Critical Matters

Dr. Thomas Bleck, a seasoned neurointensivist and professor at Rush University Medical Center, dives deep into the management of seizures in the ICU. He shares insights on the best practices for treating status epilepticus, emphasizing the importance of prompt intervention and proper medication dosing. Dr. Bleck explains how to differentiate between epileptic and non-epileptic seizures using EEG and discusses the significance of continuous EEG monitoring. He also highlights the prognostic implications of seizures post-cardiac arrest and the advancement of neurocritical care.

In this episode of Critical Matters, we discuss the Hour-1 Bundle for sepsis. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign has been working on improving outcomes for patients with sepsis for well over a decade. Today we are fortunate to have one of its leaders as a guest to discuss the 2018 update: The Hour-1 Bundle. Our guest is Mitchell Levy, MD, MCCM. Dr. Levy is Professor of Medicine and Division Chief, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Additional Resources: The Surviving Sepsis Campaign website. A wealth of resources for clinicians interested in improving outcomes for patients with sepsis and septic shock. http://www.survivingsepsis.org/Pages/default.aspx The Surviving Sepsis Campaign Bundle: 2018 Update (The Hour-1-Bundle) http://www.survivingsepsis.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Surviving-Sepsis-Campaign-Hour-1-Bundle-2018.pdf Books Mentioned in This Episode: Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior: https://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1611802326/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1528317558&sr=8-1

In this episode of Critical Matters, we discuss medical errors in healthcare. Our guest is Dr. Nitin Puri, a practicing intensivist and medical educator at the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and the Cooper Health System in Camden, New Jersey. We discuss a range of topics related to medical errors in critical care medicine including the incidence of errors in our practice, causes, how to prevent them, and how we should deal with them when they occur. Additional Resources: To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. The landmark publication y the Institute of Medicine highlighting medical errors as a critical cause of deaths in the US healthcare system: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25077248 Medical error – the third leading cause of death in the US: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27143499 Books Mentioned in This Episode: Haroun and the Sea of Stories: https://www.amazon.com/Haroun-Sea-Stories-Salman-Rushdie/dp/0140157379/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 Invisible Man: https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Vintage-International-Ralph-Ellison-ebook/dp/B003WUYR9K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525281632&sr=8-2&keywords=invisible+man+ralph+ellison

In this episode of Critical Matters, we discuss the role of noninvasive ventilation and high-flow oxygen nasal cannula in respiratory failure. Our guest, Dr. Pratik Doshi, is an academic intensivist and emergency medicine physician at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Doshi is the lead author and investigator of a recently published multicenter randomized clinical trial evaluating this topic. Additional Resources: Official ERS / ATS Guidelines for non-invasive ventilation (NIV): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28860265 High-velocity nasal insufflation in the treatment of respiratory failure: A randomized clinical trial by Doshi P et al: http://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(17)31968-6/fulltext Books Mentioned in This Episode: The Alchemist: https://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Paulo-Coelho-ebook/dp/B00U6SFUSS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523055572&sr=8-1&keywords=the+alchemist

Dr. John Greenwood, an expert in emergency medicine and critical care, shares his insights on managing postoperative cardiac surgery patients. He discusses the vital collaboration between intensivists and surgeons, focusing on patient safety during transitions from the OR to the ICU. Key challenges like glycemic control and the management of atrial fibrillation are explored, along with the complexities of handling refractory shock. Greenwood also emphasizes the importance of simplicity in critical care decisions and reflects on how literature shapes personal growth.

In our first episode of the Critical Matters podcast, we discussed the potential role of Angiotensin II in the treatment of distributive shock based on the results of the ATHOS 3 clinical trial. Now Angiotensin II is FDA approved and commercially available as a product named GIAPREZA™. In this episode we will discuss this topic further. Our guest is Dr. Lakhmir S. Chawla, Chief Medical Officer of La Jolla Pharmaceutical in San Diego, California. Previously, Dr. Chawla was a Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University. During his tenure at George Washington, Dr. Chawla was the designer and lead investigator of the ATHOS (Angiotensin II for the Treatment of High Output Shock) trial which results led to the ATHOS 3 trial, (The Phase 3 clinical trial of angiotensin II, for the treatment of catecholamine-resistant hypotension). Additional Resources: ATHOS-3 Clinical Trial. Randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of Angiotensin II in raising blood pressure in vasodilatory shock. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1704154 Outcomes in Patients with Vasodilatory Shock and Renal Replacement Therapy Treated with Intravenous Angiotensin II. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Outcomes+in+Patients+with+Vasodilatory+Shock+and+Renal+Replacement+Therapy+Treated+with+Intravenous+Angiotensin+II Prescribing information for Angiotensin II (GIAPREZA ™ ). http://giapreza.com/giapreza-prescribing-information.pdf Books Mentioned in This Episode: Atlas Shrugged: https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451191145/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522104389&sr=8-1&keywords=atlas+shrugged+book

In this episode of Critical Matters, we explore the intersection of high-altitude medicine and physiology with critical care. Our guest is Robert B. Shoene, MD, FACP. Dr. Shoene is Associate Director, ICU and Critical Care, at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco. Dr. Shoene is a prolific author and researcher with more than 100 publications. His research has focused on pulmonary physiology and altitude medicine, and he has been part of numerous research expeditions to locations such as Mt. Everest and Denali. Additional Resources: Arterial Blood Gases and Oxygen Content in Climbers on Mount Everest: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0801581 A comprehensive review on illnesses at high altitude: https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(08)60216-0/fulltext Everest: The West Ridge by Thomas Hornbein: https://www.amazon.com/Everest-West-Ridge-Thomas-Hornbein/dp/1594857075/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520812701&sr=8-1&keywords=everest+the+west+ridge Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Journey by Alfred Lansing: https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfred-Lansing/dp/0465062881/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520812797&sr=1-1&keywords=endurance Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande: https://www.amazon.com/Being-Mortal-Medicine-What-Matters/dp/1250076226/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520812921&sr=1-1&keywords=Being+mortal Intensive Care, a poem by Dr. Robert Schoene: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1348231?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

In this episode, we discuss the practice of respect in the intensive care unit. Our guest is Samuel M. Brown, MD, MS, a practicing intensivist and Director of the Center for Humanizing Critical Care at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. Dr. Brown holds an academic appointment as Associate Professor of Medicine at the University Of Utah School Of Medicine, Murray UT. He is a prolific investigator and author with a wide range of interests, including complexity in critical illness, echocardiography, and ethics. Our conversation covers topics such as dignity, respect, compassion and burnout. Join us in a fascinating discussion with a thought leader in bringing humanism to critical care. Additional Resources: - Recent article co-authored by Dr. Brown and colleagues reviewing important aspects of the practice of respect in critical care medicine. Click here to read. - The Center for Humanizing Critical Care works with researchers and clinicians with the goal of helping patients and family members make it through critical illness with their humanity intact. Learn more here. - Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited by Vladimir Nabokov. Additional Resources: Recent article co-authored by Dr. Brown and colleagues reviewing important aspects of the practice of respect in critical care medicine. Click here to read. The Center for Humanizing Critical Care works with researchers and clinicians with the goal of helping patients and family members make it through critical illness with their humanity intact. Learn more here. Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited by Vladimir Nabokov. Click here to learn more.

The use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has penetrated our clinical practice. In the hands of trained intensivists POCUS can quickly provide valuable diagnostic information and lead to specific therapeutic interventions. Today’s episode explores the use of POCUS during cardiac arrest. Our guest is Haney Mallemat, MD. Dr. Mallemat is board certified in emergency medicine, internal medicine, and critical care medicine and works in the emergency department and intensive care unit at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ. He has lectured both nationally and internationally and has contributed to several emergency medicine and critical care podcasts. He is a firm believer in the benefits of bedside ultrasound for better patient care. Additional Resources - The REASON Trial evaluated the role of POCUS in out of hospital cardiac arrest arriving to the emergency department. Click here to read. - Point of care ultrasound can be associated with frequent interruptions during CPR. As Dr. Mallemat discusses in the podcast, providers must pay very close attention to this issue. Additional Resources: The REASON Trial evaluated the role of POCUS in out of hospital cardiac arrest arriving to the emergency department. Click here to read. Point of care ultrasound can be associated with frequent interruptions during CPR. As Dr. Mallemat discusses in the podcast, providers must pay very close attention to this issue. Click here to read more.

In this discussion, Fred Rincon, a board-certified neurologist and neurointensivist at Thomas Jefferson University, explores neuroprognostication after cardiac arrest. He emphasizes the importance of waiting 72 hours post-rewarming before making prognosis decisions, given advancements like targeted temperature management. Rincon explains how physical exams and biomarkers can aid in predicting recovery while highlighting their limitations. He also discusses aggressive treatment of myoclonic patterns and the role of imaging in the prognostication process.