Bad news for sepsis-3.0: qSOFA fails validation

Bad news for sepsis-3.0: qSOFA fails validation

Sepsis 3.0 replaced the SIRS criteria with a new risk-stratification tool, qSOFA. qSOFA was initially developed within the Sepsis-3 publication itself. Until now, qSOFA has never been validated. The value of qSOFA vs. SIRS... read more

Which Physicians Are the Happiest?

This year's lifestyle survey, as in previous ones, asked whether physicians were happy at home or at work. Of physicians who said they were either very or extremely happy at work, dermatologists and ophthalmologists... read more

Audible Leak Test Accurate Measure for Tracheal Tube Sizes

Audible Leak Test Accurate Measure for Tracheal Tube Sizes

The audible leak test is a reliable method for verifying appropriate tracheal tube sizes in infants and children, according to a recent study. Many factors can affect the results of the audible leak test, according to the... read more

Towards precision medicine for sepsis patients

Towards precision medicine for sepsis patients

Over the last decade it has become clear that the immunological response and clinical course in sepsis patients is too complex to simply regard it as hyperinflammation-induced organ failure. In contrast to the previous belief... read more

Acetaminophen, Among Other Medications, Triggers Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Acetaminophen, Among Other Medications, Triggers Drug-Induced Liver Injury

More than 1,000 medications, with acetaminophen being the most common, have been associated with drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Diagnosis can be challenging due to the multitude of contributing factors, and timely recognition... read more

No difference between placebo, amitriptyline and topiramate in reducing pediatric migraine

No difference between placebo, amitriptyline and topiramate in reducing pediatric migraine

In this study, no significant intergroup differences between amitriptyline, topiramate and placebo for reduction in total number of headache days was observed. Amitriptyline and topiramate were associated with significantly... read more

Use of Supraglottic Airways in Patients in the Prone Position

Use of Supraglottic Airways in Patients in the Prone Position

Supraglottic airways (SGAs) may work well for prone spinal procedures of short duration, according to a recent study. But others consider this a dangerous practice. SGA use has been studied in the prone position but with... read more

Spinraza Cuts Risk of Permanent Ventilation with SMA

Spinraza Cuts Risk of Permanent Ventilation with SMA

Biogen announced new data from the Phase 3 ENDEAR study that showed a statistically significant reduction in the risk of death or permanent ventilation in Spinraza (nusinersen)-treated infants with spinal muscular atrophy... read more

Statins for Primary Prevention

Statins for Primary Prevention

A recent issue of JAMA contains the latest US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation statement on statins for prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults, along with the accompanying evidence report and... read more

Clinical Pharmacist Role in the ICU

Clinical Pharmacist Role in the ICU

An overview of the various facets of pharmacist practice in the intensive care unit (ICU), the current extent to which pharmacists are present in the ICU, along with a discussion on barriers and lessons learned in garnering... read more

COPD Patients in US Often Skip Medications

COPD Patients in US Often Skip Medications

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often have other chronic conditions, like heart disease, and those who are poor about keeping up with treatments for these comorbidites are also less likely to adhere... read more

Cholera bacteria infect more effectively with a simple twist of shape

Cholera bacteria infect more effectively with a simple twist of shape

The bacteria that cause the life-threatening disease cholera may initiate infection by coordinating a wave of mass shapeshifting that allows them to more effectively penetrate the intestines of their unwitting victims, according... read more

Germ-zapping robots put to the test to combat hospital-acquired infections

Germ-zapping robots put to the test to combat hospital-acquired infections

The $2 million effort supported by the NIH's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is the first of its kind to study no-touch room disinfection. Michigan researchers will look at the ability of high intensity ultraviolet... read more

GCA independently raises risk for VTE

GCA independently raises risk for VTE

The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) increases markedly shortly before the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) regardless of glucocorticoid exposure, peaks at the time of diagnosis, and then progressively declines,... read more

Catheter safeguards at hospitals reduce infections and save money

Catheter safeguards at hospitals reduce infections and save money

U.S. hospitals are reducing bloodstream infections related to catheters by implementing rigorous safeguards that also save millions of healthcare dollars each year, according to research led by Cedars-Sinai.... read more

Adrenomedullin: a marker of impaired hemodynamics in cardiogenic shock

Adrenomedullin: a marker of impaired hemodynamics in cardiogenic shock

Bio-ADM is a valuable prognosticator and marker of impaired hemodynamics in CS patients. High levels of bio-ADM may show shock refractoriness and developing end-organ dysfunction and thus help to guide therapeutic approach... read more

Sepsis Algorithm a Deadly Marker

Sepsis Algorithm a Deadly Marker

An attempt by a Phoenix, AZ, hospital to develop a marker for deadly sepsis instead found that the algorithm identified patients at an increased risk of dying. Increasingly, algorithms govern daily life, playing an important... read more