Intensive Care Unit

Nathaly Sweeney, a neonatologist at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and researcher with Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, attends to a young patient in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

Health & Safety

Fast DNA Sequencing Can Offer Diagnostic Clues When Newborns Need Intensive Care

7:59pm October 28, 2019

by Richard Harris

Rapid genome decoding and analysis have made it possible to quickly diagnose some baffling rare diseases that make babies sick. Even when there's no cure, the information can help families cope.

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Kristin Sollars (left) and Marci Ebberts say nursing is more than just a job. "Sometimes I wonder why everyone in the world doesn't want to be a nurse," Sollars says.

For 2 Nurses, Working In The ICU Is 'A Gift Of A Job'

12:26pm August 30, 2019

For years, Kristin Sollars and Marci Ebberts worked together caring for critically ill patients, a job they say is also a daily mindset. "You carry a little bit of them with you," Ebberts said.

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Shauna Pelfrey talks to her husband, Dorian, while preparing for his dialysis appointment.

Health & Safety

Vitamin Treatment For Sepsis Is Put To The Test

12:02pm December 12, 2018

by Richard Harris

Researchers have devised a large clinical study to quickly assess whether one doctor's apparently effective treatment for deadly sepsis is a fluke or worthy of widespread use.

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A major study published Monday finds that widely prescribed antipsychotic drugs like haloperidol are no more effective than a placebo for treating delirium.

Antipsychotic Drugs Don't Ease ICU Delirium Or Dementia

4:59pm October 22, 2018

by Richard Harris

Though widely prescribed in hospital intensive care units to treat hallucinations and other signs of delirium, Haldol and similar drugs are no better than a placebo for such patients, a study finds.

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Randy and Karen O'Burke together at their son's home in Hendersonville, Tenn., last week. "Apparently, I'm pretty much of a miracle," Randy says.

How To Prevent Brain-Sapping Delirium In The ICU

9:21am October 11, 2018

by Richard Harris

People who suffer from prolonged delirium in the hospital are likely to develop long-term mental problems like dementia. Doctors have come up with techniques they say can reduce delirium in the ICU.

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Richard Langford, at home in East Nashville, Tenn., still has significant trouble with mental focus and memory issues 10 years after a sudden and serious infection landed him in the hospital ICU for several weeks.

When ICU Delirium Leads To Symptoms Of Dementia After Discharge

5:50pm October 10, 2018

by Richard Harris

Up to half of all patients who survive emergency medical treatment in the intensive care unit have mental problems when they return home. Doctors studying the problem say it starts with delirium.

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