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Multidisciplinary, team-based approach can reduce mortality rates in ICUs

The severe shortage of specially-trained intensivist physicians has hospital intensive care units (ICUs) nationwide struggling to staff units with critical care teams led by intensivists, even though the presence of these specially trained physicians reduces the risk of death for patients in the ICU.

23 Feb 2010

State-of-the-art review of stereological methods for lung morphometry

The ATS and the European Respiratory Society have issued official standards for the quantitative assessment of lung structure.

18 Feb 2010

USPTO issues two new patents for EKR Therapeutics' RTU Cardene I.V. Premixed Injection

EKR Therapeutics, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing acute-care hospital products, today announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued two new patents covering methods of treatment and methods of preparation for the Company’s Ready-to-Use (RTU) Cardene® I.V. (nicardipine hydrochloride) Premixed Injection.

17 Feb 2010

Safety scientist urges medical colleagues to better safety checklist

In the wake of Johns Hopkins' success in virtually eliminating intensive-care unit bloodstream infections via a simple five-step checklist, the safety scientist who developed and popularized the tool warns medical colleagues that they are no panacea.

16 Feb 2010

LUHS nurses earn professional certifications

Several Loyola University Health System (LUHS) nurses have earned professional certifications in their clinical areas of expertise. This indicates that LUHS nurses meet strong professional development standards and competencies.

11 Feb 2010

Cardiac arrest due to medication-induced heart rhythm disturbance: Rare but catastrophic

Hospital care providers need to be more aware that cardiac arrest from a medication-induced heart rhythm problem is a rare but potentially catastrophic event in patients, according to a joint scientific statement from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology.

10 Feb 2010

Elevator-related injuries are preventable

In the first large-scale epidemiological study of elevator-related injuries in older adults in the United States, researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine and an Ohio State University colleague report in the January 2010 issue of The Journal of Trauma Injury, Infection, and Critical Care on the frequency, nature and opportunities for prevention of these injuries.

10 Feb 2010

Safety checklist reduces bloodstream infections in ICUs

The state of Michigan, which used a five-step checklist developed at Johns Hopkins to virtually eliminate bloodstream infections in its hospitals' intensive care units , has been able to keep the number of these common, costly and potentially lethal infections near zero - even three years after first adopting the standardized procedures.

5 Feb 2010

Oxford Finance Corporation announces $25M credit facility to EUSA Pharma

Oxford Finance Corporation today announced that it is the agent and primary lender for a $25 million credit facility provided to EUSA Pharma. MidCap Financial and Silicon Valley Bank are co-lenders in the transaction.

5 Feb 2010

State of Michigan keeps lethal hospital infections in check

The state of Michigan, which used a five-step checklist developed at Johns Hopkins to virtually eliminate bloodstream infections in its hospitals' intensive care units , has been able to keep the number of these common, costly and potentially lethal infections near zero — even three years after first adopting the standardized procedures. A report on the work is being published in the February 20 issue of BMJ (British Medical Journal).

4 Feb 2010

New study may allow scientists to develop screening test for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

A simple blood test could predict which patients with the lung-scarring disease known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are soon to get far worse, an indicator that could one day influence their treatment, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

4 Feb 2010

Study could lead to non-surgical alternatives for tonsillectomies

Children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may one day be able to have an injection or use a throat spray instead of getting their tonsils removed to cure their snoring, according to a new study from the University of Chicago, which found that a specific gene product may be responsible for the proliferation of adenotonsillar tissue that can cause pediatric OSA.

4 Feb 2010

New online ratings provide patients with easy access to hospital infection rates

Far too many hospitals expose patients to deadly central-line bloodstream infections despite the availability of a simple life-saving checklist proven to prevent hospital acquired infections, says a new investigative article in the March issue of Consumer Reports.

2 Feb 2010

Caregivers of ICU survivors endure more stress than those caring for Alzheimer's disease patients

Intensive care unit patients are not the only ones likely to be severely depressed in the aftermath of hospitalization. Family and friends who care for them often suffer emotional and social hardship, too, according to a prospective study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine that is the first to monitor patients and caregivers during a one-year period for predictors of depression and lifestyle disruption.

2 Feb 2010

New approach may prove useful in labor anesthesia, orthopedics and more

One of the holy grails of local anesthesia is the ability to achieve a long-lasting nerve block that eliminates pain sensation while not affecting motor function. Now, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have discovered an anesthetic approach that seems to do just that.

2 Feb 2010

CHOP deploys medical team for pediatric care in Haiti

Global Health at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is deploying a medical team to Haiti today in response to an urgent call from Partners In Health for pediatric experts to care for children with injuries related to the Jan. 12 earthquake at the University Hospital in Port-au-Prince.

31 Jan 2010

Congressman Rothman secures 1.49M in federal dollars for EHMC's bloodless medicine program

Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) will be the featured speaker at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center today, 1:00-2:00 pm. Congressman Rothman will announce the latest batch of federal funds, $1.49 million, for the Institute for Patient Blood Management and Bloodless Medicine and Surgery. This brings the total amount of federal funding secured by Congressman Rothman for this institute to $4.69 million in federal resources and to over six million dollars to Hospital programs since 2002.

30 Jan 2010

IKF's Wonderfund establishes emergency fund for Haiti's children

The IKF's (International Kids Fund) Wonderfund™ has established an emergency fund for Haiti's Children called the "Haiti's Children Fund." It will support young Haitian earthquake victims expected to arrive at Jackson Memorial Hospital for life-saving medical care. Donations may be made directly through www.wonderfund.org.

30 Jan 2010

Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center honored with HealthGrades' Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence

Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center has been identified by HealthGrades as a 2010 recipient of the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence. HealthGrades awards this title to facilities that rank in the top five percent in overall clinical performance.

30 Jan 2010

ZOLL Medical, HealthTrust Purchasing Group enter into purchasing agreement

ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that HealthTrust Purchasing Group, LP (HealthTrust), a leading healthcare group purchasing organization (GPO), has entered into a purchasing agreement with ZOLL for its therapeutic temperature management equipment.

28 Jan 2010