Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Critical Care for April 2016. 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.
First Zika-Related Death in Puerto Rico Reported
FRIDAY, April 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The first known Zika virus-linked death in Puerto Rico was announced Friday by officials of the U.S. territory.
Wide Variation in Health Care Costs Across the U.S.
FRIDAY, April 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Health care prices vary widely across the United States, even within the same state, according to a study published in the April issue of Health Affairs.
Picture-Guided Cards Can Help Chaplains Provide Spiritual Care
FRIDAY, April 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Picture-guided spiritual care is feasible among mechanically ventilated adults and may reduce their anxiety, according to a study published online April 20 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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Shared Decision-Making Should Be Encouraged in ICU
THURSDAY, April 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Shared decision-making should be implemented in the intensive care unit (ICU) as a collaborative process involving patients (or their surrogates) and clinicians, according to a policy statement published online April 20 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Rates of Acid Suppression Med Rx Still Too High in NICUs
THURSDAY, April 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Despite reported risks, nearly one in four infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are given histamine-2 receptor antagonists or proton pump inhibitors, according to a study published April 27 in The Journal of Pediatrics.
Article Discusses Workplace Violence in Health Care
THURSDAY, April 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — There is a lack of data relating to the prevalence of workplace violence in health care and how to address it, according to a review article published in the April 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Doctors Have a Only a Few Weeks Left to Review Financial Data
WEDNESDAY, April 27, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, physicians have only a few weeks left to review and report disputes relating to their financial ties to drug and medical device manufacturers, according to the American Medical Association.
U.S. Health Report Card Finds Racial, Ethnic Disparities Persist
WEDNESDAY, April 27, 2016 (HealthDay News) — An update on Americans’ health finds that racial and ethnic disparities persist, with significant gaps in obesity, cesarean births, and dental care. But advances have been made in some important areas, including infant mortality rates, women smokers, and numbers of uninsured, according to the new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Coronary Heart Disease Risk Up for Women Working Night Shifts
TUESDAY, April 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Women who work rotating night shifts may face a slightly increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), according to a report published in the April 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Detecting, Isolating C. difficile Carriers Beneficial
TUESDAY, April 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Detecting and isolating Clostridium difficile carriers can reduce the incidence of health care-associated C. difficile infection (HA-CDI), according to a study published online April 25 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Physicians Can Get Involved in Developing Payment Models
FRIDAY, April 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Doctors can be involved in developing new payment models for their practices, according to the American Medical Association.
Better Functional Outcome With Stent Retrievers in Acute Stroke
WEDNESDAY, April 20, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with acute ischemic stroke, treatment with stent retrievers with quick reperfusion time is associated with improved outcomes, according to a study published online April 19 in Radiology.
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Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists No Benefit Post MI
TUESDAY, April 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with post-myocardial infarction (MI) heart failure, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) do not improve outcome, according to a study published in the April 26 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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2016 Match Marks Record Highs for Registrants, Matching
FRIDAY, April 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The 2016 Match was the largest ever recorded by the National Resident Matching Program, with a higher match rate that 2015, according to a report from the American Medical Association.
Improved Functional Outcomes With Adoption of GWTG-Stroke
FRIDAY, April 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Adoption of the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)-Stroke program is associated with improved functional outcomes at discharge and reduced post-discharge mortality for Medicare beneficiaries with acute stroke, according to a study published online April 14 in Stroke.
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Decrease in Medicare Spending for 2012 ACO Entrants
FRIDAY, April 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Early reductions in Medicare spending were seen for the first full year of Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) contracts for 2012 Accountable Care Organization (ACO) entrants, according to a study published online April 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Health Care Workers Skip Hand Washing One-Third of the Time
THURSDAY, April 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Staff at many outpatient health care facilities in New Mexico failed to follow recommendations for hand hygiene more than one-third of the time, according to findings published in the April 1 issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
Coalition Calls for Changes to Hospital Pain Assessments
WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2016 (HealthDay News) — U.S. hospital procedures and questionnaires used to manage patient pain lead to overprescribing of addictive opioids and need to be changed, critics say.
Doctors Can Be Misled About FDA ‘Breakthrough’ Drug Designation
TUESDAY, April 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Use of the word “breakthrough” in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s expedited approval process could mislead doctors about the new drugs’ actual benefits, according to a research letter published in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Quality Improvement Process Doesn’t Cut ICU Mortality
TUESDAY, April 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A quality improvement intervention does not reduce in-hospital mortality for critically ill patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs), according to a study published in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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New-Onset A-Fib Post Acute MI Ups Complications, Readmission
TUESDAY, April 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — New-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is strongly tied to in-hospital complications and higher short-term readmission rates, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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VA Commission on Care: Eliminate VA Medical Centers
MONDAY, April 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A radical proposal has been suggested for eliminating all Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and outpatient facilities in the next 20 years, floated by seven of 15 members of the VA Commission on Care, according to an article published in the Military Times.
ACEI/ARBs Up AMI Outcomes Regardless of Renal Status
FRIDAY, April 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For acute myocardial infarction (AMI) survivors, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) treatment is associated with improved long-term survival, according to research published in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Variation in Estimates of Sepsis-Linked Mortality by Data Source
FRIDAY, April 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) — There is considerable variation in estimates of sepsis mortality using death certificates and health services utilization data (administrative claims), according to a report published in the April 8 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Diuretic Dose Not Linked to Outcome in Heart Failure
WEDNESDAY, April 6, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with worsening heart failure, after adjustment for pre-specified covariates of disease severity, diuretic dose is not associated with mortality and heart failure rehospitalization, according to a study published online March 30 in JACC: Heart Failure.
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Are Guidelines Needed to Assess Competence of Aging Physicians?
FRIDAY, April 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The question of whether national guidelines need to be developed for assessing the competence of aging physicians was discussed during a recent meeting of key stakeholders, according to a news release from the American Medical Association (AMA).
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