The benefits of corticosteroids as a treatment for severe sepsis and septic shock (if any) are unknown: Although adrenal suppression is common in sepsis, it is still unclear how to assess adrenal function, or whether it should be done at all. The sensitivity and specificity of the cosyntropin (ACTH) stimulation test are unknown, and its [… read more]
C. difficile has always been a foul and disgusting adversary, but lately it’s becoming more formidable and deadly, according to Linda Bobo, Erik Dubberke and Marin Kollef. A few highlights of this excellent review: C.diff infections (CDI) have more than doubled since 2001, to > 340,000 discharges in 2008. Attributable mortality is 6-7%, but may [… read more]
As you know, the risk for DVT and PE in the ICU are high. How high? Depends on how you count them. Asymptomatic, ultrasound-surveillance-detected DVTs have an incidence of 5-10% during the ICU stay (from the PROTECT trial and a 2005 series), even when patients receive proper thromboprophylaxis. The incidence is even higher (up to 80%) in trauma [… read more]
[poll id=”3″] A 2005 meta-analysis of 5 studies (n=406) concluded that early tracheostomy reduced need for mechanical ventilation and ICU days. But then a 2006 randomized trial in trauma patients found no benefit to early trach, and an underpowered 2008 RCT also found no benefit. In a new meta-analysis and systematic review of 7 trials (n=1,044), Fei [… read more]
Many argue that as a limited resource serving unlimited needs, medical care is “rationed” by definition, and ICU resources (being more limited and expensive) are simply more overtly rationed. For example, in France, ICU admission is often denied to the very elderly critically ill, explicitly because of their age (this happens in the U.K., too, probably). In the U.S., [… read more]
Daunted by the seeming impossibility of measuring and comparing hospitals on real outcomes (given our primitive state of data collection and heterogeneity in patient populations, among many other challenges), well-meaning bureaucrats and non-profiteering safety advocates like the Institute for Healthcare Improvement have created directives based on surrogate measures in an attempt to standardize and improve [… read more]
This nice (and brief) review article on interpreting elevated troponin levels can be summed up by its quote from cardiologist Robert Jesse: “When troponin was a lousy assay it was a great test, but now that it’s becoming a great assay, it’s getting to be a lousy test.” Troponin abnormality is set at the 99th [… read more]
Air Travel for Patients with Lung Disease (BTS Recommendations) Some interesting facts, figures, and recommendations on air travel for those with chronic lung disease, thanks to Ahmedzai et al who produced this 32 page document for the British Thoracic Society: At 8,000 feet in a commercial aircraft, you’re breathing 15% O2, and normal people’s SpO2 [… read more]
After receiving hundreds of postmarketing adverse event reports of suicidal thoughts or behaviors (and 32 completed suicides) associated with smoking cessation drug varenicline (Chantix), the FDA slapped a black box warning on the med in 2009 and commissioned two large retrospective observational studies totaling more than 40,000 patients starting either varenicline (Chantix) or nicotine replacement. [… read more]
Severe sepsis makes the heart irritable, probably due to all the evil humors and increased cardiac demand. Between 6-20% of patients with severe sepsis develop atrial fibrillation for the first time; that’s old news. What’s been unclear is what new-onset atrial fibrillation in severe sepsis means: is it an expected, yeah-so-what marker of critical illness, [… read more]
Daniel Brodie and Matthew Bacchetta offer a nice review of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in adults, based on their experience at Columbia University in New York City. This general overview describes ECMO techniques and re-visits the CESAR trial results — the only major randomized controlled trial on ECMO in ARDS [… read more]
Ultrasound is the future. It’s even better than that: it’s the present. So say proponents Seth Koenig, Mangala Narasimhan and pioneer & innovator Paul Mayo in this month’s CHEST review. They endorse a “paradigm shift” meaning, in effect, you get professionally trained on this highly versatile, effective, and immediate-results-providing modality and integrate it into your routine [… read more]
Walkey et al combined 8 randomized trials including 1,641 people with MRSA pneumonia, and found no significant differences between those treated with linezolid or vancomycin in survival, resolution of clinical pneumonia, eradication from sputum of MRSA, or adverse events. Authors dispute linezolid’s supposedly higher lung penetration, pointing out that that dogma evolved from studies of healthy people; [… read more]
Targeted temperature management in critical care: A report and recommendations from five professional societies. Nunnally ME et al. Crit Care Med 2011;39:1113-1125. Hypothermia for cardiac arrest guideline. Hypothermia after cardiac arrest review.
Chong J et al review the 23 placebo-randomized trials of just-FDA-approved roflumilast and its sister cilomilast, the oral phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors. The overall mean improvements in quality of life (1 point on the SGRQ scale) and lung function (46 mL of FEV1) were tiny. The drugs did significantly reduce exacerbations with an odds ratio of 0.78 — as [… read more]
Moores LK et al. Current Approach to the Diagnosis of Acute Nonmassive Pulmonary Embolism. CHEST 2011;140:509-518. Review. Where is the best area under the curve, or the “overdiagnosis sweet spot?” It seems no approach gets us off the hook as we seek to avoid anticoagulating people without PEs (without missing any, of course): CT-angiography is more sensitive [… read more]
Singh et al report in a meta-analysis of 14 randomized trials (n=8,216) that varenicline was associated with an odds ratio of 1.72 for serious cardiovascular events compared to placebo. The absolute increased risk was 0.24% (a number needed to harm of 400, while varenicline has a number needed to treat of ~10 to get one [… read more]
The ACP, ACCP, ATS and ERS give us this new clinical practice guideline & review on managing stable COPD. To sum up their recommendations: 1. If symptomatic, those with suspected COPD should be diagnosed with spirometry and offered treatment with bronchodilators if they indeed have COPD. 2. If FEV1 < 60% – then definitely treat [… read more]
Novel therapies for septic shock over the past 4 decades. Suffredeni AF, Munford RS. JAMA 2011;306:194-199.
Optimal duration of anticoagulation after VTE: Goldhaber SZ, Circulation 2011;123:664-667. FREE FULL TEXT
Get PulmCCM’s Weekly Email Update
Stay up-to-date in pulmonary and critical care. No spam.