Intensive insulin therapy to maintain blood glucose at or below 110 mg per deciliter reduces morbidity and mortality among critically ill patients in the surgical intensive care unit.

: Early exercise training in critically ill intensive care unit survivors enhanced recovery of functional exercise capacity, self-perceived functional status, and muscle force at hospital discharge.

Normoglycemia was safely reached within 24 hrs and maintained during intensive care by using insulin titration guidelines. Metabolic control, as reflected by normoglycemia, rather than the infused insulin dose, was related to the beneficial effects of intensive insulin therapy.

Purpose: To quantify the numbers of critical care beds in Europe and to understand the differences in these numbers between countries when corrected for population size and gross domestic product. Methods: Prospective data collection of critical care bed numbers for each country in Europe from July 2010 to July 2011. Sources were identified in each country that could provide data on numbers of critical care beds (intensive care and intermediate care). These data were then cross-referenced with data from international databases describing population size and age, gross domestic product (GDP), expenditure on healthcare and numbers of acute care beds. Results: We identified 2,068,892 acute care beds and 73,585 (2.8 %) critical care beds. Due to the heterogeneous descriptions of these beds in the individual countries it was not possible to discriminate between intensive care and intermediate care in most cases. On average there were 11.5 critical care beds per 100,000 head of population, with marked differences between countries (Germany 29.2, Portugal 4.2). The numbers of critical care beds per country corrected for population size were positively correlated with GDP (r 2 = 0.16, p = 0.05), numbers of acute care beds corrected for population (r 2 = 0.12, p = 0.05) and the percentage of acute care beds designated as critical care (r 2 = 0.59, p \ 0.0001). They were not correlated with the proportion of GDP expended on healthcare. Conclusions: Critical care bed numbers vary considerably between countries in Europe. Better understanding of these numbers should facilitate improved planning for critical care capacity and utilization in the future.

Objective: To provide guidance and recommendations for the planning or renovation of intensive care units (ICUs) with respect to the specific characteristics relevant to organizational and structural aspects of intensive care medicine.

This document contains nine indicators, all of which have a high level of consensual agreement from an international Task Force, which could be used to improve quality in routine intensive care practice.

The overall rankings of the needs by the three groups are very similar. Information emerges as most important factor, with considerably less importance attached to comfort and support. There were significant differences between the groups on all categories and on 24 individual needs. Regarding the need categories, both nurses and physicians underestimate the relatives' need for information and proximity to the patient. Physicians also underestimate the relatives' need for assurance. On the individual need items, relatives' needs are generally underestimated by the staff, but in some cases overestimations are found.

ICU nurses have rather skeptical beliefs and attitudes toward visiting and open visiting policy. This suggests that the culture at Flemish ICUs is not ready for a drastic liberalization of the visiting policy.