Evaluating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a conservative approach to oxygen therapy for invasively ventilated adults in intensive care: Protocol for the UK-ROX trial.

Background: In the United Kingdom, around 184,000 adults are admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) each year with over 30% receiving mechanical ventilation. Oxygen is the commonest therapeutic intervention provided to these patients but it is unclear how much oxygen should be administered for the best clinical outcomes.

Methods: The UK-ROX trial will evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of conservative oxygen therapy (the minimum oxygen concentration required to maintain an oxygen saturation of 90% ± 2%) versus usual oxygen therapy in critically ill adults receiving supplemental oxygen when invasively mechanically ventilated in ICUs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Reflections on delirium - A patient's perspective.

Delirium, and its importance, is briefly discussed to contextualise the intricate story of one patient's experience of the condition. This recounting of the main episodes of delirium shows how its nature and severity changed with time and location, from ICU to the surgical ward. Reflection on these experiences provides insights and conclusions for consideration by the medical profession.