Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Critical Care for February 2017. 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.
Strategies Suggested to Protect Practices From Hackers
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Steps should be taken to protect medical practices, including small practices, from hackers, according to a report published in Medical Economics.
Physician Burnout Eroding Sense of Calling
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For physicians across specialties, burnout is associated with reduced odds of a sense of calling, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Supreme Court Rules Patient Safety Data Subject to Litigation
MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The Supreme Court of Florida has reversed a District Court of Appeal decision deeming information related to patient safety unprotected from litigation discovery, according to a report published from the American Medical Association.
Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Found in Hospital Sinks
MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria can occur through sinks and other areas where water can pool inside hospitals, according to a study published online Feb. 24 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Cyberattacks Remain Serious Threat to Health Providers
THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Cyberattacks remain a serious threat to small providers as well as big institutions, according to a report published in Medical Economics.
Stratification Tool IDs Who Will Benefit From Adding Ezetimibe
THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients stabilized after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), a nine-point risk stratification tool can identify patients who will derive benefit from the addition of ezetimibe to statin therapy, according to a study published in the Feb. 28 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Health Information Theft a Pressing Concern for U.S. Patients
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Forty-four percent of U.S. adults are worried about having their personal health care information stolen, according to findings from the Xerox eHealth Survey published Feb. 9 in HIT Consultant.
Survival 79 Percent for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Survival is 79 percent for neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) undergoing surgical repair, with higher survival for those not needing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), according to a study published online Feb. 17 in Pediatric Anesthesia.
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CMS Rule Set to Stabilize Small Health Insurance Markets
TUESDAY, Feb. 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a rule in relation to new reforms intended to stabilize individual and small group health insurance markets for 2018.
ICU Appears Overused for Some Patients With Heart, Lung Disease
MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is not associated with a survival benefit for patients with uncertain ICU needs hospitalized with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exacerbation of heart failure, or acute myocardial infarction (AMI), according to a study published online Feb. 17 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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Health Care Spending Expected to Grow 5.6% Annually to 2025
THURSDAY, Feb. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Health care spending is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.6 percent from 2016 to 2025, according to a report published online Feb. 15 in Health Affairs.
Survival Improving for Periviable Infants
THURSDAY, Feb. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Infants born between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy are more likely to survive now than a decade ago, according to a study published in the Feb. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Bacteria, Fungi Found in Some Medicinal Marijuana Samples
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Medical marijuana may carry infectious bacteria and fungi that can pose a life-threatening risk to cancer patients who use it to ease the side effects of chemotherapy, according to a study published online recently in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
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Interventions Up Discussion of Advanced Care Planning
TUESDAY, Feb. 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Quality improvement interventions can increase discussions relating to advanced care planning and the mention of advance directives (ADs) in the electronic medical record (EMR), according to a study published online Feb. 9 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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NICU Auditory Environment Shows Room for Improvement
FRIDAY, Feb. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Premature infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are exposed to potentially harmful noise levels, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in the Journal of Pediatrics.
Variation in Complication Rates for Term Newborns in Florida
FRIDAY, Feb. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — There is considerable variation in hospital total unexpected complication rates among newborns in Florida, according to a study published online Feb. 10 in Pediatrics.
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Peroxide Ingestion As ‘Cleansing Agent’ Can Be Fatal
FRIDAY, Feb. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Ingesting high-concentration hydrogen peroxide as a “natural cure” or cleansing agent is a dangerous practice that is associated with a high incidence of embolic events, according to a study published recently in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Intravenous Lidocaine Offers Alternative for ICU Patients’ Pain
THURSDAY, Feb. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Intravenous lidocaine (IVLI) seems safe for reducing pain among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with varying degrees of organ dysfunction, according to research published online Feb. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
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Adherence to Bronchiolitis Guidelines Cuts LOS, Costs
THURSDAY, Feb. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Adherence to bronchiolitis clinical pathway recommendations is associated with reduced length of stay (LOS) and costs, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in Pediatrics.
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Evaluation of Sepsis Varies Across Newborn Nurseries
THURSDAY, Feb. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Considerable variation is seen in risk assessment for newborn early onset sepsis (EOS), according to a study published online Feb. 8 in Pediatrics.
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Nighttime Intensivist Staffing Not Linked to ICU Mortality
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Nighttime intensivist staffing is not associated with reduced intensive care unit (ICU) patient mortality, according to a review and meta-analysis published in the Feb. 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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30-day Mortality Down With Vancomycin in C. difficile
TUESDAY, Feb. 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), recurrence rates are similar with vancomycin and metronidazole treatment, but the risk of 30-day mortality is significantly reduced with vancomycin, according to a study published online Feb. 6 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Lower Rate of Adverse Events With Outpatient Treatment of PE
MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with hemodynamically stable pulmonary embolism (PE), outpatient management is associated with a lower rate of adverse events, according to research published online Jan. 20 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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Fewer Major Bleeds With Once- Versus Twice-Daily Enoxaparin
MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Once-daily enoxaparin is associated with fewer major bleeds than enoxaparin twice daily in patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to a study published online Jan. 25 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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Mortality Down for U.S. Patients Treated by International Doctors
MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Mortality rates are lower for older Americans treated by doctors trained in other countries than by those who went to a U.S. medical school, according to research published online Feb. 3 in The BMJ.
One in Five Undergoing Telemetry for Noncardiac Indications
FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) — More than 20 percent of patients undergoing telemetry have noncardiac indications, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
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Clinical Massage, Guided Imagery Reduce Pain, Anxiety
FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients in a progressive care unit, clinical massage and guided imagery can reduce pain and anxiety, according to a study published online Feb. 1 in Critical Care Nurse.
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PTSD Risk Up in Parents of Kids With Critical Heart Defects
THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Parents of children born with critical congenital heart defects may be at high risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems, according to research published online Feb. 1 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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