Peripherally inserted central catheter placement in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit: A preliminary study demonstrating safety and procedural time in critically ill subjects.

Objective: Peripherally inserted central catheters are a popular means of obtaining central venous access in critically ill patients. However, there is limited data regarding the rapidity of the peripherally inserted central catheter procedure in the presence of acute illness or obesity, both of which may impede central venous catheter placement. We aimed to determine the feasibility, safety, and duration of peripherally inserted central catheter placement in critically ill patients, including obese patients and patients in shock.

Adult venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for severe respiratory failure: Current status and future perspectives.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for severe acute respiratory failure was proposed more than 40 years ago. Despite the publication of the ARDSNet study and adoption of lung protective ventilation, the mortality for acute respiratory failure due to acute respiratory distress syndrome has continued to remain high. This technology has evolved over the past couple of decades and has been noted to be safe and successful, especially during the worldwide H1N1 influenza pandemic with good survival rates.