Effects of discontinuing or continuing ongoing statin therapy in severe sepsis and septic shock: a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Recent publications suggest potential benefits from statins as a preventive or adjuvant therapy in sepsis. Whether ongoing statin therapy should be continued or discontinued in patients admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) for sepsis is open to question.

Methods: We retrospectively compared patients with severe sepsis and septic shock in whom statin therapy had been discontinued or continued.

Mechanical influences on fluid leakage past the tracheal tube cuff in a benchtop model.

Purpose: High-volume low-pressure (HVLP) cuffs on endotracheal tubes do not fully protect the lower airway from leakage of potentially contaminated secretions down the longitudinal folds within the cuff. Here, our purpose was to evaluate potential effects of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), inspiratory effort intensity, and tube characteristics on fluid leakage past the cuff.

Methods: This benchtop study at a research laboratory used a tracheal tube inserted into an artificial Plexiglas trachea connected to a ventilator and lung model.

Candidemia after cardiac surgery in the intensive care unit: an observational study.

Candidemia is a well-recognized complication of hospital stay, especially in critically ill patients. There is not a general consensus that predictors for candidemia in cardiosurgical intensive care unit (cICU) are different from a general ICU and it has been reported that cardiopulmonary bypass time is a specific risk factor in the cICU. We performed a prospective study to evaluate the main predictors for candidemia in patients admitted to the cICU.