Intensive Care News and Research

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Combination of blood tests and ROMA algorithm receives FDA clearance to treat ovarian cancer

Approval last week by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clears the path for nationwide use of tools that show the greatest specificity in estimating the risk of ovarian cancer in women with a pelvic mass.

7 Sep 2011

Scientists uncover new ways to stimulate pancreatic beta cell growth

One of the holy grails in diabetes research is to discover molecules that stimulate beta cell growth and to find drugs that target these molecules. Now, JDRF-funded researchers in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, have done both, discovering not only a protein that regulates beta cell growth, but also a chemical compound that stimulates it.

7 Sep 2011

Major difference in twin birth weights linked to increased risk of health complications

The first results of a major all-Ireland study of twin pregnancies, led by Perinatal Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and funded by the Health Research Board, has shown that a major difference in the birth weights among a pair of twin babies results in an increased risk of health complications for both twins.

6 Sep 2011

MRSA ‘superbug’: Everyone at risk!

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that does not respond to commonly used antibiotic treatments, is a type of infection that has been a problem in hospital settings for many years. Back in 2000 it began steadily making its way into the lives of otherwise healthy people, especially children, who are not typically at risk for the fast-moving bacteria.

2 Sep 2011

Hospitalized children with colonized with MRSA more likely to develop full-blown infections

A Johns Hopkins Children's Center study of more than 3,000 hospitalized children shows that those colonized but not sick with the antibiotic-resistant bacterium MRSA are at considerable risk for developing full-blown infections.

31 Aug 2011

High risk of serious complications or death in children with SP-HUS

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) caused by infection with pneumococcal bacteria leads to severe illness—with a high rate of irreversible kidney damage—in infants and young children, reports a study in the September issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

30 Aug 2011

Babies, toddlers with congenital heart disease more likely to have harmful toxins after surgery

Babies and toddlers with congenital heart disease are at an increased risk of having harmful toxins in their blood, particularly following surgery, according to research by a team at Imperial College London.

26 Aug 2011

Heart Rate Observation System effectively reduces NICU infant mortality

In a long-running randomized study of over 3,000 preterm infants, those whose care included the Heart Rate Observation System, or HeRO monitor, experienced greater than 20 percent reduced mortality, effectively saving one infant's life for every 48 who were monitored.

26 Aug 2011

ICU patients less likely to renew prescriptions for chronic diseases after discharge

Patients often do not renew prescriptions for their chronic diseases after they are released from hospital.

25 Aug 2011

Cone Health uses Xenex room disinfection systems to reduce HAI rates and costs

Cone Health today announced a dramatic reduction in healthcare-acquired infection (HAIs) rates after implementing an infection prevention program which includes Xenex room disinfection systems.

25 Aug 2011

ICU patients with MRSA infection may face 50% increased risk of death

Does the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, cause more deaths in hospitals than the bacteria that are sensitive to common antibiotics? Opinions have been varied, but now a worldwide study at, among others, Linköping University in Sweden, indicates that the mortality rate can be 50 % higher for intensive care patients infected with MRSA.

25 Aug 2011

Streamlining esophagectomy reduces hospital stay, cost associated with surgery

Thoracic surgeons at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics have found that by altering the pre- and post-surgical care of a patient in need of an esophagectomy they are able to reduce the length of hospital stay by more than two-thirds and have a significant impact on the overall costs.

24 Aug 2011

Award-winning algorithm improves effectiveness of remote ECGs

Today someone in a remote village in India is able to run an electrocardiogram (ECG) via their smart phone on a loved one having a potential heart attack and send to a doctor in New Delhi for analysis.

24 Aug 2011

Quality improvement program for preventing infections helps hospitals save lives and money

A quality improvement program that saves lives by dramatically reducing potentially lethal bloodstream infections in hospital intensive-care units across the state of Michigan also saves those hospitals an average of $1.1 million a year, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

24 Aug 2011

St. Joseph's Women's Hospital inaugurates new 64-suite neonatal intensive care unit

Most expectant mothers enjoy optimistic dreams of delivering a healthy baby and soon leaving the hospital with their new bundle of joy.

20 Aug 2011

Southampton scientists to progress nutrition and respiratory research

Clinicians and scientists working in the Southampton Centre for Biomedical Research, established by the partnership between Southampton's University Hospitals Trust (SUHT) and the University of Southampton, have been awarded £17m to progress the city's world-leading nutrition and respiratory research facilities.

19 Aug 2011

Canon to display complete digital radiography solutions at AHRA 2011

Whether it is a radiography application for an emergency room (ER) or a neonatal intensive care unit, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, offers various configurations to meet medical practitioners' needs. At the 2011 American Healthcare Radiology Administrators (AHRA) Exposition, Canon U.S.A. will display its complete digital radiography solutions at the Canon booth (#702) from August 14 -17.

12 Aug 2011

Echo net loss for first half 2011 increases to $6.5 million

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing its needle-free Symphony tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring (tCGM) system and its Prelude SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, today announced results for the period ended June 30, 2011.

12 Aug 2011

Common barriers and strategies to implement new anti-MRSA practices in ICUs

Researchers from the Indiana University have identified common barriers and strategies for successfully implementing practice changes in Intensive Care Units.

12 Aug 2011

Study helps clarify definition of gastroesophageal reflux disease

Modifying stomach acid levels may not be enough to treat symptoms in neonates suspected of having gastroesophageal reflux disease. According to a study from Nationwide Children's Hospital, this is the first study to classify reflux and its associated symptoms in neonates based on how and what is refluxed.

9 Aug 2011