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CDC: Different infection sources among UPMC transplant patients

Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied Healthcare

Four organ transplant patients who contracted fungal infections following surgeries at two University of Pittsburgh hospitals didn't acquire the infections in the same manner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spent 16 days determining the source of the infections, which occurred in patients who had transplant surgeries at UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Montefiore between the summer of 2014 and early 2015. Each patient was infected by a species of zygomycota.

Nurses: Grab your seat at the table

Keith Carlson Healthcare Administration

There's a saying that if you don't have a seat at the table, you're likely to end up on the menu. For nurses and the nursing profession, this could not be more true. Nurses need a seat at the table, and if it's not being freely offered, we need to elbow our way in, grab a chair and sit right down.

Halloween safety: Reflect on it

Dr. Denise A. Valenti Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

During night and dusk hours, what you wear as well as where you wear it can be crucial for visibility to drivers. This is especially important this time of year as drivers need to see the pint-sized Halloween ghouls out and about seeking candy in time to stop.

Decide or die: The use of EDP in difficult weather conditions

Mark Huber Transportation Technology & Automotive

For a number of years now, the National EMS Pilots Association has been promoting an idea its calls the Enroute Decision Point, or EDP for short. I prefer to call it the "enroute death point" — because if you fly past it, that could easily be your fate.

New blood test can detect whether chest pain is a heart attack

Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Performing high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I at presentation in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) can rule out myocardial infarction (MI) quickly and accurately, according to a new study published in Lancet. This strategy could help emergency department physicians identify low-risk patients suitable for discharge, shorten ED wait times, reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, decrease costs — and, most importantly, alleviate patient anxiety about the possibility of having had a heart attack.

Many Ebola survivors now suffering from chronic conditions

Katina Hernandez Medical & Allied Healthcare

Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey was one the 28,000 people infected with Ebola in last year's outbreak of the virus that was responsible for killing more than 11,000 people. The nurse contracted the virus while volunteering at a hospital in Sierra Leone last December and was treated soon after at the Royal Free hospital in London.

Nursing job outlook: The perfect storm brewing

Joan Spitrey Healthcare Administration

One question that continues to haunt the nursing profession is, "Will there be another big nursing shortage?" Although an impending nursing shortage would mean job security for those still working and entering the profession, there could be consequences with patient care if the needs can not be met.

Separating fact from fiction in knee pain

Heidi Dawson Sports & Fitness

There is a lot of myth, rumor, misconception and just plain bad information available on the topic of knee pain. Everyone has a story to share or opinion to give on what caused, cured or eases their particular knee pain. There's also a lot of scare mongering and doom and gloom surrounding long-standing degenerative knee problems with many people of the opinion that nothing can be done barring joint replacement surgery.

Study: Use of a metronome helps in pediatric CPR

Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Using a metronome during pediatric CPR may save lives, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. Each year, about 9,500 children experience an out of hospital, nontraumatic cardiac arrest in the United States, according to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. Of these, 7,700 receive treatment from EMS. However, survival to hospital discharge after EMS treatment is only 5.4 percent — with approximately 7,000 fatalities in pediatric patients each year.

The heart-healthy benefits of beer

Dorothy L. Tengler Food & Beverage

Among the many attractions, the "liquid gold" is probably the most important thing at Oktoberfest. But aside from this annual celebration, beer accounts for 67 percent of the alcohol consumption reported in the United States. It remains the preferred beverage of choice among Americans who drink alcohol — as it has every year since 1992, except for 2005 when wine edged into the top spot.

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