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ATS releases new report detailing emerging trends in HIV-linked pulmonary disease management

The American Thoracic Society has released a new report detailing recent global changes in the management of human immunodeficiency virus-associated pulmonary disease.

4 Mar 2011

Health care needs to look to aviation industry to improve safety

In a commentary published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a leading patient safety expert argues that failure to integrate new electronic equipment in modern hospital operating rooms and intensive care units results in diagnostic mistakes, failures to identify deteriorating patients, communication errors and inefficient work.

2 Mar 2011

LEO selects Veeva CRM to support its rapidly growing New Markets Europe region

LEO Pharma, a leading global pharmaceutical company specialising in dermatology and critical care, has selected Veeva CRM to support its rapidly growing New Markets Europe region. LEO has started the deployment of Veeva CRM to its users in countries such as Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, and Italy.

1 Mar 2011

Acute viral infection does not appear to cause exacerbation of IPF

Acute viral infection does not appear to be a primary cause of acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive, deadly disease resulting in thickening and scarring of the lungs, according to a study conducted by researchers from the U.S., Korea and Japan.

28 Feb 2011

U.S.-Chile collaborate to study new long-acting local anesthetic derived from algae

A U.S.-Chile collaboration is bringing surgical patients closer to having a long-acting local anesthetic. In a randomized, double-blind trial, patients given neosaxitoxin, a new local anesthetic derived from algae, had significantly less postoperative pain and recovered about two days sooner than those given the commonly used local anesthetic bupivacaine.

25 Feb 2011

HIMSS survey: Nurse informaticists play a major role in implementation of healthcare IT

With the increased adoption of healthcare information technology, nursing informatics - a hybrid career combining nursing and healthcare IT skills - is growing in importance and impact, suggests the 2011 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey.

25 Feb 2011

Tifacogin administration shows no treatment benefit in patients with severe CAP

Use of the blood clot-inhibiting medication tifacogin does not appear to improve outcomes of patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia, according to a study conducted by researchers from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The drug had shown some potential benefit in the sCAP subgroup of an earlier trial involving sepsis patients.

23 Feb 2011

Sarasota Memorial selects Meru for pervasive wireless coverage to healthcare industry

Meru Networks, Inc., the leader in virtualized 802.11n enterprise wireless networking, today announced that Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, the second-largest acute care public medical center in Florida, selected Meru for pervasive wireless coverage throughout their 806-bed facility.

21 Feb 2011

2011 Clinical Congress of American College of Surgeons to take place in October, in San Francisco

The 2011 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons—one of the largest international meetings of surgeons in the world—will convene October 23-27, 2011, in San Francisco, CA. The San Francisco Hilton will serve as the headquarters hotel for the meeting, and the Moscone Convention Center will house the scientific panel sessions and courses, as well as all scientific and technical exhibits.

19 Feb 2011

RyMed's InVision-Plus IV Connector decreases catheter-related bloodstream infections by 92.6%

Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, GA exhibited a poster at the recent 11th National Conference on Cancer Nursing Research in Los Angeles, in which their clinical study showed RyMed Technologies' zero displacement InVision-Plus® IV Connector significantly decreased the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSIs) by 92.6% on average when compared to a simple split septum with negative displacement IV connector (Becton-Dickinson Q-Syte®) and a reversed split-septum device with negative displacement IV connector (ICU Medical Clave®).

18 Feb 2011

New study: Asthma may have relationship with airway microbiota composition

Asthma may have a surprising relationship with the composition of the species of bacteria that inhabit bronchial airways, a finding that could suggest new treatment or even potential cures for the common inflammatory disease, according to a new UCSF-led study.

18 Feb 2011

Study: Ventilator-associated pneumonia infections drop by 70% in Michigan hospitals

Cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia — the most lethal and among the most common of all hospital-associated infections — dropped by more than 70 percent in Michigan hospitals where medical staff used a simple checklist designed by Johns Hopkins researchers. Such pneumonias kill an estimated 36,000 Americans each year.

17 Feb 2011

Study: Cigarette smoking linked to mucus overproduction in patients with chronic bronchitis

Cigarette smoking has been linked with overproduction of mucus associated with chronic bronchitis, according to a study conducted by researchers in New Mexico. The study indicates cigarette smoke suppresses a protein that causes the natural death of mucus-producing cells in the airways of bronchitis patients.

17 Feb 2011

NTI awards $295,172 to BMC chief for acute lung injury study

Suresh Agarwal, MD, the chief of surgical critical care at Boston Medical Center and an associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, has received a $295,172 grant from the National Trauma Institute to identify optimal treatment methods for acute lung injury.

15 Feb 2011

Research: 75% of nonmilitary group medically evacuated for nonbattle injuries did not return to field

After analyzing data on 2,155 private contractors, diplomats and other civilians supporting war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan who were medically evacuated out of combat zones, researchers have found they are more likely to be evacuated for noncombat-related injuries, but more likely to return to work in-country after treatment for these conditions.

15 Feb 2011

Researchers to develop automation system for sedation control in hospital ICUs

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Northeast Georgia Medical Center are one step closer to their goal of automating the management of sedation in hospital intensive care units. They have developed control algorithms that use clinical data to accurately determine a patient's level of sedation and can notify medical staff if there is a change in the level.

14 Feb 2011

UH Case Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center increases tPA use for ischemic stroke by 13.5 times

University Hospitals Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center recently reported that it has increased the use of tPA or "clot busting therapy" for ischemic stroke by 13.5 times throughout UH system hospitals since implementing the System Stroke Program. Launched in 2008, SSP sought to increase access to the lifesaving treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients in the 15 counties surrounding Cleveland.

14 Feb 2011

Study: Leptin resistance may help prevent ARDS, ALI development in patients with type II diabetes

Resistance to leptin, a protein that plays a key role in regulating metabolism and appetite, may help prevent the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute lung injury in individuals with type II diabetes, according to a study conducted by researchers in Chicago.

13 Feb 2011

Silver treated IV connectors may cause potentially deadly infections

Nationally-acclaimed researcher and award-winning author Dr. Cynthia C. Chernecky warned in a speech at the 11th National Conference on Cancer Nursing Research that silver treated IV connectors could actually cause potentially deadly infections they were supposed to prevent.

11 Feb 2011

New study: Fetal surgery for spina bifida greatly improves child's mobility

Performing delicate surgery in the womb, months before birth, can substantially improve outcomes for children with a common, disabling birth defect of the spine. Experts at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia co-led a new landmark study showing that fetal surgery for spina bifida greatly reduces the need to divert fluid from the brain, improves mobility and improves the chances that a child will be able to walk independently.

9 Feb 2011