Hospital practice (1995)
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Hospital practice (1995) · Jan 2015
Improving attending rounds: Qualitative reflections from multidisciplinary providers.
Attending rounds, the time for the attending physician and the team to discuss the team's patients, take place at teaching hospitals every day, often with little standardization. ⋯ The practice improvement recommendations identified in this study will require deliberate systems changes and training to implement, and they warrant rigorous evaluation to determine their impact on the clinical and educational goals of rounds.
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Hospital practice (1995) · Jan 2015
Multicenter StudyCeftaroline fosamil for the treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Ceftaroline fosamil is a novel cephalosporin with bactericidal activity against common pathogens associated with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Ceftaroline is inactive against extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing or AmpC-overexpressing Enterobacteriaceae and has limited activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. CAPTURE is a multicenter, retrospective study designed to collect information on contemporary clinical use of ceftaroline fosamil in the USA. Data on off-label use of ceftaroline fosamil for the treatment of patients with HAP/VAP between September 2013 and March 2014 are presented. ⋯ The CAPTURE study data support further evaluation of ceftaroline fosamil as an effective treatment option for HAP and VAP when a ceftaroline susceptible etiologic pathogen is identified, including MRSA, or as a concurrent therapy when resistant Gram-negative pathogens are suspected.
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Hospital practice (1995) · Jan 2015
ReviewPostoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing non-cardiac non-thoracic surgery: A practical approach for the hospitalist.
New postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common perioperative arrhythmia and its reported incidence ranges from 0.4 to 26% in patients undergoing non-cardiac non-thoracic surgery. The incidence varies according to patient characteristics such as age, presence of structural heart disease and other co-morbidities, as well as the type of surgery performed. POAF occurs as a consequence of adrenergic stimulation, systemic inflammation, or autonomic activation in the intra or postoperative period (e.g. due to pain, hypotension, infection) in the setting of a susceptible myocardium and other predisposing factors (e.g. electrolyte abnormalities). ⋯ It is unknown, however, whether strategies to prevent POAF or for rate/rhythm control when it does occur, lead to a reduction in morbidity or mortality. This suggests the need for future studies to better understand the risks associated with POAF and to determine optimal strategies to minimize long-term thromboembolic risks. In this article, we summarize the current knowledge on epidemiology, pathophysiology, and short- and long-term management of POAF after non-cardiac non-thoracic surgery with the goal of providing a practical approach to managing these patients for the non-cardiologist clinician.
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Hospital practice (1995) · Jan 2015
ReviewGlycemic control in the critically ill: What have we learned since NICE-SUGAR?
Since publication of the Normoglycemia in Intensive Care Evaluation - Survival Using Glucose Algorithm Regulation trial in 2009, demonstrating increased 90-day mortality in a large cohort of critically ill patients treated with the intensive, rather than moderate blood glucose (BG) target, enthusiasm has dampened for 'tight glucose control' in intensive care units. Nevertheless, a burgeoning literature has clarified limitations of the interventional trials of intensive insulin therapy in the critically ill and explored key clinical aspects of glycemic control in this population. This review provides an overview of the last 6 years of research in this field. Topics include advances in understanding the domains of glycemic control - hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia and glucose variability; the role of diabetic status in modulating the relationship of these domains of control to mortality; the importance of premorbid glucose control in patients with diabetes; the central role that measurement frequency has in determining success in achieving desired BG control and, finally, new data exploring time in targeted BG range, a potentially 'unifying' metric.
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Hospital practice (1995) · Jan 2015
ReviewThe use of volume-assured pressure support noninvasive ventilation in acute and chronic respiratory failure: a practical guide and literature review.
Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is an important tool in the management of acute and chronic respiratory failure. Traditionally, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) have been the most commonly utilized modes for these purposes. Newer hybrid modes of NPPV, such as average volume-assured pressure support (VAPS), combine the properties of both volume- and pressure-controlled NPPV and represent another tool in the treatment of acute and chronic respiratory failure. ⋯ The limited evidence available suggests that VAPS is equally effective in treating acute and chronic respiratory failure compared to BPAP. Overall, the evidence to suggest superiority of one mode over the other is lacking. There is a need for larger studies before firm conclusions can be made.