intensive care unit Archive — Page 1 of 2

Head-and-shoulders portrait of a woman with long dark hair wearing a dark top against a softly blurred brown background.
February 23, 2023

Review explores ICU-related cognitive impact scores

A recent systematic review by Vanderbilt researchers has taken a close look at the cognitive instruments used in long-term outcome studies of survivors of adult critical illness and how those test scores are interpreted.

By Nancy Humphrey
Gloved healthcare worker placing a fingertip pulse oximeter on a patient's finger in a clinical setting.
October 11, 2022

Skin pigment affects oxygen monitor

Black patients in the ICU were more likely to have low or high blood oxygen levels than white patients, even when a pulse oximeter indicated 92-96% oxygen saturation, Vanderbilt researchers found.

By Sarah E. Glass
Close-up of a person’s feet pedaling a stationary exercise bike, wearing black athletic shoes and white socks.
September 22, 2022

Reduced exercise capacity in ICU survivors

ICU survivors who have impaired exercise capacity months after discharge may have damaged muscle mitochondria — the energy powerhouses of the cell, Vanderbilt researchers propose.

By Kelsey Pinckard
The study team includes, from left, Douglas Heimburger, MD, MS, Kondwelani Mateyo, MBChB, MMed, Justin Banerdt, MD, MPH, and E. Wesley Ely, MD.
April 22, 2021

Vanderbilt, Zambia researchers identify predictive factors of delirium in Sub-Saharan Africa

Severity of illness, history of stroke, and being divorced or widowed were independently predictive of delirium in hospitalized patients in Zambia, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.

By Holly Fletcher
Medical team members in white coats and blue scrubs joining their hands in a central stack, viewed from above.
April 1, 2021

COVID-19 met with intensive teamwork

Team members serving COVID-19 inpatients were more densely connected, interacting far more than their medical ICU counterparts.

By Paul Govern
Close-up of a high-tech laboratory interface displaying the words “COVID-19” and “VIRUS,” with colorful circuit-like lines and data graphics.
January 8, 2021

Large study finds higher burden of acute brain dysfunction for COVID-19 ICU patients

COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care in the early months of the pandemic were subject to a significantly higher burden of delirium and coma than is typically found in patients with acute respiratory failure. Choice of sedative medications and curbs on family visitation played a role in increasing acute brain dysfunction for these patients.

By Paul Govern