HCA healthcare journal of medicine最新文献

Description Painting is what I do to slow my brain and relax my body after a busy day at the hospital. Nothing puts me directly into a flow state like slowly moving acrylic paint across a canvas. This piece titled "Micro Life" depicts the diversity of life constantly surrounding us at the microbiological level everywhere we go. As a strong believer in nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, I know how important our microbiome is to healthy digestion and a properly functioning immune system. On the other side, I have witnessed the devastating effects dangerous microorganisms can have on our already compromised patients. Finally, this painting hangs in my office as a piece of art and a simple reminder to practice vigilant hand hygiene for our patients every day.

Background: Preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) remains a critical national focus for health care facilities. This notion is particularly true for patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), where the associated mortality rates for HD-CLABSI range from 12% to 25%. Studies show that the use of central venous catheter (CVC) end caps coated with antiseptic agents, such as chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) on HD-CVCs, can reduce the incidence of CLABSIs. However, issues ranging from difficulty finding and maintaining an adequate (and fully standardized) supply of CHG-impregnated HD end caps and ensuring consistent practice by clinicians can prevent the use of this valuable tool. The purpose of this study is to discuss the implementation and lessons learned from a successful collaboration between supply chain and nursing standardization of the supply of CHG-impregnated HD-CVC end caps in more than 140 United States-based hospitals.

Methods: The 3-year, enterprise-wide initiative to standardize supply and end cap practice as well as reduce HD CLABSIs involved 3 phases: (Phase I) piloting the change in 5 inpatient facilities; (Phase II) implementing and scaling the change across 140 hospitals; and (Phase III) stabilizing supply and hard-wiring practices.

Results: Following the pilot, access to CHG-impregnated HD-CVC end caps increased more than 100-fold over the next 4 quarters, with more than 50 000 CHG HD-CVC end caps being available for use by the end of 2022. Throughout the process, review and real-time audit of HD-CVC end cap application and removal were used to standardize the practice. The review of CLABSI data over the course of the program showed a nearly 16% reduction in HD-CLABSI events per 1000 catheter days following standardization of HD-CVC end cap supply.

Conclusion: Overall, our results suggest that standardizing the supply of HD-CVC end caps (which are a critical link in the infection prevention chain) was associated with a reduction in CLABSIs among patients undergoing HD. In addition, the close collaboration between supply chain and nursing was instrumental to the success of our endeavor and may serve as a model for other health systems wanting to pursue similar efforts.

Background: Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) result in patient harm, discomfort, and even death, with an estimated 2.5 million HAPIs occurring annually in the United States. These pressure injuries from prolonged pressure on the skin and deeper tissues cause reduced blood flow and the breakdown of skin and tissues, resulting in wounds. Additionally, these injuries contribute to longer hospital stays and increased health care costs. Hospitals have programs aimed at reducing HAPIs as well as ongoing surveillance to identify new trends early on. This ongoing monitoring revealed a trend early at our institution that HAPIs were 66% higher than the national HAPI rate of 3.5% of observed patients. In rapid response, a multidisciplinary team was formed to address and improve the HAPI rate via a quality improvement project.

Methods: To achieve the goal of decreased pressure injuries or ulcers, a team of nurses, patient care technicians, nutritionists, infectious disease specialists, radiologists, surgeons, vascular technicians, supply chain administrators, case management and social workers, hyperbaric medicine specialists, and wound care experts was created. The team completed a gap analysis and discovered inconsistencies in documentation and care practices that led to HAPI rates above the national average. The team then standardized a policy, standardized documentation of wounds, and provided staff education. Measures were implemented to proactively prevent pressure injuries.

Results: There was a 4.2 percentage point decrease in HAPIs from the beginning of the project (5.76%) to the last survey (1.59%). However, this difference was not statistically significant (P = .07). Overall, there were 6 fewer patients (8 vs 2 patients) with hospital-onset observed injury. Additionally, the length of stay decreased by 46%. Documentation of skin assessments within 24 hours of admission improved to 100%.

Conclusion: We implemented a quality improvement program across 10 service lines, monitoring pressure injuries, HAPI incidence, and length of stay in 480 patients over 2 years. Although the reduction in HAPI was not statistically significant (P = .07), our program positively impacted the hospital's response to pressure injuries and warrants further replication.

Description Nursing as a profession is full of innovation. From nurse-led research and new technology to emerging models of care, nurses continue to blaze trails and take steps to improve patient care. As one of the largest employers of nurses in the United States, HCA Healthcare has an obligation to produce research and evidence-based practices to pave the way for the future of nursing practice and potentially change how care is delivered. In this editorial, HCA Healthcare's chief nurse officer describes her vision for the future of nurse-led research and examines how education, partnerships, and technology facilitate the road ahead for nurses.

Description Advances in technology offer additional health care tools to improve the health of patients and efficiencies for our clinicians in innovative ways. These technologies cover a huge variety of therapeutics, ranging from wearable devices, such as insulin pumps, to robotic-assisted surgeries. Nursing informatics is firmly embedded in the use of technology to improve nursing care and science. One of the most recent developments in nursing is the exploration of virtual nursing. This paper will present the past, current, and future projections for this unique blend of nursing art and science with cutting-edge technology.

Description The HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine would like to thank those behind the scenes who make this publication possible. Our journal would not be possible without the assistance of our peer reviewers, authors, and board members.

Background: Nocardiosis is the systemic manifestation of Nocardia infection, often found in immunocompromised individuals. Nocardia are transmitted via inhalation or skin wounds, disseminating hematogenously to organs and rarely, joints. We present a patient with immunosuppression who developed gout of the knee with superimposed Nocardial septic arthritis and a possible subsequent systemic infection.

Case presentation: A 74-year-old man presented with left lower extremity swelling and pain. He was taking immunosuppressive medication for antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody-positive vasculitis. A week prior, an arthrocentesis test was positive for gout. He received prednisone without improvement. A repeat arthrocentesis was positive for Nocardia farcinica septic arthritis. Chest imaging showed subpleural nodules. After failed antibiotics, a susceptibilities test yielded results that favored linezolid. The patient exhibited acute anemia from hematomas intramuscularly above the infection, which resolved with transfusions. Immunosuppression was stopped, and the patient recovered appropriately after the correct antibiotics were administered.

Conclusion: This case involves septic arthritis with possible pulmonary nodule involvement, showcasing the complexity of infections in immunocompromised individuals. Clinicians should maintain adequate suspicion for an infectious cause of arthritis in patients with immunosuppression. In our case, the hematomas are a curious finding, without known etiology. The question of when and how to reintroduce immunosuppressive agents while preventing the recurrence of nocardiosis remains a complex consideration.

Introduction: A thrower's fracture is a mid-to-distal third humerus fracture that commonly presents as an audible pop with severe arm pain sustained during the throwing motion. Although thrower's fracture has been described previously in the literature, this report is the first to demonstrate compartment syndrome as its potential sequel.

Case presentation: A 25-year-old semi-professional pitcher presented to the emergency department with severe right arm pain following a pitch. He described hearing an audible pop with subsequent severe pain. He was found to have elevated compartment pressures in his upper arm and was rushed to the operating room for a 2 compartment fasciotomy. The thrower's fracture classically presents as an audible pop with subsequent arm pain in male patients aged 20-30 years during the acceleration phase of throwing. A potential well-known sequel is radial nerve palsy, which occurs in roughly 5-11% of patients. A sequel which has not been previously described is the subsequent development of compartment syndrome.

Conclusion: Compartment syndrome should be monitored in patients with thrower's fractures, as it is a limb-threatening condition that can subsequently develop.

Background: Our main objective was to compare the characteristics and hospital outcomes of patients with primary and metastatic brain malignancies and to investigate the associated factors related to hospital outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study of 1628 patients with brain malignancies from 8 community hospitals between 2017 and 2022 who were identified using International Classification of Disease codes. A stepwise logistic regression was used to identify demographics and clinical characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality and home discharge.

Results: The median age was 65 years old, with 72.5% of patients having metastatic brain malignancies. After 7.2 days of hospital stay, 49.2% were discharged home, and 102 patients expired during hospitalization. Increased age, medical coverage by Medicare, hemiplegia or paraplegia, lower initial hemoglobin level, increased length of stay, and the use of electrolyte replacement, antibiotics, laxatives, heparin, and anticonvulsants were associated with a decreased likelihood of discharge to home. No medical insurance, Medicaid insurance coverage, comorbidities of cerebrovascular disorder, the need to stay in the intensive care unit, patient safety indicator events, and the use of antibiotics, oral analgesics, and ipratropium-albuterol were associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality.

Conclusion: We identified several predictor variables that delineate differences between both mortality risk and home discharge in patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors. Understanding these predictor variables can be helpful in improving the acute and post-acute care of this population.

Background: Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a thrombotic microangiopathy that presents with a triad of hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney impairment. It can be attributed to mutations in an array of different complement proteins leading to the overactivation of the complement system, the most impacted being the alternative pathway. Though rare, influenza B has been documented as a potential trigger to the development of aHUS.

Case presentation: We discuss a 10-year-old girl with a history of aHUS who was found to have a repeat episode of aHUS following an influenza B infection. There have only been a few reports of aHUS triggered by influenza B, making this a unique case. Given the recurrence and atypical features present in this case, a genetic workup was obtained, which showed a heterozygous mutation of complement protein CD46. The presence of mutations in CD46 is a known predisposing factor to aHUS, but influenza B infection is rarely implicated as a trigger to aHUS. The prognosis of aHUS varies and is dependent on the complement mutation specific to the individual.

Conclusion: Patients with CD46 mutations have been shown to have high rates of relapse but less long-term kidney damage, as seen in this case. Clinicians should be aware of the association between influenza B and aHUS to improve patient outcomes.