Neutrophil is a major player in the pathophysiology of severe sepsis. Recent studies have revealed that the cell death mechanism of neutrophils directly relates to the development of organ dysfunction during s...
Authors: Toshiaki Iba, Naoyuki Hashiguchi, Isao Nagaoka, Yoko Tabe and Miwa Murai
In patients with severe sepsis, depression of cardiac performance is common and is often associated with left ventricular (LV) dilatation to maintain stroke volume. Although it is essential to optimize cardiac...
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is still a great concern, and recognition of the carrier is essential for appropriate infection control in intensive care units. The utility of wet swab compared to dry...
Subcutaneous emphysema is not a rare complication in intensive care unit patients. Recently, ultrasound guidance for central venous puncture is becoming popular; however, the information on imaging for subcuta...
Authors: Toshi Kubodera, Yushi U Adachi, Toshiyuki Hatano, Tadashi Ejima, Atsushi Numaguchi and Naoyuki Matsuda
Strongyloidiasis is a parasitic infection that occurs in tropical regions. Hyperinfection, which is an accelerated autoinfection, is often associated with an immunosuppressive state, such as HTLV-1 infection o...
Although heated humidifiers (HHs) are the most efficient humidifying device for mechanical ventilation, some HHs do not provide sufficient humidification when the inlet temperature to the water chamber is high...
Authors: Yusuke Chikata, Mutsuo Onodera, Hideaki Imanaka and Masaji Nishimura
The Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) course has been introduced after minimal adaptation according to Japanese clinical settings. The original course in the USA is often used to prepare residents for r...
Although some studies conducted outside of Japan have addressed the effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) in treating infections, the dosing regimens and amounts used in Japan are very different ...
Treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas species is difficult because few antibiotics active against such organisms are available. Arbekacin, a relatively new aminoglycoside, is effective...
Authors: Yoshiaki Iwashita, Tomoyuki Enokiya, Kei Suzuki, Kazuto Yokoyama, Akitaka Yamamoto, Ken Ishikura, Masahiro Okuda and Hiroshi Imai
Semi-quantitative Gram stain and culture methods are still commonly used for diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), due to its convenience. Only a few studies, however, have assessed the reliability...
