Predicting the risk of documented ventilator-associated pneumonia for benchmarking: construction and validation of a score.

Objectives: : To build and validate a ventilator-associated pneumonia risk score for benchmarking. The rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia varies widely with case-mix, a fact that has limited its use for measuring intensive care unit performance.

Methods: : We studied 1856 patients in the OUTCOMEREA database treated at intensive care unit admission by endotracheal intubation followed by mechanical ventilation for >48 hrs; they were allocated randomly to a training data set (n = 1233) or a validation data set (n = 623).

Diagnostic bronchoscopy in hematology and oncology patients with acute respiratory failure: prospective multicenter data.

Objective: To describe the diagnostic yields of test strategies with and without fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (FO-BAL), as well as outcomes, in cancer patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF).

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Fifteen intensive care units in France.

Platelet count decline: an early prognostic marker in critically ill patients with prolonged ICU stays.

Background: Thrombocytopenia is common in ICU patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate possible links between declining platelet counts early in the ICU stay and survival.

Methods: All patients who were admitted to the ICU for at least 5 days and had no thrombocytopenia at the time of admission were included in the study.

Tracheostomy does not improve the outcome of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation: a propensity analysis.

Objective: To examine the association between the performance of a tracheostomy and intensive care unit and postintensive care unit mortality, controlling for treatment selection bias and confounding variables.

Design: Prospective, observational, cohort study.

Setting: Twelve French medical or surgical intensive care units.