background: cefepime was used as empirical treatment in ventilator-associated pneumonia (vap) induced by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. this study aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of cefepime against microorganism causing vap in mazandaran, north of iran. methods: this study was performed on vap patients diagnosed with clinical pulmonary infection score (cp...

Significant psychological impacts, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), have been associated with patients under sedation in intensive care units (ICUs). However, it remains unknown if and how sedation is related to post-ICU psychological outcomes. This literature review explores the relationships between sedation, the depth of sedation and psychological disorders. A review of exist...

The working environment of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses is a constant source of stress. Researchers have described ICU as a stressful environment because of the complex nature of patients’ health problems requiring an extensive use of very sophisticated technology. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of stress among staff nurses working in ICU, Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysi...

INTRODUCTION Many hospitals have initiated follow-up to facilitate rehabilitation after critical illness and intensive care, although the efficacy of such an intervention is uncertain. Studies in trauma research indicate significant differences in psychological reactions to traumatic events between men and women. Our aim, in a quasi-experimental design, was to compare psychological morbidity an...

OBJECTIVE Demonstrate if the institution of an educational program on VAP and its prevention is effective in helping reduce the incidence of VAP in a surgical ICU. MATERIAL AND METHOD An educational program on VAP and its prevention, which consisted of a 1-hour formal lecture, an educational handout, and a pre-and post-test exam was given to the nursing staff beginning in April 1st, 2003. Rem...

INTRODUCTION Due to advances in critical care medicine, more patients survive their critical illness. However, intensive care unit (ICU) survivors often experience long-term physical, cognitive and mental problems, summarised as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), impacting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In what frequency PICS occurs, and to what extent this influences ICU survi...

BACKGROUND Long-term outcome and quality of life (QOL) in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation after failure to wean in the ICU is scarcely documented. We aimed to evaluate long-term survival and QOL in patients discharged from the ICU with a tracheostomy for difficult weaning, and with or without ventilator dependency at ICU discharge. METHODS We retrospectively investigated p...

INTRODUCTION Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a significant cause of death and severe neurological disability. The only post-return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) therapy shown to increase survival is mild therapeutic hypothermia (MTH). The relationship between esophageal temperature post OHCA and outcome is still poorly defined. METHODS Prospective observational study of all OHCA ...