RECENT NEWS

A study led by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has shown screening all intensive care unit (ICU) patients for MRSA using new molecular tests that can deliver results within just a few hours, is likely to represent a good use of NHS resources.

Genetic sequencing technology holds the key to helping to control the spread of healthcareassociated infections (HCAIs) according to research presented at the Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) annual conference, Health Protection 2011, at the University of Warwick.

An international team of scientists has found that vitamin D has an essential role in the body’s fight against infections such as tuberculosis.

Patients needing NHS physiotherapy are waiting up to six months to be treated and are receiving fewer sessions due to cost-cutting and staff shortages, a new report from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists has found.

Routinely testing for a faulty BRCA2 gene in under-65s with prostate cancer could help identify men who could benefit from new types of targeted treatment, according to research published in the British Journal of Cancer.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has launched a new commitment to the care of people with dementia in general hospitals.

A large number of NHS hospitals are failing to provide quality care for elderly patients, according to a damning report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

By April 2012, clinicians in the NHS will be required to use new neuraxial connectors for spinal needles and by 2013 epidural and other regional applications as part of an initiative to prevent misconnection between standard vascular Luer connectors and neuraxial or other regional injections.

New research has highlighted the potential corrosive damage to medical devices caused by ongoing exposure to chlorine-based disinfectants. This could result in infection risk as well as expense in replacing damaged equipment, according to Synergy Health, which commissioned the laboratory tests. The research findings were presented to clinicians by Sharon King, senior product manager for Synergy Health, at The Infection Prevention Society Conference.

CardioFocus, the developer of the HeartLight Endoscopic Ablation System (EAS) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), has announced that the HeartLight EAS is now available in the UK, with the first AF patients treated at The Heart Hospital in London in August.

A mobile X-ray unit, which identifies people with TB infection in hard to reach communities is providing a cost-effective way of treating people with TB in London.

The results of a survey published by The NHS Information Centre indicates that more people with dementia are accessing memory services commissioned by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England which are intended to provide early detection and diagnosis of dementia,

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has recorded a threefold increase in the number of people seeking post-exposure vaccine for rabies since 2000, suggesting that more UK travellers may be putting themselves at risk of contact with potentially rabid animals.

A report published by The European Commission has highlighted the health of men across Europe. A report led by Professor of Men’s Health, Alan White from Leeds Metropolitan University, highlights men’s health in Europe as being a serious public health concern.

A team at Imperial College London has identified that babies and toddlers with congenital heart disease are at an increased risk of having harmful toxins in their blood, particularly following surgery.

Babies of mothers with a higher pre-pregnancy BMI are fatter and have more fat in their liver, according to researchers from Imperial College London.

The latest figures released by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) show that the number of patient safety incidents in England, occurring between 1 October 2010 and 31 March 2011, and were submitted to the NPSA by 31 May 2011, was 565,153, an increase of 8.5% compared to the previous reporting period.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced revised recommendations in Hypertension: clinical management of primary hypertension in adults’ (NICE clinical guideline 127) which updates and replaces NICE clinical guideline 34, published in 2006.

In final draft guidance the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends the use of mifamurtide in combination with postoperative multi-agent chemotherapy as an option for treating high-grade resectable non-metastatic osteosarcoma, when it is made available at a reduced cost to the NHS under a patient access scheme.

According to research presented at the HPA’s annual conference, cutting edge genetic sequencing technology could hold the key to helping to control the spread of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) Latest figures reported to the HPA show that MRSA and C. difficile infections are continuing to fall.