News briefs from the journal CHEST, ...( Functional Status Predicts Mortality P...),Health

In a new study, researchers found that patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), who are unable to walk when admitted to the hospital, have a greater risk of death while in the hospital. In a study of 3,043 patients with CAP admitted to six hospitals in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, researchers from the University of Alberta found that patients in a wheelchair at time of hospital admission were 1.4 times more likely to die during their hospital stay than those who were able to walk; and patients who were bedridden when admitted to the hospital were 4 times more likely to die while hospitalized, when compared to patients who could walk. Researchers also found that drug therapy with levofloxacin only significantly decreased a patient's late mortality rate but had no effect on early mortality. Other factors that significantly influenced the mortality rate in this population were pneumonia severity of illness score, site of care, and consultation by a respirologist or infectious disease physician. The study appears in the April issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Hospital's Equipment Repair Costs Reduced by New Programs

The introduction of an interventional pulmonary (IP) program and an educational program dramatically reduced equipment repair costs for endoscopes and associated equipment at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. In the three years prior to the start of the IP program, the hospital's average daily repair cost was $42 per procedure. After the IP program was introduced to the hospital, repair costs rose 21 percent, to $51 per procedure. The hospital then implemented an educational program to enhance the skills of physicians and the technical staff handling the equipment. The program included a one-day course in bronchoscopic and IP equipment, including half day of le
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Contact: Arielle Green
agreen@chestnet.org
847-498-8387
American College of Chest Physicians
11-Apr-2005