Nosocomial and ventilator-associated pneumonia in a community hospital intensive care unit: a retrospective review and analysis.

Background: Nosocomial and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are causes of significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. We analyzed a) the incidence and the outcome of pneumonias caused by different pathogens in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a medium-sized twenty-four bed community hospital and b) the incidence of complications of such pneumonias requiring surgical intervention such as thoracotomy and decortication.

Results: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients diagnosed with nosocomial and ventilator-associated pneumonia in our ICU.

Correlation of Stroke Volume Measurement between Sonosite Portable Echocardiogram and Edwards Flotrac Sensor-Vigileo Monitor in an Intensive Care Unit.

Purpose: Stroke volume (SV) is a parameter that is being recognized as an endpoint in fluid resuscitation algorithms. Its role is now being realized as an important variable in hemodynamic assessment in various clinical scenarios such as septic and cardiogenic shocks. Direct measurement of stroke volume (SV) and its novel corollary, stroke volume variation (SVV) derived by proprietary software, are preferred over mean cardiac output (CO) measurements because they render a more accurate reflection of hemodynamic status independent of heart rate.