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Nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS) was investigated in 291 adults upon hospital admission. MR-CoNS carriage was present in 19.2% of patients. SCCmec type IV was found in 22% of the Co-NS isolated, and sequencing revealed extensive structural homology between SCCmec IV in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
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The authors set out to compare arterial and central venous blood gases (ABG and VBG, respectively), to evaluate the utility and accuracy of a predefined algorithm for adjusting VBG pH and pCO2 to approximate that of ABG, and to define clinical scenarios where a VBG may not be a useful substitute for an ABG.
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In this secondary analysis of data from a study on the pre-extubation prediction of post-extubation work of breathing in patients recovering from acute respiratory failure, Mehta and colleagues sought to determine whether the size of a patient's endotracheal tube (ETT) affected respiratory rate, tidal volume, and other "weaning parameters" commonly measured during spontaneous breathing and used to predict successful extubation.
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Management of patients with accidental or intentional poisoning in drug overdose is a common problem for the intensivist. The actual incidence of poisoning in the United States is unknown because of lack of adequate reporting, but a minimum of several million cases occur annually. The vast majority of these cases do not require ICU admission.
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This study from the University of Amsterdam reports outcome data on 105 consecutive patients resuscitated from primary cardiac arrest and treated in the ICU with a protocol of induced mild hypothermia.
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In this issue: Antiviral drugs and birth defects, bisphosphonates and esophageal cancer, naltrexone plus bupropion for weight loss, 2010-11 influenza vaccine, FDA Actions.
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In a large, well-designed observational study of patients with COPD, treatment with β-blockers during a mean follow-up period of 7.2 years was found not only to reduce the risk of exacerbations, but also to improve survival.
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Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of incident heart failure in community-dwelling middle-aged and older men, but not in women.
