ICU