Culture

An eICU uses telecommunications technology to diagnose and treat patients in the ICU remotely. Using two-way cameras, video monitors, microphones, and alarms to provide round-the-clock care for patients in ICUs, eICUs can provide care to patients in multiple hospitals, using the skills of intensive care physicians, called intensivists, and intensive care nurses.

On a daily basis for a period of 3 months, researchers surveyed critical care physicians in five ICUs in one health-care system to identify patients receiving futile treatment. On days when the ICU was full and when there was at least one patient in the unit receiving futile treatment, they evaluated the number of patients who had to wait in the ED for more than 4 hours before being transferred to the ICU, as well as the number of patients who waited for more than one day to be transferred to the ICU from outside hospitals.

"We found that the use of ultrasound to diagnose patients greatly reduced radiation exposure for patients without negatively affecting their health," said Margarita Oks, MD, Long Island Jewish Hospital, North Shore-LIJ Health System. "It was also cost-effective."

Ultrasound, also called sonography, is an imaging method that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images that lead to diagnosis and treatment of many diseases and medical conditions. Radiation is not used in ultrasound testing, but is used in x-rays and CT scans.

An estimated 24 million Americans may have COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. Patients with COPD have trouble pushing used air out of their lungs, making it difficult to take in healthy new air. Although there is no cure for COPD, a patient's quality of life can be improved by controlling symptoms, such as shortness of breath. COPD, most commonly caused by cigarette smoking, affects both men and women, and often, symptoms are seen in people in their 40s.

Delaying treatment for rheumatoid arthritis could greatly increase the likelihood that patients will suffer joint damage and experience disability two years out, according to a new study from Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

The research will be presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals on October 28 in San Diego.

Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City have identified a biomarker that may predict poor pregnancy outcomes in lupus patients.

The study, titled "Angiogenic Factor Dysregulation and Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcome In Lupus Pregnancies" will be presented at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Meeting on October 27 in San Diego.

A survey among rheumatologists finds many face moral dilemmas when trying to do what's best for their patients in the current health care environment.

The study, titled "Bending' Ethical Norms to Serve Patients' Interests: Tensions in Medical Professionalism," will be presented at the American College of Rheumatology/ Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Meeting on October 28 in San Diego.

The complete study was published in the October issue of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

Being able to regulate your emotions is important for well-being, but new research suggests that a common emotion regulation strategy called "cognitive reappraisal" may actually be harmful when it comes to stressors that are under our control. The study is published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

San Diego, October 28, 2013 -- New findings from two integrated Phase 3 Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen)-sponsored studies showed treatment with STELARA® (ustekinumab) resulted in significantly greater inhibition of structural damage in patients with active psoriatic arthritis compared with placebo.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Firearm-related injuries in children and adolescents are an important cause of preventable injury and mortality. Recent national shooting tragedies involving children have resulted in new efforts to study the problem and find solutions to reduce this type of injury. In an abstract presented Monday, Oct. 28, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, researchers sought to determine the local trends and characteristics of pediatric firearm injuries and deaths, especially those involving children under age 14.

SAN DIEGO -- People with rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions are at higher risk of heart disease. Who is in the most danger, why and how best to prevent and detect cardiovascular complications are important questions for physicians and researchers.

SAN DIEGO — It may seem counterintuitive, but young and middle-aged fibromyalgia patients report worse symptoms and poorer quality of life than older patients, a Mayo Clinic study shows. Fibromyalgia most often strikes women. It is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain with fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. The research, one of several Mayo studies being presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting, suggests the disorder plays out differently among different age groups.

URBANA, Ill. – If you want to eat healthier when dining out, research recommends surrounding yourself with friends who make healthy food choices. A University of Illinois study showed that when groups of people eat together at a restaurant at which they must state their food choice aloud, they tend to select items from the same menu categories.

PORTLAND, Ore., October 25, 2013 – An American Thoracic Society panel of experts is calling for better care for thousands of Americans who suffer severe shortness of breath as a result of advanced lung and heart disease. These episodes can be very frightening for patients and caregivers, and the increased anxiety often makes the symptoms worse. In the current issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, the panel suggests that patients work with their providers to develop individualized actions plans that can keep these episodes from turning into emergencies.

CHICAGO --- Men might be faster, but women are stronger in numbers in the nation's largest 10-kilometer road running races, according to a Northwestern Medicine® study.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 400,000 runners who participated in 10 of the largest 10km (6.2 mile) races in the U.S. from as early as 2002 through 2011.

Other findings from the study, the first to analyze performance trends among the nation's 10km runners, include: