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The largest hypertension trial ever conducted is recommending thiazide diuretics as initial therapy over newer, more costly angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or calcium channel blockers. The researchers do say, however, that most patients will need to be prescribed more than one drug to control their blood pressure.
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This article, the second of two parts, deals with the potentially disastrous situation in which either the patients airway presents a substantial challenge or standard intubation methods have failed.
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Question: Some of our physicians insist on sending their patients to our ED for injections to treat ongoing medical conditions. One patient was scheduled for magnetic resonance imagine (MRI), but due to back pain, he was unable to lie still for the test. The physician ordered a narcotic injection to be given to assist the patient in getting through the test. Even though the MRI was scheduled and the injection order was included with the MRI order, we in the ED refused to administer the medication without a medical screening examination (MSE). The physician was irate, and the patient left unhappy. Did we do the right thing?
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With the escalating threat of biological warfare against the United States, hospitals must be prepared to treat victims of such attacks while protecting employees and patients.
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Alcohol-based hand antiseptics are strongly recommended in the new Centers for Disease Control and Preventions hand-hygiene guideline, but there may be a rub for some health care workers with sensitive skin.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a monitoring system for hospitals immunizing health care workers for smallpox.
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A recent national survey of hospital epidemiologists found that 56% support the governments plan to vaccinate volunteer teams of health care workers.
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A sixth patient has developed Exophiala dermatitis infection associated with injectable steroids prepared under poor infection conditions at a compounding pharmacy in South Carolina, Hospital Infection Control has learned.
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In light of ongoing transmission of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the Los Angeles County Department of Health Ser-vices (LACDHS) issued an advisory to clinicians, summarized as follows: