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Prompt, accurate assessment of the severity of injury and early initiation of appropriate critical care — including adequate oxygenation, ventilation and correction of hypotension — is of crucial importance in preventing deaths in children with severe trauma. This article reviews the critical aspects of airway assessment and management in the pediatric trauma patient.
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FDA warnings for existing drugs dominate pharmaceutical news this month. These warnings represent a new push by the FDA to regulate existing drugs for safety after they have been approved for marketing. It also comes at a time when the FDA is cleaning up its advisory committee processes, especially with regard to limiting potential conflict of interest by advisory committee members.
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Whether it's new onset or established disease, the PCP has an arsenal of diagnostic tests available. The array of tests, however, can be quite daunting in identifying the right test to order, especially in light of sensitivity and specificity, not to mention cost. This issue provides the PCP with a comprehensive survey of the diagnostic tests available, a guide to selection, an estimate of cost, and limitations of each test.
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Starting next month, hospices will have to report to Medicare all nursing, hospice aide, and social worker visits made for patients. Then a few months later, the new conditions of participation (COPs) will be finalized, which will require greater attention to documentation of services and quality.
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Treatment of systolic hypertension in older patients with systolic blood pressure of at least 160 mm Hg is supported by strong evidence. The evidence to support treatment of patients to the level of 140 mm Hg or those with baseline SBP of 140 to 159 mm Hg is less strong; thus, these treatment decisions should be more sensitive to patient preferences and tolerance of therapy.
