https://medicalxpress.com/critical-care-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Critical care medicine A new Penn Nursing study suggests that the specific sedatives used during critical illness in early childhood may have long-term implications for a child's neurocognitive development. Martha A.Q. Curley, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Professor in the Department of Family and Community Health, and the Ruth M. Colket Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, co-led the study with R. Scott Watson, MD, from Seattle Children's Hospital. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-sedative-choice-pediatric-intensive-term.html Tue, 19 May 2026 19:20:01 EDT news698429641 Giving whole blood or the component parts of blood are equally effective options for paramedics and emergency medical technicians to use in treating patients with severe, traumatic bleeding before arriving at the hospital, according to a large, nationwide trial directed by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC clinicians and scientists. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-prehospital-trauma-flexible-option-blood.html Mon, 18 May 2026 15:10:02 EDT news698325241 A new study from scientists at the University of California San Diego in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, and other institutions, demonstrates that an artificial intelligence-powered CPR coaching agent can outperform 911 dispatchers in guiding bystanders through cardiopulmonary resuscitation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ai-powered-cpr-outperforms-dispatchers.html Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:08 EDT news698056769 A Hiroshima University study of more than 31,000 patients found that pneumonia occurred more often after breathing tubes were removed than during ventilation, with most cases developing within a 1–2 week window after surgery. The findings suggest this under-recognized condition may be a distinct clinical entity linked to swallowing dysfunction and that early assessment and intervention, including identification of high-risk patients, may be key to prevention and improved outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-extubation-pneumonia-distinct-condition-surgery.html Thu, 07 May 2026 09:56:07 EDT news697366516 Platelets, which allow blood to clot, can save patients in danger of bleeding to death from traumatic injuries. But donated platelets can only be given to patients in a hospital and last only a few days at room temperature to a few weeks when refrigerated. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-dried-artificial-platelets-shelf-stable.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:20:01 EDT news696603226 A major study, led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Nemours Children's Health, and Children's National Hospital and involving an extensive network of medical centers across the United States and abroad, found that different types of crystalloid fluid resuscitation were equally effective for staving off the most serious adverse kidney events after the treatment of pediatric patients with suspected septic shock. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-large-international-similar-efficacy-safety.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:01 EDT news696175648 A new fiber probe developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin delivers two major innovations in health monitoring to help both patients around the world and the clinicians who care for them. The probe can track three key biomarkers simultaneously, enabling faster, minimally invasive patient monitoring. All that in a tiny package—the probe is the smallest of its kind with a diameter of only 1.1 millimeters. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-tiny-fiber-probe-key-biomarkers.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:20:07 EDT news696174781 A new study on sepsis training in Ghana builds on prior research showing the impact of Annenberg Hotkeys, a free platform developed in 2020. It is being used in other medical settings—and its co-creator sees potential in nonmedical uses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-free-medical-telesimulation-platform-children.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:40:01 EDT news696075312 A new study from the University of Minnesota Medical School has demonstrated that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can rapidly reverse systemic inflammation and improve survival in patients with fulminant Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection—a life-threatening condition characterized by a sepsis-like state. The findings are published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-treatment-protocol-deadliest-cases-difficile.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:20:03 EDT news694711441 Older adults are much more likely to become seriously ill from flu or COVID because aging lung cells can drive excessive immune responses, according to a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco. The findings enhance the understanding of the inflammation that accompanies aging, explaining how an otherwise minor cough can sometimes send an elderly person to the hospital. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-covid-flu-older-lungs-harder.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:00:08 EDT news693827949 When someone gets a bad infection, the body's immune system rushes in to fight the germs. But sometimes this defense system becomes too strong and starts hurting the person's own tissues and organs. This condition, known as sepsis, is still one of the leading causes of death in hospitals worldwide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-pp4-protein-body-overreacting-severe.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:40:01 EDT news693586742 Nearly one in five pediatric hospital deaths in the United States involve sepsis, according to a new national study published in JAMA. The study also found that sepsis occurs in about one in every 75 pediatric hospitalizations and that more than one in 10 children with sepsis die during hospitalization. Based on these findings, the authors estimate that more than 18,000 hospitalized children in the United States have sepsis each year, including more than 1,800 who do not survive to discharge. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-sepsis-linked-pediatric-hospital-deaths.html Sun, 22 Mar 2026 14:30:04 EDT news693150121 A new international study published in eClinicalMedicine has mapped global blood transfusion practices for life-threatening abdominal injuries, highlighting significant variation in care worldwide and opportunities for health systems to learn from one another. The work represents the first multicenter international study to report on blood transfusion strategies for patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery following trauma (trauma laparotomy). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-international-trauma-analysis-big-transfusion.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:30:03 EST news691835882 A major new study, led by Queen Mary University of London has been published in The Lancet Public Health. It found that out of the five million surgical procedures performed each year by the NHS, around 300,000 are carried out on individuals considered high-risk, and within 90 days of surgery, these high-risk patients account for four out of five deaths, over half of all hospital bed days and nearly one-third of emergency readmissions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-high-patients-account-surgery-deaths.html Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:05 EST news691241659