Reduction of hospital length of stay through the implementation of SAFER patient flow bundle and Red2Green days tool: a pre-post study.

Background: In 2018, the National Health System released the 'Guide to reducing long hospital stays' to stimulate improvement and decrease length of stay (LOS) in England hospitals. The SAFER patient flow bundle and Red2Green tool were described as strategies to be implemented in inpatient wards to reduce discharge delays.

Objective: To verify if implementing the SAFER patient flow bundle and Red2Green days tool is associated with LOS reduction in the internal medicine unit (IMU) wards of a university hospital in Brazil.

The behavior and diagnostic utility of procalcitonin and five other inflammatory molecules in critically ill patients with respiratory distress and suspected 2009 influenza a H1N1 infection.

Objectives: During the 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic, it became difficult to differentiate viral infections from other conditions in patients admitted to the intensive care unit. We sought to evaluate the behavior and diagnostic utility of procalcitonin, C-reactive protein and four other molecules in patients with suspected 2009 Influenza A H1N1 infection.

Methods: The serum levels of procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor α, interferon γ, interleukin 1β, and interleukin 10 were tested on admission and on days 3, 5, and 7 in 35 patients with suspected 2009 H1N1 infection who were admitted to two ICUs.