June 2007
Avian flu prompts pandemic planning but system is far from ready
Avian flu is still more of a threat than a reality—but if a pandemic does hit, the U.S. health care system is far from prepared, according to an infectious diseases expert who spoke at Internal Medicine 2007 in April.
Making malpractice a little less scary for practitioners
At Internal Medicine 2007, held in San Diego in April, a session on malpractice offered a rare sight—a roomful of physicians applauding a medical malpractice attorney.
Community-acquired MRSA moves in on hospitals
The traditional distinction between hospital- and community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection may soon become insignificant.
Hospital medicine update
The reimbursement spotlight is shifting to pay-for-performance, and this year's moderators for the update in hospital medicine at Internal Medicine 2007 in San Diego discussed its impact on physicians.
Hospitalist issues take hold at Board of Governors meeting
From boosting recruitment to managing infections, hospitalist issues were well represented during the Board of Governors' April business meeting at Internal Medicine 2007 in San Diego.
Aiming for zero
Five years ago, when a surgeon told staff at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg, Pa., that a central line infection (CLI) could contribute to a patient's death, it made them even more determined to find and resolve the problems—both clinical and cultural—that stood in the way of preventing infections.
MKSAP primer: Mechanical ventilation
Ventilatory failure refers to the inability of the respiratory system to sustain its ventilatory function.
Journal watch: recent studies of note
Recent studies about hydrocortisone, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and other topics.
Acute ventilatory failure
A 63-year-old woman is evaluated in the emergency department for a three-day history of increasing dyspnea... and other cases.