SCCM Podcast

Retaining highly skilled advanced practice nurses and physician assistants in intensive care units is vital for maintaining excellent quality and safety in critical care. In the third episode of SCCM's podcast series on quality and safety in critical care, Diane C. McLaughlin, DNP, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, FCCM, is joined by Roy H. Constantine, MPH, PA-C, PhD, FCCM, and Jose Chavez, DNP, CNS, RN, CCRN, FCCM, to discuss best practices for retention and how retention impacts patient outcomes in critical care settings.

The importance of retaining seasoned physicians in the ICU is crucial for maintaining high standards of patient care. In the second episode of SCCM’s podcast series on quality and safety in critical care, Elizabeth H. Mack, MD, MS, FCCM, is joined by Alexander O. Sy, MBA, MD, MSL, FCCM, to discuss effective retention strategies, their direct impact on patient outcomes, and the broader effects on healthcare teams and organizational efficiency.

Host Samantha Gambles Farr, MSN, AG-ACNP, FNP-C, RNFA, is joined by Roman Melamed, MD, to discuss the comparative effectiveness of reduced-dose versus full-dose alteplase for acute pulmonary embolism, focusing on patient outcomes and complications. They will highlight study findings on significant improvements in hemodynamic and respiratory parameters in both groups, with a lower rate of hemorrhagic complications in the reduced-dose group (Melamed R, et al. Crit Care Med. 2024;52:729-742). Dr. Melamed is a critical care intensivist and director of the Pulmonary Embolism Program at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Minnesota.

Host Marilyn N. Bulloch, PharmD, BCPS, FCCM, is joined by Catherine Beni, MD, PhD, to discuss a study aimed at determining outcomes of extracorporeal CPR (ECPR) in pediatric patients without congenital cardiac disease and identifying associations with in-hospital mortality of factors such as initial arrest rhythm and patient demographics (Beni CE, et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2023 Nov;24:927-935). Catherine Beni, MD, PhD, is a resident physician in the department of surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.

Host Maureen A. Madden, DNP, RN, CPNC-AC, CCRN, FCCM, is joined by Michael C. McCrory, MD, MS, FCCM, to discuss a multicenter retrospective study evaluating the impact of neighborhood, as categorized by the Child Opportunity Index, on pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) outcomes such as mortality, illness severity, and PICU length of stay. The study highlights the disparities in PICU admissions based on socioeconomic factors (McCrory MC, et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2024 Apr;25:323-334). Michael C. McCrory, MD, MS, FCCM, is an associate professor in the departments of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Host Elizabeth H. Mack, MD, MS, FCCM, is joined by Samuel Snider, MD, and Michael Fong, MD, to discuss a retrospective cohort study that examined factors such as cardiac arrest, brain neoplasms, and EEG patterns to determine their association with status epilepticus and isolated seizures in critically ill patients, aiming to improve monitoring and treatment strategies for high-risk patients (Snider SB, et al. Crit Care Med. 2023 Aug;51:1001-1011). Samuel Snider, MD, is a board-certified neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an instructor of neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. Michael Fong, MD, is an assistant professor adjunct at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

Host Elizabeth H. Mack, MD, MS, FCCM, is joined by Luregn J. Schlapbach, MD, PhD, FCICM, to discuss the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine article, "Resuscitation With Early Adrenaline Infusion for Children With Septic Shock: A Randomized Pilot Trial" (Harley A, et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2024 Feb;25:106-117). The study found that a fluid-sparing algorithm for children presenting with septic shock using early adrenaline is feasible. Dr. Schlapbach is a professor and chief of intensive care and neonatology at the University Children's Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland.

Host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FCCM, is joined by Daisuke Kawakami, MD, to discuss the Critical Care Medicine article, “Evaluation of the Impact of ABCDEF Bundle Compliance Rates on Postintensive Care Syndrome: A Secondary Analysis Study.” (Kawakami D, et al. Crit Care Med. 2023 Dec;51:1685-1696). The study examines how compliance with the ICU Liberation Bundle (A-F) impacts post-intensive care syndrome and intensive care unit mortality rates Dr. Kawakami is a physician in the Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Japan. Learn more about the ICU Liberation Bundle at sccm.org/iculiberation.

Delve into the realm of implementation science and its significance in bridging the gap between research-based evidence and critical care practice. Host Marilyn N. Bulloch, PharmD, BCPS, FCCM, is joined by Anne E. Sales, PhD, RN, to discuss the complexity of implementation science, which involves understanding human behavior change within organizational constraints. They explore examples such as hypertension treatment to illustrate the challenges and opportunities of implementing evidence-based practices. They discuss the importance of context, resources, and stakeholder engagement in successful implementation efforts in the critical care setting where complex interventions and rapid changes are common. Dr. Sales is a nurse and professor at the Sinclair School of Nursing and the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the School of Medicine at the University of Missouri, and associate dean for implementation research and health delivery effectiveness in the School of Medicine. She is a research scientist at the Center for Clinical Management Research at the VA Ann Arbor Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Improving health literacy is vital for addressing disparities in healthcare access and quality. Join Host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FSHEA, FCCM, and Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, FASA, as they discuss the urgent need for health equity initiatives and innovative solutions to systemic healthcare challenges. Learn why providing accessible information and empowering individuals to advocate for their health is key. Dr. Adams was the 20th U.S. Surgeon General when the COVID-19 pandemic began and had a front-row seat to the government’s response to COVID-19. Dr. Adams provided his perspective on that response in his book Crisis and Chaos: Lessons from the Front Lines of the War Against COVID-19, which was published in October 2023. The book examines the past three years since the pandemic began, but Dr. Adams said that it also applies to America’s future unless changes are made. He presented his perspectives during the 2024 Critical Care Congress in a thought leader session and shares additional insights during this podcast episode. While Dr. Adams was U.S. Surgeon General, from 2017 to 2021, he led the 6000-person U.S. Public Health Service through responses to three category 5 hurricanes and an opioid epidemic in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously he was Indiana’s state health commissioner, where he addressed Ebola, Zika, and HIV crises. Today he is the executive director of health equity initiatives at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, where he is also a distinguished professor of practice in the public health and pharmacy practice departments.