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The centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) has issued updated guidance to help infection control professionals prevent costly intravascular catheter-related bloodstream infections (BSIs).
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The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is pilot testing 8 of the 11 standardized intensive care core measures initially put forth for public comment.
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In a recent issue of Critical Care Alert I discussed the epidemiology and pathophysiology of invasive fungal infections that afflict patients in the ICU. In this issue, I review the current treatment options.
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Synopsis: The clinical decision rule tested in this study reduced unnecessary hospital admissions in patients with suspected acute cardiac ischemia without affecting safety.
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Ventilator-related deaths and injuries often are caused by multiple system failures, especially in the ICU, according to a recent report from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
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The fatality rates for hospital-associated pneumonia in general, and of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in particular, are high. For hospital-associated pneumonia, attributable mortality rates of 20% to 33% have been reported, according to the draft pneumonia prevention guideline by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Synopsis: This carefully done systematic review of the existing literature shows that overall mortality and ICU length of stay are better with increasing involvement of critical care physicians in patient care.
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The purpose of this pre- and postintervention observation study was to evaluate the effect of an educational initiative on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rate. The educational program was directed towards respiratory therapists and critical care nurses.