Critical Care Alert – September 1, 2010

September 1, 2010

• Special Feature: Clostridium Difficile Infection in Critically Ill Patients

  Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common and severe nosocomial infection which is being seen with alarming frequency in hospitalized patients.

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• Abstract & Commentary: Do We Need Daily Chest X-Rays in the ICU?

  Daily chest radiographs have long been a staple of practice for intubated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and their use persists despite several studies questioning whether they are of any benefit to patients.

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• Abstract & Commentary: Outcomes After Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation: Not as Favorable as One Might Wish

  Unroe and associates prospectively enrolled 126 consecutive survivors of prolonged mechanical ventilation, along with their surrogates, and followed them for 1 year after discharge from the ICU.

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• Abstract & Commentary: Bacterial Contamination of Health Care Providers' Cell Phones

  For this study of bacterial contamination of the cell phones of health care workers in a teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia, the investigators swabbed the screen, dialing pad, and sides of the phones and used standard culture techniques.

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• Pharmacology Watch: Weight-loss Drug Effective Without Cardiac Side Effects?

  In this issue: Lorcaserin submitted for FDA review, FDA advisory panel votes against phentermine/topiramate, mixed vote on rosiglitazone, advisory panel votes to remove breast cancer indication from bevacizumab labeling, no increase in seizures found with DTaP vaccine, new REMS for quinine.

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• Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement

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