International Survey of Thrombolytic Use for Treatment of Cardiac Arrest Due to Massive Pulmonary Embolism.

Objectives: This survey sought to characterize the national prescribing patterns and barriers to the use of thrombolytic agents in the treatment of pulmonary embolism, with a specific focus on treatment during actual or imminent cardiac arrest.

Design: A 19-question international, cross-sectional survey on thrombolytic use in pulmonary embolism was developed, validated, and administered. A multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine factors predictive of utilization of thrombolytics in the setting of cardiac arrest secondary to pulmonary embolism.

New-onset atrial fibrillation is an independent predictor of mortality in medical intensive care unit patients.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been extensively studied in postoperative critically ill surgical patients, but little literature exists to describe the outcomes of patients in the medical intensive care unit (ICU).

Objectives: To determine the incidence of new-onset AF in patients admitted to a medical ICU and if new-onset AF was associated with adverse clinical outcomes.

Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study of all adult patients admitted to the medical ICU at an academic medical center for >24 hours between December 2008 and April 2010.