Here are 13 articles on medical research study findings from the week of April 27.
1. Researchers from the University of Utah Drug Information Service discovered a tremendous number of drugs for life-threatening infections are no longer available due to shortages.
2. One study revealed 29 percent of intensive care unit room surfaces are colonized with multidrug-resistant organisms, even after being cleaned with textile wipes.
3. Changing the type of medical gloves used by healthcare workers reduced the spread of germs in hospital ICUs, according to new research.
4. A 2008 CMS hospital-acquired conditions policy that limits additional payments for conditions deemed reasonably preventable was linked to immediate reductions in billing rates for vascular catheter-associated infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections in one recent study.
5. One study in a pediatric unit found all stuffed animals pediatric patients bring to the hospital show bacterial growth, but 79 percent of them were "sterilized" by washing and drying them at home.
6. Veterans Affairs researchers suggest that giving all seniors age 65 and older the high-dose flu vaccine may be unnecessary since the standard vaccine works the same in a new study.
7. A mysterious deadly infection that affects roughly 4 percent of all lung transplant recipients was found by a Northwestern Medicine physician to be treatable with antibiotics.
8. Researchers from the University of Texas demonstrated rates of Clostridium difficile infections were highest in the Northeast region of the U.S. and during the spring in one study.
9. For women undergoing elective gynecological surgeries that require the placement of a catheter, a recent study discovered cranberry capsules may lower their risk of UTIs by 50 percent.
10. Researchers have identified the two most meaningful measures providers should consider when evaluating the cost-benefit ratio of screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and its impact on the utilization of healthcare resources.
11. A Weill Cornell Medical School study indicates unofficial physician referral networks may influence patient admission rates to hospitals.
12. Patient education may strongly influence how likely patients and families are to engage in healthcare-associated infection prevention efforts, according to one study.
13. Researchers exploring the uses of an experimental drug found it may help boost the body's ability to fight UTIs.