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11 4 10 ATECAM COVID

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COVID Pandemic: Vaccinations, and Herd Immunity

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The world is, today, in the midst of crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As healthcare authorities are working on tracking the pandemic and advising on critical interventions, they are also racing to find a vaccine. Vaccines are looked up to as a ray of hope during this COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected to save millions of lives. Vaccines would work by training and preparing your immune system and improving the body’s natural defenses. It would help your body recognize, attack, and fight the viruses and protect you against COVID-19 as well as its complications.  While there have been encouraging movements in the development of vaccines, there might still be time until they can be put into clinical practice. Once vaccines are developed, we will be able to curb the rising rate of morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19.  If you want to learn more about the development of vaccines for COVID-19, you can join our webinar ‘COVID19 PANDEMIC BY EXPERTS IN THE FIELD’. It is focused o

What Is Therapeutic Hypothermia?

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  Therapeutic hypothermia refers to a form of treatment that is aimed at altering the body temperature in order to modify the pathogenesis of the disease and support the recovery of patients. It is a type of targeted temperature management or TTM that involves strict temperature control, especially in patients with cardiac arrest. There is evidence suggesting that TTM may improve the patient's chances of neurologically intact survival, when administered after cardiac arrest. The protocol of therapeutic hypothermia may vary among different healthcare centers with some targeting T36C while some targeting T33C. The treatment is administered keeping in mind the phases of cerebral blood flow after cardiac arrest as given below: ·          Phase 1: Multifocal no-reflow ·          Phase 2: Global hypothermia due to CPR ·          Phase 3: Delayed hypoperfusion in the initial 24 hours after the ROSC (Return of spontaneous circulation) that may lead to cerebral ischemia due to t

The Role Of Ventilator Management of ARDS In Critical Care

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  Acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS refers to a form of lung injury associated with a high risk of mortality. Supportive therapies including mechanical ventilation form the pillars of treatment for patients with ARDS. Most clinicians prefer invasive mechanical ventilation over non-mechanical ventilation. During invasive mechanical ventilation, the ventilation is provided through the tracheostomy or endotracheal tube with a provision for the breaths to be delivered by the mechanical ventilator. This treatment is suitable for patients diagnosed with moderate to severe ARDS. It is also recommended in cases where the ratio of arterial oxygen tension to a fraction of inspired oxygen is less than or equal to 200 mmHg on PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) of more than or equal to 5 cm H2O. Non-invasive ventilation involves ventilation through nasal prongs or a mask with the breaths delivered by the non-invasive ventilation device. This treatment is usually reserved for pa

The Role Of Ventilator Management of ARDS In Critical Care

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  Acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS refers to a form of lung injury associated with a high risk of mortality. Supportive therapies including mechanical ventilation form the pillars of treatment for patients with ARDS. Most clinicians prefer invasive mechanical ventilation over non-mechanical ventilation. During invasive mechanical ventilation, the ventilation is provided through the tracheostomy or endotracheal tube with a provision for the breaths to be delivered by the mechanical ventilator. This treatment is suitable for patients diagnosed with moderate to severe ARDS. It is also recommended in cases where the ratio of arterial oxygen tension to a fraction of inspired oxygen is less than or equal to 200 mmHg on PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) of more than or equal to 5 cm H2O. Non-invasive ventilation involves ventilation through nasal prongs or a mask with the breaths delivered by the non-invasive ventilation device. This treatment is usually reserved for patients

How to prevent acquired infections to prevent readmissions?

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  Acquired infections form a large share of patients who are admitted to a hospital within a month of discharge. There are several other causes of hospital readmissions including lack of proper care at home due to the incorrect use of medications, improper lifestyle, and dietary habits, and so on. Infections of the catheter, IV-line, central line, or Ryle’s tube, and bedsores can also increase the need for hospital readmission. This can put a huge burden on the healthcare expenditure of the state, especially when Medicare has to pay for the expenses of hospitalization. It also creates more strain on the physicians, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners who have to put in extra efforts due to the increase in the number of hospital readmissions. Hence, there is a need to understand how to prevent acquired infections so that patients do not develop serious complications at home after discharge and do not require rehospitalization.Preventing UTIs due to catheters is highly rec

How to train patients before discharge to avoid readmissions?

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  Recent research studies and surveys have found a clear correlation between healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the higher rate of hospital readmissions. During hospitalization, patients are more likely to be exposed to a large number of pathogens including viruses, fungi, and bacteria. Hence, the risk of infections during hospitalization is very high. After patients are discharged, they are advised to use medications, which often include antibiotics or antiviral drugs, as a part of the treatment for which they were admitted to the hospital. These medications protect them against infections during their hospital stay. However, in some cases, especially when the patient’s immunity is weak due to a serious acute or chronic disorder, the infection may flare up once the course of antibiotics or antiviral drugs is over. The immune system of the patients may not be able to fight the pathogens harboring in the body. This can increase the risk of infections and even lead to othe