Critical Connections Blog

Discovery VIRUS Registry Outcomes and STOP-VIRUS ICU Learning Collaborative
The first outcomes of VIRUS were recently published in Critical Care Medicine. More than 20 manuscripts are being prepared for publication during the next several months. Additionally, sites have been invited to submit ancillary study ideas drawing on registry data. Of the 150 proposed, more than 60 have been approved.
 
Join the registry today and contribute to this important data collection.
Posted: 2/19/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Discovery Research Network, Statistics

Tocilizumab May Reduce Mortality in Certain COVID-19 Patients
Two recent trials suggest that immune-damping drugs such as tocilizumab may reduce mortality in patients with severe COVID-19.
Posted: 2/19/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pharmacology, Therapies

Concise Critical Appraisal: Early Hemostatic Management of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy
This Concise Critical Appraisal delves into a study published in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine that sought to determine whether early hemostatic intervention can prevent the development of DIC and improve outcomes.
Posted: 2/17/2021 | 0 comments | Concise Critical Appraisal, Hematology, pediatrics, Sepsis

Addressing Implicit Bias in the Critical Care Workforce
Implicit bias is an unconscious negative view of a group of people that can compromise relationships and, in the case of the medical community, stand in the way of good healthcare. Learn how to approach and mitigate implicit bias. 
Posted: 2/14/2021 | 0 comments | Congress, Diversity, Implicit Bias

The Future of Sepsis Treatment
Sepsis continues to affect Americans and hospital patients across the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 1.7 million adult Americans develop sepsis each year¹; this is more than the entire population of Phoenix, the fifth-largest city in the country.² Approximately 270,000 of these patients die from sepsis.
Posted: 2/1/2021 | 0 comments | Congress, Sepsis, Treatment

Association of Socioeconomic Status and Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes
Children being treated for sepsis stayed in the hospital longer if they lived in low-income ZIP codes compared to those who were from high-income ZIP codes, suggests a large national study being presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s 50th Critical Care Congress.
Posted: 1/30/2021 | 0 comments | Congress, outcomes, pediatric, Sepsis

The Future of Critical Care Medicine
Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD, presents on the future of critical care medicine at SCCM's 50th Critical Care Congress.
Posted: 1/30/2021 | 0 comments | Artificial Intelligence, Congress, Quality

ICU-Telemedicine May Reduce Death
Intensive care unit (ICU) patients who receive services via telemedicine are less likely to die and more likely to leave the hospital sooner compared with those receiving traditional ICU care, suggests a large study being presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s 50th Critical Care Congress.
Posted: 1/29/2021 | 0 comments | Congress, research, Telemedicine

A Shot in The Dark: COVID-19 Vaccine Update
A January 8, 2021, SCCM webcast focusing on COVD-19 vaccination served as a primer for healthcare professionals who will be among the first to receive vaccines.
Posted: 1/15/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Vaccines

Concise Critical Appraisal: ARREST Trial: ECMO Versus Advanced Cardiac Life Support
The ARREST Trial compared extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-facilitated resuscitation to advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) treatment in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This month’s Concise Critical Appraisal takes a deep dive into the trial, published in The Lancet.
Posted: 12/10/2020 | 0 comments | Cardiovascular, Concise Critical Appraisal, Resuscitation

The Difficult Path Ahead: We Hear You and Are Here for You
SCCM released a statement to media imploring the public to rise to the challenge and follow recommended public health measures, such as mask wearing, social distancing, hand hygiene, avoiding large groups and staying home as much as possible. 
Posted: 11/20/2020 | 0 comments | COVID-19, Emergency Response, Mental Health, Resource Allocation

Concise Critical Appraisal: Is CPR Futile for COVID-19 Patients?
Is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) futile in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 experiencing cardiac arrest? A study recently published in Critical Care Medicine sought to answer this question and provide more data around outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest in patients with COVID-19.
Posted: 11/11/2020 | 0 comments | Concise Critical Appraisal, COVID-19, Resuscitation

Impact of Rapid Exome Sequencing on Management of Critically Ill Children
Dive into a study that evaluates a standardized process of using rapid exome sequencing to help diagnose critically ill children with suspected genetic diseases in this Concise Critical Appraisal.
Posted: 10/19/2020 | 0 comments | Concise Critical Appraisal, Pediatrics, Rapid Exome Sequencing

COVID-19: What’s Next: A Deeper Dive into Top Sessions
COVID-19: What’s Next, the first-of-its kind virtual conference hosted by the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), featured the newest research findings, epidemiologic models, and guideline updates for caring for patients with COVID-19 from specialists on the front lines.
Posted: 10/2/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disaster, Proning, Resource Allocation, Ventilation

Concise Critical Appraisal: Dexamethasone Use in the Treatment of COVID-19
This Concise Critical Appraisal offers a look into the results of the RECOVERY trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which demonstrated that dexamethasone improved mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Posted: 9/9/2020 | 0 comments | Concise Critical Appraisal, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Dexamethasone

SCCM Experts Weigh in on Latest COVID-19 Treatment Strategies
This article distills some of the challenges and lessons learned in key areas of COVID-19 management: convalescent plasma therapy and strategies for diabetes/hyperglycemia and myocarditis.
Posted: 9/4/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Treatments

Clinicians Report Ventilator Shortages
Clinicians responding to the COVID-19 pandemic have experienced shortages of mechanical ventilators, according to a rapid-cycle survey distributed by the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). Survey respondents reported having to secure additional ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile or other sources, such as private suppliers. A small percentage even said they declined care because they did not have enough ventilators or placed two patients on one ventilator.
 
Posted: 8/28/2020 | 1 comments |

Concise Critical Appraisal: Early Use of Tranexamic Acid in the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Bleeds
This Concise Critical Appraisal offers a deep dive into the HALT-IT trial, which investigated whether early use of tranexamic acid to treat acute severe gastrointestinal bleeds would reduce overall mortality while limiting the burden of thromboembolic events.
Posted: 8/12/2020 | 1 comments | Concise Critical Appraisal, Nutrition

PPE Strategies for the COVID-19 Era
The supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been uncertain since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Months into this healthcare crisis, supply chains are unpredictable as reports of shortages continue. Follow these key strategies for managing PPE.
Posted: 7/30/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disaster, Disaster Response, Emergency Response, Pandemic

How to Maintain Wellness in the COVID-19 Era
Intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians tend to pride themselves on their ability to care for others, even if it is at the expense of taking care of themselves. Some think of this mantra of "others before me" as a badge of honor, according to James C. Jackson, PhD, PsyD, research professor and assistant director of the ICU Recovery Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Jackson has a strong message to these clinicians: Now is not the time to dismiss your own needs.
Posted: 7/23/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pandemic, Stress, Wellness