A Fresh Breath of Oxygen: Red Blood Cell Exchange Transfusion in Sickle Cell and COVID-19.

Red blood cell exchange transfusion may be beneficial and should be considered in the early management of patients with sickle cell disease and COVID-19 to prevent the need for intubation and intensive care unit admission due to respiratory distress.

Physical therapy utilization in intensive care units: results from a national survey.

Objective: Patients who survive admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) commonly complain of fatigue, weakness, and poor functional status. This study sought to determine the utilization of inpatient physical therapy (PT) for patients recovering from critical illness.

Design: Surveys were mailed to 984 physical therapists from across the United States.

The epidemiology of sepsis.

Sepsis is a common and devastating syndrome that represents a significant healthcare burden worldwide. The average annual cost to care for patients with sepsis has been estimated to being $16.7 billion.

Development of a triage protocol for patients presenting with gastrointestinal hemorrhage: a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Many patients presenting with acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage (GIH) are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for monitoring. A simple triage protocol based upon validated risk factors could decrease ICU utilization.

Methods: Records of 188 patients admitted with GIH from the emergency department (ED) were reviewed for BLEED criteria (visualized red blood, systolic blood pressure below 100 mm Hg, elevated prothrombin time [PT], erratic mental status, and unstable comorbid disease) and complication within the first 24 hours of admission.