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Cardiovascular Quality and Research News

ACC CV Quality SmartBrief

The ACC CV Quality SmartBrief eNewsletter is a free, twice-weekly briefing for health care stakeholders interested in quality care. Learn more about the ACC CV Quality SmartBrief and subscribe.

  • Federal funding cuts jeopardize C. difficile research

    Recent cuts in federal research funding have resulted in the cancellation of NIH grants for studies on Clostridioides difficile infections, which kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. "Without research, we could say we have fecal transplant, and we have drugs that cure 80% of patients. Society has to decide whether that is good enough," says Dr. Vincent Young, an adviser to the Peggy Lillis Foundation, which advocates for C. diff research and treatments. Healio (free registration) (10/20) Learn More

  • Shorter antibiotic course effective after CIED infection

    A study presented at IDWeek suggests that a shorter antibiotic course -- two weeks or less -- after cardiovascular implantable electronic device lead extraction due to infection is as effective as a longer course in terms of mortality and recurrent bacteremia. The study found no significant differences in 90-day mortality, recurrent bacteremia, infectious complications, ICU disposition or hospital length of stay between the two groups. Researchers said this supports a trend toward shorter antibiotic courses for various infections, though the study's limitations include its retrospective design and sample size. MedPage Today (free registration) (10/22) Learn More

  • Self-contamination risk higher with extended PPE use

    A study presented at the Infectious Disease Week meeting found that extended use and reuse of personal protective equipment increased self-contamination compared with single use. The study involved 100 health care workers across four hospitals and used surrogate markers to track contamination. "In situations where extended use is required, education of personnel to improve technique and decontamination of PPE between uses can reduce the risk for contamination," hospital epidemiologist Dr. Curtis Donskey said. Medscape (10/22) Learn More

  • Violence risk flags in EHRs may be ineffective

    Violence risk alerts in EHRs do not reduce clinical violence and may be influenced by sociodemographic factors, according to research presented at the American Psychiatric Nurses Association's annual conference. A review of studies found that although violence risk assessments and flags might identify high-risk patients, they do not consistently decrease incidents of violence and may contribute to racial disparities in health care. Clinical Advisor (10/17) Learn More

  • What CDI professionals need to know about CMS hybrid measures

    The Hospital Inpatient Quality Program includes two hybrid measures: the Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Readmission Measure and the Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Risk Standardized Mortality Measure. A hybrid measure uses core clinical data elements from EHRs and claims "to improve case mix risk adjustment, in conjunction with condition categories that are part of the Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs) methodology for risk-standardized rates," writes certified documentation integrity practitioner Cheryl Ericson. She explains inclusion and exclusion criteria, core clinical data elements and the financial impacts of low performance. ICD10Monitor (10/20) Learn More

  • Video: How AI can advance the field of cardiology

    ACC Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Ami Bhatt shares in a video interview how artificial intelligence can support clinicians in the field of cardiology. Bhatt describes the technology's benefits in administrative workload, clinical decision support, nuclear imaging, triage, patient communication and other areas, while noting that it should always be considered adjunctive. Read more here. Healthcare IT News (10/21) Learn More

  • AI set to advance pediatric infectious disease care

    Generative AI can advance pediatric care by streamlining workflows and enhancing evidence-based decisions, according to Dr. Nicholas Marshall. He highlighted AI's potential during a workshop at IDWeek 2025, emphasizing the technology's role in automating tasks like antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention. Contemporary Pediatrics (10/21) Learn More

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