Improving the delivery of acute NIV at Kings Mill Hospital: A closed loop quality improvement project.

Background: The British Thoracic Society (BTS) Acute Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) standards state all patients who require acute NIV should be initiated on NIV within two hours of hospital admission. The delivery of acute NIV is a time critical intervention as prompt application of acute NIV substantially reduces mortality for patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure.

Objective: This audit aimed to assess the number of patients for whom there is a delay in the initiation of acute NIV.

Which azithromycin regimen should be used for treating ? A meta-analysis.

Background: There is increasing evidence that azithromycin 1 g is driving the emergence of macrolide resistance in worldwide. We undertook a meta-analysis of treatment studies using azithromycin 1 g single dose and azithromycin 500 mg on day 1 then 250 mg daily for 4 days (5-day regimen) to determine rates of treatment failure and resistance in both regimens.

Methods: The online databases PubMed and Medline were searched using terms "", " or " and " up to April 2016.