News

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Multisite collaborative beneficial for pediatric antibiotic prescribing

A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that a quality improvement collaborative across 118 hospitals achieved overall improvements in adherence to empirical antibiotic therapy and duration of antibiotic therapy for children seen in hospitals with community-acquired pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections and urinary tract infections. "Although no metric achieved the goal of 85 percent adherence, our observed rates during the intervention period exceeded those reported in previous studies," researchers wrote. HealthDay News (4/30) Learn More

Xylazine use may be behind rise in blood infections

A Vermont hospital has seen a 900% increase in serious bloodstream infections over the past two years, with 70% of affected patients identified as current or past drug users and others experiencing homelessness. Infection preventionist Monica Raymond said patients' illicit use of the animal tranquilizer xylazine is believed to play a role in the increase, causing wounds that allow bacteria to be introduced into the bloodstream. WCAX-TV (Burlington, Vt.) (4/30) Learn More

N.Y. medical center stays CAUTI-free for a year

NYC Health + Hospitals and South Brooklyn Health officials said at the end of April that the hospital has gone an entire year without any cases of catheter-associated urinary tract infection. A newly implemented daily review system, clinician accountability protocols, and better physician-nurse collaboration are behind the achievement, the officials said. Becker's Hospital Review (4/30) Learn More

Build a culture of respect to enhance patient safety

Dr. David Feldman contends that "mutual respect is the cornerstone of a culture of patient safety" in a medical practice and offers examples of how to build such a culture among staff members. Ensuring staff members feel psychologically safe to ask questions or challenge assumptions, working as a team and establishing efficient systems to mitigate errors all work to enhance patient safety, Feldman writes. Physicians Practice (4/30) Learn More

IVUS-guided angioplasty superior in symptomatic PAD

A study presented at the ACC.24 meeting found that patients with symptomatic femoropopliteal artery disease reported improved outcomes and greater vessel patency after being treated with intravascular ultrasound-guided paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty at 12-month follow-up, compared with an angiography-guided approach. "IVUS provides a cross-sectional image of a vessel so we can precisely measure the vessel dimensions and explore the plaque characteristics," said Dr. Young-Guk Ko during his presentation. Healio (free registration) (4/30) Learn More

Lipid management therapies spotlighted at ACC.24

Dr. Erin Michos presents clinical highlights from select ACC.24 presentations on lipid management. The VICTORION-INITIATE trial showed LDL reductions with inclisiran therapy, an analysis of the CLEAR Outcomes trial looked at the efficacy of bempedoic acid among patients with obesity and from diverse populations, and the TACTIC trial examined the topic of over-the-counter statins. Medscape (4/30) Learn More

MACE, mortality rates lower in HFpEF patients on statins

Lower rates of all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events and heart failure-related hospitalization were noted in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction who had begun statin therapy, as reported in JACC: Advances. Researchers analyzed data from a group of nearly 8,000 US veterans diagnosed with HFpEF over a 10-year period who had not previously taken statins and did not have atherosclerotic CV disease. Cardiovascular Business (4/24) Learn More

Cardiovascular Quality and Research News

ACC CV Quality SmartBrief