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Health care resource use and costs of H.P. Acthar® gel for multiple sclerosis relapse

Mallinckrodt plc, a leading global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced new retrospective health economic data on H.P. Acthar® Gel (repository corticotropin injection; RCI), which may be an option for the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses.

6 Jul 2016

Circulating angiogenic factor shows PAH biomarker potential

Hepatoma-derived growth factor predicts disease severity and survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, showing some possible clinical advantages over N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, researchers report.

5 Jul 2016

Study assesses prevalence of delirium among survivors of cardiac arrest treated with hypothermia

A study in the American Journal of Critical Care found a remarkably high prevalence of delirium in a small cohort of critically ill patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest.

1 Jul 2016

Researchers determine that physical therapy did not shorten hospital length of stay for ICU patients

In a surprising reversal, researchers have determined that a particular protocol providing physical therapy to ICU patients with acute respiratory failure did not shorten hospital length of stay.

29 Jun 2016

New blood test could help predict severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that rising blood levels of a protein called hematoma derived growth factor (HDGF) are linked to the increasing severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a form of damaging high blood pressure in the lungs.

20 Jun 2016

Caribbean, African-born women more likely to be admitted at ICU during delivery

Women born in the Caribbean or Africa are two times more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit at the time of their delivery than Canadian-born women, a new study has found.

17 Jun 2016

Infection prevention bundles effective for reducing CLABSIs in critical care newborns

Infection prevention bundles, a package of evidence-based guidelines implemented in unison, are effective for reducing central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) in critical care newborn infants, according to a new study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

15 Jun 2016

Scientists aim to heal failing heart with the body’s own cells

Babies born with heart defects live longer than ever thanks to advances in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease. Yet, despite substantial progress, many continue to face bleak odds, lifelong medication, multiple surgeries and progressive heart failure, often requiring a transplant.

15 Jun 2016

New study finds underutilization of PR therapy among older COPD patients

A new study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston investigating trends on the use of pulmonary rehabilitation therapy among older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease found that this therapy was underutilized, despite its health benefits and cost effectiveness.

10 Jun 2016

Barley products lower levels of two types of bad cholesterol linked to cardiovascular risk

Eating barley or foods containing barley significantly reduced levels of two types of "bad cholesterol" associated with cardiovascular risk, a St. Michael's Hospital research paper has found.

8 Jun 2016

Need for improved care in and out of ICU to treat patients with PICS, PICS-F

Thanks to advances in modern medicine, more ICU patients are surviving critical illness, but most are unprepared for the challenges ahead for themselves and their families on their journey toward recovery.

8 Jun 2016

Large national effort shows promise in reducing both catheter use and UTI rates

Right now, about one in five hospital patients has a catheter collecting their urine - and putting them at risk of a painful and potentially dangerous urinary tract infection, or UTI.

2 Jun 2016

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC supports parents’ presence with children during resuscitation

Inviting parents to the bedside while their child receives CPR is supported by professional associations, joint position and policy statements, and clinical practice guidelines, but hospitals often find that putting those recommendations into practice requires more than a new policy.

1 Jun 2016

Inadequate monitoring places post-operative patients at risk for opioid-induced respiratory depression

Nearly 75 percent of hospitalized patients receiving opioids for pain management are not monitored according to hospital guidelines.

28 May 2016

Children treated at stand-alone Level I PTC have better outcomes following motor vehicle accident

Children and adolescents injured in motor vehicle accidents have better outcomes when treated at a stand-alone Level I pediatric trauma center (PTC) than at general adult trauma centers (ATC) or adult trauma centers with added Level I pediatric qualifications (ATC+PTC), according to a new study to be published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery by researchers from Children's Minnesota.

20 May 2016

SUSTAIN study to test effect of high-dose selenium on recovery of cardiac surgery patients

Queen's University researcher Daren Heyland is leading a study that aims to reduce the risk of complications and improves recovery of cardiac surgery patients.

19 May 2016

American Thoracic Society and Sunovion release landmark survey of pulmonologists’ attitudes and practices with inhalation devices for COPD

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Sunovion) today announced the results of a survey of pulmonologists and pulmonology fellows to determine physicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management, with particular attention to the use of hand-held small volume nebulizers. A small volume nebulizer is a device powered by air that aerosolizes medications for delivery to patients.

16 May 2016

Estrogen-inhibiting drug may suppress dangerous brain seizures

A class of drug that inhibits estrogen production and is used to treat breast cancer has been found to quickly and effectively suppress dangerous brain seizures, according to a new Northwestern University study.

13 May 2016

New molecule has potential to prolong life of cystic fibrosis patients

Scientists at Queen's University Belfast have discovered a new molecule which has the potential to prolong the life of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF).

12 May 2016

New Canadian study highlights need to consider mental health of caregivers in post-ICU care

A new Canadian study focusing on caregiver outcomes of critically ill patients reveals that caregivers of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors, who have received mechanical ventilation for a minimum of seven days, are at a high risk of developing clinical depression persisting up to one year after discharge.