Clinical Efficacy and Safety Profile of Micropulse Transscleral Cyclophotocoagulation in Refractory Glaucoma.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety profile of micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (MP-CPC) in patients with refractory glaucoma.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective case series of 79 consecutive patients who underwent MP-CPC at the Wills Eye Hospital from March 23, 2014 to June 23, 2016 and who had at least 3 months of follow-up. Treatment success was defined as an intraocular pressure (IOP) of 6 to 21 mm Hg or a reduction of IOP by 20%.

Developing a new, national approach to surveillance for ventilator-associated events.

This article is an executive summary of a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Surveillance Definition Working Group, entitled "Developing a New, National Approach to Surveillance for Ventilator-Associatied Events," published in Critical Care Medicine, by Magill SS, Klompas M, Balk R, Burns SM, Deutschman CS, et al. 2013;41(11):2467-2475. The full report provides a comprehensive description of the Working Group's process and outcome.

Developing a new national approach to surveillance for ventilator-associated events: executive summary.

In September 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) Surveillance Definition Working Group to organize a formal process for leaders and experts of key stakeholder organizations to discuss the challenges of VAP surveillance definitions and to propose new approaches to VAP surveillance in adult patients (Table 1). The charges to the Working Group were to (1) critically review a draft, streamlined VAP surveillance definition developed for use in adult patients; (2) suggest modifications to enhance the reliability and credibility of the surveillance definition within the critical care and infection prevention communities; and (3) propose a final adult surveillance definition algorithm to be implemented in the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), taking into consideration the potential future use of the definition algorithm in public reporting, interfacility comparisons, and pay-for-reporting and pay-for-performance programs.

Developing a new, national approach to surveillance for ventilator-associated events*.

Objective: To develop and implement an objective, reliable approach to surveillance for ventilator-associated events in adult patients.

Design: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) Surveillance Definition Working Group in September 2011. Working Group members included representatives of stakeholder societies and organizations and federal partners.

Healthcare-associated infections studies project: an American Journal of Infection Control and National Healthcare Safety Network data quality collaboration-Ventilator-associated event 1, 2013.

This is the second case study published in a series in AJIC since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance definition update of 2013. These cases reflect some of the complex patient scenarios Infection Preventionists (IP) have encountered in their daily surveillance of health care-associated infections (HAI) using NHSN definitions. This is the first case utilizing the new NHSN Ventilator-associated Events (VAE) module and criteria.

Healthcare-associated infections studies project: an American Journal of Infection Control and National Healthcare Safety Network data quality collaboration-LabID Clostridium Difficile event 2013.

This is the first in a series of case studies that will be published in American Journal of Infection Control following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance definition update of 2013. These cases reflect some of the complex patient scenarios infection professionals encounter during daily surveillance of health care-associated infections using NHSN definitions. Answers to the questions posed and immediate feedback in the form of answers and explanations are available at: http://www.

Mucosal barrier injury laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection: results from a field test of a new National Healthcare Safety Network definition.

Objective: To assess challenges to implementation of a new National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance definition, mucosal barrier injury laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection (MBI-LCBI).

Design: Multicenter field test.

Setting: Selected locations of acute care hospitals participating in NHSN central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) surveillance.

Device-associated infections among neonatal intensive care unit patients: incidence and associated pathogens reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network, 2006-2008.

Objective: To describe rates and pathogen distribution of device-associated infections (DAIs) in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients and compare differences in infection rates by hospital type (children's vs general hospitals).

Patients And Setting: Neonates in NICUs participating in the National Healthcare Safety Network from 2006 through 2008.

Methods: We analyzed central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), umbilical catheter-associated bloodstream infections (UCABs), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among 304 NICUs.

Effect of nonpayment for preventable infections in U.S. hospitals.

Background: In October 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) discontinued additional payments for certain hospital-acquired conditions that were deemed preventable. The effect of this policy on rates of health care-associated infections is unknown.

Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design with interrupted time series with comparison series, we examined changes in trends of two health care-associated infections that were targeted by the CMS policy (central catheter-associated bloodstream infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections) as compared with an outcome that was not targeted by the policy (ventilator-associated pneumonia).

An American Journal of Infection Control and National Healthcare Safety Network data quality collaboration: a supplement of new case studies.

The rationale for the case study series is presented, along with results of the first 5 American Journal of Infection Control-National Healthcare Safety Network case studies. Although the respondents were correct in their assessments more often than not, opportunities for improvement remain. Ten new case studies with questions are provided.

Perceived impact of the Medicare policy to adjust payment for health care-associated infections.

Background: In 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ceased additional payment for hospitalizations resulting in complications deemed preventable, including several health care-associated infections. We sought to understand the impact of the CMS payment policy on infection prevention efforts.

Methods: A national survey of infection preventionists from a random sample of US hospitals was conducted in December 2010.

Improved risk adjustment in public reporting: coronary artery bypass graft surgical site infections.

Objective: The objective was to develop a new National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) risk model for sternal, deep incisional, and organ/space (complex) surgical site infections (SSIs) following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures, detected on admission and readmission, consistent with public reporting requirements.

Patients And Setting: A total of 133,503 CABG procedures with 4,008 associated complex SSIs reported by 293 NHSN hospitals in the United States.

Methods: CABG procedures performed from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2008, were analyzed.

Prevalence of healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals in Jacksonville, Florida.

Objective: To determine healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevalence in 9 hospitals in Jacksonville, Florida; to evaluate the performance of proxy indicators for HAIs; and to refine methodology in preparation for a multistate survey.

Design: Point prevalence survey.

Patients: Acute care inpatients of any age.

Improving risk-adjusted measures of surgical site infection for the national healthcare safety network.

Background: The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) has provided simple risk adjustment of surgical site infection (SSI) rates to participating hospitals to facilitate quality improvement activities; improved risk models were developed and evaluated.

Methods: Data reported to the NHSN for all operative procedures performed from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2008, were analyzed. Only SSIs related to the primary incision site were included.