Customized treatments for sepsis lower treatment time and reduce length of ICU stays Feb 29, 2008
Using a blood test and a decision algorithm, rather than standard hospital protocols, to determine the appropriate length of antibiotic therapy in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock can reduce duration of treatments, shorten ICU stays, and lower hospital costs all without adverse effects on patients, according to new research ... Our study is the first randomized clinical trial in which a surrogate biochemical parameter was used to reduce the duration of antibiotic therapy in a... (EurekAlert!)
Vasopressin versus Norepinephrine Infusion in Patients with Septic Shock Feb 28, 2008
Background Vasopressin is commonly used as an adjunct to catecholamines to support blood pressure in refractory septic shock, but its effect on mortality is unknown. We hypothesized that low-dose vasopressin as compared with norepinephrine would decrease mortality among patients with septic shock who were being treated with conventional (catecholamine) vasopressors ... Methods In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial, we assigned patients who had septic shock and were receiving a... (New England Journal of Medicine)
Septic Shock — Vasopressin, Norepinephrine, and Urgency Feb 28, 2008
NEJM -- Septic Shock -- Vasopressin, Norepinephrine, and Urgency ... Septic Shock Vasopressin, Norepinephrine, and Urgency ... Septic shock is one of the most challenging problems in critical care medicine. (New England Journal of Medicine)
A Woman with Renal Failure and Stiffness of the Joints and Skin Feb 21, 2008
The patient had been well except for mild asthma until 7 years earlier, when group A streptococcal pneumonia developed, complicated by septic shock, with acute respiratory distress syndrome; septic emboli to the lungs, brain, and kidney; renal failure requiring dialysis; flaccid quadriplegia; and coma. On the 25th day after initial admission to another hospital, she was transferred to this hospital while she was receiving mechanical ventilation. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Saving Monica Feb 11, 2008
Tony arrives just before 1 p.m. and finds Conrad, who, in polite yet blunt language, tells him that Monica is in bad shape, that her body is going into septic shock, and that she has some kind of an infection and has to go to the operating room immediately. "She has a high chance of dying," Conrad tells Tony, "but we'll do everything possible.". (Boston Globe)
'Bundling' hospital processes may help prevent infections Jan 16, 2008
Septic shock, in which infection leads to low blood pressure and low blood flow, has a very high death rate. There are two sepsis bundles: resuscitation and management, which include specific blood tests and the administration of broad antibiotics that kill maximal germs early. (USA Today -- News)
Mental patient neglect alleged Jan 15, 2008
Allen was in septic shock from a blood infection and near death when he arrived at Hughes Spalding, records show. He had MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which can be fatal. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Suharto develops potentially lethal blood infection Jan 15, 2008
It is considered more dangerous for elderly people or patients in critical condition and can lead to septic shock, which has a fatality rate of more than 60 percent. Doctors responded by maximizing intensive care and administering intravenous anti-infection drugs, said another doctor, Marjo Subiandono. (International Herald Tribune)
U.S. Food Safety: Foodborne Illnesses a Menu for Disaster Jan 15, 2008
In immuno-compromised people, it can infect the bloodstream, resulting in septic shock. About half of the people who develop a bloodstream infection will die. (Health-Finder)
Standard Septic Shock Treatments Ineffective Jan 11, 2008
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Two new studies on the treatment of septic shock question the conventional wisdom of treating with corticosteroids, intensive insulin therapy or with the synthetic fluid replacement substance called pentastarch. The first study compared the use of hydrocortisone to a placebo in people in septic shock and found no improvement in survival rates ... Septic shock is "associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Standard treatment for septic shock... (MEDLINEplus)
Corticosteroids in Septic Shock Jan 10, 2008
As the balance of evidence regarding corticosteroid treatment for septic shock shifts once again toward the negative, the study by Sprung et al.1 in this issue of the Journal elicits a strong feeling of d;j; vu ... e., 200 to 300 mg of hydrocortisone per day) originated in the observations that patients with septic shock who had a reduced response to corticotropin ... Steroids in Septic Shock: Not Looking Good. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Intensive Insulin Therapy and Pentastarch Resuscitation in Severe Sepsis Jan 10, 2008
Fluid resuscitation improves survival among patients with septic shock, but evidence is lacking to support the choice of either crystalloids or colloids. Methods In a multicenter, two-by-two factorial trial, we randomly assigned patients with severe sepsis to receive either intensive insulin therapy to maintain euglycemia or conventional insulin therapy and either 10% pentastarch, a low-molecular-weight hydroxyethyl starch (HES 200/0. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Hydrocortisone for Septic Shock Jan 10, 2008
NEJM -- Hydrocortisone Therapy for Patients with Septic Shock ... Hydrocortisone Therapy for Patients with Septic Shock ... Background Hydrocortisone is widely used in patients with septic shock even though a survival benefit has been reported only in patients who remained hypotensive after fluid and vasopressor resuscitation and whose plasma cortisol levels did not rise appropriately after the administration of corticotropin. (New England Journal of Medicine)
KU Med gets national nod for sepsis program Dec 31, 2007
Cannon has helped lead that 544-bed facility s Surviving Sepsis Campaign for the past two years, which has reduced overall sepsis-related mortality by 30 percent, down 37 percent among severe sepsis patients, and down 17% for those in septic shock. Sepsis involves blood clotting at the capillary level all over the body, says Steven Simpson, a pulmonary-care physician and another leader in the effort. (Kansas City Kansan, KS)
Vasopressin Caution In Septic Shock, Animal Study Suggests Dec 14, 2007
14, 2007) Vasopressin should be used with great caution for the treatment of hypotension in septic shock, according to new results from an international research team ... The peptide hormone vasopressin is being developed as a new therapy for the hemodynamic support of septic shock and vasodilatory shock due to systemic inflammatory response syndrome ... Previously, the compound has been shown to increase blood pressure in septic shock that fails to respond to catecholamines. (Science Daily)
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Zebrafish Study Shows Key Enzyme In Gut Is A Peacemaker Dec 14, 2007
The new study is the first to show that LPS exposure in zebrafish causes symptoms that resemble septic shock in mice and humans. UO researchers also identified at least two cytokine genes involved in inflammation in the zebrafish. (Science Daily)
The Butler Did It: Eisner wins another battle Dec 7, 2007
Ryan, who just earlier in the day was diagnosed with triple pneumonia, had gone into septic shock. His lungs and his heart was failing. (Bayside Times, NY)
How Tibetans Enjoy the High Life Dec 4, 2007
In fact, the Tibetan levels of these nitrites and nitrates are higher than those in patients suffering from a bacterial blood infection septic shock and the blood flows are typical of people suffering from. Yet, they have in Tibetans. (Scientific American)
Leading Cause Of Death In 'Preemies' Might Be Controlled By Resetting A Molecular Switch Dec 3, 2007
21, 2006) According to a new study, septic shock -- a dangerous, often deadly runaway immune response--is controlled by a genetic on/off switch. The research also suggests how a drug might temper sepsis. (Science Daily)
Baert unsure of whether to appeal Dec 1, 2007
She was discharged from hospital but two days later was rushed back suffering from septic shock. Doctors had to amputate her hands and feet. (Regina Leader-Post)
Doctor not negligent in case where woman lost limbs: jury Nov 29, 2007
The Saskatchewan surgeon who operated on a woman who later went into septic shock and needed to have her hands and feet amputateddid notact negligently, a Saskatoon jury has decided ... She went into septic shock and had her limbs amputated in an Alberta hospital ... The Saskatchewan surgeon who operated on a woman who later went into septic shock and needed to have her hands and feet amputated did not act negligently, a Saskatoon jury has decided. (CBC Saskatchewan)
Isle experts urge vigilance against 'superbug' Nov 27, 2007
Last week, the Honolulu medical examiner confirmed that entertainer Rhonda Bryers died Sept. 28 at her Aiea home of septic shock from a drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Last month, a Virginia high school student died of a methicillin-resistant staph A infection, prompting closure of the whole school system for a thorough cleaning. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Friends band together to help kidney donor Nov 24, 2007
Barnette went into septic shock, causing her organs to fail. Her husband Mike was told she had a microscopic chance (0. (North County Times)
Chicken Pox Vaccination Should Be Introduced For Children In The UK, Researchers Urge Nov 19, 2007
The complications included septic shock, pneumonia, and encephalitis, as well as uncoordinated movement (ataxia), toxic shock syndrome, and "flesh eating" bacterial infection (necrotising fasciitis). Almost half the children (46%) had additional bacterial infections. (Science Daily)
Alert issued after child contracts meningitis Nov 11, 2007
According to Williams's memo, the child is in stable condition after arriving at the hospital Oct. 18, in septic shock. Williams reported the child was healthy, up to date with immunizations and had no history of travel outside the province. (Canada.com)
'Mistakes' made in meningococcal death Nov 9, 2007
20am, took Ms Nassif to Bankstown Hospital, by which time she had already gone into septic shock. Counsel assisting the inquest, Patricia McDonald, agreed the ambulance officers' decision not to take Ms Nassif to hospital was "risky". (The Age)
UK Children Should Be Vaccinated Against Chickenpox Nov 9, 2007
Complications included - septic shock - pneumonia - encephalitis - ataxia (uncoordinated movement) - toxic shock syndrome - necrotizing fasciitis ('flesh eating' bacterial infection). Six of the children died, one died in the womb. (Medical News Today)
Woman arrested for forging check fell through cracks Nov 1, 2007
"Something went through her kneecap. She went into septic shock for five months. They had to amputate her leg due to the sepsis, which infected her entire body." Gallo also lapsed into a coma for months while receiving medical care in California, her mother said. The first Record-Eagle article to mention Gallo ran on April 25, 2004, and featured a photograph of her with the new leg. (Half Moon Bay Review, CA)
Migrations influenced immune evolution Oct 10, 2007
has shown that enhanced inflammatory responses can contribute to death from septic shock, and the authors propose that this may explain why most populations do not possess the single SNP that leads to inflammation. In Africa, however, the threat of malaria may have overridden the threat of bacterial infection. (The Scientist)
City slicker finds peace in the country Oct 7, 2007
While seconds away from septic shock, I made it back to the bunkhouse without incident. Preacher and I parted amicably, wishing each other happy trails and good urinary tract health. (Scranton Times, PA)
Euthanizing the Pope? Sep 26, 2007
Septic shock and cardio circulatory collapse. With such clarity form the ones in the know, why such cynicism from Time. (Fox News)
Editor's mailbox Sep 22, 2007
A consulting surgeon came, who immediately recognized that I was in septic shock. He performed emergency surgery. (Black Hills Pioneer, SD)
Janice H. Allen Sep 5, 2007
Mrs. Allen, 53, died of septic shock, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2007, at Rankin Medical Center in Brandon. Mrs. Allen was a native of Greenwood and a longtime resident of Rankin County. (Greenwood Commonwealth, MS)
Gene Expression Pattern Could Lead To Improved Treatment Of Pediatric Septic Shock Jul 28, 2007
A consortium of researchers headed by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has discovered a gene expression pattern that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of pediatric septic shock -- still a serious public health problem despite today's potent antibiotics and pediatric intensive care units. Consistent with Cincinnati Children's increased emphasis on personalized and predictive medicine -- where diagnosis and treatment coincide with a person's genetic predisposition -- the... (Science Daily)
Disease Leaves Young Children Blind, Struggling Jul 16, 2007
" "It's definitely ignored as far as diseases go because we don't have the numbers that or leukemia or cancer has," said Karen Upchurch, of St. Petersburg, Florida, whose daughters, Dorothy, 16, and Rose, 24, died a decade apart of Batten disease. Peg Davis, of Balsam, Minnesota, who brought her stricken daughters, Holly, 28, and Hannah, 25, to the convention, said that devoting her life to their care is not a burden. "You get so much joy from them," she said. But Davis admits she's begun to... (Fox News)
Families of sick find support in Rochester Jul 14, 2007
e had a (heart) pacemaker put in, he had septic shock, he had pneumonia. All those years you're grieving. (Auburn Citizen, NY)
Community to hold benefit for local couple Jul 10, 2007
Soon thereafter she went into septic shock, which is often fatal, she said. An emergency surgery solved the problem. (Pekin Times, IL)
Warm months increase deadly seawater bacteria Jul 9, 2007
In people with compromised immune systems, particularly those with chronic liver disease, it can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock) and blistering skin lesions. Vibrio vulnificus bloodstream infections are fatal about 50 percent of the time. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Pet turtles pose Salmonella risk: CDC Jul 6, 2007
The baby was taken to a Florida emergency room with fever and septic shock and died on March 1 despite treatment with antibiotics. Tests on bacteria taken from the baby showed it matched a strain found in a turtle given to the infant's family by a friend. (Scientific American)
Rare red panda dies at Sacramento Zoo Jul 5, 2007
The wound led to septic shock, and he died June 28. Leslie Field, a zookeeper and supervisor, said older animals, from pets to pandas, often have trouble cleaning themselves as they age. (Scripps Howard News Wire)
Key to male infertility Jun 30, 2007
Such a substance designed to target this area could be used to treat a variety of conditions, including septic shock, sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes ... And antibodies targeted to MIF, so-called anti-MIF antibodies, significantly improves cardiac performance during septic shock. (EurekAlert!)
Neonatal unit shut after infection kills baby May 31, 2007
Serratia is known to stimulate an immense immune system reaction: a patient becomes delirious, blood pressure drops and septic shock and organ failure follows. Dr. Zoutman said much more research needs to take place on hospital-acquired infections, and that the federal government should establish a $10-million-a-year research fund for the next 10 years. (Globe and Mail -- National)
Legionnaires disease May 26, 2007
Legionnaires disease: Sporadic outbreaks of the disease have occurred. Legionnaires disease. (Suite101.com)
Boy Bounces Back From Potentially Fatal Disease May 19, 2007
A diagnosis of septic shock at Children's Hospital had his parents wondering what the future held. Jennifer Wiesmann, Tyler's Mother: "The first week he was in the hospital was hard, he was in a medically induced coma for the pain, and we didn't know what he'd be like when he came to.". (WKRC.com, OH)
Protocol for treatment of sepsis can reduce hospital deaths May 16, 2007
Severe sepsis is one of the top 10 leading causes of death in adults, yet there has been little progress in recent decades in treating sepsis and septic shock, and the mortality rate remains disturbingly high ... The presentation is entitled "Clinical Effectiveness of Implementing Early Goal Directed Therapy in the Emergency Department Care of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock: A Prospective Study" by Alan Jones, MD. This paper will be presented at the 2007 SAEM Annual Meeting, May 16-19, 2007,... (EurekAlert!)
Fallon Cancer Cluster Apr 29, 2007
She suffered internal bleeding, an infection and septic shock. She died on Sept. 1, 2001, at the age of 21. (Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Nevada News)
China to send bird flu samples to WHO Apr 21, 2007
Corticosteroids should be reserved for patients with persistent septic shock, a dangerously low drop in blood pressure when the bloodstream is infected, the agency said. Early treatment with oseltamivir seemed to reduce the risk of death in H5N1 infections and its use is warranted for late treatment, according to the summary of the WHO-sponsored meeting last month Antalya, Turkey. (CBC News)
WHO dispenses new advice on treating bird flu Apr 20, 2007
Corticosteroids should be used only on patients with persistent septic shock, a condition in which blood pressure drops to dangerous levels because of an infection in the bloodstream, the WHO advised in updated treatment guidelines published on its website. The recommendation was one of several that emerged from a meeting last month in which physicians who have treated H5N1 patients gathered to share their experiences and observations. (Globe and Mail)
Woman Finally Eats After 2 Years Without Food Apr 12, 2007
"She wouldn't stop bleeding, and she went into septic shock, so it's touch and go for a long time.". The condition led to 14 operations, including the removal of her stomach and a portion of her intestines. (CBS 4, CO)
Redgrave is no ordinary Joan Apr 1, 2007
The two had spent the morning at a New York City hospital, where their grown daughter Quintana lay comatose (she had checked in five days earlier with flu-like symptoms, and subsequently entered septic shock). She built a fire. (Guardian Unlimited)
'Magical Thinking': Dignity in grief Mar 30, 2007
Didion's original account of coping with the loss of her life partner, while also grappling with the erratic condition of their adult daughter, Quintana, who had fallen into septic shock shortly before Dunne's heart attack and was comatose when he died, didn't stint on emotional or medical detail. But it had none of the audience-baiting smarminess we expect from more shallow, self-serving confessors. (USA Today -- Life)
Redgrave's séance of 'Magical Thinking' Mar 30, 2007
What happened was this: Didion and Dunne had returned home from visiting their daughter, who was lying in a coma in a hospital after a case of flu had developed into pneumonia and then septic shock. They were going through their usual cozy evening ritual when Dunne collapsed. (Los Angeles Times)
A terrible mourning, wonderful to behold Mar 30, 2007
The novelist - a journalist as well as a screenwriter - has adapted her own book with a conversational flair, updating the memoirs to include the precise and terrible details of the death, from recurring septic shock, of their only child. David Hare, more often a playwright than a director, has staged the piece with the crisp intimacy we feel when alone with Didion's written words in our head. (Newsday -- Entertainment)
Recalled food sickens, kills Houston area pets Mar 27, 2007
We took him to the emergency clinic where they told us that he had gone into Septic Shock and was suffering mulitple organ failure. The symptoms seemed to be consistant with the other pet deaths. (KHOU.com, TX)
Grief at center of Didion's 'Thinking' play Mar 25, 2007
They had just come home from visiting their only daughter, Quintana, who lay in a coma at a hospital a few blocks away, having suffered a flu that degenerated into septic shock. For eight months, Didion kept track of her grief - both the growing acceptance and frequent denial of Dunne's loss, as well as her efforts to sustain Quintana's health. (Newsday -- New York City)
'Magical Thinking' opens artistic doors Mar 22, 2007
Written after the death of her husband, novelist John Gregory Dunne, who had a heart attack in 2003 just short of the couple's 40th anniversary, and days after their only child, Quintana Roo Dunne, lapsed into a coma after a case of pneumonia led to septic shock, the book is a first-person account of Didion's attempts to come to terms with the loss of her partner in life and art. Quintana, whose dramatic ups and downs are chronicled with the same unflinching candor as Didion's difficult... (USA Today -- Life)
Long road home Mar 18, 2007
The body enters septic shock and organs shut down. "When the body is attacked by the bacteria it will start to lose its blood pressure," Fagre says. (Waterloo Courier, IO)
Weight-Loss Surgery Caution: Take Your Vitamins Mar 14, 2007
" Of the 32 patients, 13 made full recoveries after treatment with vitamin B1, but others continued to have problems. One patient died while hospitalized from septic shock, Singh wrote. "Some got the problem despite taking the supplement," he said. But, in many of the cases, the patients were not taking the supplements as prescribed. One thing is clear: Wernicke encephalopathy affects only a very small proportion of the 170,000 people who undergo obesity surgery in the United States each year,... (MEDLINEplus)
Staph outbreak among pre-term babies at Toronto hospital Mar 12, 2007
One of the most invasive hospital infections, staph can cause symptoms ranging from abscesses to septic shock and can potentially be fatal, said Dr. Michael Gardem, Director of the Infection Prevention and Control Unit at the University Health Network. It can be spread through contact or through indirect contact from contaminated objects, such as equipment. (National Post)
King David's Paranoia, and Other Psalm Mysteries: Mar 9, 2007
It's so severely infected ("foul and fester") that perhaps we're looking at septic shock ("no soundness" and "no health"), as well as a secondary infection of the heart ("throbs"). Get this patient to the ERstat. (Slate)
Bill lets doctors speak freely Mar 8, 2007
You don't want to have to fight to get them,'' said Meyer, who worked as an usher at Cirque du Soleil's "O" at the Bellagio before she went into septic shock and had to be hospitalized ... The 63-year-old lost her legs after she went into septic shock in November 2000 ... Septic shock is caused by an infection in the bloodstream. (Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Nevada News)
THE FISHER FOUR FIGHT to SAVE SON Mar 6, 2007
No one knew exactly why Cody had gone into a septic shock. But doctors knew that waiting for the test results in the next 24 hours would close off permanently the slim window of hope they saw in administering a powerful drug. (Waverly County Independent, IO)
Continuous Infusion Of Hydrocortisone Reduces Hyperglyaemia In Patients With Septic Shock Feb 20, 2007
Low dose hydrocortisone treatment is widely used as a treatment for patients suffering from septic shock ... Article: Effect of hydrocortisone treatment modality on glycemic control in patients with septic shock. (Science Daily)
Medical fundraiser: Death-defiers at Depot Feb 8, 2007
He went into septic shock and his body was shutting down, she said. It turned out to be an attack from a flesh-eating bacteria and required surgeries at the Butte hospital and another in Seattle, she said. (Montana Standard, MT)
Advance In Understanding Of Blood Pressure Gene Could Lead To New Treatments Feb 6, 2007
"It could help us to establish if genetic variation predisposes certain people to these diseases, or whether environmental factors exert some of their effects through modulation of DDAH activity."Our research also shows that this pathway could be harnessed therapeutically to limit production of NO in certain situations where too much nitric oxide is a bad thing; for example, hypotension and septic shock. These are some of the biggest problems in intensive care medicine and there is a huge unmet... (Science Daily)
