Editorials:

Kathleen Dracup and Christopher W. Bryan-Brown

An Old Idea for a New Age
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 118-120. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Letters to the Editor:

Sean M. Reed

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 125. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Ann Wells

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 125-126. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Christy Price Rabetoy

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 126-127. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Gavin Bennett

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 127. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Mariam E. Wisnewski and M. Jean Reed

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 128. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Advanced Practice:

Deborah Becker, Roberta Kaplow, Patricia M. Muenzen, and Carol Hartigan

Activities Performed by Acute and Critical Care Advanced Practice Nurses: American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Study of Practice
These authors describe the activities performed by acute care nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, their spheres of influence, and the percentage of time they devote to specific problems related to patients' care.
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 130-148. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Health Disparities:

Angela D. Banks and Kathleen Dracup

Factors Associated With Prolonged Prehospital Delay of African Americans With Acute Myocardial Infarction
Delays in seeking treatment for signs and symptoms of acute myocardial infarction are longer for African Americans than for whites. In this study, 61 African Americans with acute myocardial infarction were interviewed to determine factors associated with prolonged delay and the extent to which perceived racism influences prehospital delay.
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 149-157. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Research Methods in Critical Care:

Therese S. Richmond, Hilaire J. Thompson, Donald Kauder, Keith M. Robinson, and Neville E. Strumpf

A Feasibility Study of Methodological Issues and Short-Term Outcomes in Seriously Injured Older Adults
These researchers prospectively identify problems in designing follow-up studies in seriously injured older adults without head injury and examine outcomes after serious trauma in older adults sent to a level I trauma center.
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 158-165. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Nutrition in Critical Care:

Patricia A. Higgins, Barbara J. Daly, Amy R. Lipson, and Su-Er Guo

Assessing Nutritional Status in Chronically Critically Ill Adult Patients
Numerous methods are used to measure and assess nutritional status of chronically critically ill patients. These authors discuss these methods, describe the nutritional status of such patients, and assess the relationship between nutritional indicators and outcomes of mechanical ventilation.
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 166-176. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [CE Test]  

Ethics in Critical Care:

Debra Lynn-McHale Wiegand

Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapy After Sudden, Unexpected Life-Threatening Illness or Injury: Interactions Between Patients’ Families, Healthcare Providers, and the Healthcare System
In this study, 56 family members of patients having life-sustaining therapy withdrawn after a sudden, unexpected illness or injury were interviewed and observed. The interactions between the family members, healthcare providers, and the healthcare system are described.
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 178-187. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [CE Test]  

Critical Care Techniques:

Suzanne M. Burns, Richard Carpenter, Cheri Blevins, Sharon Bragg, Mary Marshall, Liz Browne, Martha Perkins, Rebecca Bagby, Kris Blackstone, and Jonathon D. Truwit

Detection of Inadvertent Airway Intubation During Gastric Tube Insertion: Capnography Versus a Colorimetric Carbon Dioxide Detector
Use of a capnograph is compared with use of a disposable colorimetric carbon dioxide detector for assessing accurate placement of a gastric tube in a sample of 195 insertions in 130 adult patients in a medical intensive care unit.
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 188-195. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [CE Test]  

Kathleen Schell, Denise Lyons, Elisabeth Bradley, Linda Bucher, Maureen Seckel, Sandra Wakai, Elizabeth Carson, Julie Waterhouse, Melanie Chichester, Deborah Bartell, Theresa Foraker, and E. Kathleen Simpson

Clinical Comparison of Automatic, Noninvasive Measurements of Blood Pressure in the Forearm and Upper Arm With the Patient Supine or With the Head of the Bed Raised 45°: A Follow-Up Study
The authors compared noninvasive measurements of blood pressure in the forearm and upper arm of 221 medical-surgical inpatients positioned supine and with the head of the bed raised 45°.
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 196-205. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Patricia A. Blissitt, Pamela H. Mitchell, David W. Newell, Susan L. Woods, and Basia Belza

Cerebrovascular Dynamics With Head-of-Bed Elevation in Patients With Mild or Moderate Vasospasm After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
In patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, elevation of the head of the bed during vasospasm has been limited in an attempt to minimize vasospasm. In this study, the authors describe the effect of head-of-bed elevations of 20° and 45° on cerebral blood flow and vasospasm in patients with mild or moderate vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 206-216. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Collaboration in Critical Care:

Mangala Narasimhan, Lewis A. Eisen, Christine D. Mahoney, Frank L. Acerra, and Mark J. Rosen

Improving Nurse-Physician Communication and Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit With a Daily Goals Worksheet
In this study, the authors evaluate the effect of a standardized worksheet on physicians' and nurses' perceptions of their understanding of goals of care and on patients' length of stay in an intensive care unit.
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 217-222. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Current Controversies in Critical Care:

Lisa Day

Family Involvement in Critical Care: Shortcomings of a Utilitarian Justification
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 223-225. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Cardiology Casebook:

Kathryn Buchanan Keller and Louis Lemberg

The Sick Sinus Syndrome
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 226-229. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Acknowledgment of Reviewers:

Acknowledgment of Reviewers
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 230. [Full Text] [PDF]  

ECG Puzzler:

Michele M. Pelter and Mary G. Carey

ST-Segment Changes in Right Ventricular Paced Rhythms
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 231-232. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Education Directory:

Education Directory
Am J Crit Care 2006 15(2): 233-234. [Full Text] [PDF]  

To see an article, click its [Full Text] link. To review many abstracts, check the boxes to the left of the titles you want, and click the 'Get All Checked Abstract(s)' button. To see one abstract at a time, click its [Abstract] link.