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February 8, 2013

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Critical Care Update

Daily chlorhexidine wipedowns reduce ICU infections, study shows
Giving ICU patients a daily bath using chlorhexidine washcloths led to a 23% lower rate of multi-drug resistant organism acquisition, researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. The chlorhexidine baths also reduced the rate of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections by 28%. MedPage Today (free registration) (2/6)

More patients reach hospice, but often for short time
From 2000 to 2009, the percent of Medicare beneficiaries who died in hospice nearly doubled, reaching 42.2%, but 28.4% of those who received hospice services in 2009 did so for less than three days, and transfers from an ICU were common, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. While hospice care for even a day may be beneficial, Brown University researchers wrote, "an important yet unanswered research question is whether this pattern of care is consistent with patient preferences and improved quality of life." Medscape (free registration) (2/5), USA Today (2/5)

Report: Program reduces central line-related NICU infections
The frequency of central line-related blood infections fell in NICUs at hospitals participating in an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality project to increase patient safety, the AHRQ reports. One hundred NICUs in nine states saw an overall infection decrease of 58% in less than a year. BeckersHospitalReview.com (1/25)

Other News

Urine test shows early kidney injury in critically ill patients
MedPage Today (free registration) (2/6)

Medicine in the News

Until FDA warning, thickener used in NICUs without trials
This article looks at how the practice of using a formula and milk thickener to treat infants with difficulty swallowing was adopted without reviews, leading to an FDA warning that it may cause necrotizing enterocolitis. The thickener used a food ingredient that did not need to be reviewed by the FDA since it was on the "generally recognized as safe" list. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Well blog (2/4)

D.C. council considers mandated nurse-to-patient ratios
Washington, D.C., Council Chairman Phil Mendelson is proposing requirements that city hospitals adhere to set nurse-to-patient ratios. Hospitals would need to maintain a ratio of one nurse to two patients in neonatal intensive care units, and one nurse per patient in operating rooms. The Washington Post (2/4)

Trends and Technology

App allows doctors to offer telehealth consults
InTouch Health recently released an application for iPad, called the ControlStation App, that works as an interface that physicians can use to offer telehealth consultations to their patients. The app integrates streaming video with clinical patient data and medical radiology imaging tools. MedGadget.com (2/7)

SmartQuote

After you've done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After five years, look at it with suspicion. And after ten years, throw it away and start all over."

--Alfred E. Perlman,
American businessman

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