BACKGROUND To ascertain current chest radiography practice in intensive care units (ICUs) in the Netherlands. METHODS Postal survey: a questionnaire was sent to all ICUs with > 5 beds suitable for mechanical ventilation; pediatric ICUs were excluded. When an ICU performed daily-routine chest radiographs in any group of patients it was considered to be a "daily-routine chest radiography" ICU. ...

Intensive care units (ICUs) are special areas in hospitals for patients with severe and life-threatening diseases. ICUs of several categories, such as neonatal ICUs, cardiac neurological surgical etc. The ICUs’ may show a high susceptibility hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) depending on underlying disease, duration stay treatment. considered potential reservoirs (opportunistic) pathogenic mi...

INTRODUCTION The objective of this study was to determine the thermal injury fluid resuscitation protocols at intensive care units (ICUs) in the United Kingdom and Ireland. MATERIALS AND METHODS A telephone questionnaire was designed to survey the fluid resuscitation protocols of ICUs at all hospitals with plastic/burn surgery departments in the British Isles in 2010. The feedback from the qu...

INTRODUCTION Controversy exists about the benefit of screening for prevention of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in intensive care units (ICUs) and recent studies have shown conflicting results. The aim of this observational study was to describe and evaluate the association between MRSA incidence densities (IDs) and screening and control measures in ICUs participating in the...

BACKGROUND The relatives of intensive care unit (ICU) patients must cope with both the severity of illness of their loved one and the unfamiliar and stressful ICU environment. This hardship may lead to post-intensive care syndrome. French guidelines provide recommendations on welcoming and informing families of ICU patients. We questioned whether and how they are applied 5 years after their pub...

BACKGROUND Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is one of few interventions that improve survival after a cardiac arrest with good neurological outcome. Current guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation recommend TH in comatose adult patients after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) regardless of cardiac arrest location and cardiac rhythm during the event. AIM To evaluate level of TH impleme...

BACKGROUND The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) Adult Patient Database (APD) collects voluntary data on patient admissions to Australian and New Zealand intensive care units (ICUs). This paper presents an in-depth statistical analysis of risk-adjusted mortality of ICU admissions from 2000 to 2010 for the purpose of identifying ICUs with unusual performance. METHODS A...

INTRODUCTION Many mechanically ventilated elderly patients in Israel are treated outside of intensive care units (ICUs). The decision as to whether these patients should be treated in ICUs is reached without clear guidelines. We therefore conducted a study with the aim of identifying triage criteria and factors associated with in-hospital mortality in this population. METHODS All mechanically...