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

Role of Combination Antimicrobial Therapy for Vancomycin‐Resistant Enterococcus faecium Infections

Care that Matters: Quality Measurement and Health Care

Barry Saver and colleagues caution against the use of process and performance metrics as health care quality measures in the United States. There is limited evidence that many "quality" measures - including those... read more

Care that Matters: Quality Measurement and Health Care

Efficacy and safety of ticagrelor versus aspirin in acute stroke or transient ischaemic attack of atherosclerotic origin

Efficacy and safety of ticagrelor versus aspirin in acute stroke or transient ischaemic attack of atherosclerotic origin: a subgroup analysis of SOCRATES, a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. In this prespecified... read more

Efficacy and safety of ticagrelor versus aspirin in acute stroke or transient ischaemic attack of atherosclerotic origin

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

Multifaceted educational intervention shortened time to antibiotic administration in children with sepsis

Addressing Physician Burnout

The US health care delivery system and the field of medicine have experienced tremendous change over the last decade. At the system level, narrowing of insurance networks, employed physicians, and financial pressures have... read more

Addressing Physician Burnout

Cholesteryl Ester Crystals in Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency

Deficiency of lysosomal acid lipase is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease characterized by the accumulation of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides, predominantly in macrophages. Nonspecific clinical features... read more

Cholesteryl Ester Crystals in Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency

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

Influenza and Considerations Regarding Infectious Mimics

Palliative care from diagnosis to death

Evidence is growing that people can benefit from palliative care earlier in their illness, say Scott Murray and colleagues, but care must be tailored to different conditions. Many people still associate palliative care with... read more

Palliative care from diagnosis to death

Electronic Dura Mater Meddling in the Central Nervous System

This review of preclinical applications assesses the potential of the electronic dura mater to deliver electrical and chemical stimulation to targeted areas of the central nervous system for extended periods. Soft neural... read more

Electronic Dura Mater Meddling in the Central Nervous System

GERD Treatment May Reduce Healthcare Visits for Acute Respiratory Infections

Treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may help decrease healthcare visits for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). These are the findings of a new study published... read more

GERD Treatment May Reduce Healthcare Visits for Acute Respiratory Infections

Fecal microbiota transplantation a decolonization treatment option

The use of fecal microbiota transplantation is an option to eradicate highly drug-resistant enteric bacteria carriage, according to results from a small pilot study conducted by French investigators. A prospective study of... read more

Fecal microbiota transplantation a decolonization treatment option

POCT for emergency assessment of coagulation in patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants

Hemochron Signature Point-of-care testing (POCT) can be a fast and reliable alternative for guiding emergency treatment during rivaroxaban and dabigatran therapy. It allows the rapid identification of a relevant fraction... read more

POCT for emergency assessment of coagulation in patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants

Clinical practice guideline on diagnosis and treatment of hyponatraemia

Hyponatraemia, defined as a serum sodium concentration <135 mmol/l, is the most common disorder of body fluid and electrolyte balance encountered in clinical practice. It can lead to a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms,... read more

Clinical practice guideline on diagnosis and treatment of hyponatraemia

CHS using virtual critical care for heart patients

It just might be the future of medicine. Using cameras, microphones and medical sensors, heart surgeons and cardiologists inside the Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute at Carolinas HealthCare System are treating patients... read more

CHS using virtual critical care for heart patients

How survival of cancer patients in critical care has improved in the last 3 decades

Comprehensive care for critically ill patients with cancer is a collaborative effort, and close cooperation between oncology as well as palliative and critical care is essential. Collaborative decision making is a cornerstone... read more

How survival of cancer patients in critical care has improved in the last 3 decades

Thrombocytosis in the ED

Both reactive thrombocytosis and clonal thrombocytosis may be associated with vasomotor symptoms. The key difference is that thrombotic and bleeding events are much more common in myeloproliferative thrombocytosis, whereas... read more

Thrombocytosis in the ED

Interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing practices for hospital inpatients

This review includes 221 studies (58 RCTs, and 163 NRS). Most studies were from North America (96) or Europe (87). The remaining studies were from Asia (19), South America (8), Australia (8), and the East Asia (3). We found... read more

Interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing practices for hospital inpatients

Catheter System Drains Recurrent Pleural Effusions

A novel catheter system enables patients to drain pleural fluid at home, instead of requiring them to return to the hospital for thoracentesis. The PleurX catheter system consists of a catheter that is inserted in the chest... read more

Catheter System Drains Recurrent Pleural Effusions

Crizanlizumab use lowers rates of sickle cell crises

Patients with sickle cell disease treated with high-dose crizanlizumab experienced lower annualized rates of sickle cell crisis compared to placebo treatment, regardless of their baseline use of hydroxyurea. Those treated... read more

Crizanlizumab use lowers rates of sickle cell crises

Benefits and harms of duloxetine for treatment of stress urinary incontinence

Duloxetine was significantly better than placebo in terms of percentage change in weekly incontinence episodes (mean difference - 13.56%, 95% confidence interval [CI] -21.59% to -5.53%) and change in Incontinence Quality... read more

Benefits and harms of duloxetine for treatment of stress urinary incontinence

Lower C. difficile mortality with vancomycin than metronidazole

Treating Clostridium difficile infection with vancomycin achieves the same recurrence rates as does treatment with metronidazole, but with a significantly lower 30-day mortality, new research suggests. The 30-day mortality... read more

Lower C. difficile mortality with vancomycin than metronidazole

Exacerbation of COPD: Causes, Warning Signs, and Treatment

What is a COPD exacerbation and what are the main causes? Learn about what the symptoms are and what is suggested to try to prevent COPD. Most commonly referred to as COPD, the term describes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.... read more

Exacerbation of COPD: Causes, Warning Signs, and Treatment