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Probiotics help stress-associated gastrointestinal disorders, study says

For those with irritable bowel syndrome who wonder if stress aggravates their intestinal disorder, a new University of Michigan Health System study shows it's not all in their head.

15 Mar 2013

Cardiohelp assists heart by pumping blood to oxygenator in seriously ill patients

A viral infection was causing life-threatening heart failure in Loyola University Medical Center patient Michelle Rivera.

14 Mar 2013

Pre-treatments for peripheral neuropathic pain patch receive European Commision approval

The European Commission (EC) has approved expanded options for pre-treatment prior to use of QUTENZA (8% capsaicin patch). Before application the patient may now take an oral analgesic, or the treatment area may be pre-treated with a topical anaesthetic.1 The 8% capsaicin patch is the first and only licensed high concentration (8%) capsaicin cutaneous patch for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain in Europe.

14 Mar 2013

USPTO issues patent to Echo Therapeutics’ Prelude SkinPrep System

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing its needle-free Symphony CGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring system, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 8,386,027, "Skin Permeation Device For Analyte Sensing or Transdermal Drug Delivery," for the Prelude SkinPrep System, the skin permeation component of the Symphony CGM System.

12 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

Transfusion of older blood adversely affects patients undergoing cardiac surgery or critical care

Transfusion of donated blood more than three weeks old results in impaired blood vessel function, a new study of hospital patients shows.

11 Mar 2013

Link between outdoor heat and hospitalization for respiratory disease in the elderly

Outdoor heat is associated with a significantly increased risk of emergency hospitalization for respiratory disorders in the elderly, according to a large epidemiological study of more than 12.5 million Medicare beneficiaries.

8 Mar 2013

Study suggests more accurate way to monitor patient awareness during general anesthesia

Massachusetts General Hospital investigators have identified specific EEG signatures that indicate when patients lose and regain consciousness under the general anesthetic drug propofol.

7 Mar 2013

Carbohydrate-rich diet during pregnancy may predict RSV severity in infants

An important predictor of the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants may be what their mothers ate during pregnancy, according to a Vanderbilt study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

5 Mar 2013

RBCs stored longer than 3 weeks begin to lose the capacity to deliver oxygen-rich cells to tissue

A small study from Johns Hopkins adds to the growing body of evidence that red blood cells stored longer than three weeks begin to lose the capacity to deliver oxygen-rich cells where they may be most needed.

4 Mar 2013

Starch-based intravenous fluids cause unnecessary deaths in seriously ill patients

Starch-based intravenous (IV) fluids used by the NHS to treat seriously ill patients are causing unnecessary deaths, according to a new Cochrane systematic review by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

28 Feb 2013

New research reveals special face masks prevent clinical respiratory and bacterial infections

Health care workers who consistently wear special fitted face masks while on duty are much less likely to get clinical respiratory and bacterial infections, according to new research led by University of New South Wales academics.

27 Feb 2013

Offices of family physicians appear to give preference to people with chronic health conditions

Some family physicians' offices discriminate against people of low socio-economic status, even when there is no economic incentive to do so under Canada's system of publicly funded universal health insurance, new research has shown.

27 Feb 2013

One in three ventilated people with ALI shows substantial PTSD symptoms

One in three people who survived stays in an intensive care unit (ICU) and required use of a mechanical ventilator showed substantial post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms that lasted for up to two years, according to a new Johns Hopkins study of patients with acute lung injury.

26 Feb 2013

Loyola offers tips to help stay healthy during shoveling season

A mild winter means many are out of practice in the fine art of snow shoveling. But bending and lifting the wrong way can lead to a trip to the emergency department.

25 Feb 2013

UAB becomes first in America to test experimental therapy for emphysema

A patient at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) became the first person in America to undergo an investigational therapy for emphysema that uses a foam sealant sprayed into the lungs.

23 Feb 2013

Simple interventions could reduce delirium and improve patient perceptions about sleep quality

A hospital is not the best place to get a good night's sleep, especially in a noisy intensive care unit. It's a cause for concern because studies have shown that a lack of sleep can cause patients to experience delirium-an altered mental state that may delay their recovery and lead to short and long-term confusion and memory problems.

21 Feb 2013

State roundup: Calif. opens prison psychiatric ward, hopes to shed fed oversight

Virginia is among the last states to begin dismantling its large institutions for the developmentally disabled, a decision that was made as part of a year-old settlement agreement with the Justice Department, which argued in a lawsuit that Virginia was discriminating against training center residents by keeping them institutionalized.

20 Feb 2013

Elsevier receives three American Journal of Nursing 2012 Book of the Year awards

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, was recognized with three American Journal of Nursing (AJN) 2012 Book of the Year awards, including two for first place. Elsevier's books were honored in the Gerontologic Nursing, Maternal and Child Health, and Critical Care-Emergency Nursing categories.

19 Feb 2013

Otolaryngology, head and neck surgery: an interview with Thomas Cherry, Cook Medical

Cook Medical is the world’s largest privately held medical device manufacturer. The ENT division is Cook’s 10th business unit/clinical division and we are excited to meet the needs of ENT patients.

From COOK MEDICAL INC. 18 Feb 2013