Nimodipine prophylaxis in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, a question of tradition or evidence: A scoping review.

Background: The prophylactic use of nimodipine following subarachnoid hemorrhage is a practice established four decades ago when clinical management differed from current and the concept of Delayed Cerebral Ischemia (DCI) was not established. The applicability of the original studies is limited by the fact of not reflecting current practice; by utilising a dichotomised outcome measure such as good neurological outcome versus death and vegetative state; by applying variable dosing regimens and including all causes of poor neurological outcome different than DCI. This study aims to review the available evidence to discuss the ongoing role of nimodipine in contemporaneous clinical practice.

Circadian Hygiene in the ICU Environment (CHIE) study.

To investigate the environment and care in the intensive care unit (ICU) and its relationship to patient circadian temperature disruption. 30-day, prospective period prevalence study. 27-bed tertiary ICU.

Evaluating telehealth for the education and monitoring of lymphoedema and shoulder dysfunction after breast cancer surgery.

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to compare the attendance rates at a group lymphoedema education and same-day individual surveillance appointment between telehealth (TH) and in-person (IP) care for participants following breast cancer (BC) surgery. Secondary aims included evaluating participant satisfaction and costs between the two service models, while also determining the extent of technical issues and clinician satisfaction towards TH.

Methods: Participants following axillary lymph node dissection surgery attended a group lymphoedema education and same-day 1:1 monitoring session via their preferred mode (TH or IP).

Ventilator hyperinflation - what settings generate an expiratory flow rate bias?

Objectives: To determine which mechanical ventilation settings influence the attainment of expiratory flow rate characteristics that may promote secretion mobilisation during ventilator hyperinflation (VHI).

Design: Prospective, single centre study.

Setting: Intensive care unit, tertiary metropolitan hospital.

The feasibility of using mouthpiece ventilation in the intensive care unit for post-extubation breathing support after acute tetraplegia.

Study Design: A prospective cohort of patients with acute tetraplegia.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the feasibility of using mouthpiece ventilation (MPV) in the intensive care unit (ICU) for patients who are extubated after suffering an acute cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI).

Setting: ICU, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane Australia.

Physiotherapy practices when treating patients with COVID-19 during a pandemic: A survey study.

Background Specific details pertaining to the clinical and other challenges faced by physiotherapists managing patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic are still largely unknown. Objectives To determine how physiotherapists clinically managed patients with COVID-19 in a hospital-based setting during the pandemic and to identify the personal and professional effects of working as a physiotherapist at this time. Methods Self-administered electronic cross-sectional survey.

A six-week physical therapy exercise program delivered via home-based telerehabilitation is comparable to in-person programs for patients with burn injuries: A randomized, controlled, non-inferiority clinical pilot trial.

Background: Exercise programmes are essential for burn rehabilitation, however patients often have barriers accessing these services. Home-based telerehabilitation (HBT) may be an alternative. This study aimed to determine if exercise programs delivered via HBT were as effective as in-person (IP) programs with respect to clinical outcomes and participant and therapist satisfaction.

Cardiovascular mortality post burn injury.

Background: Burn injury is responsible for both acute and ongoing inflammation, resulting in systematic changes impacting the cardiovascular, hepatobiliary, endocrine, and metabolic systems, but there is minimal investigation into long-term clinical outcomes. This study aimed to investigate mortality due to cardiovascular related long-term postburn injury.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study linking a burns unit database with mortality outcomes from a Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Re-admission following discharge from a Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit: identification of risk factors.

Objective To establish independent factors that influence the likelihood of re-admission within 30 days of discharge from a Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit. Methods An observational prospective cohort design using clinical data extracted from the medical charts of eligible patients discharged from a tertiary public hospital Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit between July 2017 and April 2019. Binary logistic regression was undertaken to determine variables that increased the likelihood of hospital re-admission (dependent variable).

Managing deteriorating patients with a physiotherapy critical care outreach service: A mixed-methods study.

Background: Critical care outreach teams support ward staff to manage patients who are seriously ill or after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU). Respiratory deterioration is a common reason for (re)admission to the ICU. Physiotherapists are health professionals with skills to address acute respiratory concerns.

IMproving Physical ACtivity after stroke via Treadmill training () and self-management: A randomized trial.

Aim: To determine if treadmill training embedded in self-management education commencing during stroke inpatient rehabilitation results in more physical activity than usual gait training.

Method: A prospective, parallel-group, randomized trial with concealed allocation, blinded measurement, and intention-to-treat analysis involving 119 stroke survivors undergoing rehabilitation who were able to walk independently was undertaken. The experimental group undertook treadmill training (40-60% heart rate reserve) and self-management education for 30 min, three times a week for 8 weeks, and the control group undertook the same amount of usual gait training.

Temperature Profile and Adverse Outcomes After Discharge From the Intensive Care Unit.

Background: A predictive model that uses the rhythmicity of core body temperature (CBT) could be an easily accessible clinical tool to ultimately improve outcomes among critically ill patients.

Objectives: To assess the relation between the 24-hour CBT profile (CBT-24) before intensive care unit (ICU) discharge and clinical events in the step-down unit within 7 days of ICU discharge.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study in a tertiary ICU at a single center included adult patients requiring acute invasive ventilation for more than 48 hours and assessed major clinical adverse events (MCAEs) and rapid response system activations (RRSAs) within 7 days of ICU discharge (MCAE-7 and RRSA-7, respectively).

Temperature rhythms and ICU sleep: the TRIS study.

Background: Core body temperature (CBT) patterns associated with sleep have not been described in the critically ill. This study aimed to characterize night-time sleep and its relationship to CBT in ICU patients.

Methods: A prospective study was performed in a 27-bed tertiary adult intensive care unit of 20 mechanically ventilated patients in the weaning stage of their critical illness.

The safety and efficacy of prolonged use of one-way speaking valves.

Background: One-way speaking valves were first engineered to improve communication in patients with tracheostomies. More recently, additional indications for one-way speaking valves have been explored, including improving ventilation, weaning, and reducing aspiration; however, safety and adverse events have not been well defined.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the cardiorespiratory changes that occur with prolonged use of a one-way speaking valve in relation to safety and efficacy.

Early Sequential Microcirculation Assessment In Shocked Patients as a Predictor of Outcome: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

Objectives: A dysfunctional microcirculation is universal in shock and is often dissociated from global hemodynamic parameters. Persistent microcirculatory derangements reflect ongoing tissue hypoperfusion and organ injury. The initial microcirculatory dysfunction and subsequent resolution could potentially guide therapy and predict outcomes.

Exercise is feasible in patients receiving vasoactive medication in a cardiac surgical intensive care unit: A prospective observational study.

Background: Patients may require vasoactive medication after cardiac surgery. The effect and safety profile of exercise on haemodynamic parameters in these patients is unclear.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to measure the effect of upright positioning and low-level exercise on haemodynamic parameters in patients after cardiac surgery who were receiving vasoactive therapy and to determine the incidence of adverse events.

The use of exercise in burns rehabilitation: A worldwide survey of practice.

Introduction: Exercise-based interventions have been used to enhance the recovery of burn patients affected by hypermetabolism, muscle wasting and contractures. Although the benefits of exercise in burn population have been previously reported, the extent of exercise prescription in burn patients worldwide remains unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the extent and characteristics of exercise use in specialised and non-specialised burn centres worldwide.

Longevity of pulmonary rehabilitation benefit for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-health care utilisation in the subsequent 2 years.

Background: The primary aim was to determine the healthcare utilisation benefits including respiratory-related hospital admissions, hospital admission days and emergency department presentations in the 0-12 and 12-24 months postpulmonary rehabilitation compared with the 12 months preprogramme.

Methods: An observational, data-linkage design of 11 standardised pulmonary rehabilitation programmes were used. All programmes were 8 weeks in duration with two supervised exercise sessions per week and were required to use the national pulmonary rehabilitation recommendations with regard to programme organisation, exercise training guidelines and multidisciplinary education.

Early Detection of Muscle Weakness and Functional Limitations in the Critically Ill: A Retrospective Evaluation of Bioimpedance Spectroscopy.

Background: The potential for bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) to identify muscle weakness and functional limitations in critical illness is unknown; this study aimed to determine association of BIS with strength/function and differences between 3 intensive care units (ICUs).

Methods: A retrospective post hoc analysis of BIS, strength, and functional data from adults who required ≥48 hours of mechanical ventilation was conducted. Measures of body composition included the proportion (%) of total body water (TBW), fat mass (FM), and fat-free mass (FFM).

Which ICU patients benefit most from inspiratory muscle training? Retrospective analysis of a randomized trial.

: Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) increases inspiratory muscle strength and improves quality of life in intensive care unit (ICU) patients who have been invasively mechanically ventilated for ≥7 days. The purpose of this study was to identify which patients benefit most from IMT following weaning from mechanical ventilation. : Secondary analysis of a randomized trial of supervised daily IMT in 70 patients (mean age 59 years) in a 31-bed ICU was carried out.

Physiological and clinical outcomes associated with use of one-way speaking valves on tracheostomised patients: A systematic review.

Background: The one way speaking valve was first engineered in 1985 to allow patients with tracheostomies to communicate. The research has indicated alternative physiological benefits of using a speaking valve, however this literature has not yet been evaluated. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence for one-way speaking valve in a range of physiological domains, including vital signs, aspiration, olfaction, ventilation and tracheostomy weaning, length of stay, and quality of life.

Motivators and barriers for participation in aquatic and land-based exercise training programs for people with stable heart failure: A mixed methods approach.

Background: Aquatic exercise training may be suitable for people with stable heart failure (HF) to engage in physical activity.

Objectives: Acceptability, experiences and preferences regarding aquatic and traditional land-based exercise training, were explored in people with HF.

Methods: As part of a comparative intervention study, participants completed a questionnaire assessing acceptability, benefits and challenges of aquatic compared to land-based programs.

A Systematic Review of the Reported Proportions of Diagnoses for Dizziness and Vertigo.

Objectives: To determine the typical proportions of diagnoses for patients presenting with dizziness or vertigo based on clinical speciality and to assess the change in proportions of diagnoses over time.

Data Sources: Following PRISMA guidelines, systematic searches of PubMed and CINAHL databases and follow-up reference searches were performed for articles published in English up to October 2016.

Study Selection: Analysis of searches yielded 42 studies meeting the criteria of case series of adult patients with dizziness and/or vertigo presenting to general practice, emergency departments or specialist outpatient clinics.