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 procedures. In this podcast we discuss the recently published NICO Trial, that evaluated a strategy of withholding intubation in patients with coma due to acute poisoning.
The heat and humidity have returned to the Northern Hemisphere! Numerous deaths have already been reported due to the extreme heat. In this episode...
RSI is one of the most common procedures in critically ill patients. Despite its frequency, there remains significant practice variation on numerous aspects of...
Mechanically ventilating the patient with a severe asthma exacerbation is fraught with peril. Incorrect settings for tidal volume, respiratory rate, pressure triggers, or inspiratory...