Prolonged mechanical ventilation: are your ventilator patients ready to be cared for outside ICU?

A significant number of patients in the ICU require prolonged periods of ventilator support. We present here, four such patients and incorporate the recent recommendations of a consensus conference on prolonged mechanical ventilation. We hope our case studies will enable physicians to better manage and care for this challenging group of patients.

Wernicke encephalopathy in nonalcoholic patients.

Background: Wernicke encephalopathy is associated with patients that have a history of alcohol abuse and other malnourished states. However, clinicians may be less likely to recognize this condition in nonalcoholic patients. This study was undertaken to evaluate the cause, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of nonalcoholic patients with Wernicke encephalopathy.