Publications by authors named "Paul Zimand"
Background: Critical care nurses take care of patients with complicated, comorbid, and compromised conditions. These patients are at risk for health care-associated infections, which affect patients' lives and health care systems in various ways.
Objective: To gauge the impact of routinely bathing patients with 4% chlorhexidine gluconate solution on the incidence of health care-associated infections in a medical-surgical intensive care unit and a postoperative telemetry unit; to outline the framework for a hospital-wide presurgical chlorhexidine gluconate bathing program and share the results.
Objective: To determine the utility of the Sofia SARS rapid antigen fluorescent immunoassay (FIA) to guide hospital-bed placement of patients being admitted through the emergency department (ED).
Design: Cross-sectional analysis of a clinical quality improvement study.
Setting: This study was conducted in 2 community hospitals in Maryland from September 21, 2020, to December 3, 2020.
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted public health measures like social distancing and masking, which not only limit the spread of the virus but also affect seasonal viral pathogens that trigger COPD exacerbations.
- A study analyzing data from a large health care system showed that COPD admissions dropped by 53% during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating a potential link between reduced viral prevalence and fewer hospitalizations for COPD.
- The decline in COPD admissions was particularly significant among patients with fewer underlying health issues, suggesting that public health interventions have had a beneficial impact on respiratory health during this time.
Aims: While the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic may be contained through vaccination, transfusion of convalescent plasma (CCP) from individuals who recovered from COVID-19 (CCP) is considered an alternative treatment. We investigate if CCP transfusion in patients with severe respiratory failure increases plasma titres of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and improves clinical outcomes.
Methods: Patients with COVID-19 (n=34) were consented for CCP transfusion and serial blood draws pretransfusion and post-transfusion.
Importance: Hospital readmissions are associated with patient harm and expense. Ways to prevent hospital readmissions have focused on identifying patients at greatest risk using prediction scores.
Objective: To identify the type of score that best predicts hospital readmissions.