American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Jun 2009
Guidelines and quality for community-acquired pneumonia: measures from the Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The rationales for and recent updates on quality measures for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are reviewed. ⋯ The Joint Commission, CMS, and IDSA guidelines for the management of patients with CAP address basic aspects of preventive care and treatment for CAP. The guidelines emphasize the importance of vaccination as well as the need for appropriate and timely antimicrobial therapy. Adherence to guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, and compliance is being enforced by public reporting and pay-per-performance measures.
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The role of protein C in critical illness is assessed. ⋯ The protein C pathway is a natural homeostatic regulator with multiple mechanisms of action. Blood protein C concentration is inversely correlated with morbidity and mortality in sepsis and other critical illness.
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Jun 2009
Case ReportsElevated creatine phosphokinase levels associated with linezolid therapy.
A case of elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels associated with linezolid therapy in a patient on chronic antihyperlipidemic therapy is presented. ⋯ A patient on chronic antihyperlipidemic therapy developed elevated CPK levels after receiving linezolid for the treatment of MRSA pneumonia.
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Jun 2009
Effect of bar-code-assisted medication administration on medication error rates in an adult medical intensive care unit.
The effect of bar-code-assisted medication administration (BCMA) on the rate of medication errors in adult patients in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) was studied. ⋯ The implementation of BCMA significantly reduced the number of wrong administration time errors in an adult medical ICU.
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Jun 2009
Meta Analysis Comparative StudyPharmacokinetics of extended-release epidural morphine sulfate: pooled analysis of six clinical studies.
A pooled analysis of six clinical studies was conducted to describe the pharmacokinetics of extended-release epidural morphine sulfate. ⋯ A pooled analysis of six studies revealed that extended-release epidural morphine sulfate provided a more prolonged release of morphine compared with standard epidural morphine sulfate. Extended-release epidural morphine sulfate displayed a consistent pharmacokinetic profile among adults, with only slight variability between men and women in C(max), which appeared to be mainly caused by differences in body weight.