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Women over 40 need to be vigilant about contraception even in perimenopause

Women reaching the age of 40 tend to be less vigilant about birth control because they think the risk of pregnancy is low - or that birth control can cause health problems - but a review of the evidence by a team that includes a Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island physician recently underscored the need to be vigilant about contraception even in perimenopause.

26 Mar 2013

Research roundup: Number of nurses linked to NICU infections; Comparing Medicare budget plans

Neonatal intensive care units – which provide care for infants who are critically ill – are costly and require a significant amount of nursing services.

25 Mar 2013

New research may help clinicians determine factors that increase risk of blood clots after surgery

New research from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, published in the Journal of Surgical Research, may help clinicians determine which patients are at highest risk for post-surgical blood clots in the legs or lungs.

21 Mar 2013

Patient-centered end-of-life care results in happier patients who live longer, researchers find

New doctors take an oath to first do no harm, but physicians often go too far in their quest to keep that oath - exposing patients to aggressive treatments that don't improve outcomes and drive up healthcare costs.

21 Mar 2013

Eritoran drug does not reduce risk of death in patients with severe sepsis

Administration of the drug eritoran to patients with severe sepsis and septic shock failed to demonstrate a significant effect on reducing all-cause 28-day mortality or 1-year mortality, compared with placebo, according to a study in the March 20 issue of JAMA.

20 Mar 2013

Study finds significant variation over diuretics use in BPD patients

Even though there is little data to support the extended use of diuretic medications to help reduce fluid build-up in the lungs of premature infants, researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital have found significant variation in how babies receive these medications at hospitals across the nation.

20 Mar 2013

Study: Health of critically ill newborns is endangered by insufficient nurse staffing

A new study reveals that the health of critically ill newborns is endangered by insufficient nurse staffing. The national study finds that very few neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) provide sufficient numbers of nurses to meet guidelines and that the most vulnerable babies are also the most understaffed.

20 Mar 2013

Very low birth weight infants do not receive optimal nursing care, finds study

Very low birth weight infants, those weighing less than 3.25 pounds, account for half of infant deaths in the United States each year, yet a new study released in today's issue of JAMA-Pediatrics documents that these critically ill infants do not receive optimal nursing care, which can lead to hospital-acquired infections that double their death rate and may result in long-term developmental issues affecting the quality of their lives as adults.

19 Mar 2013

NHS intravenous (IV) fluids: an interview with Dr Ian Roberts, LSHTM

Saline is just salty water, whereas colloids are solutions that have large molecules in them. In this case, the molecules are starch. The idea is that because these molecules are big they don’t leak out of the circulation as much.

18 Mar 2013

Scientific paper highlights versatility of Tensys Medical's T-Line technology

Tensys Medical, Inc., a leader in the development and commercialization of continuous, non-invasive hemodynamic patient monitoring systems, announced that a scientific paper evaluating the use of the company's T-line technology has been published in the British Journal of Anesthesia (03/13/13—advance online publication).

18 Mar 2013

Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital present research works at AAN meeting

The following research from Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is being presented at the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, March 16-23, 2013, in San Diego.

18 Mar 2013

Weekend reading: Humanizing hospitals, splurge of health data and huge sodas

Every week reporter Ankita Rao selects interesting reading from around the Web.

15 Mar 2013

Varicella vaccine prevents hospital admission, saves lives

The widespread introduction of a chicken pox vaccine in Australia in 2006 has prevented thousands of children from being hospitalized with severe chicken pox and saved lives, according to new research.

14 Mar 2013

Studies show protein semaphorin 3A helps detect acute kidney injury

A guidance cue that helps kidneys form may also be a red flag that they are in danger, researchers report.

13 Mar 2013

AACN issues Tele-ICU nursing practice guidelines

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) issues the first authoritative document to define practice guidelines specifically for the emerging subspecialty of tele-ICU nursing practice.

11 Mar 2013

Study finds inconsistency in scoring methods that have been developed to evaluate NICUs

Scoring methods commonly used to evaluate Newborn Intensive Care Units (NICU) are inconsistent, according to new research from the University of Michigan.

6 Mar 2013

Scientists decode the antihypertensive impact of omega-3 fatty acids

Scientists of Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Jena University Hospital decode the antihypertensive impact of omega-3 fatty acids. In two newly published articles for the well-known science magazine 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA' they describe how they analyzed the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on a systemic level and they also described the underlying molecular mechanisms for the first time.

6 Mar 2013

Medicare patients enrolled in hospice receive better care at lower cost

Medicare patients who enrolled in hospice received better care at a significantly lower cost to the government than those who did not use the Medicare hospice benefit.

5 Mar 2013

American Society of Anesthesiologists announces recognition of Patient Safety Awareness Week

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today announced its recognition of Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 3-9, 2013. Throughout the week, ASA will educate patients on the importance of physician-led care to make critical, life-saving decisions.

5 Mar 2013

Reduced income lessens chances of at-home death

Terminally ill patients with a low median annual household income are less likely to die at home than their wealthier counterparts, according to US study results published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

26 Feb 2013