Latest Critical Care News

• FDA Launches Program to Reduce Drug-Related Injuries The FDA has announced the launch of the Safe Use Initiative program to reduce drug-related injuries from patient errors or procedural errors by pharmacies or other healthcare providers.
  Medscape Medical News, November 2009
• AMA Supports Latest House Reform Bill But Links It to Medicare Payment Bill The AMA supports a massive House healthcare reform bill that may soon come to a vote, but it must also pass a separate bill on Medicare reimbursement that would avert a 21.2% pay cut for physicians.
  Medscape Medical News, November 2009
• Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter Infections Remain Prevalent In and Out of Hospital Infection control practices reduced the rate of multidrug resistant Acinetobacter in an intensive care unit and should be implemented in patients at risk for community-onset infections.
  Medscape Medical News, November 2009
• Two Multivitamin Preparations Ineffective for Biliary Atresia Commonly used multivitamin supplements containing fat-soluble vitamins fail to prevent fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies.
  Medscape Medical News, November 2009
• Public Option in Latest House Bill Would Pay Better but Attract Fewer Enrollees, Study Says The public option in the House's new healthcare reform bill would charge higher premiums than those charged by private insurers and is likely to attract only 6 million individuals.
  Medscape Medical News, November 2009
• Long Stays in Intensive Care Result in Muscle Weakness and Atrophy A new classification scheme for serious neuromuscular dysfunction can help physicians identify a variety of muscle-wasting disorders and improve treatment.
  Medscape Medical News, November 2009
• House Releases Healthcare Reform Bill The sweeping $894 billion healthcare reform bill includes a government-run insurance option and extends coverage to 36 million people over the next few years.
  Medscape Medical News, October 2009
• Doctors' Lack of Respect Weighs on the Obese Patients with higher BMIs received less respect from doctors in a study, which is raising care concerns.
  WebMD Health News, October 2009
• European Medicines Agency to Review PML Cases With Natalizumab, Now at 24 The EMEA has said it will begin a review of the risks and benefits of natalizumab and confirmed that cases of PML have now risen to 24 worldwide; 13 cases was the last reported count in September.
  Medscape Medical News, October 2009
• New Clinical Guidelines Issued for Exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis The evidence-based guidelines discuss management of pulmonary exacerbations in cystic fibrosis, highlighting synergy testing and the dosing of aminoglycoside antibiotics.
  Medscape Medical News, October 2009
• Inhaled Corticosteroids May Be Helpful in Steroid-Naive Patients With Moderate to Severe COPD In a randomized controlled trial, inhaled corticosteroids reduced inflammation and slowed decline in lung function in these patients; adding a long-acting beta agonist did not enhance these effects.
  Medscape Medical News, October 2009
• Higher-Intensity Continuous Renal Replacement May Not Reduce Mortality Risk From Acute Kidney Injury In a randomized controlled trial in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury, treatment with higher-intensity continuous renal replacement therapy did not reduce mortality rate at 90 days.
  Medscape Medical News, October 2009
• Dexmedetomidine Facilitates Extubation in Agitated SICU Patients Dexmedetomidine added to usual weaning protocol facilitates extubation of agitated patients in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU).
  Medscape Medical News, October 2009
• U.S. Working to Ready More Flu Drugs, Vaccine A top U.S. health official said on Wednesday new influenza drugs could be approved within days for people critically ill with swine flu and assured Congress that H1N1 vaccine production problems have been overcome.
  Reuters Health Information, October 2009
• House Moves Closer to Healthcare Public Option Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives moved closer on Tuesday to agreeing on a broad healthcare reform plan that would include the most liberal version of a government-run public insurance option.
  Reuters Health Information, October 2009
• New Analyses From ECASS 3 Support Use of tPA Up to 4.5 Hours After Stroke Investigators show benefits of thrombolysis after stroke across a variety of subgroups; although not all endpoints reached statistical significance, trends favored treatment with tPA.
  Medscape Medical News, October 2009
• H1N1 Influenza Reverses Seasonal Flu Mortality Trend Since September 2009, 88% of deaths have been in people younger than 65 years, with almost a quarter of the deaths in people younger than 25 years.
  WebMD Health News, October 2009
• Leakage From Ventilation Masks May Contaminate Hospital Rooms The masks used for non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) allow dispersion of exhaled air within a 1-meter region from the patient, which could cause contamination of the hospital room, according to a report in the October Chest.
  Reuters Health Information, October 2009
• CDC Issues Interim Guidelines for Early Empiric Antiviral Treatment in Persons With Suspected Influenza The new interim recommendations aim to assist clinicians in prioritizing use of antiviral medications for hospitalized patients and those at higher risk for influenza-related complications.
  Medscape Medical News, October 2009
• Veterans With PTSD Twice As Likely to Die After Surgery PTSD increases veterans' 1-year mortality after surgery, even if surgery occurs years after completion of military service.
  Medscape Medical News, October 2009