Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Dec 2015
Multicenter Study Observational StudyA Multicenter Evaluation of Prolonged Empiric Antibiotic Therapy in Adult ICUs in the United States.
The purpose of this study is to determine the rate of prolonged empiric antibiotic therapy in adult ICUs in the United States. Our secondary objective is to examine the relationship between the prolonged empiric antibiotic therapy rate and certain ICU characteristics. ⋯ Half of all empiric antibiotics ordered in critically ill patients are continued for at least 72 hours in absence of adjudicated infection. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine the risks and benefits of prolonged empiric therapy in the critically ill.
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Critical care medicine · Dec 2015
Observational StudyPrevalence of Venous Thrombosis Following Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Patients With Severe Respiratory Failure.
Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for patients with severe respiratory failure is increasingly common. There has been a significant change in the population, technology, and approach used for venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation over the last 10 years. The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of postdecannulation deep vein thrombosis in the cannulated vessel in adults who have received venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for severe respiratory failure. ⋯ The prevalence of deep vein thrombosis following decannulation from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for severe respiratory failure is clinically significant, and routine venous Doppler ultrasound following decannulation is warranted in this population.