The association between obesity and outcomes in critically ill patients.

Background: Obesity rates are increasing worldwide, particularly in North America. The impact of obesity on the outcome of critically ill patients is unclear.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort study of consecutive patients admitted to a tertiary critical care unit in Canada between January 10, 2008 and March 31, 2009 was conducted.

Human patient simulation is effective for teaching paramedic students endotracheal intubation.

Objectives: The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether the endotracheal intubation (ETI) success rate is different among paramedic students trained on a human patient simulator versus on human subjects in the operating room (OR).

Methods: Paramedic students (n = 36) with no prior ETI training received identical didactic and mannequin teaching. After randomization, students were trained for ten hours on a patient simulator (SIM) or with 15 intubations on human subjects in the OR.