Critical Care
News from the FDA/CDC
Synthetic opioids drive spike in U.S. fatal drug overdoses
Spurned by physicians, more users seem to be turning to street drugs that contain fentanyl and similar substances.
News
FDA aims to boost safety of platelets for transfusion
The agency is seeking input on ways to decrease the risk of bacterial contamination in platelets stored for 5 and 7 days after collection.
Conference Coverage
Need blood STAT? Call for a drone
BOSTON – Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles bring blood to remote hospitals in Africa, but a U.S.-based system will need to overcome significant...
From the Journals
ICU-acquired pneumonia mortality risk may be underestimated
From the Journals
No difference between PPI prophylaxis, placebo for GI bleeding
There was no significant difference in mortality between critically ill patients who received pantoprazole prophylaxis for gastrointestinal...
Conference Coverage
About 13% of liver transplant recipients affected by PTSD
MELD scores had no association with PTSD in this analysis.
Feature
Apixaban is safest effective DOAC for stroke prevention in Afib, per AHRQ report
The agency found the lowest bleeding risk with apixaban, but cites lack of head-to-head trials as a limitation in evaluating DOACs.
From the Journals
Lower glucose targets show improved mortality in cardiac patients
Lower blood glucose targets in critically ill cardiac patients are associated with lower 30-day mortality, compared with higher targets.
Feature
Palliative care update highlights role of nonspecialists
The latest guideline revision aims to establish a foundation for “gold-standard” palliative care.
Conference Coverage
Healthy, ethical environments can alleviate ‘moral distress’ in clinicians
Conference Coverage
Septic shock: Innovative treatment options in the wings
BOSTON - Trials evaluating vitamin C for refractory septic shock have demonstrated a large mortality impact.