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This study from the department of surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis sought to determine the effect on extubation and reintubation rates of implementing a mandatory daily spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) in every qualifying ventilated patient and reporting its results to the physicians managing that patient.
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Despite the large role that vasopressors play in the management of septic shock, an unfortunately common problem associated with high mortality, few data exist to support using one vasopressor regimen over another.
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Casserly and colleagues administered a case-based questionnaire to physician and nursing staffs at 2 large teaching hospitals in Ireland, to determine their knowledge and experience with respect to a common and potentially deadly event in mechanically ventilated patients with fresh tracheostomies: dislodgement of the tube from the airway during vigorous coughing.
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If an influenza pandemic strikes, public health officials may not know enough about influenza transmission and respiratory protection to adequately protect health care workers.
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Clostridium difficile which has caused a series of severe hospital outbreaks and unexplained community cases due in part to the emergence of a hypervirulent new epidemic strain (NAP1) is the subject of a landmark prevalence study.
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In response to ongoing measles outbreaks due to imported cases, the Centers for Disease and Prevention issued an April 2, 2008, health advisory that includes the following key points:
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Epidemiologists applying social networking theory in simulated disease transmission models are finding that a hospital may be able to target interventions to protect patients against flu and other diseases.
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As the USA300 strain of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) increasingly besieges hospitals and displaces traditional nosocomial strains the widely held perception is that patient outcomes are going to suffer.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is actively investigating the issue of Clostridium difficile in retail meat, and for apparently the first time has published concerns about the issue as a possible cause for unexplained C. diff cases in the community.