opportunistic pneumonia after a severe infection.

This is the first reported case of fatal opportunistic pneumonia in the setting of severe pneumonia. The patient had ventilator-requiring respiratory failure secondary to infection. The patient received intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics, tocilizumab, and corticosteroids with subsequent development of cavitary infiltrates.

Beta blockers in critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury: Results from a multicenter, prospective, observational American Association for the Surgery of Trauma study.

Background: Beta blockers, a class of medications that inhibit endogenous catecholamines interaction with beta adrenergic receptors, are often administered to patients hospitalized after traumatic brain injury (TBI). We tested the hypothesis that beta blocker use after TBI is associated with lower mortality, and secondarily compared propranolol to other beta blockers.

Methods: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Clinical Trial Group conducted a multi-institutional, prospective, observational trial in which adult TBI patients who required intensive care unit admission were compared based on beta blocker administration.