Portable equipment can spread pathogens in ICU, study says | Antibiotics raise risks for VLBW infants, researcher says | Synbiotic may reduce sepsis risk in newborns, study finds
Shared portable equipment that is contaminated can potentially spread pathogens throughout an ICU, according to a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Researchers said more studies are needed to determine ways to disinfect portable equipment without interfering with ICU workflow.
Nearly all very-low-birth-weight infants get antibiotics within the first two days of life, which adds to problems of antibiotic resistance and can destroy helpful gut bacteria, researcher Gautam Dantas of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis told an NIH workshop. Dantas said antibiotic use in these infants may leave them more susceptible to bacterial infections.
The CMS launched its Hospice Compare website this week, including data from almost 4,000 hospice providers and covering seven quality measures on hospice and palliative care that are endorsed by the National Quality Forum. Most hospices scored in the top quality range, however, raising questions about how useful the comparisons will be for consumers.
A review in Pediatrics found that coping support interventions significantly reduced parents' anxiety and stress, but not depression, during their children's hospitalizations. Researchers said more studies are needed to determine the benefits of such interventions for youths.
Transmedics developed a portable perfusion and monitoring console dubbed the Organ Care System, which is capable of pumping blood through a heart being transported for transplant and may allow the organ to remain viable longer as it travels to its intended recipient. The system is being tested by physicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
EHR access helps emergency medical services organizations improve clinical decision-making during high-stakes transitions of care, and allows long-term post-acute care facilities to improve care coordination between providers and prescribers, experts say. Integrating EHR use and adopting health information exchange can also boost care management and collaboration among physicians in specialty care facilities.
