Tag: infection
How Well Do Leapfrog Safe Practices Scores Correlate with Hospital Compare Ratings and Penalties
Hospital quality scores are publicly available, but the extent to which they reflect patient safety remains controversial. This study compared measures from the Leapfrog Group, which incorporates mandatory publicly reported... read more
Gastric Acid Suppression and Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection
This meta-analysis examines the association between recurrent Clostridium difficile infection and use of gastric acid suppressant medications. Meta-analyses of observational studies suggest that patients who receive gastric... read more
What’s new in the extracorporeal treatment of sepsis?
Clinical research has shown that endotoxin is indeed circulating in the blood of up to 50% of sepsis shock patients and associated with impaired clinical outcome. In view of the pivotal role of endotoxin in sepsis patients,... read more
Ultra-Short-Course Antibiotics for Patients With Suspected Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia but Minimal and Stable Ventilator Settings
Many patients started on antibiotics for possible ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) do not have pneumonia. Patients with minimal and stable ventilator settings may be suitable candidates for early antibiotic discontinuation.... read more
Presentations of adult septic patients in the prehospital setting as recorded by emergency medical services
The most common keywords related to septic patients’ symptom presentation were: abnormal/ suspected abnormal temperature (64.1.%), pain (38.4%), acute altered mental status (38.2%), weakness of the legs (35.1%), breathing... read more
Comparing Use of Low-Value Health Care Services Among U.S. Advanced Practice Clinicians and Physicians
Many physicians believe that advanced practice clinicians (APCs) provide care of relatively lower value. APCs and physicians provided an equivalent amount of low-value health services, dispelling physicians' perceptions... read more
Role of Combination Antimicrobial Therapy for Vancomycin‐Resistant Enterococcus faecium Infections
Enterococcus species are the second most common cause of nosocomial infections in the United States and are particularly concerning in critically ill patients with preexisting comorbid conditions. Rising resistance to antimicrobials... read more
The biggest killer you may not know
It kills more than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined. A report in 2015 said four in 10 patients being admitted to accident and emergency units were not being reviewed quickly enough and uncovered delays in giving... read more
National ICU Quality Indicators Revisited
The use of QI at a national level is a suitable method to focus on quality in healthcare. Independently of public access to the results, a local or national ICU network will have a lot to gain from engaging in the process... read more
Decreased cytokine production by mononuclear cells after severe gram-negative infections
Failure of circulating monocytes for adequate cytokine production is a trait of sepsis-induced immunosuppression; however, its duration and association with final outcome are poorly understood. Defective TNF-α production... read more
Multifaceted educational intervention shortened time to antibiotic administration in children with sepsis
A multifaceted educational intervention shortened time to antibiotic administration in children with severe sepsis and septic shock: ABISS Edusepsis pediatric study. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) recommends the administration... read more
New Guidelines for Accurate Diagnosis of C. difficile Infection
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), a potentially lethal bacterial infection, causes colon inflammation and is responsible for 3,700 deaths in Europe per year. This highly symptomatic infection causes fever, diarrhea,... read more
Updated Guidelines for Sepsis Management
In 2017 the Society for Critical Care Medicine updated its guidelines for sepsis management. These new guidelines differ significantly from ones in the past in that they no longer recommend protocolized resuscitation and... read more
Influenza and Considerations Regarding Infectious Mimics
The patient with headache, myalgia, and URI symptoms may just have the common flu. It's all too common to see and treat multiple patients with influenza-like illness during the flu season. But what could you be missing?... read more
World's most threatening superbugs ranked in new list
The World Health Organization has drawn up a list of the drug-resistant bacteria that pose the biggest threat to human health. Top of the list are gram-negative bugs, such as E. coli, which can cause lethal bloodstream infections... read more
What’s new with stress ulcer prophylaxis in the ICU?
Critically ill patients are at risk of stress-related mucosal erosions. These are typically superficial and asymptomatic but may progress to ulceration and overt and clinically important gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding,... read more
Study Connects Maternal Response to Infection During Pregnancy with Increased Autism Risk
A new study adds to a growing body of research aimed at understanding how a mother’s body’s response to infection influences a growing fetus. In research published this week in mSphere, researchers at Columbia University... read more
