Chest
-
Burnout syndrome is an increasingly common phenomenon that threatens our critical care workforce and the well-being of its members. Burnout syndrome can be conceived of as a workforce manifestation of chronic workload and workforce capacity imbalance. This study explores the role of workload management tools that can address workload as a complement to the resilience-based countermeasures that seek to increase worker capacity. ⋯ Our ICU workforce efficiency was calculated as the ratio of mandatory task time to scheduled time. Comparing this ratio vs a well-established industrial standard for equipment efficiency made us realize that our average workload seemed excessive and placed our staff at risk of burnout syndrome. It is difficult to conceive that our resilience-based countermeasures to prevent and treat burnout would not be more effective when combined with measures that reduce the time our staff members spend on mandatory ICU tasks.
-
This study aimed to identify changing spatial and temporal trends of lung cancer mortality rates (LCMRs) among subpopulations in China (according to region, age, and sex). ⋯ Disparities in the spatial and temporal trends of LCMRs among subpopulations highlight the need for investigation into potential drivers, especially for the east, south, and southwest of China. These findings may help health authorities target interventions to those most in need to reduce the lung cancer burden in China.
-
Chronic inflammatory diseases of the lung are often life-threatening and are a leading cause of morbidity in our communities. MicroRNAs (miRs) are now recognized to play critical roles in a wide range of cellular functions, including the regulation of immunologic processes, which are often dysregulated in chronic respiratory diseases. ⋯ Furthermore, experimental evidence suggests that pharmacologic inhibition of miR function or delivery of mimics may have therapeutic potential. The review also therefore discusses the potential utility and limitations of therapeutically targeting these molecules and their downstream pathways.
-
Multicenter Study
Percent of time in range 70-139mg/dL is associated with reduced mortality among critically ill patients receiving intravenous insulin infusion.
In addition to hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and glycemic variability, reduced time in targeted blood glucose range (TIR) is associated with increased risk of death in critically ill patients. This relation between TIR and mortality may be confounded by diabetic status and antecedent glycemic control. ⋯ TIR was independently associated with mortality in critically ill patients, particularly those with good antecedent glucose control.
-
Patients requiring mechanical circulatory support (MCS) constitute a heterogeneous group whose needs have guided the development of a broad range of MCS devices. Appropriate patient and device selection are important for maximizing the potential benefit of these therapies. ⋯ In the critical care setting, patients with the highest acuity have the worst outcomes when receiving an implantable long-term ventricular assist device (VAD); therefore, shorter-term devices should be considered for stabilization and optimization prior to implantation of a long-term device. In this focused review for the critical care clinician, we discuss important considerations for identifying VAD candidates, identifying the range of devices available to support them, bridging strategies that may improve outcomes for patients who are critically ill, and identifying areas of ongoing research.