Other bulletins in this series include:

Breast Surgery

Thursday 16 May 2013

Sex and severe sepsis

Sex and severe sepsis. Critical care 2013, 17:144

Guidet, B. and Maury, E.

http://ccforum.com/content/17/3/144

Epidemiological studies document that males are more prone than females to develop severe sepsis and this is confirmed by Sakr and colleagues in the previous issue of Critical Care. However, the impact of gender on prognosis of severe sepsis is a matter of debate. Sakr and colleagues report a higher mortality in septic females than in males. This puzzling result might be explained by confounding factors such as age, nosocomial infections, follow-up period, and case mix. The impact of sexual hormones in older females is less relevant. Treatments aimed at modifying sexual hormone profile are promising but need to be tested in future trials.

How do we know when patients sleep properly or why they do not?

How do we know when patients sleep properly or why they do not? Critical care 2013, 17:145

Sjoberg, F. and Svanborg, E.

http://ccforum.com/content/17/3/145/abstract

The importance of adequate sleep for good health and immune system function is well documented as is reduced sleep quality experienced by ICU patients. In this issue of Critical Care, Elliot and co-workers present, a well done, largest of its kind, single center study on sleep patterns in critically ill patients. They base their study on the "gold standard", the polysomnography technique (PSG), which is resource demanding to perform and often difficult to evaluate. 

Monday 13 May 2013

Does space make waste? The influence of ICU bed capacity on admission decisions

Does space make waste? The influence of ICU bed capacity on admission decisions. Critical care, May 2013, 17: 315.

Esteban, M. and Khan, JM.

http://ccforum.com/content/17/3/315

Intensive care unit (ICU) beds are a scarce resource, and admissions may require prioritization when demand exceeds supply. However, there are few empiric data on whether the availability of ICU beds influences triage and processes of care for hospitalized patients who develop sudden clinical deterioration.