80% of all human infections are attributable to microbes in biofilms
“…biofilms research is critical because 80% of all human infections are attributable to microbes in biofilms.” Phillips et al (2014). Reference: Phillips, K.S., Patwardhan, D. and Jayan, G. (2014) Biofilms, medical devices, and antibiofilm technology: Key messages from a recent public workshop. American Journal of Infection Control. November 15th. [epub ahead of print]. [ctt tweet=”80% […]
Pharmacokinetics of caspofungin in ICU patients
“Caspofungin PK in ICU patients showed limited intraindividual and moderate interindividual variability, and caspofungin was well tolerated.” Muilwijk et al (2014) Reference: Muilwijk, E.W., Schouten, J.A., van Leeuwen, H.J., van Zanten, A.R.H., de Lange, D.W., Colbers, A., Verweij, P.E., Burger, D.M., Pickkers, P. and Brüggemann, R.J.M. (2014) Pharmacokinetics of caspofungin in ICU patients. Journal of Antimicrobial […]
Ultrasound-guided subclavian venipuncture training reviewed
“Both ultrasound-guided subclavian venipuncture (US-SV) and landmark-guided subclavian venipuncture (LM-SV) are important in critical care… The aim of this study is to compare learning these two techniques in a simulation environment” Tokumine et al (2014).
Optimal way of administration of high dose intravenous furosemide
“The aim of this study is to analyze the available data for evaluation of the efficacy and safety of intermittent versus continuous dose regimens” Gallusová et al (2014).
International baseline for medication safety in oncology
“This self-assessment was designed to assist oncology practitioners in hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and office practice settings throughout the world to evaluate safe practices related to medication use in the oncology setting” Greenall et al (2014).
Intravenous fluid administration for resuscitation
“The administration of intravenous fluids for resuscitation is the most common intervention in acute medicine. There is increasing evidence that the type of fluid may directly affect patient centred outcomes” Myburgh (2014).
Study characterises risk profile of intravenous immunoglobulin
“To better characterize the risk profile of the intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) Intratect®, a non-interventional study was undertaken to systematically collect large-scale safety information under real-life conditions in patients with primary and secondary immunodeficiency” Bauhofer et al (2014).
Dextrose boluses versus burette infusions in prevention of hypoglycemia
“We determined the efficacy of dextrose infusions by burettes versus two hourly dextrose boluses in prevention of hypoglycemia among preterms admitted in the first 72 hours at Special Care Unit” Kutamba et al (2014).
Central venous catheter-induced pericardial effusion in a neonate
“Pericardial effusion (PCE) and tamponade as a complication of central venous catheters (CVCs) continues to occur in the neonatal population” Shannon (2014).
Pediatric central venous catheter complications reviewed
“Risk factors of mechanical complications include high BMI, internal jugular venous catheterization and longer insertion time. Femoral venous catheterization is the only risk factor for CRBSI” Srisan et al (2014).
Review of implantable intravenous ports in cancer patients
“We report on the pattern of use and rate of complications of port-a-caths in patients diagnosed with malignant cancer at a single institution.” D’Souza et al (2014). Reference: D’Souza, P.C., Kumar, S., Kakaria, A., Al-Sukaiti, R., Zahid, K.F., Furrukh, M., Burney, I.A. and Al-Moundhri, M.S. (2014) Use of port-a-cath in cancer patients: a single-center experience. Journal […]
Radiograph confirmation of neonatal intravenous feeding catheters
“The purpose of this study was to evaluate how well pediatric residents could confirm placement via radiography of feeding tubes and intravenous (IV) nutrition catheter support in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).” Lee et al (2014). Reference: Lee, K.H., Cho, H.J., Kim, E.Y., Son, D.W., Kim, H.S., Choi, H.Y. and Kim, J.H. (2014) Variation […]
Impact of hospital-acquired conditions on medicare program payments
“The purpose of this article is to estimate the incremental cost to Medicare, as measured by Medicare program payments, of six HACs” Kandilov et al (2014). Reference: Kandilov, A.M., Coomer, N.M. and Dalton, K. (2014) The impact of hospital-acquired conditions on medicare program payments. Medicare & Medicaid Research Review. October 29th;4(4) eCollection. [ctt tweet=”Impact of […]
Venepuncture during head-up tilt testing in patients with suspected vasovagal syncope
“Our aim was to determine the sensitivity of a sequential HUT testing protocol including venepuncture (VP) and sublingual nitroglycerin application.” Humm and Z’Graggen (2014). Reference: Humm, A.M. and Z’Graggen, W.J. (2014) Venepuncture during head-up tilt testing in patients with suspected vasovagal syncope – implications for the test protocol. European Journal of Neurology. November 10th. [epub ahead […]
Retrospective audit of parenteral nutrition with standard solution bags
“An observational retrospective study audited the incidence of adverse events in 300 consecutive inpatients receiving a single, premade total nutrient admixture.” Ferrie et al (2014). Reference: Ferrie, S., Carey, S., Ryan, R., Sandroussi, C., Jones, L., Storey, D. and Segaert, N. (2014) Parenteral nutrition with standard solutions: not the best solution for everyone? A retrospective […]
Using heat prior to peripheral intravenous cannulation
“Health care workers at an academic medical center in the Midwest were surveyed to identify common practices regarding heat use during peripheral intravenous (PIV) catheter insertion.” Kiger et al (2014). Reference: Kiger, T., Knudsen, E.A., Curran, W., Hunter, J., Schaub, A., Williams, M.J., Zechel, J. and Kwekkeboom, K. (2014) Survey of Heat Use During Peripheral […]
Guide to intravenous prostacyclin infusion: Dosing, administration and side effects
“This article reviews the characteristics of currently available intravenous prostacyclins and provides a practical guide for nurses who may have had limited exposure to intravenous prostacyclins and their unique dosing, side effects, and titration characteristics.” Kingman and Lombardi (2014). Reference: Kingman, M.S. and Lombardi, S. (2014) Management of the patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension receiving […]
Prevention of peripheral intravenous amiodarone-related phlebitis
“The results of this study suggest that the implementation of a peripheral amiodarone infusion guideline reduced the incidence and severity of amiodarone-related phlebitis in the cardiac population.” Spiering (2014). Reference: Spiering, M. (2014) Peripheral amiodarone-related phlebitis: an institutional nursing guideline to reduce patient harm. Journal of Infusion Nursing. 37(6), p.453-60. [ctt tweet=”Prevention of peripheral intravenous […]
Vascular access in the obese: Experience with brachio and radio-cephalic vein superficialisation
“Fistulae in the obese often fail to mature or prove inadequate to needle due to excessive depth (gt;6 mm). This study is a summary of our experience with brachio and radio-cephalic vein superficialisation in the obese.” Evans et al (2014). Reference: Evans, R.P., Meecham, L., Buxton, P., Jafferbhoy, S., Legge, J., Papp, L., Ehsan, O. […]
Review of the Bone Injection Gun (BIG) intraosseous access device
“The Bone Injection Gun (BIG) is the device used for intraosseous access by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). The purpose of this study is to assess the success rate of intraosseous access using this device.” Nadler et al (2014). Reference: Nadler, R., Gendler, S., Chen, J., Lending, G., Abramovitch, A. and Glassberg, E. (2014) The […]
Cost-effectivene strategies to prevent vascular access device infections
“This article describes the existing health-economic evidence on strategies to prevent CRBSIs and outlines the criteria for future research.” Masterton (2014). Reference: Masterton, R.G. (2014) Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of strategies to prevent vascular access device infections. British Journal of Nursing. 23(14 Suppl), p.S15-9. [ctt tweet=”Cost-effectivene strategies to prevent vascular access device infections http://ctt.ec/NKDHt+ @ivteam #ivteam” […]
Does extracorporeal blood flow affect survival of arteriovenous vascular access?
“We analyzed data from 1039 patients treated by hemodiafiltration over a 21-month period where access blood flow (Qa) measurements were also available at baseline.” Ponce et al (2014). Reference: Ponce, P., Marcelli, D., Scholz, C., Wehmeyer, W., Gonçalves, P., Grassmann, A., Brand, K. and Canaud, B. (2014) Does the extracorporeal blood flow affect survival of […]
Fatal air embolism following removal of a double-lumen hemodialysis catheter
“We report a lethal case of pulmonary air embolism caused by the removal of a double-lumen catheter from the right internal jugular vein of a patient who was sitting up and had not been instructed to hold their breath.” Nagai et al (2014) Reference: Nagai, H., Maeda, H., Kuroda, R., Komori, M., Nakajima, M., Nara, […]
The use of peripherally inserted central catheters in critically ill patients
“This review aims to discuss indications, insertion techniques, and care of PICCs in critically ill patients.” Cotogni and Pittiruti (2014). Reference: Cotogni, P. and Pittiruti, M. (2014) Focus on peripherally inserted central catheters in critically ill patients. World Journal of Critical Care Medicine. 3(4), p.80-94. [ctt tweet=”Review of the use of PICC lines in ICU […]
Echocardiographic “bubble-test” to detect malpositions of central venous catheters
“This prospective observational study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy and reproducibility of ultrasound (US) and “bubble test” to detect malpositions of central venous catheters (CVC) in the pre–operative setting.” Meggiolaro et al (2014). Reference: Meggiolaro, M., Scatto, A., Zorzi, A., Roman-Pognuz, E., Lauro, A., Passarella, C. and Bonaccorso, G. (2014) Confirmation of correct central […]
Intravenous disinfection cap: CLABSI reduction results reviewed
“The hospital implemented a disinfection cap, a device designed to address compliance/variance issues with connector disinfection protocols.” Stango et al (2014). Reference: Stango, C., Runyan, D., Stern, J., Macri, I. and Vacca, M. (2014) A successful approach to reducing bloodstream infections based on a disinfection device for intravenous needleless connector hubs. Journal of Infusion Nursing. […]
Trimming PICCs and the incidence of upper extremity deep vein thromboses
“The purpose of this study was to determine whether an association exists between cutting or trimming peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and the development of deep vein thromboses (DVTs).” Steele and Norris (2014). Reference: Steele, D. and Norris, C.M. (2014) Cutting peripherally inserted central catheters may lead to increased rates of catheter-related deep vein thrombosis. […]
Central venous catheter complications in home parenteral nutrition patients
“We describe catheter complications and outcomes in patients who received home parenteral nutrition (HPN) therapy.” Szeinbach et al (2014). Reference: Szeinbach, S.L., Pauline, J., Villa, K.F., Commerford, S.R., Collins, A. and Seoane-Vazquez, E. (2014) Evaluating catheter complications and outcomes in patients receiving home parenteral nutrition. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. November 6th. [epub ahead […]
Dokdonella koreensis bacteremia related to a central venous catheter
“The authors report a case of successfully treated D koreensis bacteremia in a patient with a hematological malignancy who presented with a fever and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia.” Lee and Weinstein (2014). Reference: Lee, B. and Weinstein, M.R. (2014) Dokdonella koreensis bacteremia: A case report and review of the literature. The Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases & […]
Managing catheter-related DVT in acute leukemia patients
“…evaluate safety and efficacy of AC in treating CVC-related VT, we retrospectively compared outcomes of acute leukemia patients who were treated or not-treated with AC during induction chemotherapy and post-discharge.” Oliver et al (2014). Reference: Oliver, N., Short, B., Thein, M., Duong, V.H., Tidwell, M.L., Sausville, E.A., Baer, M.R., Kamangar, F. and Emadi, A. (2014) […]