3 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The primary aim of the study is to demonstrate the value of a preemptive approach to ethics consultation in an ICU. The investigators hope to answer the question: Will proactive ethics interventions by a skilled and experienced ethicist, participating in treatment discussions with physicians and nurses, as well as discussions with patients/surrogates, improve the quality of ICU care experienced by patients requiring prolonged treatment in the ICU (5 days or longer) by increasing their perceived quality of care and reducing the length of stay in the ICU by non-survivors? The study is a randomized trial of the use of an ethics consultant to address latent or manifest ethical issues in patients who remain in the ICU for five days or more, as compared to usual care. The investigators are testing the hypothesis that expanding the role of ethics consultations in the ICU to make them proactive will improve the process and outcomes of patient care by shortening the length of stay in non-survivors, and reducing suffering and unwanted and/or unnecessary aggressive treatments.
To evaluate whether ketamine is a safe sedative-analgesic agent to be used in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting as compared to traditionally used agents such as propofol, opioids, and midazolam
A growing body of knowledge has documented that the diaphragm, the primary muscle of breathing, atrophies and weakens within days of instituting mechanical ventilation support. Diaphragm weakness has been implicated as a major contributor to difficulty with weaning, or breathing without ventilator support. This study will test whether instituting a diaphragm strength training rehabilitation program will reduce the time patients require mechanical ventilation in a surgical intensive care setting.