Natural History of Isolated Skull Fractures in Children.

Head injury is the most common cause of neurologic disability and mortality in children. We had hypothesized that in children with isolated skull fractures (SFs) and a normal neurological examination on presentation, the risk of neurosurgical intervention is very low. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all children aged six to sixteen years presenting to our Level 1 trauma center with traumatic brain injuries between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2014.

Monitoring Enoxaparin with Antifactor Xa Levels in Obese Patients.

Study Objectives: To characterize antifactor Xa peak levels (as therapeutic, subtherapeutic, and supratherapeutic) in morbidly obese patients receiving treatment doses of enoxaparin, using a therapeutic range of 0.5-1.1 units/ml, and to assess the occurrence of bleeding complications in these patients.

Significant publications on infectious diseases pharmacotherapy in 2013.

Purpose: The most important articles on infectious diseases (ID) pharmacotherapy published in the peer-reviewed literature in 2013, as nominated and selected by panels of pharmacists and others with ID expertise, are summarized.

Summary: Members of the Houston Infectious Diseases Network were asked to nominate articles published last year in prominent biomedical journals that had a major impact in the field of ID pharmacotherapy. A list of 27 nominated articles on ID-related topics in general and 26 articles specifically focused on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was compiled.

Antibiogram compliance in University HealthSystem Consortium participating hospitals with Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.

Purpose: The degree of compliance with antibiogram guidance among University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) hospitals was analyzed.

Methods: The UHC Pharmacy Council Pharmacy Practice Advancement Committee conducted a survey to evaluate hospital policies regarding the generation, reporting, and utilization of antibiograms among UHC hospitals. The survey was distributed via a UHC online survey tool to pharmacy directors at 237 UHC hospitals.

Leadership in challenging times: it starts with passion.

Leadership is paramount during these challenging times of healthcare reform, workforce shortages, economic conditions, and aging population. Leadership success comes from a combination of the following: passion, vision, quality outcomes, strong knowledge of the industry, the ability to critically think, perspective, adaptability, and ongoing learning.