Critical Care Commons^™

Evaluating Surge Capacity In The Emergency Department: A Comprehensive Literature Review On Preparedness And Response Frameworks, Tanner J. Riscoe

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Medical surge capacity in emergency departments is influenced by four critical factors: staff, stuff, space, and systems. Understanding these factors and the interplay between them is critical. Emergency departments are increasingly encountering issues with overcrowding, patient boarding, and medical surge events causing interruptions in care and depleting critical resources. Coordination of medical surge is challenging during normal operations but is intensified during times of crisis. This comprehensive literature review seeks to better understand the current state of the literature surrounding surge preparedness and response in emergency departments across the United States, identify gaps in the current literature, and ultimately recommend …

Decreasing Extubation Times Using Adaptive Support Ventilation: A Scoping Review, Daphne Thomas, Cole Vest, Luke Wilson, Shannon Witcher, Bobby Bellflower Dnsc, Nnp-Bc, Faanp

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background:This scoping review explores the effectiveness of adaptive support ventilation (ASV) compared to conventional ventilation modes in reducing postoperative extubation times in adults undergoing general anesthesia with ventilatory support. Ventilator weaning is a critical determinant of recovery and outcomes in intensive care settings. ASV, a closed-loop ventilation mode, automatically adjusts ventilator parameters based on patient-specific respiratory mechanics and demand to optimize the weaning process. Although promising, evidence regarding ASV’s effectiveness remains inconsistent across different patient populations and surgical contexts.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted from August 2023 to December 2024 across PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, JAMA, and Google …

Use Of Procalcitonin In Therapeutic Decisions In The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pierre Tissières, Elisabeth Esteban Torné, Johannes Hübner, Adrienne Randolph, Corsino Rey Galán, Scott Weiss

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Procalcitonin (PCT) is frequently used by clinicians in children with suspected bacterial infections and sepsis. However interpretation in the critically ill child may be challenging due to the complexity of underlying conditions and its impact on PCT values. Herein, we propose a guidance for the use of procalcitonin in critically ill children, supported by a comprehensive analysis of the literature, to help the clinician for interpreting PCT in the various clinical conditions encountered in pediatric intensive care units. We describe the importance of the clinical context, timing of measurement and evidence on PCT values in diagnosing sepsis and to guide …

Liposomes As Imaging Agents Of Inflammation And Oxidative Stress In Bone Implants, Delia Danila, Patricia S Pardo, R Devesh Kumar Misra, Aladin M Boriek

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Liposomes are tiny, spherical vesicles made from cholesterol and natural phospholipids that are promising imaging agents for detecting medical complications. They can carry fluorescent markers or other imaging agents, making them effective for medical imaging. Furthermore, liposomes can target specific cells involved in inflammation, such as macrophages, and accumulate at inflammation sites when injected. Additionally, liposomes can be designed to respond to oxidative stress, which is often associated with bone implant complications. By detecting areas of stress, liposomes provide valuable information about implant health. However, challenges such as rapid clearance from the body, precise targeting, immune reactions, and high production …

Vasoactive Selection For Pediatric Septic Shock-Where To Begin?, Scott L. Weiss

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Early Nintedanib Deployment In Covid-19 Interstitial Lung Disease (Endcov-I): Study Protocol Of A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Valeria Santibanez, Aditi Mathur, Jigna Zatakia, Nicole Ng, Michele Cohen, Emilia Bagiella, Stacey-Ann Brown, Ivan O Rosas, Nina M Patel, Amy Olson, Peide Li, Maria Padilla

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: In December 2019, the novel SARS-CoV-2 triggered a global pneumonia outbreak, leading to millions of deaths worldwide. A subset of survivors faces increased morbidity and mortality, particularly due to subacute lung injury evolving to chronic fibrosing interstitial lung disease. While nintedanib, a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, shows promise in treating progressive fibrotic lung disease, limited randomised trial data exists for post-COVID-19-induced lung injury. We hypothesise that treatment with nintedanib may attenuate advancement to the fibrotic stages, offering a potential avenue for improving outcomes in this specific patient subset.

Methods and analysis: We describe the design of a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled …

Dual Circulatory Support With Ecmo And Mcs Devices Is Associated With Shorter Hospital Stay Without Compromising Heart Transplant Survival, Tawanda Zinyandu, Abhinav Aggarwal, Ashraf Ahmed, Isaac Opoku Md, Didien Meyahnwi Md, Yussuf Isaka Md, Stuart Zarich, Carlos Davila

Posters

• ECMO is commonly used as a bridge to heart transplantation in critically ill patients.
• Additional MCS devices (e.g., Impella, IABP) may be used alongside ECMO to enhance cardiac output.
• The effect of dual circulatory support vs. ECMO alone on post-transplant survival is unclear especially after 2018, when the heart allocation system was revised to reduce waitlist times for MCS patients.

Reducing Vancomycin In A Cicu, Karoline Krzywda, Lauren Johnson, Allison Taber

Posters

Introduction: In the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) empiric vancomycin is frequently prescribed. This practice occurs without wide knowledge of the true rates of methicillin resistant staph aureus (MRSA) and methicillin resistant staph epidermidis (MRSE) infections. Given the potential for harmful side effects of vancomycin as well as concern for growing antibiotic resistance we sought to better characterize local unit prescribing practices and MRSA/MRSE infection rates to guide our quality improvement project with an aim of reducing vancomycin use in our CICU. Methods: This project is taking place at Children’s Mercy Kansas City CICU, a 24 bed unit with an …

A Preliminary Analysis Of Transaminitis Observed In Oxandrolone Versus Testosterone Therapy In Major Burn Injury, Alexandra Dewitt, Athena Hoppe, Anastasiya Ivanko, Victoria Miles

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

57th Annual Meeting of the American Burn Association, ABA 2025, April 8 - 11, 2025, Phoenix, AZ

The Sound Of Survival: The Effect Of Personalized Music Selection On Cpr Performance And Anxiety Levels, Carmin A. Dotario

Nursing | Student Research Posters

No abstract provided.

Navigating Nonlinear Pathways: Challenges And Opportunities For Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Leaders In Academic Emergency Medicine, Melanie F Molina, Annika Bhananker, Beatrice Torres, Dalia Owda, Edgardo Ordoñez, Anita N Chary

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leadership roles have grown in academic emergency medicine (EM). We sought to elucidate specific pathways to DEI leadership roles among current DEI leaders in academic EM.

METHODS: From March to May 2023, we conducted semistructured, qualitative interviews with DEI leaders in academic EM across 5 US regions to investigate their pathways to leadership. Participants were recruited via email using Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited EM residency websites and the Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in EM. After recording and transcribing the interviews, we used an inductive approach to identify major themes.

RESULTS: Of …

Stop The Bleed! Acute Epistaxis Management, Christopher R. Cannell

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

Epistaxis, the most common Otolaryngology-related emergency, is responsible for one in 200 emergency department (ED) visits in the United States (US) and one-third of otolaryngology visits.^1,11 Up to 60% of the population will experience epistaxis during their lifetime, and 6% -10 % will require medical intervention.^2,3 Epistaxis occurs in children and adults and has a seasonal variation. Although 85% of nosebleeds are idiopathic, they are more frequent in those on supplemental oxygen, anticoagulation, antiplatelet therapy, and in those with other conditions that may predispose them to bleeding. Most clinicians will encounter patients with acute epistaxis; therefore, it is …

Image Quality Analysis Of Head Cts Obtained On A New Portable Scanner Compared To Stationary Ct, Mara M. Kunst, Juan E. Small, Sebastian E. Flacke, Joseph D. Burns, Maximilian Smith, Christoph D. Wald

The Lahey Journal

Background/Purpose: The use of mobile head CT scanning in the ICU setting has both clinical and economic advantages, particularly if able to provide image quality close or equal to fixed CT scanners.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the image quality of a new portable CT scanner, compared to a fixed CT platform.

Materials/Methods: Inpatients (n=11), age> 60 requiring head CT evaluation were enrolled and consented to obtain an additional head CT on the portable CT, following their fixed exam.

Nine patients were able to complete the study; seven patients received duplicate exams with matched imaging technique, and …

Patterns And Outcomes In Urotrauma: An Analysis Of Fatality Trends And Contributing Factors, Neharika Penmetcha, Aun Bangash, Kelsey Baker

Research Symposium

Background: Urotrauma, involving injuries to the kidneys, ureters, and bladder, represents a critical subset of trauma cases, significantly impacting patient morbidity and mortality. Renal and urogenital injuries account for 10–20% of abdominal trauma in adults and children. Understanding urotrauma's epidemiology is vital for improving care protocols and resource allocation. Despite its impact, data on injury mechanisms, intent, and care modalities specific to urotrauma remain limited. This study investigates patterns in injury mechanisms, intent, transport modalities, and facility transfer status to identify factors influencing patient outcomes and inform trauma care improvements.

Methods: A retrospective review analyzed 3,492 trauma cases, filtered for …

Between A Badge Buddy And Policy: An Ebqi Tool For Critical Care Nurses, Sean Robinson

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

No abstract provided.

I Like To Move It: Nurse Driven Protocol For Early Mobility In Icu Patients, Jenna Drazovich, Patrick Cink

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Gap: A New Approach To Retaining Icu Nurses In Their First Year, Megan Jones, Kristen Mayberry, Sarah Sumner

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

No abstract provided.

Navigating Thyroid Crises: A Nationwide Analysis Of The Weekend Effect And Mortality Trends In Myxedema Coma (2016-2020), Mariam Hashmi, Zubair Hassan Bodla, Fatima Niaz, Umer Farooq, Zahra Niaz, Christopher L. Bray, Peters Okonoboh

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Our objective was to utilize the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for analyzing the outcomes of myxedema coma based on the day of admission and explore five-year mortality trends. This retrospective cohort study examined in-patient mortality and secondary outcomes of patients with myxedema coma from 2016 to 2020 using the NIS database. Patients were selected using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes and divided into weekday and weekend admission groups. From 174,776,205 discharges, 5,095 patients were included. Mean age of admitted patients was higher on weekdays (67.1 year) than weekends (66.5), with females constituting 69.4% and …

Comparative Analysis Of Oxygenators And Anticoagulation Strategies In Neonatal And Pediatric Ecmo Patients, Debra E. Newton, Johanna I. Orrick

Presentations

Background: Due to supply chain challenges, our institution transitioned from Pediatric Quadrox oxygenators to Nautilus oxygenators for neonatal and pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients. During this transition, variations in anticoagulation results were observed with bivalirudin, the first-line anticoagulant, in patients weighing less than 8 kg. This study aimed to evaluate heparin as an alternative anticoagulant in this patient population utilizing Nautilus oxygenators. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 29 neonatal and pediatric ECMO patients (weight range: 2.3–6.1 kg). Patients were divided into three groups based on oxygenator and anticoagulant type: · Group 1: Quadrox with bivalirudin (n=11) · …

The Role Of The Apheresis Tandem Safety Timeout In Ecmo And Apheresis Therapy, Johanna I. Orrick, Debra E. Newton, Kari L. Davidson, Karen Murray

Posters

The Apheresis Tandem Safety Timeout was implemented in 2017 at Children’s Mercy Hospital (CMH) to ensure safe, coordinated care when performing therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) alongside Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). The first tandem procedure at CMH was performed in 2013, introducing a valuable tool for treating the sickest patients in the region. However, when patients are placed on two extracorporeal circuits simultaneously, the risk of complications increases significantly. These include electrolyte imbalances, anticoagulation challenges, hemodynamic instability, and the potential for either circuit to be compromised. The ECMO and Apheresis team recognized that even minor miscommunication could lead to life-threatening complications …

Development Of Mobility Scales For Infants And Children On Ecmo, Johanna I. Orrick, Debra E. Newton, Caroline Holton

Posters

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a life-saving intervention commonly used in pediatric and neonatal intensive care; however, it presents unique challenges for maintaining patient mobility. Early mobility contributes to better long-term outcomes. Existing mobility scales by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) are limited to patients aged 8 years and older, leaving a gap for younger populations. This study aimed to develop and validate mobility scales specifically for infants (< 2 years) and children aged 2-8 years undergoing ECMO therapy. Through a collaborative effort involving pediatric ECMO specialists, physicians, and critical care nurses, we adapted ELSO’s mobility criteria to be developmentally appropriate for these younger age groups. For infants, mobility benchmarks include passive and active limb movements, head control, and supported sitting. The criteria for children aged 2-8 is expanded to include sitting, supported standing, and age-appropriate gross motor activities. This scale provides graded levels of mobility that accommodate ECMO-specific safety considerations, allowing practitioners to chart interventions according to each child’s developmental and physiological capacity. The resulting scales are being pilot-tested at our large ECMO center, with data showing preliminary effectiveness at capturing the degree of mobility achieved during ECMO runs. This mobility scale fills a critical need by providing structured charting guidelines for mobilizing infants and young children on ECMO, promoting functional recovery and potential improvements in long-term developmental outcomes. Further studies are recommended to establish consistency across institutions and confirm the scale's impact on mobility outcomes in pediatric ECMO patients.

Advances In Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Diagnosis And Treatment, Hongli Liu, Jiaxi Shen, Chao He

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Significant advances have been made in diagnosing and treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in the last decade. The incidence and prevalence of IPF are increasing, and morbidity and mortality remain high despite the two Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications, pirfenidone and nintedanib. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop new diagnostic tools and effective therapeutics to improve early, accurate diagnosis of IPF and halt or reverse the progression of fibrosis with a better safety profile. New diagnostic tools such as transbronchial cryobiopsy and genomic classifier require less tissue and generally have good safety profiles, and they have been …

The “Wearing Off” Phenomenon For Rasagiline, Entacapone, Carbidopa, And Levodopa In The Setting Of Parkinson’S Disease, Ryan Cromwell, Tevin Um

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Parkinson’s disease is a primary neurological dysfunction syndrome in which the body’s natural production of dopamine is reduced. Therapeutic intervention for this disease primarily includes medications that increase the body’s natural production of dopamine. These medications can have side effects, requiring constant titration based on the patient’s symptoms.

Case Presentation

We report a case study of a 75-year-old man diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease who had a profound acute exacerbation of psychological symptoms following modifications to his dopaminergic treatment regimen. Initially, the patient was prescribed carbidopa/levodopa, rasagiline, and carbidopa/levodopa/entacapone. However, the treatment plan was adjusted due to the worsening of …

Impact Of A Comprehensive Palliative Quality Improvement Initiative (Icu-Pal) In A Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Aunie M. Danyalian, Michele M. Iguina, Manjot Malhi, Umair Shaikh, Sanaz B. Kashan, Dionne Morgan, Daniel Heller, Mauricio Danckers

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Early palliative care practice implementation in the intensive care unit (ICU) improves advance care planning, promotes patient and family satisfaction, and decreases health care costs. The consensus for protocolized palliative care delivery is unknown. We assessed the impact of a qualitive improvement educational intervention that promotes the identification of critically ill patients who will benefit from early expert palliative care interventions.

Methods

In this observational study, we examined the impact of an educational intervention that promoted (1) early detection of palliative care triggers (PCT) during ICU multidisciplinary rounds (MDRs), (2) admission and 48-hour pain assessment, and (3) family meetings …

A Review Of Gut Failure As A Cause And Consequence Of Critical Illness, Danielle E. Soranno, Craig M. Coopersmith, Jessica F. Brinkworth, Faith N. F. Factora, Julia H. Muntean, Monty G. Mythen, Jacob Raphael, Andrew D. Shaw, Vidula Vachharajani, Jeannette S. Messer

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

In critical illness, all elements of gut function are perturbed. Dysbiosis develops as the gut microbial community loses taxonomic diversity and new virulence factors appear. Intestinal permeability increases, allowing for translocation of bacteria and/or bacterial products. Epithelial function is altered at a cellular level and homeostasis of the epithelial monolayer is compromised by increased intestinal epithelial cell death and decreased proliferation. Gut immunity is impaired with simultaneous activation of maladaptive pro- and anti-inflammatory signals leading to both tissue damage and susceptibility to infections. Additionally, splanchnic vasoconstriction leads to decreased blood flow with local ischemic changes. Together, these interrelated elements of …

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: A Case Of The Broken Heart, Lilian Huynh, Kaylee Putney

Annual Research Symposium

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC), or "broken heart syndrome," is a rare cardiac condition causing temporary left ventricular dysfunction due to severe stress. Though the exact cause is unclear, it mimics myocardial infarction and can lead to cardiogenic shock. Current treatment lacks specific guidelines and relies on heart failure protocols. We report a case of a patient with TC-induced cardiogenic shock, likely triggered by emotional stress. She required vasopressors, a percutaneous intervention, an Impella device, and guideline-directed medication therapies. This case underscores the significance of establishing guideline optimizations for managing TC and cardiogenic shock.

Simplicity Is The Ultimate Sophistication: Ume Lessons From Trauma-Focused Simulation, Victoria-Marie Berlandi-Short, Kelsey Yang, Jonmark Dolendo, Grace Hwang, Brianna Kuhse, Samuel Blees, Sherli Koshy-Chenthittayil, Brad Haubrich

Annual Research Symposium

Purpose: Simulation-based training has become essential in preparing medical professionals to manage high-stakes situations effectively before encountering them in real-life clinical settings. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Cut Suit Week (CSW), a high-stress, trauma-focused simulation training for second-year military medical students hosted by Rocky Vista College of Osteopathic Medicine in San Diego, California. As members of the 2024 cohort, our team from Touro University Nevada (TUN) and Touro University California (TUC) sought to address three questions: (1) Does CSW improve confidence in managing stressful situations? (2) Does it enhance clinical and leadership skills? (3) Would similar training …

Characteristics And Outcomes Of Patients With Cardiogenic Shock And Clinically Significant Valvular Heart Disease: From The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network., Anthony P Carnicelli, P Elliott Miller, David D Berg, Nijat Aliyev, Carlos L Alviar, Erin A Bohula, Sunit-Preet Chaudhry, Meshe Chonde, Christine Chow, Howard A Cooper, Lori B Daniels, Christopher B Fordyce, Shahab Ghafghazi, Michael J Goldfarb, Kari L Gorder, Madeleine M Hamilton, Ryan R Keane, Michael C Kontos, Jonathan J Kusner, Evan Leibner, Daniel B Loriaux, Venu Menon, Raunak M Nair, L Kristin Newby, Mary-Tiffany Oduah, Michael G Palazzolo, Harsh Patolia, Jacob B Pierce, Matthew J Pierce, Brian J Potter, Alastair Proudfoot, Robert O Roswel, Gregory Schnell, Jeffrey Shaw, Kiran Sidhu, Shashank S Sinha, Anubodh S Varshney, Jason N Katz, Sean Van Diepen, David A Morrow

Heart and Vascular Articles

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) can be complicated by severe valvular heart disease (VHD). We analyzed cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) admissions according to VHD status.

METHODS AND RESULTS: The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network is a multicenter network of tertiary CICUs. Centers contributed data from consecutive admissions during 2-month annual snapshots from 2017-2023. CS admissions were classified as having CS attributed to VHD, CS with noncausative VHD or CS without severe VHD. Demographics and therapies were compared. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios for in-hospital mortality were calculated. We analyzed 5242 admissions with CS (4.1% attributed to VHD, 18.8% with noncausative …

Plasma Micrornas To Select Optimal Patients For Antibody Production From Anti-Addiction Vaccines, Thomas R Kosten, Amrit Koirala, David A Nielsen, Coreen B Domingo, Ynhi T Thomas, Preethi H Gunaratne, Cristian Coarfa

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Cocaine and illicit amphetamines (disguised as “Adderall”) are being laced with fentanyl and producing accidental and intentional fatal overdoses. Vaccines can prevent these overdoses, but 33% of humans generate insufficient anti-drug antibody (AB) levels. Plasma microRNAs (miRs) can be used to predict non-responders. We have plasma stored from 152 cocaine vaccine trial participants following three vaccinations over 9 weeks and examined miRs as potential response biomarkers. Methods: We compared 2517 miRs before anti-cocaine vaccination in participants with the highest (n = 25) to the lowest (n = 23) antibody levels. False Discovery Rates (FDRs) were applied to identify differentially …

Characteristics And Outcomes Of Adults Hospitalized With Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Brian S. Shaw, Cara Slaton, Ian P. Murphy, Michael Mcalister, Daniel Egan, Kwabena Ayesu

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a negative sense single-stranded RNA virus (ssRNA) that primarily causes respiratory infections in both children and older adults. We examined clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized adult patients who tested positive for RSV.

Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective, descriptive study that examined adult patients admitted with a positive RSV test over two years across eight hospitals in Orlando, Florida.

Results: A total of 120 patients were included, of which 88 (73%) were 60 years old and older. Overall, patients with RSV infection were caucasian (62%) with a median age of 70 years and …