Tocilizumab for the Critically Ill With Severe COVID-19: A Community Hospital Case Series.

Objective: To evaluate the use of tocilizumab in a community hospital setting for critically ill patients with severe COVID-19.

Design: A retrospective case series.

Setting: Five community hospitals within 1 urban health system.

Tracking patients with chronic occipital headache after occipital nerve decompression surgery: A case series.

Background: The therapeutic benefit of nerve decompression surgeries for chronic headache/migraine are controversial.

Aim: To provide clinical characteristics of headache type and treatment outcome of occipital nerve decompression surgery.

Methods: A retrospective review of clinical records.

Significant Publications on Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy in 2017.

Purpose: The most significant peer-reviewed articles pertaining to infectious diseases (ID) pharmacotherapy, as selected by panels of ID pharmacists, are summarized.

Summary: Members of the Houston Infectious Diseases Network (HIDN) were asked to nominate peer-reviewed articles that they believed most contributed to the practice of ID pharmacotherapy in 2017, including the areas of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). A list of 33 articles related to general ID pharmacotherapy and 4 articles related to HIV/AIDS was compiled.

Use of an Anti-Infective Medication Review Process at Hospital Discharge to Identify Medication Errors and Optimize Therapy.

Background: Medication reconciliation is a major patient safety concern, and the impact of a structured process to evaluate anti-infective agents at hospital discharge warrants further review.

Objective: The aim of this study was to (1) describe a structured, multidisciplinary approach to review anti-infectives at discharge and (2) measure the impact of a stewardship-initiated antimicrobial review process in identifying and preventing anti-infective-related medication errors (MEs) at discharge.

Methods: A prospective study to evaluate adult patients discharged on anti-infectives was conducted from October 2013 to May 2014.

Effect of Chlorhexidine Bathing Every Other Day on Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Infections in the Surgical ICU: A Single-Center, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that compared with daily soap and water bathing, 2% chlorhexidine gluconate bathing every other day for up to 28 days decreases the risk of hospital-acquired catheter-associated urinary tract infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, incisional surgical site infection, and primary bloodstream infection in surgical ICU patients.

Design: This was a single-center, pragmatic, randomized trial. Patients and clinicians were aware of treatment-group assignment; investigators who determined outcomes were blinded.

Effect of delirium motoric subtypes on administrative documentation of delirium in the surgical intensive care unit.

This study compares the proportions of surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients with delirium detected using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) who received administrative documentation for delirium using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes, stratified by delirium motoric subtypes. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a surgical ICU from 06/2012 to 05/2013. Delirium was assessed twice daily and was defined as having ≥1 positive CAM-ICU rating.

Upregulation of inflammatory gene transcripts in periosteum of chronic migraineurs: Implications for extracranial origin of headache.

Objective: Chronic migraine (CM) is often associated with chronic tenderness of pericranial muscles. A distinct increase in muscle tenderness prior to onset of occipital headache that eventually progresses into a full-blown migraine attack is common. This experience raises the possibility that some CM attacks originate outside the cranium.

Evidence-Based Yoga Interventions for Patients With Cancer.

Background: Introducing patients with cancer to the practice of yoga can be beneficial for coping with the side effects of treatment and the psychological aspects of cancer that are often difficult and distressing for patients. Oncology nurses can learn to use simple yoga techniques for themselves and as interventions with their patients.

Objectives: This article provides details about the development and implementation of a yoga class for patients with cancer and provides details about other ways nurses can integrate yoga into oncology nursing and cancer care.