Bicarbonate for Severe Acidosis?

ccpempod

Many critically ill patients are acidotic.  Often, bicarbonate is administered to severely acidotic patients, but does it really improve outcomes?  The BICAR-ICU was just published in the NEJM and evaluated the use of bicarbonate in patients with severe metabolic acidosis.  In this podcast, we go over the results and discuss the use of bicarbonate in critically ill patients.

A Clean Kill? Ventilating the Asthmatic Patient

ccpempod

Mechanically ventilating the patient with a severe asthma exacerbation is fraught with peril.  Incorrect settings for tidal volume, respiratory rate, pressure triggers, or inspiratory flow can quickly worsen hyperinflation and case hemodynamic collapse.  In this episode we tackle the pitfalls and provide the key pearls you NEED to know!