Lower incidence of hypo-magnesemia in surgical intensive care unit patients in 2011 versus 2001.

Background: Hypo-magnesemia is described to occur in as many as 65% of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Magnesium (Mg) is a cofactor in over 300 enzymatic reactions involving energy metabolism, protein, and nucleic acid synthesis. The membrane pump that creates the electrical gradient across the cell membrane is dependent on Mg, and it is important in the activity of electrically excitable tissues.

Hospital initiatives in promoting smoking cessation: a survey of Internet and hospital-based programs targeted at consumers.

Study Objectives: This study assesses how often local US hospitals provide smoking cessation information in the following two ways: via hospital Web sites; and via routing incoming phone calls to their hospital switchboards to an in-house smoking cessation clinic.

Design: Random survey of US hospitals.

Setting: US hospital Web pages and telephone switchboards.

Response to nitric oxide during adult cardiac surgery.

Pulmonary hypertension is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in adult cardiac surgery patients. Inhaled nitric oxide is known to be a selective pulmonary vasodilator in this setting. However, it is not known which cardiac surgery patients benefit most from nitric oxide therapy.