| HOME >> BIOLOGY >> TECHNOLOGY |
Survey shows hospital physicians, pulmonary and critical care clinicians,
and researchers also concerned about overuse of antibiotics
DURHAM, N.C., July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- bioMerieux recently conducted two surveys, fielded during conferences of the American Thoracic Society and Society of Hospital Medicine, that show how hospitalists, pulmonary and critical care physicians, and researchers are unanimous in their view that new methods and technologies are needed to quickly diagnose and combat severe bacterial sepsis in U.S. hospitals.
Sepsis, a usually fatal medical condition generally caused by the body's response to a severe infection of the blood and/or tissues, affects between 5 and 10 percent of all hospital patients, leading to an increase of about $5 billion in U.S. healthcare costs annually.
bioMerieux's 20-minute test to detect levels of procalcitonin (PCT) -- a telltale sign of systemic bacterial infection -- recently received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to assess the risk of progression to severe sepsis and septic shock. PCT tests have been used in Europe for years. Nearly all survey respondents said such a test would represent a "dramatic improvement" to the current methods of diagnosis and care for sepsis and suspected sepsis.
Because symptoms of sepsis can be vague and overlap with other
diseases, there is no gold standard for diagnosis -- current methods of
detection are slow and inaccurate. Of the pulmonary and critical care
specialists surveyed, 69 percent viewed overlapping symptoms as the most
difficult aspect of diagnosing sepsis. In fact, most clinicians reported
starting empiric therapy -- prescribing an antibiotic treatment immediately
before an accurate and firm diagnosis is determined -- because the risk of
not treating suspected bacterial sepsis is too dangerous. However,
according to the surveys, nearly all participating hospitalists and
pulmonary and critical care sp
'/>"/>
| SOURCE bioMerieux Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved |
Related biology technology :
1. New Corporate Website Launched - Focus on Life Scientists, Flow Cytometrists, & Clinicians
2. New Independent Research Study Indicates That Cylexs ImmuKnow Test May Identify Kidney Transplant Patients at Risk for Early Acute Rejection
3. Vaccines are Likely to Cause Insulin Dependent Diabetes in Over 2% of Children With a Strong Family History of Insulin Dependent Diabetes, New Data Indicates
4. Principle of Recursive Genome Function Supersedes Dogmas; By Andras Pellionisz, Online Ahead of Print; (Scientific Visionary Vindicated)
5. STALLERGENES : Strong Business Growth: +17% and Earnings Per Share up 30%
6. Dawson James Securities Initiates Research Coverage on CryoCor, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRYO) with a Strong Buy Rating and $6.00 Target Price
7. Strong Demand Pushes up Both Prices and Sales Volumes for Dragons Main Products
8. U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparent
9. Nobel Award in Medicine Holds Strong Messsage for Animal Activists
10. Monsanto Sees Record Sales in Fiscal Year 2007; Seeds and Traits Business Contributes to Strong Fourth Quarter and Year-End Results
11. Gen-Probe Reports Strong Financial Results for Third Quarter 2007, Raises Full-Year Guidance for Earnings Per Share and Total Revenues
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |