Browse Infectious Disease Articles by Topic

SPRINT: The Systolic Blood Pressure Trial or ‘How Low Do You Go?’

Designed to see if lower blood pressures reduced the risk of blood pressure-related health outcomes, the NIH ended the SPRINT trial early and issued a news release that a lower blood pressure target significantly reduces cardiovascular complications in adults age 50 and older with high blood pressure.

Hospital Wards with Higher Antibiotic Prescribing Rates May Have Associated Increased CDI Risk

SYNOPSIS: A retrospective observational study found that among hospitalized patients, ward-level antibiotic prescribing was associated with a significantly increased risk for Clostridium difficile infection beyond what would be expected with patient-level antibiotic use.

A tragedy of errors: Expert panel cites problems, lessons learned in death of U.S. Ebola patient

As with many individual tragedies and even major disasters, hindsight reveals key moments and near misses where a single action may have changed the outcome.

Do your duty: Report all infections

Two leading federal agencies are warning hospitals and other facilities that they can be fined and denied Medicare funds if they are caught intentionally underreporting healthcare-associated infections.

IDWeek 2015: Drug stewardship program sharply reduces Clostridium difficile infections, cuts costs

Implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program in a pediatric hospital slashed Clostridium difficile infection rates by almost three-fold, relieving both patient symptoms and parental worries, researchers reported recently in San Diego at IDWeek 2015.

IDWeek 2015: 9 million children now susceptible to measles

Infection preventionists should be vigilant for incoming measles cases, as some 9 million U.S. children — 1 in 8 of those age 17 and younger — are susceptible to a virus that can cause chaotic outbreaks in healthcare facilities, researchers recently reported in San Diego at IDWeek 2015.

ECG Review: A 43-Year-Old Man with Atypical Chest Pain

Clinical Briefs

In this section: reversing the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran; considering the likelihood of occult cancer causing unprovoked deep venous thrombosis; and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy occurs earlier in type 2 diabetes.

Evolocumab Injection (Repatha)

Evolocumab is indicated as an adjunct to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy for the treatment of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in patients who require additional lowering of LDL-C.

Vitamin D and Diabetic Neuropathy

Vitamin D deficiency may exacerbate the clinical manifestations of diabetic neuropathy, and supplementation with vitamin D3 may be beneficial.