New study finds high-dose inhaled nitric oxide decreases the risk of death among critically ill Black patients with COVID-19

In a first-of-its-kind study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, physician-scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine discovered that high-dose inhaled nitric oxide therapy may improve oxygenation and reduce the risk of mortality among critically ill Black patients with COVID-19.

AACN Practice Alert Offers Guidance on Manual Prone Positioning for Patients With ARDS

A newly released practice alert from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses aims to standardize how nurses care for patients undergoing prone positioning therapy for extended periods of time. It summarizes expected nursing practice to reduce the risk of complications related to manual prone positioning.

High-Dose Anticoagulation Can Reduce Intubations and Improve Survival for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

High-dose anticoagulation can reduce deaths by 30 percent and intubations by 25 percent in hospitalized COVID-19 patients who are not critically ill when compared to the standard treatment, which is low-dose anticoagulation.

Early Mobility Improved Survival Rates for COVID-19 Patients Receiving ECMO

Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital, Plano, Texas, changed its treatment paradigm for its COVID-19 patients receiving ECMO during the pandemic, finding that progressive mobility and a more aggressive application of rehabilitation therapies contributed to significantly higher survival rates.

Extracellular Vesicles in Lung Fluid May Point to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Severity

Article title: CD14-positive extracellular vesicles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid as a new biomarker of acute respiratory distress syndrome Authors: Rahul Y. Mahida, Joshua Price, Sebastian T. Lugg, Hui Li, Dhruv Parekh, Aaron Scott, Paul Harrison, Michael A. Matthay, David R.…

COVID-19 Pulmonary, ARDS and Ventilator Resources Now Available in Spanish

A joint effort between the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development has made AACN’s free “COVID-19 Pulmonary, ARDS and Ventilator Resources” online course available in Spanish.

Recursos sobre COVID-19, SDRA y Ventilación Ahora disponible en español

Un esfuerzo conjunto entre la Asociación Americana de Enfermeras de Cuidados Críticos (AACN) y los proyectos financiados por la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional (USAID) ha hecho posible que el curso en línea gratuito de la AACN “Recursos sobre COVID-19, SDRA y Ventilación” esté disponible en español.

Growing Use of Mechanical Circulatory Support Affects Clinician Well-Being, Moral Distress

The growing use of mechanical circulatory support may contribute to high levels of moral distress for clinicians who regularly care for ICU patients receiving the aggressive but life-sustaining therapy, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Proning Team Became Key Part of Massachusetts General’s COVID-19 Care

A designated proning team — composed of about 70 OR nurses, OR assistants and outpatient physical therapists — became a key part of the COVID-19 care provided by Massachusetts General Hospital, responding around-the-clock to patients who needed turning and allowing critical care clinicians to focus on other aspects of care.

COVID-19 deaths really are different. But best practices for ICU care should still apply, studies suggest.

COVID-19 deaths are indeed different from other lung failure deaths, according to two recent studies, with 56% of COVID-19 patients dying primarily from the lung damage caused by the virus, compared with 22% of those whose lungs fail due to other causes. But, the researchers conclude, the kind of care needed to help sustain people through the worst cases of all forms of lung failure is highly similar, and just needs to be fine-tuned.

Bringing harmony to chaos: UTHealth trauma surgeon repairs lives

By the time first responders rushed the patient to Red Duke Trauma Institute at Memorial Hermann-TMC, life was already slipping away through a stab wound in the neck. The goal of the team: resuscitate and transfer the patient to the operating room, where Laura J. Moore, MD, with UTHealth, would reconstruct his severed blood vessels.

Unraveling the network of molecules that influence COVID-19 severity

Researchers from the Morgridge Institute for Research, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Albany Medical College have identified more than 200 molecular features that strongly correlate with COVID-19 severity, offering insight into potential treatment options for those with advanced disease.

Lack of Knowledge Is One Barrier to Prone Positioning in Severe ARDS Caused by COVID-19

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines ways to increase the use of prone positioning for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and develops specific implementation strategies that can assist in clinicians’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prone positioning has been shown to reduce mortality related to severe ARDS, yet most patients with ARDS—up to 85 percent—do not receive this lifesaving therapy.

Researchers Identify “Druggable” Signaling Pathway that Stimulates Lung Tissue Repair

Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a cellular pathway that can be targeted with a naturally occurring drug to stimulate lung tissue regeneration, which is necessary for recovery from multiple lung injuries. The findings, which were published today in Nature Cell Biology, could lead to better therapies for patients with lung disease, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19.

DNA webs may drive lung pathology in severe COVID-19

Sticky webs of DNA released from immune cells known as neutrophils may cause much of the tissue damage associated with severe COVID-19 infections, according to two new studies published September 14 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM). The research, conducted by independent groups in Belgium and Brazil, suggests that blocking the release of these DNA webs could be a new therapeutic target for the management of severe forms of COVID-19.

Unconventional T cells in severe COVID-19 patients could predict disease outcome

Researchers in France have discovered that patients suffering from severe COVID-19 show changes in a class of immune cells known as unconventional T cells. The study, published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that monitoring the activity of these cells in the blood of patients could predict the severity and course of the disease.

Standardized Curriculum Introduces ICU Nurses to ECMO

Vanderbilt University Medical Center designed and rapidly deployed a curriculum specifically to equip nurses new to ECMO with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to provide proficient and safe care for patients receiving ECMO. The pre-COVID ECMO training proved to be an effective, resource-efficient and pragmatic solution that can be used across different types of ICUs and across institutions.

Analysis Does Not Find Two Distinct Subphenotypes of COVID-19 Related ARDS

In a new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, researchers have been unable to produce two theorized subphenotypes of COVID-19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Scientists previously proposed that two phenotypes exist that differentiate patients with more severe COVID-19 and indicate that they should be treated differently. A phenotype is a set of characteristics used to classify a patient, which may influence disease management.

Simulation-based Training Helps Providers Prepare for Prone Position Ventilation for Patients With ARDS

An interprofessional simulation-based educational program helped Mount Sinai Hospital train nearly 90% of its medical ICU staff to care for patients in prone position, as part of its 2018 implementation of a new protocol related to prone position ventilation for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.