Join PACULit as we unpack a randomized clinical trial evaluating a drug-related problem oriented medical record (DAM) used during medication reviews for critically ill patients. The study, conducted in two Brazilian ICUs, randomized 150 adults likely to require mechanical ventilation or with organ dysfunction to DAM-enabled medication review versus standard practice. Primary outcome was hospital length of stay; key secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality and changes in SOFA scores. Results showed the DAM group with a shorter hospital stay (7.08 vs 10.70 days), markedly lower mortality (6.58% vs 25.68%), and a greater improvement in organ function (mean SOFA change −4.63 vs +1.88). The findings suggest that a structured, pharmacist-driven documentation tool can streamline identification and management of drug-related problems, enhancing multidisciplinary communication and potentially improving patient safety and outcomes. The discussion highlights implications for integrating DAM with electronic health records and decision support, the importance of training and institutional support, and considerations about generalizability given the study’s two-center setting. This episode synthesizes how structured medication review tools may advance ICU pharmacotherapy and reduce variability in care.

In this PACULit episode, Britany and Seth discuss Keats et al.'s study that uses unsupervised machine learning on ICU intravenous medication data to identify pharmacophenotypes associated with fluid overload. By applying principal component analysis for dimensionality reduction and a restricted Boltzmann machine clustering algorithm to 72-hour medication records from 927 adults in a single ICU, the study reveals clusters of similar med usage patterns. One cluster (Cluster Seven), rich in continuous infusions, antibiotics, sedatives, and analgesics, showed substantially higher exposure in patients who developed fluid overload, and overall 13.7% incidence. Adding the cluster information to traditional models improved AUROC from 0.719 to 0.741 (p = 0.027). The episode covers clinical implications, limitations, and future directions, including real-time decision support and prospective multi-center validation.

In this PACULit episode, Britany and Seth analyze a secondary analysis of the Pragmatic Airway Resuscitation Trial (PART) to address whether vasopressors or advanced airway placement should come first during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The study found no significant differences in 72-hour survival, return of spontaneous circulation, hospital survival, or neurological outcomes between the two sequences, suggesting EMS teams can tailor their approach to the clinical context while maintaining high-quality CPR. The discussion situates PART within the broader evidence base, including AIRWAYS-2, PARAMEDIC2, and Cochrane reviews, notes methodological limitations, and highlights implications for training, protocols, and future randomized trials. The episode also emphasizes the importance of minimizing delays, improving first-pass airway success, and leveraging simulation and real-time feedback to optimize resuscitation performance.