Evaluation of Time to Therapeutic Anticoagulation and Associated Outcomes in Critically Ill, Obese Patients With Pulmonary Embolism Receiving Unfractionated Heparin.

Background: Delays in time to therapeutic activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) have been associated with poor outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE).

Objective: To investigate the relationship between time to therapeutic anticoagulation and in-hospital mortality in critically ill, obese patients with acute PE.

Methods: This study examined 204 critically ill patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m receiving unfractionated heparin (UFH) for PE treatment.

Outcomes and Predictors of Early Infection after Heart Transplantation.

Background: Limited data exist on the incidence and outcome of early infection after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). The purpose of this study was to describe characteristics and outcomes of OHT recipients with an early infection and to identify predictors of such infections.

Methods: This retrospective, single-center study included patients greater than 18 years of age who underwent OHT from February 2009 to May 2014 and had an infection within 30 days of transplantation.

Evaluation of Clinical Outcomes with Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitor Therapy for Right Ventricular Dysfunction After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

Few studies have evaluated the use of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5-i) for right ventricular (RV) dysfunction after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. The study purpose was to examine the impact of postoperative inpatient PDE5-i therapy on clinical outcomes in patients with LVADs. This single-center, retrospective cohort study screened 445 LVAD recipients between January 2011 and May 2015 for eligibility.

Ketamine infusion for patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support: a case series.

The use of ketamine infusion for sedation/analgesia in patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy has not been described. The aims of this retrospective cohort study were to explore whether ketamine infusion for patients requiring ECMO therapy was associated with altered RASS scores, decreased concurrent sedative or opioid use, or with changes in vasopressor requirements.  All patients on ECMO who received ketamine infusions in addition to sedative and/or opioid infusions between December 2013 and October 2014 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St.

Inadequate Source Control and Inappropriate Antibiotics are Key Determinants of Mortality in Patients with Intra-Abdominal Sepsis and Associated Bacteremia.

Background: Patients with intra-abdominal sepsis and associated bacteremia have a high mortality rate. However, outcomes studies in this population are limited, in part because of the small numbers of such patients. The objective of this study was to describe characteristics of critically ill patients with secondary blood stream infection (BSI) of intra-abdominal origin and identify predictors of mortality.

Contaminated heparin and outcomes after cardiac surgery: a retrospective propensity-matched cohort study.

Background: During 2007 and 2008 it is likely that millions of patients in the US received heparin contaminated (CH) with oversulfated chondroitin sulfate, which was associated with anaphylactoid reactions. We tested the hypothesis that CH was associated with serious morbidity, mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) stay and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia following adult cardiac surgery.

Methods And Findings: We conducted a single center, retrospective, propensity-matched cohort study during the period of CH and the equivalent time frame in the three preceding or the two following years.

The use of eptifibatide for suspected pump thrombus or thrombosis in patients with left ventricular assist devices.

Background: Pump thrombosis in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) continues to present treatment challenges. Anti-coagulation strategies used to treat this complication are empiric and without firm data for guidance. The addition of a platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor to intravenous anti-coagulation has been suggested by several case series and recent guidelines.

Current strategies for the treatment of complicated intraabdominal infections.

Introduction: Complicated intraabdominal infections (cIAIs) are a common cause of infection-related morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients and present many challenges unique from other serious infections. cIAIs are generally polymicrobial in nature; however, controversy exists around the pathogenicity of some of the frequently identified microorganisms. Increasing antibiotic resistance among commonly isolated bacteria poses further challenges for clinicians managing patients with cIAIs.

Occurrence and predictors of dexmedetomidine infusion intolerance and failure.

Background: Dexmedetomidine, a selective α2 adrenergic receptor agonist, exhibits sedative, analgesic, anxiolytic, and sympatholytic effects, and may aid in controlling agitation in the intensive care unit (ICU). At our hospital (Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO), dexmedetomidine is commonly used as a sedative in the medical ICU.

Desirudin: a review of the pharmacology and clinical application for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis.

Direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs) are an emerging class of anticoagulants in routine clinical practice, although they have been under investigation for quite some time. Desirudin (Iprivask®, Canyon Pharmaceuticals™) is a recombinant hirudin derivative that directly inhibits free and fibrin-bound thrombin. Desirudin was the first DTI approved for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis in Europe (Revasc®) and is the newest injectable DTI commercially available in the USA.