NIPPV is frequently used in the management of critically ill patients presenting with an acute COPD exacerbation, as NIPPV decreases the rates of intubation and is associated with lower in-hospital mortality.  Typically, “low” intensity NIPPV, whereby inspiratory positive airway pressures less than 18 cm H2O are used. More recently, the use of “high” intensity NIPPV, with IPAPs between 20-30 cm …

The incidence of opioid-associated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests continues to rise.  Current guidelines for the resuscitation of patients with OHCA advise the clinician to consider the administration of naloxone of patients with suspected opioid-associated OHCA.  In this podcast, we review a recenlty published study in JAMA that evaluated the association of naloxone with patient outcomes in opioid-associated OHCAs.

Timely administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics is a critical pillar in the resuscitation of patients with sepsis.  B-lactam antibiotics are an important class of antibiotics commonly administered to patients with sepsis.  Typically, B-lactam antibiotics are administered over 30 minutes, but optimal bactericidal activity requires the concentration of free drug to be above the MIC of the organism for 40-70% of the dosing interval.  …

Patients with COVID-19 can require supplemental oxygen for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.  While international guidelines recommend a target SpO2 between 90-96%, a safe oxygenation strategy has not been identified.  In this podcast, we discuss the recently published HOT-COVID Trial, which compared a lower oxygenation strategy with a higher oxygenation strategy in adult ICU patients with COVID-19.

Over 1 million critically ill patients are intubated each year in the US.  Hypoxemia occurs in up to 20% of patients and can lead to peri-intubation cardiovascular collapse and cardiac arrest.  As such, adequate and appropriate preoxygenation is critical in increasing the safe apnea time and decreasing the risk of hypoxemia.  At present, the majority of patients receive preoxygenation through …

Timely and appropriate administration of empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics for adult patients with sepsis is critical.  Current guidelines recommend an antipseudomonal antibiotic for those at risk of a resistant gram-negative organism.  The two most common antipseudomonal antibiotics prescribed in this setting are cefepime and piperacillin-tazobactam.  In recent years, observational studies have reported an association with cefepime and neurotoxicity, whereas piperacillin-tazobactam has …

In recent years, there has been intense focus on delivering high-quality compressions during the resuscitation of patients with OHCA.  In contrast, ventilation metrics in OHCA resuscitation have not been well studied.  In this podcast, we discuss a recent publication from Circulation that evaluated ventilation waveforms during OHCA resuscitation and the association of these metrics on patient outcomes.  Can we do …

Critically ill patients commonly develop a dysregulated inflammatory response. Corticosteroids are hypothesized to be beneficial due to their anti-inflammatory properties.  In recent years, several studies have been published on the use of corticosteroids in select critical illnesses.  In this podcast, we review a recently published clinical update on the use of corticosteroids in sepsis, ARDS, and community acquired pneumonia.

In this podcast we review a few key articles from the 2023 critical care, emergency medicine, and resuscitation literature that pertain to our care of the critically ill ED patient.

Acute mental status changes after the ingestion of alcohol or other substances are a common presentation to the ED.  Those with severe obtundation may require intubation for airway protection while the substance metabolizes.  In fact, more than 20,000 patients are intubated each year in the United States for acute poisoning or intoxication.  Notwithstanding, intubation and mechanical ventilation are not benign …