Effect of an emergency department intensive care unit on medical intensive unit admissions and care: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Evaluate the impact of an emergency critical care center (EC3) on the admissions of critically ill patients to a critical care medicine unit (CCMU) and their outcomes.

Methods: This was a retrospective before/after cohort study in a tertiary university teaching hospital. To improve the care of critically ill patients in the emergency department (ED), a 9-bed EC3 was opened in the ED in February 2015.

The effect of timing of initiation of renal replacement therapy on mortality: A retrospective case-control study.

Purpose: To determine if earlier initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) is associated with improved survival in patients with severe acute kidney injury.

Methods: We performed a retrospective case-control study of propensity-matched groups with multivariable logistic regression using Akaike Information Criteria to adjust for non-matched variables in a surgical ICU in a tertiary care hospital.

Results: We matched 169 of 205 (82%) patients with new initiation of RRT (EARLY group) to 169 similar patients who did not initiate RRT on that day (DEFERRED group).

Financial implications of starting a mobility protocol in a surgical intensive care unit.

A review of the literature revealed that there was a dearth of information regarding the financial impact of implementing a mobility program in an intensive care unit. The purpose of this article was to identify and quantify costs and cost-benefit from implementing a mobility protocol. Factors to be considered when implementing a mobility program in an intensive care unit are identified and discussed.

Prevention of catheter-related blood stream infection: back to basics?

Background: Central venous catheter (CVC)-related infections are a substantial problem in the intensive care unit (ICU). Our infection control team initiated the routine use of antiseptic-coated (chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine; Chx-SS) CVCs in our adult ICUs to reduce catheter-associated (CA) and catheter-related (CR) blood stream infection (BSI) as we implemented other educational and best practice standardization strategies. Prior randomized studies documented that the use of Chx-SS catheters reduces microbial colonization of the catheter compared with an uncoated standard (Std) CVC but does not reduce CR-BSI.

Albumin use guidelines and outcome in a surgical intensive care unit.

Hypothesis: Restrictive albumin use guidelines in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) will not increase mortality and will result in cost savings.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary teaching hospital.