A Canadian survey of perceptions and practices related to ordering of blood tests in the intensive care unit.

Purpose: The ordering of routine blood test panels in advance is common in intensive care units (ICUs), with limited consideration of the pretest probability of finding abnormalities. This practice contributes to anemia, false positive results, and health care costs. We sought to understand practices and attitudes of Canadian adult intensivists regarding ordering of blood tests in critically ill patients.

Physicians' beliefs and perceived importance of traumatic brain injury-associated agitation in critically ill patients: a survey of Canadian intensivists.

Purpose: Agitation is a common behavioural problem following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Intensive care unit (ICU) physicians' perspectives regarding TBI-associated agitation are unknown. Our objective was to describe physicians' beliefs and perceived importance of TBI-associated agitation in critically ill patients.

Incidence and Outcomes of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Brain-Injured Patients Receiving Invasive Ventilation: A Secondary Analysis of the ENIO Study.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an important pulmonary complication in brain-injured patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). We aimed to evaluate the incidence and association between ARDS and clinical outcomes in patients with different forms of acute brain injury requiring IMV in the intensive care unit (ICU). This was a preplanned secondary analysis of a prospective, multicenter, international cohort study (NCT03400904).

Factors associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome in brain-injured patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is common in patients with acute brain injury admitted to the ICU. We aimed to identify factors associated with ARDS in this population.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to January 14, 2022.

Breastfeeding support provided by lactation consultants in high-income countries for improved breastfeeding rates, self-efficacy, and infant growth: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Background: It is well established that breast milk offers numerous health benefits for mother and child. Mothers are recommended to exclusively breastfeed their child until 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding up to 1-2 years of age or beyond. Yet, these recommendations are met less than half of the time in high-income countries.

Prognostic Factors Associated With Extubation Failure in Acutely Brain-Injured Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Extubation failure in brain-injured patients is associated with increased morbidity. Our objective was to systematically review prognostic factors associated with extubation failure in acutely brain-injured adult patients receiving invasive ventilation in an ICU.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central were searched from inception to January 31, 2022.

Noninvasive and invasive mechanical ventilation for neurologic disorders.

Patients with acute neurologic injuries frequently require mechanical ventilation due to diminished airway protective reflexes, cardiopulmonary failure secondary to neurologic insults, or to facilitate gas exchange to precise targets. Mechanical ventilation enables tight control of oxygenation and carbon dioxide levels, enabling clinicians to modulate cerebral hemodynamics and intracranial pressure with the goal of minimizing secondary brain injury. In patients with acute spinal cord injuries, neuromuscular conditions, or diseases of the peripheral nerve, mechanical ventilation enables respiratory support under conditions of impending or established respiratory failure.

Prognostic factors for development of acute respiratory distress syndrome following traumatic injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Our purpose was to summarise the prognostic associations between various clinical risk factors and development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) following traumatic injury.

Methods: We conducted this review in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and CHARMS (Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modeling Studies) guidelines. We searched six databases from inception through December 2020.

Effect of oral chlorhexidine de-adoption and implementation of an oral care bundle on mortality for mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (CHORAL): a multi-center stepped wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Oral chlorhexidine is used widely for mechanically ventilated patients to prevent pneumonia, but recent studies show an association with excess mortality. We examined whether de-adoption of chlorhexidine and parallel implementation of a standardized oral care bundle reduces intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in mechanically ventilated patients.

Methods: A stepped wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial with concurrent process evaluation in 6 ICUs in Toronto, Canada.

Short- and Long-term Health Care Resource Utilization and Costs Following Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the short- and long-term resource use and costs associated with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) taken from an entire population. We in addition sought to evaluate the association of oral anticoagulation (OAC) and health care costs.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of adult patients (≥18 years) with ICH in the entire population of Ontario, Canada (2009-2017).

How do we identify the crashing traumatic brain injury patient - the intensivist's view.

Purpose Of Review: Over 40% of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) show clinically significant neurological worsening within the acute admission period. This review addresses the importance of identifying the crashing TBI patient, the difficulties appreciating clinical neurological deterioration in the comatose patient and how neuromonitoring may provide continuous real-time ancillary information to detect physiologic worsening.

Recent Findings: The latest editions of the Brain Trauma Foundation's Guidelines omitted management algorithms for adult patients with severe TBI.

Educational initiatives for electroencephalography in the critical care setting: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: We systematically reviewed existing critical care electroencephalography (EEG) educational programs for non-neurologists, with the primary goal of reporting the content covered, methods of instruction, overall duration, and participant experience. Our secondary goals were to assess the impact of EEG programs on participants' core knowledge, and the agreement between non-experts and experts for seizure identification.

Source: Major databases were searched from inception to 30 August 2020.

The Neurocritical Care Society Gender Parity Analysis in Grants and Recognition Awards.

Background: Several recent studies across the field of medicine have indicated gender disparity in the reception of prestigious awards and research grants, placing women in medicine at a distinct disadvantage. Gender disparity has been observed in neurology, critical care medicine and within various professional societies. In this study, we have examined the longitudinal trends of gender parity in awards and grants within the Neurocritical Care Society (NCS).

A Longitudinal Study of Gender Parity Trends of General Membership and Leadership in the Neurocritical Care Society between 2002 and 2019.

Background: Several studies in critical care and neurology demonstrate women under-representation in professional societies; representation trends within the Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) are unknown. We examined longitudinal gender parity trends in membership and leadership within NCS.

Methods: A retrospective study of NCS membership and leadership rosters was conducted.

Educational initiatives and implementation of electroencephalography into the acute care environment: a protocol of a systematic review.

Background: Use of electroencephalography (EEG) is currently recommended by the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society for a wide range of indications, including diagnosis of nonconvulsive status epilepticus and evaluation of unexplained disorders of consciousness. Data interpretation usually occurs by expert personnel (e.g.

Pre-arrest and intra-arrest prognostic factors associated with survival following traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To summarize the prognostic associations of pre- and intra-arrest factors with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival (in-hospital or 30 days) after traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Methods: We conducted this review in accordance with the PRISMA and CHARMS guidelines. We searched Medline, Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception through December 1st, 2019.

Preadmission Antiplatelet Use and Associated Outcomes and Costs Among ICU Patients With Intracranial Hemorrhage.

Introduction: Patients with intracranial hemorrhage (including intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and traumatic hemorrhage) are commonly admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Although indications for oral antiplatelet agents are increasing, the impact of preadmission use on outcomes in patients with intracranial hemorrhage admitted to the ICU is unknown. We sought to evaluate the association between preadmission oral antiplatelet use, in-hospital mortality, resource utilization, and costs among ICU patients with intracranial hemorrhage.