Fernando et. al. HELPFUL ONLY WHEN ELEVATED: INITIAL SERUM LACTATE IN STABLE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PATIENTS WITH SEPSIS IS SPECIFIC, BUT NOT SENSITIVE FOR FUTURE DETERIORATION Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol. 54, No. 6, pp. 766–773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2018.01.040 BOTTOM LINE: A lactate >4 in this prospective observational cohort study of almost 1000 patients with the “CMS” definition …
Quick Hit Article
To B (VM) or Not to B (VM) THAT is the question!
Source: Casey et. al. Bag-Mask Ventilation during Tracheal Intubation of Critically Ill Adults. NEJM. February 18, 2019DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1812405 Whether ‘tis noble in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of aspiration or by bagging end them? This is a great methodological (and probably landmark) trial by the impressive authors at Vanderbuilt et al. They have been …
Antibiotic StewardSHIP…Moveover Titanic…there’s a new failure in town.
Tamma, et al. Rethinking How Antibiotics Are Prescribed: Incorporating the 4 Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making Into Clinical Practice. JAMA. 2018 Dec 27. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.19509. [Epub ahead of print] BOTTOM LINE: Providers should be asking themselves: “What is the likelihood my patient has an infection and that it requires antibiotic therapy?” Those who know …
Macrolide Resistance: Is Resistance Futile?
There hasn’t been an update to the IDSA/ATS guidelines for CAP (community acquired pneumonia) since 2007 (I keep hearing they will be out soon). These guidelines recommend a macrolide antibiotic as first-line therapy for previously healthy patients who have no risk factors for drug-resistant S. pneumonia (SPN) infection (strong recommendation) and a combination of a …
SUP-ICU Trial: Pantoprazole in patients at risk for Gastrointestinal Bleeding
SUP-ICU Trial Kart, M. Pantoprazole in patients at risk for Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the ICU. N Engl J Med 2018;379:2199-208. Trial done in the UK. It was a multicenter, stratified, parallel group, placebo controlled blinded randomized trial. Included pts admitted to the ICU who were 18 yo or older and had at least one risk …
Its beginning to look a lot like…Research: Parachutes, Pharma and Golf; Oh My!
Ahhh….December! While some people look forward to christmas music, jingle bells, Jack Frost and New Years, most of us (well maybe just me) see December as one of the most evidenced based times of the year! Yes every December the classic and so-very –British tongue in cheek version of the BMJ comes out to delight our …
Quick Hit Article #12: Should you stay or Should you go for syncope
Anderson. Trends in Hospitalization, Readmission, and Diagnostic Testing of Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Syncope. Ann Emerg Med. 2018;72:523-532 Although this study doesn’t tell you who should be admitted it does nicely show the mortality, albeit inpatient only, and some interesting facts about admitted syncope patients. This was a retrospective epidemiology study of syncope-related …
QUICK HIT #11: WHAT TIDAL VOLUME SHOULD BE STARTED IN PATIENTS WITHOUT ARDS
QUICK HIT ARTICLE Effect of a Low vs. Intermediate Tidal Volume Strategy on Ventilator-Free Days in Intensive Care Unit Patients Without ARDS: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Writing Group for the PReVENT Investigators . Simonis. JAMA. 2018; 320(18):1872-1880 All right pop quiz, hotshot. Altered patient gets intubated in the ED. He’s almost to the ICU. The RT asks …
QUICK HIT ARTICLE #10: How Low Should you Go? BP lowering without hypertensive emergency
Miller, JB. Cerebrovascular risks with rapid blood pressure lowering in the absence of hypertensive emergency. Am J Emerg Med. 2018 Aug 21. pii: S0735-6757(18)30690-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2018.08.052. There are not many studies of affects of blood pressure lowering on ED patients in the absence of end organ disease. This one is an interesting one and should …
Quick Hit Article #9: Thiamine for severe sepsis? Yes, No and Maybe?
Today’s quick hit article is probably the first in a long list of articles to come looking at Thiamine, vitamin C, or steroids for septic shock. Woolum. Effect of Thiamine Administration on Lactate Clearance and Mortality in Patients With Septic Shock. Critical Care Medicine 2018. Bottom Line: When compared in a chart review, patients with …