Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine
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The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) highlights the importance of effective antibiotics to maintain the safety of our health care system. Clinicians will encounter CRE as a cause of difficult-to-treat and often fatal infections in hospitalized patients. We review the mechanisms of carbapenem resistance, the dissemination and clinical impact of these resistant organisms, and challenges to their detection, treatment, and control.
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Frailty has important implications for the care needs of older adults and how those needs are met. By recognizing frailty and measuring it objectively, clinicians can better engage patients and their loved ones in difficult discussions about treatment plans and prognosis, and ultimately deliver better palliative care.
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Blood pressure that remains above target levels despite drug therapy is an increasingly common problem. The evaluation of resistant hypertension includes confirming blood pressure measurements with an automated device that works without the clinician present and with 24-hour ambulatory monitoring; assessing for target-organ damage; and determining if kidney disease is present or if the hypertension is secondary to another condition. The goal of management should be to optimize drug therapy by using different classes of appropriate drugs.
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The focus of palliative care is to alleviate pain and suffering for patients, potentially while they concurrently pursue life-prolonging or curative therapy. The potential breadth of palliative care is recognized by the Medicare program, but the Medicare hospice benefit is narrowly defined and limited to care that is focused on comfort and not on cure. ⋯ Two home health-based programs have reported improved patient satisfaction, better utilization of services, and significant cost savings with palliative care. Moving the focus of care from the hospital to the home and community can be achieved with integrated care and can be facilitated by changes in government policy.