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New England Journal of Medicine publishes BMC's capnography training video

Physicians at Boston Medical Center (BMC) have developed a training video for health care providers about how to effectively use capnography to monitor ventilation and carbon dioxide levels for patients under anesthesia or conscious sedation. This is the sixth video published in the New England Journal of Medicine's Videos in Clinical Medicine section produced by BMC. It highlights the importance of using capnography to increase patient safety.

9 Nov 2012

AHA honors Children's National pediatrician with Meritorious Achievement Award

Children's National Medical Center is pleased to announce that David L. Wessel, MD, has received the prestigious Meritorious Achievement Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) Council on Cardiovascular Disease of the Young. The award is a national career achievement award recognizing an individual who has made a significant impact in the field of pediatric cardiovascular disease.

8 Nov 2012

Researchers discover cellular pathway that causes lung-damaging inflammation in CF

Vancouver researchers have discovered the cellular pathway that causes lung-damaging inflammation in cystic fibrosis (CF), and that reducing the pathway's activity also decreases inflammation.

8 Nov 2012

Round-the-clock ICU intensivists could reduce mortality rates, length of stay

Implementing 24-hour intensivists at medical intensive care units could reduce patient mortality rates, and significantly reduce patients' length of stay, indicate study results.

5 Nov 2012

Study shows how NCH guidelines improve quality of life for extremely premature infants

For the last decade, prematurity has been the leading cause of infant mortality in the United States. As a result of prematurity many infants enter this world too early with a small chance of survival. In order to help treat these extremely premature infants, physicians at Nationwide Children's Hospital developed a set of guidelines tailored to meet the needs of these tiny infants, some born up to four months early.

1 Nov 2012

The PLAN for stroke prognosis

Researchers have developed a new prediction rule, which they say predicts both short-term and 1-year mortality after acute ischemic stroke.

29 Oct 2012

Sedation interruption does not reduce mechanical ventilation duration

Daily sedative interruption of mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units does not reduce the time they are on ventilation or improve their clinical outcomes, report researchers in JAMA.

29 Oct 2012

FDA clears MAQUET’s new SENSATION PLUS 7.5Fr. 40cc intra-aortic balloon catheter

MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC, a leading provider of cardiovascular technologies, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE mark approval for its new SENSATION PLUS 7.5Fr. 40cc intra-aortic balloon (IAB) catheter.

29 Oct 2012

St. Luke's cardiologist wins TCT 2012 Geoffrey O. Hartzler Master Clinical Operator Award

Barry D. Rutherford, MD, a world renowned interventional cardiologist, was presented the TCT 2012 Geoffrey O. Hartzler Master Clinical Operator Award in a ceremony held today during the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).

29 Oct 2012

Trial finds benefits in using radial approach for primary angioplasty in heart attack patients

A study found several benefits in using the radial artery in the arm as the entry point for angioplasty or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared to the femoral artery in the leg. Results of the STEMI-RADIAL trial were presented today at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium.

29 Oct 2012

Universal approach to MRSA-prevention in ICU is most effective

Universal decolonization of all patients admitted to intensive care units using chlorhexidine baths and mupirocin treatment for 5 days significantly reduces the risk for infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , report researchers.

26 Oct 2012

World Prematurity Day: Nov. 17

This meeting organised in Paris from the 25th to the 27th of October, will be the opportunity to mark the end of inclusions for a cohort of over 8000 very preterm infants and to provide feedback on preliminary results of the project, launched in 2011.

26 Oct 2012

Simple approach results in low rates of MRSA infections

High compliance with hand hygiene and focusing on other simple infection control measures on medical, surgical and neuroscience intensive care units resulted in reduced rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection by 95 percent in a nine-year study, according to research findings by Virginia Commonwealth University physicians presented during IDWeek 2012.

26 Oct 2012

Large hospitals not following CAUTI preventive guidelines in their ICUs

Hospital size matters when it comes to intensive care units (ICUs) adopting even the most routine prevention policies for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), according to a new study from researchers at Columbia University School of Nursing, published this month in the American Journal of Infection Control.

24 Oct 2012

SIDS Center of New Jersey launches new initiative to reduce risk of sudden infant death syndrome

October is national SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Awareness Month and recognized by the State of New Jersey through a proclamation signed by Governor Chris Christie, calling attention to one of the leading causes of infant mortality.

24 Oct 2012

Warning against colloids in fluid resuscitation

Hydroxyethyl starch offers no benefits over saline for fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients and may have renal consequences, shows a randomized trial.

23 Oct 2012

Up to 10% of acute lung injuries may be drug-related

A population-based study has found that drug-induced acute lung injury accounts for around 9.5% of all acute lung injury cases.

23 Oct 2012

Almost all children on intensive care units given ‘off-label’ drugs

Study results show that a very high proportion of children admitted to intensive care units are treated with “off-label” drugs that have not been tested for the specific age or condition of the patient.

23 Oct 2012

Moms and babies more likely to die when co-ICU arises

When mothers and newborns are both admitted to intensive care units they are significantly more likely to die than when neither is admitted to an ICU, new research has found.

23 Oct 2012

Viewpoints: LA Times endorses Obama; Romney, Ryan 'obfuscating their plans for Medicare, Medicaid;' Obama's health law polarizes the country

The outcome of the presidential election will determine which of two opposing paths the nation will follow on health care for all Americans. If voters re-elect President Obama, he will protect the health care reforms.

23 Oct 2012