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Whether oral vitamin K reduces the risk of bleeding related to excessive anticoagulation from warfarin remains unclear.
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In this study of physician use of clinical information technology in relation to 4 common diagnoses in 41 urban hospitals in Texas, inpatient outcomes were better the more extensive the use of computerized order entry, test results, physician charting, and decision support. Increased use of IT was also associated with significantly lower costs for all hospital admissions.
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Dronedarone is a new antiarrhythmic drug with structural similarities to amiodarone. During development of the molecule, the steps included removal of the iodine atoms and making the compound more lipophilic; the latter produces a shorter elimination half-life and reduced tissue accumulation.
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Surveillance data from the CDC show that central-line associated bloodstream infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in U.S. intensive care units showed an overall decrease of 50% during 1997-2007.
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Health care-associated infections cause direct medical costs as high as $45 billion annually in U.S. hospitals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports in a new analysis.
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Beyond the immediate threat to frail, hospitalized patients posed by emerging carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a larger concern: its mechanism of resistance is transferable to other bacterial species.
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Trying to keep the genie in the bottle, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidelines to halt the emergence of a highly drug-resistant, gram-negative pathogen that can cause a variety of infections with a strikingly high mortality rate.
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Having been in infection prevention in one capacity or another since 1981, Denise Murphy, RN, MPH, CIC has seen the field affected by everything from the AIDS epidemic, the rise of drug-resistant pathogens, and the increasing influence of consumer advocates and lawmakers. She has seen it all and seen enough.