Critical Care News

SAN DIEGO — Identifying at-risk conditions of patients and issues in transitions of care, as well as counseling the patient using a dialogistic and reflective approach, may help reduce readmissions to hospitals, according to an ACP Internal Medicine Annual Meeting presentation.

Despite relatively young age and no documentation of life-limiting illnesses, more than 10,000 Medicare patients die soon after discharge from the ED each year, according to findings published in the BMJ.

The FDA has approved the 2-mg dosage of nasal spray Narcan for ready-to-use emergency treatments of suspected or known opioid overdose, including prescription opioid painkiller-, fentanyl-, carfentanil- and heroin-related overdose in patients who are dependent on opioids, according to Adapt Pharma Inc., the nasal spray’s manufacturer.

Despite women and nonwhite patients having lower estimated risk for ACS, they have similar rates of ACS, radiation exposure and costs as men and white patients, according to new data.

The Organización Nacional de Trasplantes created a model of coordination that enabled Spain to achieve the world’s highest rate of deceased organ donation at 40 donors per million population, according to an article published in the American Journal of Transplantation.

Red blood cells stored for up to 42 days remain viable, and findings published in Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that patient survival after blood transfusion was not affected by the length of red blood cell storage.

As 2016 comes to a close, Healio Internal Medicine presents its most popular stories of the year, which include industry news, updates in care guidelines and meeting news coverage.

Barriers to delivering essential kidney care to remote areas in the United States can be overcome by implementing a telemedicine program in rural hospitals, according to findings presented at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2016.

Venomous snakebites, including from copperheads and exotic snakes, and antivenom therapy use increased significantly in children and adolescents during a 13-year period, according to findings published in Pediatrics.

Plastic surgery services joined a surgical team to successfully separate thoraco-omphalo-ischiopagus tetrapus conjoined twins, according to a case report published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.