Critical Care
- COVID-19 Curbside Consults at www.CCJM.org
These are tough times. This is a wicked disease. But healthcare providers are stepping up.
- Can multiple ARDS patients be ventilated with a single ventilator?
With more patients than machines, multiplex ventilation is a reasonable last resort to prevent certain death.
- Infective endocarditis: Don’t forget the ICE
A recent article did not mention intracardiac echocardiography.
- In reply: Infective endocarditis: Don’t forget the ICE
Echocardiography relies on finding an anatomic abnormality, whereas 18FDG-PET is a functional examination.
- An unending ode to pneumonia
The examination, history, and sometimes, sputum Gram stain and culture results still inform our clinical judgment.
- Gastroenteritis gone rogue
A 56-year-old woman presented with 2 weeks of vomiting and diarrhea. Her troubles were just beginning.
- Community-acquired pneumonia: Strategies for triage and treatment
Not all patients need to be hospitalized. Initial empiric treatment should be de-escalated as soon as possible.
- Are we all clear? Unintended shocks to caregivers during cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Defibrillators are designed to affect electrical activity in the patient’s heart. Caregivers, be careful!
- Sepsis and septic shock: Guideline-based management
Sepsis requires prompt recognition, appropriate antibiotics, careful hemodynamic support, and control of the source of infection.
- Are daily chest radiographs and arterial blood gas tests required in ICU patients on mechanical ventilation?
Although routine testing is common, it has low diagnostic yield and is unlikely to alter patient management.