Background. Surveillance for ventilator-associated events (VAEs) is based on detecting conditions associated with increased oxygen or positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) settings. In 2013 the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) replaced traditional ventilator-associated pneumonia (tVAP) with VAE surveillance in adult inpatient units. In August 2013 a minor PEEP criterion change was ma...

BACKGROUND Losing a loved one in the intensive care unit (ICU) is stressful for family members. Providing bereavement support to them is recommended. However, little is known about the prevalence of bereavement services implemented in adult ICUs. OBJECTIVE To describe current bereavement follow-up services in adult ICUs. METHOD A cross-sectional prospective study design was used. ICU nurse ...

Introduction: The unprecedented, worldwide COVID-19 pandemic demanded the need for adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) health care workers (HCWs). commonly recommended N95-mask (N95) needs further optimization in areas of technology, re-usability, and comfort. LEAF-mask (LEAF) reportedly offers improved technology innovative features, however, neither them have been tested yet. Therefo...

Patients in adult intensive care units (ICUs) require close monitoring, frequent invasive procedures, multiple medications, complicated decisionmaking processes, and multidisciplinary care. This complex care coupled with inadequate nurse-patient ratios, provider fatigue, on-the-job training, and poor communication can result in substantial morbidity, mortality, and costs. A powerful influence o...

BACKGROUND Intensive care units (ICUs) in human hospitals are consistently noisy environments with sound levels sufficient to substantially decrease sleep quality. Sound levels in veterinary ICUs have not been studied previously, but environmental sound has been shown to alter activity in healthy dogs. HYPOTHESIS Veterinary ICUs, like those in human medicine, will exceed international guideli...

BACKGROUND Mechanical ventilation is the primary method of supporting organ function in patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs). Lung damage from mechanical ventilation can be avoided by using the correct ventilation modes. This study was designed to assess the epidemiology and treatment strategies of patients receiving mechanical ventilation in ICUs in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS Th...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this work was to study usage of antibiotics, its possible determinants, and patterns of bacterial resistance in Swedish intensive care units (ICUs). METHODS Prospectively collected data on species and antibiotic resistance of clinical isolates and antibiotic consumption specific to each ICU in 1999 were analyzed together with answers to a questionnaire. Antibiotic us...

INTRODUCTION The aim of the study was to assess whether adults admitted to hospitals with both Intensive Care Units (ICU) and Intermediate Care Units (IMCU) have lower in-hospital mortality than those admitted to ICUs without an IMCU. METHODS An observational multinational cohort study performed on patients admitted to participating ICUs during a four-week period. IMCU was defined as any phys...

BACKGROUND ICU patients frequently undergo chest radiographs (CXRs). The diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy of routine CXRs are now known to be low, but the discussion regarding specific indications for CXRs in critically ill patients and the safety of abandoning routine CXRs is still ongoing. We performed a survey of Dutch intensivists on the current practice of chest radiography in their dep...