Critical Matters

In this episode, Dr. Zanotti is joined by Dr. Stephen Pastores to discuss the 2024 Focused Update: Guidelines on Use of Corticosteroids in Sepsis, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and Community-Acquired Pneumonia, published by the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Pastores is Program Director for Critical Care Medicine and Vice-Chair of Education for the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In addition, Dr. Pastores is a professor of anesthesiology and medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, NY. Additional resources: 2024 Focused Update: Guidelines on Use of Corticosteroids in Sepsis, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Crit Care Medicine 2024: https://journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=9900&issue=00000&article=00275&type=Fulltext Adjunctive Glucocorticoid Therapy in Patients with Septic Shock. ADRENAL Trial. N Engl J Med 2018. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1705835 Hydrocortisone plus Fludrocortisone for Adults with Septic Shock. APROCCHSS Clinical Trial. N Engl J of Med 2018: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1705716 Dexamethasone treatment for the acute respiratory distress syndrome: a multicentre, randomized controlled trial. The Lancet 2020: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(19)30417-5/abstract Hydrocortisone in Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia. CAPE-COD Trial. N Eng J Med 2023: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2215145 Books mentioned in this episode: Elon Musk. By Walter Isaacson: https://bit.ly/3PVXWsG The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care. By Hannah Wunsch: https://bit.ly/4avevns

In this episode, Dr. Zanotti discusses the delicate balance of conflict resolution in healthcare. Conflict is common in our daily work in the ICU. Many clinicians avoid conflict and have negative feelings towards it. However, conflict, when managed appropriately, can lead to significant benefits for our patients and teams. Dr. Zanotti's discussion is based on a webinar he presented earlier this month as part of Sound Critical Care Leadership Week. Additional Resources: Watch the full webinar: https://youtu.be/R3wz29W3C4g Conflict Management in the ICU. Previous Critical Matters podcast episode with Dr. Joshua Kayser. https://soundphysicians.com/podcast-episode/?podcast_id=342&track_id=1378454077 Books Mentioned in this Episode: Nonviolent Communication. By Marshal B. Rosenberg: https://bit.ly/4a8h0fp Getting to YES: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. By Roger Fisher and William Ury: https://bit.ly/3TSD5J3 Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict. By William Ury: https://bit.ly/4aauFCK Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When Stakes are High. By Joseph Grenny, et al: https://bit.ly/43AU6La The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict. By the Arbinger Institute: https://bit.ly/4a1v0HL

The podcast discusses the role of ECMO in acute respiratory failure, covering historical developments, patient selection, and outcomes. It explores optimizing patient care with correct tidal volume and early engagement with the ECMO team. The chapter also touches on anticoagulation, complications, proning ARDS patients on ECMO, and weaning off ECMO support. Lessons from Shackleton's expedition highlight the importance of embracing change for better patient outcomes.

Discussing critical care management of Guillain-Barre Syndrome and Myasthenia Gravis in the ICU, featuring insights from Dr. Kamran Athar. Topics include differential diagnosis, specific treatments like plasma exchange and IVIG, respiratory management, autonomic dysfunction, myasthenia crisis, and the importance of thymectomy in myasthenia patients with thymomas. Also, explores rare neuromuscular disorders that require ICU care and reflects on forgiveness, reconciliation, and humility in medicine and life.

In this episode, Dr. Zanotti is joined by Dr. Eddy Fan for a discussion about Respiratory Support in ARDS. Dr. Fan is an associate professor in the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine and the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. He is also a staff intensivist at the University Health Network/Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Fan is currently the Medical Director of the Extracorporeal Life Support Program at the Toronto General Hospital and the Director of Critical Care Research at the University Health Network/Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Fan’s research has focused on advanced life support for acute respiratory failure and patient outcomes from critical illness. He is a co-author of the ESICM ARDS Clinical Guidelines. Additional Resources: ESICM guidelines on acute respiratory distress syndrome: definition, phenotyping, and respiratory support strategies. Intensive Care Med 2023: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37326646/ An Update on Management of Adult Patients with ARDS. Official ATS Clinical Practice Guideline. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2024; https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.202311-2011ST Prone Positioning in Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. PROSEVA Clinical Trial. N Engl J of Med 2013: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1214103 Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The EOLIA Trial. N Eng J of Med 2018: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1800385 Books mentioned in this episode: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. By James Joyce: https://bit.ly/49kzmtn

In this episode, we discuss the management of seizures in the intensive care unit. Our guest is Dr. Brandon Foreman – an internist and neurologist with fellowship training in epilepsy and Neurocritical care. Dr. Foreman is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Cincinnati Medical College. He is the Associate Director for Neurocritical Care Research. An excellent clinician, researcher, and educator focusing on Clinical Neurophysiology and Neurocritical care. Additional Resources: Seizure Management in the Intensive Care Unit. Boggs JG. Curr Treat Options Neurol 2021: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34697528/ American Epilepsy Society – Website with multiple clinical Guideline: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34697528/ Treating Rhythmic and Periodic EEG Patterns in Comatose Survivors of Cardiac Arrest. Ruijter BJ, et al. N Engl J Med 2022: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35196426/ Books mentioned in this episode:  Siddhartha: A Novel. By Hermann Hesse: https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Novel-Hermann-Hesse Netflix- Reference Guide on Our Freedom and Responsibility Culture https://igormroz.com/documents/netflix_culture.pdf

Dr. Andre Kalil discusses the evaluation of fever in adult ICU patients, highlighting the importance of determining underlying causes. Topics include defining fever considering age, comorbidities, and medications, administering antimicrobials promptly, importance of blood cultures, culturing blood in ICU patients, testing for viral pathogens, and accepting uncertainty in patient care.

Dr. David Greer, a neurologist and chair of the Boston University School of Medicine Department of Neurology, discusses the clinical guidelines for brain death and death by neurologic criteria. They cover topics such as evaluating brain death and donation, conducting the apnea test, limitations of ancillary tests, determining brain death and consent, and the importance of providing comfort to patients and families. They also share book recommendations and emphasize finding joy in everyday work.

Dr. Naomi O'Grady, a critical care and infectious disease physician at the National Institutes of Health, discusses Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI). The podcast covers the impact of CLABSI on patient outcomes, the definitions and pathophysiology of CLABSI and CRBSI, catheter contamination and prevention strategies, the importance of hand hygiene before sterile glove insertion, the use of chlorhexidine dressings to reduce CLABSI rates, and improving the healthcare system and emphasizing self-care.

To err is human. In today’s episode, we will discuss the science behind learning to fail, in other words: “failing well”. We will discuss our flawed relationship to failure, how to better understand failure, and how to learn from failure. I am joined by Amy Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. For the last 2 decades, she has studied the elements of high-performing teams in complex environments. She has coined the term “psychological safety” and has made critical insights into teaming, learning from failure, and innovation. She is the author of several books and multiple academic papers and a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review. Her latest book “Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well”, was released in September of this year on hardback. Additional Resource: Right Kind of Wrong. The Science of Failing Well. By Amy Edmondson: https://www.amazon.com/Right-Kind-Wrong-Science-Failing-ebook/dp/B0BTZT9CXV#:~:text=In%20Right%20Kind%20of%20Wrong,from%20flubs%20of%20all%20stripes Critical Matters podcast episode – The Fearless ICU, a discussion with Amy Edmondson on Psychological safety and teaming: https://soundphysicians.com/podcast-episode/?podcast_id=342&track_id=1220843524 Faculty page for Amy Edmondson. A great jumping point to her vast body of work: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/AmyEdmondson Strategies for Learning from Failure. By A. Edmondson. Harvard Business Review 2011: https://hbr.org/2011/04/strategies-for-learning-from-failure Books Mentioned in this Episode: Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure. By Tim Hartford: https://shorturl.at/mpQU1 Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error. By Kathryn Shulz: https://shorturl.at/qAHJ0 Principles: Life and Work. By Ray Dalio: https://shorturl.at/JRSZ1