Coronary artery disease
Questions 1. What are the determinants of myocardial oxygen supply? 2. Explain the determinants of myocardial oxygen consumption (demand). 3. What are the pharmacologic alternatives for treating myocardial ischemia in…
How Should Acute Spinal Cord Injury Be Managed in the ICU?
Spinal cord injury (SCI) constitutes a major cause of morbidity in the trauma patient. The United States has the highest incidence of traumatic spinal cord injuries, with approximately 40 new…
How Do I Diagnose and Manage Patients Admitted to the ICU After Common Poisonings?
Patients who are critically poisoned present significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges to critical care staff. Unfortunately, there is no universally accepted management algorithm to aid in the evaluation despite the…
What Is the Role of Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants in the ICU?
At present, the U.S. population uses 23.2 million intensive care unit (ICU) days at an estimated cost of $81.7 billion each year. This equates to 13.4% of hospital costs and…
Does ICU Admission Improve Outcome?
Critically ill patients require different types of organ support. These include invasive therapies such as orotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, inotropic/vasoactive support, invasive monitoring, or continuous renal replacement therapy. This care…
How Does One Diagnose, Treat, and Reduce Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit?
Delirium, a disturbance of consciousness and cognition, may occur in up to 80% of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and is frequently underdiagnosed. Delirium is associated with longer durations of…
What Factors Influence a Family to Support a Decision Withdrawing Life Support?
Most patients who die in the intensive care unit (ICU) do so after having life-sustaining interventions withheld or withdrawn. Evidence suggests that more than 70% of elderly patients in the…
How Should Guillain-Barré Syndrome Be Managed in the ICU?
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rapidly progressive motor, sensory, and autonomic neuropathic disorder that may present to critical care with acute respiratory failure or bulbar palsy. Correct diagnosis and implementation…
How Should Patients with Burns Be Managed in the Intensive Care Unit?
More than 500,000 burn injuries occur annually in the United States. Although most are minor, approximately 40,000 to 60,000 burn patients require admission to a hospital or major burn center…
How Should Care Within an Intensive Care Unit or an Institution Be Organized?
In this chapter, we review the evidence for the association between intensive care unit (ICU) organization and optimal care delivery. In addition, we review the evidence for ICU organization within…
