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HHS, CCSC to recognize healthcare professionals with excellence in preventing HAIs

Teams of critical care professionals and healthcare institutions with a record of reducing or eliminating healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are encouraged to submit their best practices to a national awards program.

19 Nov 2011

HRR1 after 6MW test is a strong predictor of clinical worsening in IPAH patients

Heart rate recovery at one minute after a six-minute walking distance (6MWD) test is highly predictive of clinical worsening and time to clinical worsening in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), according to a new study.

19 Nov 2011

FDA approves EUSA's orphan drug ERWINAZE for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

EUSA Pharma, a transatlantic specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, oncology supportive care and critical care, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its orphan drug ERWINAZE (asparaginase Erwinia chrysanthemi) for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients with hypersensitivity to E. coli-derived asparaginase.

19 Nov 2011

Important clues to prevention and management of delirium are being ignored

Important clues to the prevention and management of delirium, a condition affecting an estimated 7 million hospitalized Americans, are being ignored, according to a study from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine.

18 Nov 2011

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia opens Center for Acute Respiratory Failure

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center has officially opened the Center for Acute Respiratory Failure, which offers, among other services, expertise in using lung bypass technology to help adult patients whose lungs are rapidly shutting down.

18 Nov 2011

Debt panel deliberations involve gloom, doom and blame

As indications continue to suggest the super committee stalemate continues, the panel members and other lawmakers are pointing fingers and assigning blame. Health programs -- including Medicare -- continue to be a sticking point. News outlets also examine how the threatened cuts that would kick in if the panel doesn't find success would impact the health sector.

18 Nov 2011

Severity of smoke-inhalation injury may play a role in overall pulmonary inflammatory response

A study of burn patients has found that those who suffered the most severe smoke inhalation also had more inflammation and spent more time on ventilators and in intensive care.

17 Nov 2011

CIHR honors University of Calgary scientist with prestigious award for medical research

University of Calgary researcher Paul Kubes, PhD, is the recipient of one of Canada's top awards for medical research. An internationally-recognized scientist specializing in visualizing the mammalian immune system, Kubes will accept the 2011 Canada's Health Researcher of the Year award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) at a ceremony in Ottawa this evening.

17 Nov 2011

King Faisal Specialty Hospital implements LUMEDX CVIS in its Heart Centre

LUMEDX Corporation, a provider of vendor-neutral, integrated cardiovascular information and imaging systems (CVIS), announced today that the King Faisal Specialty Hospital and Research Centre has deployed a comprehensive LUMEDX CVIS in its Heart Centre.

15 Nov 2011

ZOLL to display resuscitation technology, temperature management solutions at AHA 2011

ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, today announced that 27 scientific presentations related to ZOLL products and technology are scheduled to be presented during the American Heart Association (AHA) 2011 Resuscitation Science Symposium (ReSS) and Scientific Sessions.

10 Nov 2011

MRSA co-infection increases risk of flu-related mortality among children

During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, many previously healthy children became critically ill, developing severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, sometimes fatal. The largest nationwide investigation to date of influenza in critically ill children, led by Children's Hospital Boston, found one key risk factor: Simultaneous infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increased the risk for flu-related mortality 8-fold among previously healthy children.

7 Nov 2011

Study finds pregnancy safe for 80% of women with lupus

Promising research led by investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery may offer hope for women with lupus who once thought that pregnancy was too risky.

7 Nov 2011

Teleflex to showcase respiratory solutions, education programs at AARC Congress

Teleflex Incorporated will showcase a number of respiratory solutions and education programs at the annual American Association of Respiratory Care Congress to be held in Tampa, Florida on November 5-8, 2011.

5 Nov 2011

Vitamin D levels not related to acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Vitamin D levels are not related to acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) in patients with severe COPD, according to a large prospective cohort study involving 973 North American patients. The findings were published online ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

4 Nov 2011

New link between obesity, SDB and cognition among elementary school children

Researchers at the University of Chicago have found important new relationships between obesity, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and cognitive processing among elementary school children.

4 Nov 2011

Galectin Therapeutics forms Liver Fibrosis Clinical Trials Advisory Board

Galectin Therapeutics Inc., the leader in developing carbohydrate-based therapeutic compounds to inhibit galectin receptors, today announced the formation of its Liver Fibrosis Clinical Trials Advisory Board comprised of key opinion leaders from Emory Hospital and School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard School of Medicine, University of Michigan Hospital and School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital and School of Medicine, and University of Wisconsin Hospital and School of Medicine.

3 Nov 2011

Nurse scientist recognized as AACN's 2012 Distinguished Research Lecturer

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently selected Martha A.Q. Curley, RN, PhD, FAAN, as its 2012 Distinguished Research Lecturer.

2 Nov 2011

Preventive use of ACZ may reduce risk of severe high altitude illness

Measuring specific, exercise-related responses can help physicians determine who may be more at risk for severe high altitude illness (SHAI), according to a study conducted by researchers in France. The researchers also found that taking acetazolamide (ACZ), a drug frequently prescribed to prevent altitude illness, can reduce some of the risk factors associated with SHAI.

29 Oct 2011

Evidenced-based best practices can reduce healthcare associated infections

Healthcare associated infections, such as catheter related acute bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), significantly affect hospital morbidity and mortality but by developing evidenced-based, best practices, these occurrences can be minimized, according to research from surgeons at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

28 Oct 2011

Blood biomarker panel can predict survival in IPF patients

A panel of blood proteins can predict which patients with the progressive lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are likely to live at least five years or to die within two years, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Centocor R&D.

27 Oct 2011