A reflection from the other side of the bed--an account of what it is like to be a patient and a relative in an intensive care unit.

Following a two-day history of pyrexia, stomach pain, diarrhoea and an emergency laparotomy my wife was admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) with septic shock. Lucy was artificially ventilated for seven days, and was treated with fluids, vasopressors and antibiotics. Her condition continued to deteriorate and on about the third day she looked as though she might die.

An evaluation of the impact of the ventilator care bundle.

A number of interventions have been shown to improve the outcomes of patients who are invasively ventilated in intensive care units (ICUs). However, significant problems still exist in implementing research findings into clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess whether the systematic and methodical implementation of evidence-based interventions encapsulated in a care bundle influenced length of ventilation and ICU length of stay (LOS).