Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Program Implementation
In this pre-post difference-in-differences study of 15 849 surgical patients at 20 medical centers in Northern California, implementation of a multifaceted enhanced recovery program was associated with a one-third reduction... read more
We're Bad at Death. Can We Talk?
Despite growing recognition that more care isn't necessarily better care, particularly at the end of life, many Americans still receive an enormous dose of medicine in their final days. On average, patients make 29 visits... read more
The Impact of Neonatal Simulations on Trainees Stress and Performance
Neonatal simulations cause significant anticipatory and participatory stress. Despite this, trainees' performance score in simulation was over 80%. Simulated death did not impact performance, magnitude of rise in salivary... read more
Primary Stroke Center Protocol for Suspected Stroke by Large-Vessel Occlusion
In this cohort study, when the PSC protocol was fully executed, the rate of good outcomes was doubled and the time from arrival at the PSC to reperfusion at the CSC was almost 1 hour less than that with only a partial execution... read more
Obese Have Less Respiratory Insufficiency Than Nonobese During Endoscopy
Obese patients showed less respiratory insufficiency (RI) than their nonobese counterparts during endoscopic surgery, according to a new study. The result was counterintuitive. Because of their higher rates of obstructive... read more
New Telestroke Guidelines by American Telemedicine Association
These new telestroke guidelines were developed to assist practitioners in providing assessment, diagnosis, management, and/or remote consultative support to patients exhibiting symptoms and signs consistent with an acute... read more
Infection Prevention and Healthcare Associated Infections
It is difficult to overstate the importance of healthcare associated infections (HAI). Approximately 4% of patients who enter hospitals in the United States develop an infection related to their hospital care. Although... read more
Reduction In Blood Gas Time To Result In ICU
A recent time and motion study by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust has demonstrated a 1.5 minute (>20%) reduction in time to blood gas results when using the Proxima bedside blood gas monitoring system... read more
PTSD, Psychotropic Medication Use, and the Risk of Dementia Among US Veterans
Objective: To determine the associations between PTSD, psychotropic medication use, and the risk for dementia. PTSD diagnosis significantly increased the risk for dementia diagnosis (HR = 1.35; [95% CI = 1.27–1.43]). However,... read more
A Breakthrough Oxygen Therapy May Be Able to Reverse Brain Damage
New research shows that low oxygen therapy is able to eliminate brain lesions developed from mitochondrial dysfunction in mice. Eventually, hypoxia therapy could be used to treat people with similar disorders and maybe even... read more
Blood pressure deficits in acute kidney injury: not all about the mean arterial pressure?
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Although there are many causes of AKI, it is known that patients undergoing high-risk surgery are known to be at significant risk. Although much... read more
Why digital disruption is only starting in healthcare
Disruption often is viewed as a positive noun in the business world. Particularly in healthcare, such disruption can result in increased understanding and enhanced outcomes, among other benefits. Healthcare has clearly... read more
Bi-level Ventilation: Who Needs it and Who Doesn't?
Bi-level ventilation is commonly used in patients with respiratory failure in the emergency department. This is a brief review of the indications for bi-level ventilation as well as a review of the complications of this popular... read more
What Is Permitted in Text Messaging About Protected Health Information?
This Viewpoint discusses the best use of texting clinical information, noting that neither Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act nor the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act offer... read more
Effects of particulate matter on respiratory disease and the impact of meteorological factors in Busan, Korea
Both air pollution and weather impact hospitalization for respiratory diseases. However, few studies have investigated the contribution of weather to hospitalization related to the adverse effects of air pollution. This study... read more
CDC and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection
This guideline is intended to provide new and updated evidence-based recommendations for the prevention of SSI and should be incorporated into comprehensive surgical quality improvement programs to improve patient safety.... read more
Toolkit To Improve Safety in Ambulatory Surgery Centers
The Toolkit To Improve Safety in Ambulatory Surgery Centers helps ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) make care safer for their patients. ASCs can use the toolkit to apply the proven principles and methods of AHRQ's Comprehensive... read more
Integrating Advance Care Planning into Practice
Advanced respiratory diseases progress over time and often lead to death. As their condition worsens, patients may lose medical decision making ability. Advance care planning (ACP) is a process in which patients receive information... read more
Facing Change: When to Embrace, When to Resist
This editorial is focused on 3 major areas where change is occurring: (1) change in scientific evidence leading to modification in practice, (2) changes in the health care system structure and how it affects our daily lives,... read more
PulsePoint Mobile App – Enabling Citizen Superheroes
PulsePoint Respond is an enterprise-class, software-as-a-service (SaaS) pre-arrival solution designed to support public safety agencies working to improve cardiac arrest survival rates through improved bystander performance... read more
Albumin Administration in Sepsis: The Case for and Against
Serum albumin is an essential plasma protein, with a variety of homeostatic and predictive roles in health and disease. Hypoalbuminaemia is common in critical illness. Human albumin solution has been administered clinically... read more
MRI in Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has high specificity but limited sensitivity for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE), according to a systematic review published in the journal Thrombosis Research. Given these inconclusive... read more
