Introduction: A mainstay in the acute management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is fluid resuscitation. Normal saline is recommended by the American Diabetes Association; however, it has been associated with hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis and acute kidney injury. Limited literature is available to determine the most appropriate crystalloid fluid to treat patients with DKA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo compare Anti-Xa directed thromboprophylaxis using low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) (anti-Xa peak goal 0.2-0.5 IU/mL) to alternative anticoagulation strategies in critically ill COVID-19 patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHashimoto's thyroiditis is the most common thyroid disorder in the United States. Hashimoto encephalopathy is a rare presentation of Hashimoto's thyroiditis that is frequently misdiagnosed. We present the case of a 71-year-old female who had normal mental status at baseline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: About 14% of COVID-19 patients experience severe symptoms and require hospitalization. Managing these patients could be challenging for limited-resource countries, such as Palestine. This study aimed to evaluate hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients' treatment outcomes managed with supportive care and steroids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Few studies have evaluated the early use of insulin glargine in the management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) patients. Early insulin glargine use in DKA was safe and associated with a trend towards faster DKA resolution.
Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of early insulin glargine administration for acute management of DKA in critically ill patients.
Background: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) hospitalization rates have been steadily increasing. Due to the increasing incidence and the economic impact associated with its morbidity and treatment, effective management is key. We aimed to streamline the management of DKA in our intensive care units (ICU) by implementing a Best-Practice Advisory (BPA) that notifies providers when DKA has resolved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Paper-based and computer-based insulin infusion algorithms facilitate appropriate glycemic therapy. The data comparing these algorithms in the management of diabetic ketoacidosis in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting are limited. We aimed to determine the differences in time to diabetic ketoacidosis resolution and incidence of hypoglycemia between computer and paper-based insulin infusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 24/7 intensivist model may improve important outcomes such as mortality, length of stay, and number of ventilator days. In this retrospective, single-center study at Saint Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, we examined patient outcomes before and after adopting a 24/7 model from 2014 to 2016. The addition of a nighttime intensivist did not lead to a statistically significant improvement in mortality (hospital and ICU) and LOS (hospital and ICU).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a constellation of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal injury. HUS is subcategorized into primary or secondary HUS. Primary HUS is synonymous with atypical HUS (aHUS) and is attributed to genetic complement deficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Several scoring systems are utilized to calculate the pre-test probability of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). We hypothesize that a clinical-laboratory algorithm combining the 4Ts score with the optical density (OD) of anti-PF4-heparin antibody is more accurate than either the 4Ts or HIT expert probability (HEP) scores in the critical care setting.
Methods: A single-institution retrospective review of adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) that were evaluated for HIT was conducted.
We present a rare case of rasburicase-induced methemoglobinemia and hemolytic anemia in the setting of presumed glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. A 78-year-old male with a known history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia presented to the clinic with fever of unknown origin. Laboratory results were significant for hyperuricemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethicillin-resistant S (MRSA) was previously considered a purely nosocomial pathogen. However, community-acquired MRSA has recently emerged as an important cause of severe necrotizing community-acquired pneumonia (CA-MRSA) in previously healthy individuals. This new pathogen exhibits antibiotic resistance and is linked to extended hospital stay and higher mortality.
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