New critical care research presented at ...( #6783 IN-HOSPITAL STATIN USE MAY IM...),Health

#6783
IN-HOSPITAL STATIN USE MAY IMPROVE SEVERE SEPSIS MORTALITY
(Tuesday, October 28, 10:30 AM EST)

New research shows that in-hospital statin use is associated with lower mortality in patients with severe sepsis (SS). In a retrospective study, researchers from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals reviewed hospital patient discharges from 500 US hospitals between 2004 and 2006. The number of patients with SS ranged from 64,000 in 2004 to 89,000 in 2006. The percentage of patients with SS among all hospitalizations increased each year from 1.4 percent in 2004 to 1.7 percent in 2006, while in-hospital mortality among all patients with SS decreased each year (35 percent, 2004; 33 percent, 2005; 31 percent, 2006). In-hospital statin use increased each year (13 percent in 2004 to 18 percent in 2006). Each year, patients with SS in the statin group showed a lower mortality rate compared with those discharged from the hospital without a charge for a statin (2004, 28 percent vs. 35 percent; 2005, 26 percent vs. 35 percent; 2006, 23 percent vs. 33 percent). Although a cause and effect relationship could not be determined, researchers conclude that there is a need for further investigation in this area.

#7151
OUTCOME POOR FOR REPEATED CPR IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS
(Tuesday, October 28, 1:00 PM EST)

Hospitalized patients who undergo repeated in-hospital CPR have a high mortality rate. Researchers from Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh reviewed the charts of 151 patients, aged 25 to 99 years, who underwent CPR as a consequence of cardiopulmonary arrest. Out of these patients, only 16 (eight men and eight women) required repeated CPR after the first successful attempt. None of these patients survived to the time of hospital discharge. Researchers suggest that patients who are seriously ill, as well as their families, should be well informed regarding the expected outcome of multiple in-hospital resuscitation
'/>"/>