Decoding the Reference Letter: Strategies to Reduce Unintentional Gender Bias in Letters of Recommendation.

Introduction: There is a growing body of literature on gender bias in letters of recommendation (LORs) in academic medicine and the negative effect of bias on promotion and career advancement. Thus, increasing knowledge about gender bias and developing skills to mitigate it is important for advancing gender equity in medicine. This workshop aims to provide participants with knowledge about linguistic bias (focused on gender), how to recognize it, and strategies to apply to mitigate it when writing LORs.

The association of macronutrient deficit with functional status at discharge from the intensive care unit: a retrospective study from a single-center critical illness registry.

Background: Nutrition is often thought to influence outcomes in critically ill patients. However, the relationship between macronutrient delivery and functional status is not well characterized. Our goal was to investigate whether caloric or protein deficit over the course of critical illness is associated with functional status at the time of intensive care unit (ICU) discharge.

Postoperative resuscitation with hypertonic saline or hyperoncotic albumin in patients following cardiac surgery: A review of the literature.

Background: Over-resuscitation in postcardiac surgery patients is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, there is a growing interest in hyperoncotic albumin and hypertonic saline for resuscitation in patients following cardiac surgery. In this article, we will review the use of hyperosmolar fluid therapies for resuscitation in postcardiac surgical patients from the current literature.

Admission 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels Are Associated With Functional Status at Time of Discharge from Intensive Care Unit in Critically Ill Surgical Patients.

Background: Vitamin D status is associated with length of stay (LOS) and discharge destination in critically ill patients. To further understand this relationship, we investigated whether admission 25-hydroxyvitaminD (25OHD) levels are associated with discharge functional status in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: In this retrospective study, data from 2 surgical ICUs at a large teaching hospital were analyzed.

Vitamin D Status Is Associated With Development of Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries in Critically Ill Surgical Patients.

Background: Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) typically develop following critical illness due to immobility and suboptimal perfusion. Vitamin D helps to maintain epithelial cell integrity, particularly at barrier sites such as skin. It is unclear whether vitamin D status is a modifiable risk factor for HAPIs in critically ill patients.

Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection or Sweet Syndrome: Surgery Versus No Surgery?: A Case Report.

The authors report a case of necrotizing Sweet syndrome in a 24-year-old transsexual male who presented with recurrent myonecrosis of the neck/upper chest. On index admission, computer tomography revealed gas and fat stranding of the sternocleidomastoid and pectoralis major muscle-findings suggestive of a necrotizing soft tissue infection. Despite debridement procedures and intravenous antibiotic therapy, myonecrosis of the affected areas persisted.

Cycling exercise classes may be bad for your (hearing) health.

Objectives/hypothesis: 1) Determine feasibility of smartphone-based mobile technology to measure noise exposure; and 2) measure noise exposure in exercise spin classes.

Study Design: Observational Study.

Methods: The SoundMeter Pro app (Faber Acoustical, Salt Lake City, UT) was installed and calibrated on iPhone and iPod devices in an audiology chamber using an external sound level meter to within 2 dBA of accuracy.

Addition of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to the Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index improves 90-day mortality prediction in critically ill patients.

Background: The Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index (DCCI) has low predictive value in the intensive care unit (ICU). Our goal was to determine whether addition of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels to the DCCI improved 90-day mortality prediction in critically ill patients.

Methods: Plasma 25OHD levels, DCCI, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores were assessed within 24 h of admission in 310 ICU patients.

Elevated red cell distribution width at initiation of critical care is associated with mortality in surgical intensive care unit patients.

Purpose: Recent evidence suggests that red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with mortality in mixed cohorts of critically ill patients. Our goal was to investigate whether elevated RDW at initiation of critical care in the intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with 90-day mortality in surgical patients.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, single-center cohort study.

Elevated Red Cell Distribution Width Is Associated With Decreased Ventilator-Free Days in Critically Ill Patients.

Introduction: Elevated red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with mortality in a variety of respiratory conditions. Recent data also suggest that RDW is associated with mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Although respiratory failure is common in the ICU, the relationship between RDW and pulmonary outcomes in the ICU has not been previously explored.

Association of Serum Phosphate Levels and Anemia in Critically Ill Surgical Patients.

Background: Deranged serum phosphate (Phos) levels are associated with anemia in hospitalized patients, but their relevance to critical illness is unclear. Therefore, our goal was to investigate whether abnormal Phos on admission to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with anemia.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of data from an ongoing study of nutrition in critical illness.