Critical Care Commons^™

Platelet Transfusion Practices In The Icu: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study, Van Stefan, Raasveld Jorinde, Andrew Flint, Jimmy Schenk, Claudia Van Den Oord, Merijn Reuland, Sanne De Bruin, Jan Bakker, Maurizio Cecconi,, Marcus Lance

Anaesthesiology, East Africa

Objective: There is a lack of comprehensive international data regarding platelet transfusion practices in the ICU. This study aimed to evaluate the current occurrence rate of platelet transfusion in the ICU and provide an overview of platelet transfusion practices including indications for a platelet transfusion, thresholds, (non-)adherence and geo-economic region variations.

Design: International prospective cohort study.

Setting: Two hundred thirty-three centers in 30 countries worldwide.

Patients: All patients 18 years old and older, admitted to the ICU during a single study week, selected by each site from one of the 16 predefined weeks (March 2019 to …

Nondominant Right Coronary Artery Occlusion Leading To An Anterior St-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, Taha Ahmed, Taylor Wood, Austin Harris, Rajan Desai, Garima Handa, Naoki Misumida, Amartya Kundu

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

A nondominant right coronary artery supplies a small portion of the myocardium. Albeit rare, an acute occlusion of a nondominant right coronary artery is believed to be inconsequential with minimal clinical relevance.

Case Presentation

We present a case of a middle-aged man who presented with chest pain and an electrocardiogram demonstrating anterior ST-segment elevation. An emergent coronary angiogram revealed acute thrombotic occlusion of the proximal nondominant right coronary artery with no significant obstructive atherosclerotic disease in the dominant left coronary circulation. Balloon angioplasty of the occluded vessel followed by implantation of a drug-eluting stent resulted in the resolution of …

Sevoflurane In Status Asthmaticus: A Case Report And Literature Review, Amelia L. Gurley, Thomas W. Church, Sana Hadyah, Brandon Abrajan, Julia Cheree Glavinic

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Sevoflurane and other inhaled anesthetics are gradually entering provider awareness as rescue therapies for patients in refractory status asthmaticus. This paper documents a case report and a literature review involving the use of sevoflurane to treat status asthmaticus.

Case Presentation

A 27-year-old man presented to the emergency room in acute hypoxic respiratory failure due to status asthmaticus, refractory to multiple therapies and requiring intubation. He was successfully extubated following sevoflurane administration in the operating room, and his care was complicated by transient hypotension. A multidisciplinary effort was critical in ensuring successful and timely therapy.

Methods

We performed a literature …

Using Dexcom G7 In Critically Ill Infant With Hyperinsulinemia On High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation Support, Chad E. Ward, Timothy Clark, Eric Velezquez

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

Life threatening hypoglycemia can occur during critical illness in infants with underlying hyperinsulinemia or metabolic conditions, such as glycogen storage diseases. Using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can provide insight into glycemic trends with this high-risk patient population in the intensive care setting. Barriers to usage of CGMs in the intensive care unit include familiarity with CGMs devices among staff, safety, and cost.

Case Presentation

We describe the first reported case of safely utilizing the newest Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor in an infant with hyperinsulinemia undergoing high frequency oscillatory ventilator (HFOV) support for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) …

Recurrent, Acute Limb Ischemia Secondary To Arterial Thrombosis: A Devastating Complication In The Setting Of Severe Covid-19 Infection, Shaikh Afaq, Kyle S. Strouse, Sini Saju, Olugbenga Oyesanmi, Mohamad Eid, Salman Muddassir

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

COVID-19 infection, particularly with the Delta variant, has been associated with a heightened risk of thromboembolic events due to a profound hypercoagulable state. While venous thrombosis is more commonly reported, arterial thrombosis—including acute limb ischemia—has emerged as a serious complication with significant morbidity and mortality.

Case Presentation

We report the case of a 53-year-old man with severe COVID-19 pneumonia who developed recurrent acute limb ischemia secondary to an aortic mural thrombus. Despite therapeutic anticoagulation and multiple surgical interventions—including thrombectomy, angioplasty, and stenting—the patient experienced repeated episodes of arterial thrombosis. His clinical course was further complicated by pneumothorax and hemothorax, …

Socioeconomic, Behavioral, And Health Profiles Of Women With Eclampsia: Findings From The 2020–2022 National Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Data, Jessi Bates, Gurgen Grigoryants, Hongyun Fu

Cardiovascular Research Symposium

Background: Eclampsia is a severe obstetric complication with significant maternal health implications, disproportionately affects women with certain sociodemographic and health risk factors. This study investigates the characteristics and outcomes of women who experienced eclampsia using data from the national Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS).

Methods: This analysis included a sample of 729 women with eclampsia from the 2020–2022 PRAMS (N = 238,575). Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to examine patterns and factors associated with preterm-birth, low birth weight (LBW), and cesarean delivery.

Results: Over half of the women were aged ≥35 years (50.6%), unmarried …

Successful Va Ecmo On An Adolescent Pre-B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patient With Necrotizing Fasciitis From Clostridium Septicum, Jenna Miller, Johanna I. Orrick, Cara Holton, David Juang

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has historically been avoided in oncological patients due to perceived risks. However, recent literature suggests improved survival rates for pediatric oncology patients. Additionally, necrotizing fasciitis from Clostridium septicum is associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially in patients with preexisting malignancies. Few studies have explored the outcomes of ECMO in patients with both necrotizing fasciitis and hematologic malignancies. We present a case of a 16-year-old male with pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and Clostridium septicum necrotizing fasciitis successfully supported with veno-arterial (VA) ECMO. The patient underwent induction chemotherapy for ALL but developed severe septic shock …

Association Of Obesity And Body Mass Index Classification With Glycemic Control In Adults Who Are Critically Ill Receiving Parenteral Nutrition: A Retrospective Study., Erika L Mackie, Melissa Dang, Kimberly Sharpe, Justin Delic, James M Hollands, Song Oh, Stacy Pasciolla, Laura Pontiggia, Diana Solomon, Angela Bingham

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia is a complication of parenteral nutrition (PN), which can be exacerbated in patients with obesity. Limited data exist on glycemic control in this population. This study aims to evaluate the association of obesity and body mass index (BMI) classification with glycemic control in patients who are critically ill initiated receiving PN.

METHODS: This is a retrospective study of patients who are critically ill receiving PN from January 2013 to February 2024. The primary outcome was glycemic control in patients with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m

RESULTS: The study included 220 patients with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m

CONCLUSION: Patients who …

Implementation Of A Triage System For The Residents At A Residential Facility To Improve Triage Assessment Skills Of The Staff As Well As Improve The Level And Timeliness Of Care, Andrew J. Choi Rn, Neha Gopal Rn, Andres N. Padilla Rn, Dana Son

Master's Projects and Capstones

Triage is an integral part of the clinical process which involves assessing patients and determining their level of care in order to get them appropriate, timely treatment. Several countries utilize a standardized triage system with established criteria to aid staff in their decision-making during assessments (Peta et al., 2023). The Nursing and Residential Triage (NaRT) tool, from the Manchester Triage System (MTS), was shown to enhance staff clinical assessment skills and help avoid inappropriate ED transfers during a study among older adults in a residential facility (Markey et al., 2024). For this project, the main issue identified at the residential …

Establishment Of Neonatal Sepsis Predictors Utilizing Non-Invasive Monitoring Techniques, Dalton Janssen

Dissertations

Neonatal sepsis remains one of the leading causes of global neonatal mortality. Reactionary approaches for diagnosis and treatment have dominated the tactics in addressing neonatal sepsis but clinical intuition is an untapped resource that could lead to earlier prediction of sepsis onset. Nurses and other staff with specialized training and experience who have served as routine caregivers for a specific patient are able to identify when the patient’s status is altered. This clinical intuition may be substantiated by referencing specific patient trends in non-invasive measures over time. This retrospective, exploratory study examined whether variation in non-invasive monitoring variables could serve …

Angioedema: Is Icu Admission Warranted? A Single Institution Assessment, Madeleine Brill-Edwards, W. Chase Hamilton, Erika J. Yoo, Jennifer Costello, George J. Koenig, Murray J. Cohen, Joshua A. Marks

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Angioedema has potential for rapid airway decompensation requiring intervention. Patients are often admitted to an ICU for "airway watch." There is a lack of evidence to support which patients require this.

AIM: We aimed to characterize admission patterns and outcomes of angioedema patients at our institution to assess resource utilization and necessity of ICU use. We hypothesized that patients not requiring intubation upon presentation are safe to manage outside the ICU.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients admitted to our urban academic quaternary referral institution with angioedema ICD-10 codes between 2017 and 2020. Charts reviewed for demographics, …

Best Practice Toolkit For Burnout Prevention In Emergency Department Nurses, Moises A. De Oleo

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Burnout Syndrome (BS) is a serious problem in emergency department (ED) nurses and is associated with higher nurse turnover rates. A burnout prevention toolkit is needed.

PICOT: The project was guided by the following PICO question: "For emergency department nurses (P), how does the development of the best practice burnout prevention toolkit (I), compared to the absence of a structured intervention (C), support the establishment of nurse burnout best practices when evaluated using the CDC Program Evaluation Framework? (O)".

Evidence: The analysis of the literature supported the implementation of active interventions in the form of workshops.

Intervention: A …

Using The Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model For A Multi-Registry Intensive Care Unit Benchmarking Federated Analysis: Lessons Learned, Aasiyah Rashan, Daniel P Püttmann, Nicolette F De Keizer, Dave A Dongelmans, Ronald Cornet, Otavio Ranzani, Wangari Siika, Matthew Smith, Steve Harris, Abi Beane

Anaesthesiology, East Africa

Objective: Federated analysis is a method that allows data analysis to be performed on similar datasets without exchanging any data, thus facilitating international research collaboration while adhering to strict privacy laws. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using federated analysis to benchmark mortality in 2 critical care quality registry databases converted to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM), describing challenges to and recommendations for performing federated analysis on data transformed to OMOP CDM.

Materials and Methods: To identify as many challenges as possible and to be able to complete the benchmarking phase, …

Issue 14: Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider, Bharat Bajantri Md, Sarah Ellsworth-Hoffman Mls

Critical Care & Pulmonary

Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider Issue 14

Compiled by Bharat Bajantri, MD, and librarian Sarah Ellsworth, MLS for the clinicians of the Pulmonary and Critical Care team of Parkview.

The Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider newsletter was created by Dr. Bharat Bajantri, MD and Sarah Ellsworth, MLS in 2023 as a form of current awareness for current practice at our hospital, Parkview Health.

Topics: Original Study Summaries: stereotactic body radiotherapy, surveillance over surgery for small pulmonary subsolid nodules, EBUS-TBNA sample acquisition and handling, Systolic arterial pressure targets in shock, stroke risk after AF, methotrexate versus prednisone, corticosteroid use in community-acquired …

The Prevalence Of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome In The State Of Florida, Jason M. Clark, Laura Mena-Albors, Huazhi Liu, Darwin Ang

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is associated with significant mortality. Multiple studies have evaluated the prevalence of ACS at individual institutions and/or for short durations. No study has looked at the change of prevalence over an extended time or included nonresearch institutions. This study aims to evaluate the trend in the prevalence of ACS over time within the state of Florida.

Methods

This is a population-based retrospective study using deidentified data from the Florida’s Agency of Healthcare Database between 2006 and 2021. A total of 16 217 617 patients were evaluated within the intensive care unit (ICU), with 4002 developing …

Modifying Electronic Medical Record Workflows To Improve Protein Provision To Enterally Fed Icu Patients, Catherine Karlak

2025 Swedish FISH (Fostering Interdisciplinary Solutions in Healthcare) Conference

No abstract provided.

Issue 13: Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider, Bharat Bajantri Md, Sarah Ellsworth-Hoffman Mls

Critical Care & Pulmonary

Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider Issue 13

Compiled by Bharat Bajantri, MD, and librarian Sarah Ellsworth, MLS for the clinicians of the Pulmonary and Critical Care team of Parkview.

The Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider newsletter was created by Dr. Bharat Bajantri, MD and Sarah Ellsworth, MLS in 2023 as a form of current awareness for current practice at our hospital, Parkview Health.

Topics: Original Study Summaries from early 2025 with clinical implications:

pGGNs thresholds, Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors with COPD, TTIP ventilation, TAPSE/sPAP Ratio, Propofol, Triglycerides, & Pancreatitis, PEERLESS trial, Metagenomic NGS for SCAP, Termination of Resuscitation (TOR) Guidelines, Intermittent Fasting …

Best Practices For A Competency-Based Curriculum In Critical Care Ultrasonography For Fellows, Paru Patrawalla, Frances West, Navitha Ramesh, Paul Mayo, Amik Sodhi

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine Faculty Papers

New guidelines from the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education for critical care ultrasound (CCUS) training went into effect on July 1, 2024, for critical care medicine and combined pulmonary and critical care medicine fellows. Fellowship programs will need to ensure that their fellows demonstrate competence in skills that are essential to CCUS, which currently encompasses applications in basic cardiac, lung/pleural, abdominal, and vascular ultrasonography (US). This may be a challenge for fellowship programs that have nascent CCUS curricula and limited faculty expertise. In this Perspective, we share expert and evidence-based recommendations on how to implement a competency-based curriculum in …

Midline Catheters And Vtes: Should We Be Using Them In Trauma Patients?, Roslyn M. Alexander Do, Alison A. Smith Md, Phd, Patrick Greiffenstein Md, Lillian Bellfi Pharm D

Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Forum

No abstract provided.

Impact Of A Sepsis Quality Improvement Initiative On Clinical And Operational Outcomes, Christopher B. Thomas, Benjamin Wyler, Claude M. D’Antonio, Mark Laperouse, Shannon Alwood, Kristen Richard, Alyse Grantham, Roya Sheybani, Matt G. Sorrells, Wei Jien Tan, James W. Teague, Hollis O’Neal, Tonya Jagneaux

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Sepsis is a costly and life-threatening condition caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Lack of a reliable, timely diagnostic for sepsis leads to under- and overdiagnosis, suboptimal outcomes, and strained hospital resources. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (OLOLRMC) implemented a sepsis learning health program to evaluate and improve outcomes through standardized ED workflows and the incorporation of a novel sepsis diagnostic test. Methods: We report the results of the first year of experience following the implementation of the learning health initiative and sepsis testing. Data from the Epic EHR were analyzed across two groups: …