Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Critical Care for June 2012. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Reform Law
THURSDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Supreme Court voted June 28 to uphold the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which has been the subject of debate and multiple lawsuits since its 2010 inception.
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Exercise Training After Lung Transplant Found Beneficial
THURSDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- A three-month supervised exercise training program improves daily walking time, quadriceps force, six-minute walking distance, physical functioning, and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure for lung transplant patients who experience an uncomplicated postoperative period, according to research published in the June issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Early Surgery Ups Outcomes in Infective Endocarditis
WEDNESDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with infective endocarditis and large vegetations, early surgery reduces death from any cause and embolic events, compared with conventional treatment, according to a study published in the June 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Ringer's Acetate Better for Patients With Severe Sepsis
WEDNESDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Fluid resuscitation with hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4 for patients with severe sepsis leads to an increased risk of death at day 90 and an increased likelihood of requiring renal-replacement therapy, compared with Ringer's acetate, according to a study published online June 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Hospice Visit Number Affects Ability to Die at Home
WEDNESDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Hospice patients with cancer are more likely to be able to die in the setting of their choice if they receive at least one hospice visit per day during the first four days of hospice care, according to research published online June 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Duplicate Payments by Federal Government Increasing
WEDNESDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- The federal government spends a substantial and increasing amount on individuals who are dually enrolled in separate managed care programs (the Veterans Affairs health care system [VA] and Medicare Advantage plan [MA]), according to a study published online June 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association to coincide with presentation at the Annual Research Meeting of AcademyHealth, held from June 24 to 26 in Orlando, Fla.
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Use of Electronic Records Tied to Fewer Malpractice Claims
TUESDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Use of electronic health records (EHRs) is associated with fewer medical malpractice claims among physicians from multiple surgical and medical specialties, according to a research letter published online June 25 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Telehealth Intervention Linked to Lower Admission Rates
FRIDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) -- A telehealth intervention is associated with improved emergency admission rates and lower mortality compared with usual care, according to a study published online June 21 in BMJ.
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Half of Residents Report Working While Sick
THURSDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- About half of residents have worked while sick, with many reporting feeling obligated to colleagues and patients, according to a research letter published online June 18 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Psychological Distress Increases Cerebrovascular Death Risk
MONDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- Psychological distress, as assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), is associated with an increased risk of death due to cerebrovascular disease and ischemic heart disease, according to a study published online June 18 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Genetic Variants Predict Outcomes After t-PA Treatment
MONDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- Two genetic variants have been identified that are associated with hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and mortality rates after infusion of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) in patients with acute ischemic stroke, according to research published online June 9 in the Annals of Neurology.
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Autologous Recellularization of a Vein Transplant Feasible
THURSDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- A new technique involving recellularization of a deceased donor vein graft with autologous stem cells may be a viable option for patients who require a vein graft, according to a proof-of-concept study published online June 14 in The Lancet.
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Cerebral Damage Key Risk for Visual Impairment in Preemies
WEDNESDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Cerebral damage and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) are both independent risk factors for visual impairment in preschool children who were born extremely premature, with cerebral damage being the primary risk factor, according to a study published online June 11 in the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Gender Gap Exists in Physician Researchers' Salaries
TUESDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- A survey of mid-career academic physician researchers shows that gender differences in salary exist even after adjusting for differences in specialty, institutional characteristics, academic productivity, academic rank, and work hours, according to a study published in the June 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Hospital Noises Affect Brain Activity, Heart Rate in Patients
TUESDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Typical hospital noises that frequently disrupt the sleep of hospitalized patients influence both cortical brain activity and increase patient heart rate, potentially having a negative impact on the patient's healing and cardiovascular health, according to research published online June 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Cycled Lighting Improves Neonates' Behavior, Outcomes
MONDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Cycled lighting (CL) during neonatal care reduces an infant's fussing and crying behavior at 5 and 11 weeks' corrected age and correlates with a trend toward higher motor activity during daytime and improved weight gain, compared with dim lighting (DL) conditions, according to a study published online June 11 in Pediatrics.
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In Preemies, Maternal Smoking Tied to Necrotizing Enterocolitis
MONDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal smoking has been identified as a risk factor associated with the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants, according to a study published June 11 in Pediatrics.
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Three Percent of Hip, Knee Replacements Need Critical Care
FRIDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- Three percent of patients who undergo knee and hip replacements require critical care services (CCS), and they are more likely to be older and have more comorbidities than those who do not require CCS, according to a study published online May 24 in Anesthesiology.
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Higher Risk of VTE in CKD Surgical Patients on Enoxaparin
FRIDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who undergo total hip replacement (THR), the rate of major venous thromboembolism (VTE) is significantly higher in those treated with enoxaparin compared to those treated with desirudin, according to a study published online June 4 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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Rule Combo Accurately Predicts Organ Failure in Pancreatitis
THURSDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- A series of 12 predictive rules that combines existing scoring systems in patients with acute pancreatitis improves the accuracy of predicting persistent organ failure, according to a study published in the June issue of Gastroenterology.
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Venous Thromboembolism Up in Adult Hospitalizations
THURSDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- Every year, more than half a million hospitalized U.S. adults acquire venous thromboembolism (VTE), a growing public health concern that is often preventable, according to research published in the June 8 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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Troponin T May Help Predict Death After Noncardiac Surgery
TUESDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) -- Elevated peak troponin T (TnT) measurements in the first three days after noncardiac surgery are associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality, according to a study published in the June 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Statewide Coordinated STEMI Approach Deemed Successful
MONDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- A statewide coordinated effort across hospitals and emergency medical service (EMS) providers to transport patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) to hospitals providing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has resulted in improved outcomes, according to a study published online June 4 in Circulation.
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Ischemic Stroke Risk Higher in Women With A-Fib
FRIDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) -- Women with atrial fibrillation have a moderately higher risk of ischemic stroke than men, even after accounting for multiple cofactors for stroke, according to a study published online May 31 in BMJ.
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Rats Regain Ability to Walk After Spinal Cord Injury
FRIDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) -- Rats with spinal cord injury are able to regain locomotion after electrochemical treatment and encouragement of supraspinally mediated movements, in a cortical-dependent manner, according to a study published in the June 1 issue of Science.
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