Trending News: Treatment Timing, Point of Entry, Affect Outcomes in Patients with Acute Heart Failure

Treatment timing and regional differences in health care may affect outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF), according to The American Journal of Managed Care. Researchers examined data of 18,553 patients with AHF at 358 hospitals in Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They found differences in hospital point of entry and timing of treatment, as well as whether patients entered the hospital through the cardiac or intensive care unit.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection put outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at a 47% higher risk of mortality than those who did not have the tracheobronchial infection, according to Contagion Live. Researchers found that PA was isolated from the sputum of 40% of patients with COPD and that mortality was significantly higher in those patients. The study also found higher exacerbation and hospitalization rates among patients with COPD with PA colonization.

Interventions are needed to give timely treatment to adolescents after opioid overdose and to improve access to evidence-based therapies, according to MD Magazine. The study authors suggest that any patient who has experienced an overdose should be evaluated to determine whether they have opioid use disorder, particularly adolescents. They also stressed the importance of mental health intervention for adolescents who have experienced an overdose, who often have comorbidities with mental health conditions.