ISCCM Position Statement for Improving Gender Balance in Critical Care Medicine.

Unlabelled: Gender disparity in Critical Care Medicine (CCM) persists globally, with women being underrepresented. Female Intensivists remain a minority, facing challenges in academic and leadership positions at the workplace and within academic societies. The Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM) recognized the need for addressing issues related to gender parity and constituted its first Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in 2023.

Mist nebulizer versus heated humidifier on endotracheal tube patency in spontaneously breathing intubated patients: A prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Background And Aims: Using a humidifier in intubated patients is now a standard of care as the humidifying effect of the upper airway is lost. We conducted this study to compare the efficacy of a heated humidifier (HH) with the more commonly used conventional mist nebulizer on overnight intubated and spontaneously breathing post-operative patients.

Material And Methods: This prospective, randomized control trial included 60 post-operative overnight intubated and spontaneously breathing patients, of which 30 patients were allocated to the HH group and 30 to the mist nebulizer group.

Finding Cost-effective Solutions: Need of the Hour.

Patil VP, Rajput A. Finding Cost-effective Solutions: Need of the Hour. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(11):1163-1164.

Postoperative complications and critical care management after cytoreduction surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: A systematic review of the literature.

Background: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a comprehensive treatment option performed for peritoneal surface malignancies. Postoperatively almost all patients are transferred to the intensive care unit electively.

Aim: To describe the common and rare postoperative complications, postoperative mortality and their critical care management after CRS-HIPEC.

Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in a 2-YearOld Child with Abdominopelvic Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Case Report of Anaesthetic Concerns.

Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a well-established multimodal treatment in patients with peritoneal surface malignancies in adults. Children younger than 3 years rarely undergo such extensive surgeries with heated chemotherapy infusion intraoperatively. Only one such case is reported in the literature for CRS-HIPEC for an abdominopelvic rhabdomyosarcoma in a child of 2 years or less.

Epidemiology and Predictors of Hospital Outcomes of Critically Ill Pediatric Oncology Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Background: The number of pediatric oncology patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) has increased, and their hospital outcomes are improving. Since scarce data are available about this patient population, we conducted this retrospective study to evaluate the epidemiology and predictors of hospital outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We included all children with cancers who were admitted to our ICU over 1 year.

Tropical Infections in the Indian Intensive Care Units: The Tip of the Iceberg!

Karnad DR, Patil VP, Kulkarni AP. Tropical Infections in the Indian Intensive Care Units: The Tip of the Iceberg! Indian J Crit Care Med 2021; 25(Suppl 2):S115-S117.

Does Presence of Sepsis by Itself Predispose the Patients to HCAIs?

Gaikwad S, Patil VP. Does Presence of Sepsis by Itself Predispose the Patients to HCAIs? Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(3):253-254.

Is Immature Granulocyte Count a Potential Prognostic Marker for Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Bleeding? A New Road to Explore.

Prabu NR, Patil VP. Is Immature Granulocyte Count a Potential Prognostic Marker for Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Bleeding? A New Road to Explore. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(9):750-752.

Fluid Overload and Acute Kidney Injury.

Unlabelled: Commonest intervention in hospitalized patient is fluid therapy, and practically every critically ill patient receives fluid resuscitation. Commonest indication for fluid administration is to achieve hemodynamic stability and prevent or manage acute kidney injury (AKI). However, fluid administration is a two-edged sword, i.

Mystery of PCO Gap in Sepsis.

Patil VP. Mystery of PCO Gap in Sepsis. Indian J Crit Care Med 2019;23(10):443-444.

Hemophagocytic Syndrome-An Approach to the Management.

Salunke B, Savarkar S, Patil VP. Hemophagocytic Syndrome-An Approach to the Management. Indian J Crit Care Med 2019;23(Suppl 3):S191-S196.

Coronary artery calcification on chest computed tomography scan - Anaesthetic implications.

The significance of coronary artery calcification noted on noncontrast chest computed tomography (CT) scan is unknown. We report a case where coronary artery calcification on chest CT scan incidentally detected in an asymptomatic patient who was found to have significant coronary artery disease which resulted in perioperative morbidity.

Ultrasonographic assessment of internal jugular vein diameter and its relationship with the carotid artery at the apex, middle, and base of the triangle formed by two heads of sternocleidomastoid muscle: A pilot study in healthy volunteers.

Background: Anteroposterior (AP) diameter of internal jugular vein (IJV) and its relative position with carotid artery (CA) varies in the triangle formed by two heads of sternocleidomastoid muscle, which is the site of insertion of needle for IJV cannulation. This study assessed the maximum AP diameter of the IJV in supine and Trendelenburg positions and during Valsalva maneuver (supine position) at the apex, middle, and base of the triangle and to study the relationship of the IJV with the CA.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-five healthy volunteers were included and ultrasonography of IJV was performed in supine and Trendelenburg positions and during Valsalva maneuver (supine position) at the apex, middle, and base of the triangle bilaterally.

Does tranexamic acid reduce blood loss during head and neck cancer surgery?

Background And Aims: Transfusion of blood and blood products poses several hazards. Antifibrinolytic agents are used to reduce perioperative blood loss. We decided to assess the effect of tranexamic acid (TA) on blood loss and the need for transfusion in head and neck cancer surgery.

Agreement between inferior vena cava diameter measurements by subxiphoid versus transhepatic views.

Context: Correcting hypovolemia is extremely important. Central venous pressure measurement is often done to assess volume status. Measurement of inferior vena cava (IVC) is conventionally done in the subcostal view using ultrasonography.

The modern integrated anaesthesia workstation.

Over the years, the conventional anaesthesia machine has evolved into an advanced carestation. The new machines use advanced electronics, software and technology to offer extensive capabilities for ventilation, monitoring, inhaled agent delivery, low-flow anaesthesia and closed-loop anaesthesia. They offer integrated monitoring and recording facilities and seamless integration with anaesthesia information systems.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: A diagnostic challenge.

We report the case of a 7-year-old girl operated for craniopharyngioma who developed hyperkalemic cardiac arrest in the post-operative period. She was diagnosed as Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) and the causative drug was carbamazepine. It was essentially a diagnosis of exclusion, and treatment was mainly supportive in form of withdrawal of the neuroleptic medication (carbamazepine) and administration of dantrolene and bromocriptine.

Feasibility and safety of thoracoabdominal approach in children for resection of upper abdominal neuroblastoma.

Background: A thoracoabdominal incision provides excellent exposure in the upper abdominal region. We present our experience with the use of this approach in children for resection of upper abdominal neuroblastoma.

Methods: Fifty-one of the 106 consecutive patients with abdominal neuroblastoma who underwent tumor resection using the thoracoabdominal approach between June 2006 and May 2011 were selected from the prospective database for this interim analysis.

Airway bleed after percutaneous tracheostomy is not always procedure-related.

Tracheotomies are the most frequent surgical procedures performed in the intensive care unit. We present a case of major hemorrhage that occurred in the intensive care unit during an elective percutaneous dilational tracheostomy in a 46-year-old female diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The patient was later taken to the operation theatre and procedure-related cause of bleeding was ruled out.