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  • Infection after CHD surgery prolongs ICU, hospital stays

    Pediatric congenital heart disease patients who developed postoperative infections experienced notably longer hospital stays, extended ICU admissions, and increased need for mechanical ventilation, according to a retrospective study published in BMC Infectious Diseases. Infected patients had a median hospital stay of 18 days versus 12 days in the noninfected group, with similarly prolonged ICU and ventilation times. However, rates of in-hospital mortality did not differ significantly between groups. Cardiology Advisor (3/19) Learn More

  • Imaging, testing may reduce antibiotic use for pneumonia

    A study in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection found that using chest X-rays and C-reactive protein testing as first-line tests for suspected community-acquired pneumonia can reduce antibiotic initiation. Chest X-rays led to a 21% reduction, while CRP testing resulted in a 15% decrease. Medscape (3/23) Learn More

  • Maternal antibodies may protect against neonatal sepsis

    Maternal antibodies transferred before birth play a critical role in protecting newborns from infections such as E. coli encountered during delivery. A study published in Nature found that infants who developed neonatal sepsis had significantly lower levels of E. coli antibodies than healthy newborns, helping explain why some babies face life-threatening complications while others remain well. Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (3/22) Learn More

  • Study: Long COVID symptoms persist for health care staff

    Up to 60% of health care workers continue to experience at least one long COVID-19 symptom four years after infection with the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, according to a Swiss study published in the journal Infection. The median number of symptoms among the 456 participants declined over time, but symptoms such as fatigue, loss of smell or taste and brain fog persisted. The study authors call for recognizing long COVID as a chronic condition and for occupational health strategies to support affected workers. Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (3/22) Learn More

  • Culture is key to patient safety for health system

    AdventHealth's approach to patient safety includes fostering a culture of safety, operationalizing safety at the bedside and training leaders in safety science. Dr. William Scharf, executive clinical director of quality and safety, said a strong safety culture includes psychological safety for staff to report concerns without fear of retaliation. Multidisciplinary rounding, EHR-embedded safety tools, medication barcode scanning and aggressive infection prevention measures contribute to patient safety, Scharf says. AdventHealth won the Leapfrog Group's Emerald Award for patient safety, care quality and transparency. HealthLeaders Media (3/19) Learn More

  • Opinion: AI in health care can exacerbate trust issues

    Dr. Oni Blackstock, a physician-researcher and executive director of Health Justice, examines a deepening trust crisis in the US health care system due to the rapid and often untested adoption of AI technologies. With companies like OpenAI and Anthropic launching health care AI tools, issues such as a 50% error rate in ChatGPT Health have surfaced, exacerbating the issue. The lack of trust is particularly pronounced among marginalized communities with a history of medical discrimination. Blackstock argues for more patient involvement in AI decision-making and transparency about AI use in health care. STAT (3/23) Learn More

  • TEE-guided CPR offers no survival advantage

    A trial in Taiwan showed that transesophageal echocardiography-guided CPR does not improve outcomes for patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, compared to conventional CPR. The trial, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found no significant difference in return of spontaneous circulation or survival rates, though TEE guidance did result in higher intra-CPR end-tidal carbon dioxide levels. Researchers suggest that TEE-guided CPR may be more appropriate for in-hospital cardiac arrest patients. MedPage Today (free registration) (3/23) Learn More

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