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.
In February, we discussed the results of the ADRENAL trial and implications for clinical practice. Since that time, another large trial and meta-analysis has...
Both etomidate and propofol are commonly used sedative agents in critically ill patients. Recent literature has suggested that these agents may result in increased...
New guidelines have just been published on the care of family members of critically ill patients! So many family members of critically ill patients...