Stanislaw P. Stawicki

By Jonathan R. Wisler, Paul R. Beery II, Steven M. Steinberg and Stanislaw P. A. Stawicki

Part of the book: Brain Injury

By Ronson Hughes, James Cipolla, Peter G. Thomas and Stanislaw P. Stawicki

Severe respiratory failure may develop in the trauma patient as a consequence of direct lung injury, in response to trauma‐associated systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), as a result of infection, or at times as an unintended consequence of the life‐saving management of the acute traumatic injury. Approximately 0.5% of all adult trauma patients develop some form of pulmonary dysfunction along the acute lung injury (ALI) – acute respiratory distress (ARDS) spectrum, with the incidence of severe respiratory failure reaching 10–20% in multisystem trauma victims. Of concern, mortality in patients with acute respiratory failure who go on to develop severe pulmonary dysfunction can be as high as 37–50% with the use of conventional therapeutic modalities. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been proposed as a rescue strategy when less invasive primary or adjunctive attempts fail. Numerous case reports and single‐center studies demonstrate potential benefits of early implementation of veno‐venous (VV)‐ECMO for the treatment of severe respiratory failure associated with trauma or sequelae of trauma. In this clinical context, VV‐ECMO can be employed to correct for both ventilatory and oxygenation failure while allowing the treating physician to provide much needed rest to the patient's lungs and permit healing to take place. The use of ECMO (mainly veno‐venous, with limited use of veno‐arterial circuits for cardiac indications) has been described in patients with severe chest injuries, traumatic pneumonectomy, bronchopleural fistulas, and various forms of respiratory failure refractory to conventional therapies.

Part of the book: Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

By Marissa S. Cohen, Elisabeth Paul, John David Nuschke, Julia C. Tolentino, Ana V. Castellanos Mendez, Alaa-Eldin A. Mira, Ric A. Baxter and Stanislaw P. Stawicki

By 2020, the elderly (≥65-year-old) world population is projected to exceed one billion individuals. This demographic megatrend has brought topics such as physiological age and frailty to the forefront of medical research efforts around the globe. The concept of frailty has evolved significantly since the mid-twentieth century. The outdated stereotype of a “thin, stooped, slow octogenarian” has transitioned to a more scientific and objective understanding of the problem. Still, a comprehensive and concise definition of “frailty” remains elusive. Until such a definition is firmly established and universally agreed upon, clinicians continue to rely on the somewhat subjective conceptual framework of today. In this chapter, the authors review key issues pertaining to clinical management of frail patients, including diagnosis/identification, preventive strategies, therapeutic approaches, and common pitfalls. The relationship between frailty, various domains of life, and functional status is also discussed. Finally, we will touch upon the concepts of end-of-life and goals of care, focusing on their relationship to frailty.

Part of the book: Challenges in Elder Care

By Thomas R. Wojda, Kristine Cornejo, Andrew Lin, Anthony Cipriano, Sudip Nanda, Jose D. Amortegui, Barbara T. Wojda and Stanislaw P. Stawicki

Infective endocarditis is associated with significant cardiac and noncardiac morbidity. Among many complications, septic embolism has the potential of causing devastating sequelae and even life-threatening clinical situations. This dreaded clinico-pathologic entity is characterized by its heterogeneous presentation and the ability to affect various body systems and organs. Septic emboli to the brain, kidneys, spleen, and the pulmonary system constitute the vast majority of metastatic infections. However, other organ systems can also be affected. This chapter provides an overview of septic embolism associated with infective endocarditis, focusing on key diagnostic and therapeutic considerations in the most commonly seen and clinically relevant scenarios.

Part of the book: Contemporary Challenges in Endocarditis

By Thomas R. Wojda, Stephen D. Dingley, Samantha Wolfe, W. T. Hillman Terzian, Peter G. Thomas, Daniel Vazquez, Joan Sweeney and Stanislaw P. Stawicki

Foreign intravascular object embolization (FIOE) is an important, yet underreported occurrence that has been described in a variety of settings, from penetrating trauma to intravascular procedures. In this chapter, the authors will review the most common types of FIOEs, including bullet or “projectile” embolism (BPE), followed by intravascular catheter or wire embolization (ICWE), and conclude with intravascular noncatheter object (e.g., coil, gelatin, stent, and venous filter) migration (INCOM). In addition to detailed topic-based summaries, tables highlighting selected references and case scenarios are also presented to provide the reader with a resource for future research in this clinical area.

Part of the book: Embolic Diseases

By Stanislaw P. Stawicki and Michael S. Firstenberg

Part of the book: Vignettes in Patient Safety

By Ronya Silmi, Joshua Luster, Jacqueline Seoane, Stanislaw P. Stawicki, Thomas J. Papadimos, Farhad Sholevar and Christine Marchionni

Violence, deliberate self harm, and suicide in emergency departments and hospitals is likely to remain a significant problem for health care systems well into the future. Understanding how to confront, intervene, and manage episodes of patient deliberate self harm is extremely important, and can be life-saving. Here, through a clinical vignette, and a discussion of deliberate self harm we will highlight the importance of the direct observation of such patients, containment procedures (seclusion and physical restraints), and the use of pharmacological adjuncts. We hope that this concise, practically-oriented review will provide our readers with foundational understanding of the topic, including the most important theoretical and clinical considerations.

Part of the book: Vignettes in Patient Safety

By Julia C. Tolentino, Noel Martins, Joan Sweeney, Christine Marchionni, Pamela Valenza, Thomas C. McGinely, Thomas R. Wojda, Michael S. Firstenberg and Stanislaw P. Stawicki

Part of the book: Vignettes in Patient Safety

By Joshua Luster, Franz S. Yanagawa, Charles Bendas, Christine L. Ramirez, James Cipolla and Stanislaw P. Stawicki

Interhospital patient transfers (IPTs) are highly complex logistical undertakings, involving a multitude of interdependent procedures, critical steps and a degree of unpredictability. Beginning with interfacility communication and patient acceptance agreement, a cascade of numerous handoffs takes place, ultimately culminating in safe arrival of the patient at the receiving facility. Due to the complexity of the IPT process, significant potential for critical errors and adverse patient safety (PS) outcomes exists. To minimize any associated risks, key PS considerations include checklists, handoffs, vehicle/aircraft safety, distance of travel, crew training, team factors, and many other critical components. Detailed knowledge of factors that may influence the risk of errors or adverse events is critical to optimizing both PS and clinical outcomes.

Part of the book: Vignettes in Patient Safety

By Benjamin Bird, Stephen Dingley, Stanislaw P. Stawicki and Thomas R. Wojda

Exposure keratopathy (EK) is a frequently overlooked complication seen in nearly 60% of sedated or intubated intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Signs and symptoms of EK often start as mild subjective complaints of eye pain and irritation, but can progress to vision loss in the most severe cases. For many critically ill patients, the presence of sedation effectively precludes their ability to communicate clinical complaints typically associated with EK. This, combined with the potentially severe sequelae, makes EK a potentially preventable complication and a patient safety issue. Clinical management of EK can be challenging for both providers and patients due to the nature of treatment with eye drops and ointments as well as the burden and expense of associated procedural interventions. Risk factors for EK have been extensively described in the literature, and wider dissemination of this knowledge should facilitate education of physicians and nurses regarding EK prevention. The most common risk factors include lagophthalmos, chemosis, Bell’s palsy, and congenital deformities. Additionally, critically ill patients are less likely to be promptly diagnosed due to the focus of staff on life-threatening problems over ocular prophylaxis. However, the potential severity of complications associated with EK mandates that prevention remains a crucial component of the care of at-risk patients. The reader will explore the broad category of adverse medical occurrences included under the umbrella term, “errors of omission” (EOO): an error category that is most likely to culminate in EK. The most critical preventive measure is education of health care providers, although this may not be enough by itself. To this end, universal precautions against EK in combination with education may be used to help combat the relatively high incidence of this easily preventable ocular pathology.

Part of the book: Vignettes in Patient Safety