Home Critical Care February 2016 Briefing – Critical Care

February 2016 Briefing – Critical Care

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Critical Care for February 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.

Late Surfactant Does Not Cut Duration of Ventilation in BPD

MONDAY, Feb. 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Late administration of surfactant does not reduce the duration of ventilation in very preterm neonates with prolonged respiratory distress, according to research published online Feb. 29 in JAMA Pediatrics.

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Decreases in Readmission Rates From 2007 to 2015

FRIDAY, Feb. 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — From 2007 to 2015 there were decreases in readmission rates for targeted and nontargeted conditions, according to a study published online Feb. 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Preemies Have Lasting Risk for Anesthesia Adverse Events

FRIDAY, Feb. 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Preterm children have an increased risk of developing sedation/anesthesia adverse events, which continues up to age 23 years, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in Pediatrics.

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Quality of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Varies Among Hospitals

FRIDAY, Feb. 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Hospital process composite performance measures of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) care vary between U.S. hospitals and are associated with outcome, according to a study published online Feb. 24 in JAMA Cardiology.

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Suggestions for Optimizing Practice Feedback Effectiveness

THURSDAY, Feb. 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) — In an article published online Feb. 23 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 15 suggestions are presented to optimize the effectiveness of practice feedback.

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Research Suggests Nurses May Be Unaware of VAP Guidelines

THURSDAY, Feb. 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Intensive care unit nurses’ may have inadequate knowledge of evidence-based guidelines for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prevention, according to an Iranian study published online Feb. 4 in the Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine.

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Public Reporting of Hospital Readmissions Hasn’t Cut Rates

THURSDAY, Feb. 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure, and pneumonia, the release of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) public reporting of hospital readmission rates has had no impact on 30-day readmission trends, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Increase in Availability of Donor Human Milk Over Time in NICUs

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — During recent years there has been an increase in the availability of donor human milk (DHM) in hospitals, according to a study published online Feb. 22 in Pediatrics.

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Early Administration of β-Blockers Ups Survival in ACS

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), early administration of β-blockers is associated with increased short-term survival and improved left ventricular function, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

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Mortality 18.5 Percent for Ebola Management in U.S., Europe

THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD) who received care in the United States and Europe show mortality of 18.5 percent, according to a study published in the Feb. 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Obesity Ups Mortality Risk in Critically Ill Children

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Being overweight or obese is linked to increased mortality in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), according to research published online Feb. 16 in Pediatrics.

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Many Med Schools Appear Unwelcoming Regarding Disability

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Most medical schools need to post, update, or clarify technical standards (TSs), required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), that detail what a school will do to accommodate a student with a disability, according to a study published online Jan. 19 in Academic Medicine.

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Outcomes Explored for ER Return Visit Hospital Admissions

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Patients with emergency department visits who are initially discharged and are then admitted at a return visit have better clinical outcomes that those hospitalized at the index emergency department visit without a return visit, according to a study published in the Feb. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Mortality Down for AMI Patients Developing Cardiogenic Shock

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients who develop cardiogenic shock during hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction, the rates of death seem to have declined in recent years, according to research published online Feb. 16 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

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Lower Oxygen Saturation Target Linked to Risks for Preemies

MONDAY, Feb. 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Use of a lower oxygen saturation target in preterm infants is associated with increased risks, according to research published online Feb. 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Sedatives Appear to Be Safe in Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome, treatment with high-dose intravenous sedatives is not associated with excess morbidity or mortality, according to a study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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CDC: Number of Uninsured Persons in U.S. Down Since 2013

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The percentage of uninsured persons is decreasing in the United States, according to a report published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

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Physicians Concerned By Increasing Cost of Generics

THURSDAY, Feb. 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Pennsylvania physicians have called for state- and national-level medical associations to take an active role in addressing the issue of increasing generic drug prices, according to an article published by the Pennsylvania Medical Society.

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Registered Nurse Staffing Linked to Mortality in NHS Trusts

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Registered nurse (RN) staffing is associated with reduced mortality in acute hospital National Health Service (NHS) trusts in England, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in BMJ Open.

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Admission to VA or Non-VA Hospitals Impacts Outcome

TUESDAY, Feb. 9, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For older men, mortality and readmission for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, and pneumonia vary with admission to Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA hospitals, according to a study published in the Feb. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Sepsis Tied to Higher Post-Discharge Mortality Risk

TUESDAY, Feb. 9, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Sepsis survivors have a substantially increased risk of all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events after discharge, according to a study published online Jan. 25 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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AMA Highlights Issues Relating to Medical Liability Reform

MONDAY, Feb. 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Medical liability reforms are likely to be advanced and challenged in 2016, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

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Patients More Satisfied With Care From Hospitalists

MONDAY, Feb. 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) — More patients report satisfaction with overall care in a nonteaching hospitalist service than in a general medicine teaching service, according to research published in the February issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

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Doctors Offer Suggestions for Electronic Health Records

FRIDAY, Feb. 5, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Physicians recently met in Seattle to discuss the difficulties and benefits associated with electronic health records (EHRs) in a third town hall meeting on the subject, according to a report published by the American Medical Association.

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Five-Year Mortality, Costs Up for ICU Survivors

FRIDAY, Feb. 5, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Intensive care unit (ICU) patients surviving to hospital discharge have higher five-year mortality and hospital resource use than hospital controls, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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Video Games Offer Educational Methods for Med Students

THURSDAY, Feb. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Video games can play a role in medical education, offering new methods for teaching medical students, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

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Patient-Centered System Recommended for Medical Billing

THURSDAY, Feb. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Simplification, consolidation, and real time point-of-care information could address the inefficiencies in the medical billing system, according to an Ideas and Opinions piece published online Feb. 2 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Intubation Duration for COPD Unchanged by Acetazolamide

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Acetazolamide does not differ from placebo in effect on the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to research published in the Feb. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Echo Underused During Critical Cardiovascular Hospitalizations

TUESDAY, Feb. 2, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Despite increasing rates of use, echocardiography (echo) may be underused during critical cardiovascular hospitalizations, according to a study published in the Feb. 9 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Palliative Care Lacking for Chronic Lung Disease Patients

MONDAY, Feb. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Among patients who die in the intensive care unit (ICU), patients with chronic lung diseases receive fewer elements of palliative care than cancer patients, according to a study published online Jan. 19 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

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