ICU Archives
Skin pigment affects oxygen monitor
Oct. 11, 2022—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.
Reduced exercise capacity in ICU survivors
Sep. 22, 2022—ICU survivors who have impaired exercise capacity months after discharge may have damaged muscle mitochondria — the energy powerhouses of the cell, Vanderbilt researchers propose.
VUMC treats influx of trauma victims from Kentucky and Tennessee tornadoes
Dec. 13, 2021—Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has treated 28 patients injured from the tornado outbreak that struck Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky overnight on Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11. As reports from Kentucky detailed the severity of the storms, VUMC increased staffing and prepared space in ICU areas to care for incoming patients. Through...
Rounds: Hard conversations
Sep. 22, 2021—Difficult conversations are a hallmark of medicine. Patients and their families rely on us to share the facts about their illnesses that are sometimes hard to hear. While many clinicians begin to do this while training, our effectiveness in these conversations develops throughout a career. Telling a young mother she has an aggressive cancer or...
VUMC sees increase of COVID-19 in pregnant patients
Aug. 2, 2021—Physicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have recently noticed an increase in pregnant patients ill with COVID-19. These cases are especially concerning due an increased risk of hospitalization, ICU admission, need for mechanical ventilation and ventilatory support, and increased risk of death in pregnant patients with COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant patients.
Dexmedetomidine and delirium
Jun. 21, 2021—The sedative dexmedetomidine, when administered during or after heart surgery, is associated with postoperative delirium and adverse outcomes.
COVID-19 met with intensive teamwork
Apr. 1, 2021—Team members serving COVID-19 inpatients were more densely connected, interacting far more than their medical ICU counterparts.
Study finds recommended ICU sedatives equally safe, effective
Feb. 2, 2021—Sedative medications used in intensive care are associated with increased delirium, which is in turn connected with higher medical costs and greater risk of death and ICU-related dementia.
Study to explore how COVID affects cognition over time
Jul. 22, 2020—The Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is following patients who have been hospitalized for COVID-19 over time to see if they develop long-term cognitive impairment, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Fleming reflects on a life of love, purpose after terminal cancer diagnosis
Jun. 4, 2020—A month before his 49th birthday, Geoffrey Fleming, MD, had a biopsy of his liver to diagnose an unidentified metastatic disease that he already knew was “something bad.”
Rounding based on acuity helps preserve attention of clinicians
May. 21, 2020—Multidisciplinary teams conducting daily rounds in intensive care units will typically work their way down hallways, going from one patient to the next based on spatial proximity.
Vaccine study seeks to halt flu’s most severe side effects
Oct. 9, 2019—Vanderbilt University Medical Center is leading a multicenter national study to evaluate the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine for preventing the flu’s most serious side effects — admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), organ failure and death.
