Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Critical Care for January 2017. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Therapeutic Family Presence Key in Tx of Acute Deterioration in ER
TUESDAY, Jan. 31, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For deteriorating adult patients in the emergency department, no family presence and physical family presence result in predominantly negative clinician-family-patient interactions, while therapeutic family presence results in positive clinician-family-patient interactions, according to a study published online Jan. 19 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
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CVD-Related Hospital Admissions Up Second Day After Snowstorm
TUESDAY, Jan. 31, 2017 (HealthDay News) — There is a sharp increase in hospital admissions for cardiovascular events two days after a major snowfall, according to research published online Jan. 30 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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Antibiotics, Not Poor Hygiene, Main Cause of C. difficile Outbreak
FRIDAY, Jan. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Reducing the use of fluoroquinolones has curbed an outbreak of Clostridium difficile that began in 2006 in England, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Bezlotoxumab Promising Against Recurrent Clostridium difficile
THURSDAY, Jan. 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Bezlotoxumab (Zinplava) is effective in reducing the risk of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, according to research published in the Jan. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Most PCPs Oppose Complete Repeal of the Affordable Care Act
THURSDAY, Jan. 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A majority of primary care doctors oppose full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, according to a perspective piece published online Jan. 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Catheter Safeguards at Hospitals Cut Bloodstream Infection Rates
TUESDAY, Jan. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Improved catheter safety measures in hospitals significantly reduce bloodstream infections and health care costs, according to a review published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Nadir Platelet Counts Tied to AKI in Pediatric Open-Heart Surgery
MONDAY, Jan. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For pediatric patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), postoperative nadir platelet counts are associated with the severity of acute kidney injury (AKI), according to a review published online Jan. 18 in Pediatric Anesthesia.
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Obesity Underrepresented in Medical Licensing Exams
FRIDAY, Jan. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The most important concepts of obesity prevention and treatment are not adequately represented on the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step examinations, according to a study published recently in Teaching and Learning in Medicine.
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SOFA Score Predicts In-Hospital Mortality for Adults in ICU
FRIDAY, Jan. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with an infection-related primary admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), a change of 2 or more points in the Sequential [Sepsis-related] Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score offers greater discrimination for in-hospital mortality than systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria or the quick SOFA (qSOFA) score, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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MRI Helpful in Identifying White Matter Injury in Preemies
THURSDAY, Jan. 19, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shortly after birth might help determine which premature babies have sustained a brain injury that will affect their development, according to a study published online Jan. 18 in Neurology.
Sepsis Guidelines Improve Patient Care in ER
THURSDAY, Jan. 19, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Implementation of sepsis guidelines improves early assessment, recognition, and management of patients presenting to an emergency department with sepsis, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
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Survival Rates High for Older Patients With ICDs
THURSDAY, Jan. 19, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Seniors who receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) have high survival rates, according to a study published in the Jan. 24 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Dementia May Be Exacerbated by Hospital-Related Delirium
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Hospitalization-related delirium may speed mental decline in patients with dementia, according to a study published online Jan. 18 in JAMA Psychiatry.
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Quick SOFA Score Predicts In-Hospital Mortality Risk
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with suspected infection presenting to the emergency department, the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score is better than systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or severe sepsis criteria for identifying patients at high risk of mortality, according to a study published in the Jan. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Carbapenem-Resistant Bacteria More Problematic Than Thought
TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is more widespread in U.S. hospitals than previously thought and needs to be more closely monitored, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Lower Inpatient Costs for Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban in A-Fib
TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF), inpatient costs are lower with dabigatran and rivaroxaban than with warfarin, according to a letter published online in the Jan. 24 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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BNP, Gal-3 Levels Predict 60-Day Readmission in Heart Failure
MONDAY, Jan. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), measurement of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and galectin-3 (Gal-3) before discharge can predict hospital readmission within 60 days, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Procalcitonin Testing on ICU Admission Linked to Lower LOS
MONDAY, Jan. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), procalcitonin (PCT) testing on the first day of admission is associated with significantly lower length stay in the hospital and ICU, according to a study published in the January issue of CHEST.
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Risk of Post-Op Infections Up in Overweight, Obese Children
MONDAY, Jan. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Overweight and obese children seem to be more likely than others to develop postoperative surgical site infections, according to a study published recently in Surgical Infections.
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β-Blockers Linked to Reduced Mortality in HFrEF, A-Fib
THURSDAY, Jan. 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) — β-blockers are associated with significantly reduced mortality, but not hospitalizations, in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study published online Jan. 11 in JACC: Heart Failure.
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Quality Improvement Initiative Cuts Milk Administration Errors
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A quality improvement initiative can reduce the number of human milk administration errors in the neonatal intensive care unit, according to a study published online Jan. 11 in Pediatrics.
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Care Can Be Compromised When Parents Offend Pediatric Staff
TUESDAY, Jan. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Rude parents can rattle medical staff enough to compromise the quality of care their critically ill child receives, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in Pediatrics.
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Many Ischemic Stroke Survivors Not Prescribed Anticoagulants
TUESDAY, Jan. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Many patients surviving ischemic stroke are not discharged with an oral anticoagulant (OAC), according to a study published online Dec. 30 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Decline in MRSA Infection Rates in Veterans Affairs Facilities
TUESDAY, Jan. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates decreased through September 2015 in Veterans Affairs facilities, according to a study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
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Respiratory Muscle Strength Can Predict Survival in ALS
THURSDAY, Jan. 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Respiratory muscle strength assessments can predict survival or ventilator-free survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to research published online Dec. 30 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Gunshot Violence Transmitted Through Social Networks
TUESDAY, Jan. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Social contagion accounts for a considerable proportion of gunshot violence episodes, according to a study published online Jan. 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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