Critical Care Commentary

Bedside-focused cardiac ultrasound assessment, or cardiac point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), has become common in intensive care units throughout the US and the world. Many clinicians argue a POCUS cardiac assessment should be completed in most hypotensive patients and all cases of undifferentiated shock. However, obtaining images adequate for decision making via standard transthoracic echo (TTE) is…

The practice of initiating early and adequate nutrition in critically ill patients is a cornerstone of ICU management. Adequate nutrition combats the dangerous catabolic state that accompanies critical illness. A few of the benefits of this practice are a decrease in disease severity with resultant lessened hospital and ICU lengths of stay, reduced infection rates,…

Patients admitted to ICUs require modifications to their medication regimen due to their critical illness and rapidly changing clinical status. Modifications to medication regimens may include stopping home medications for chronic conditions, dose adjustments for altered organ function, or initiating new treatments for acute illness(es). Common examples of changes to a critically ill patient’s medication…