Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|April 23, 2022

Iowa news

A dialysis device for UI’s tiniest patients

University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital is using new technology to provide lifesaving dialysis treatment to the tiniest patients, improving outcomes for smaller, more fragile babies in renal failure. The Cardio-Renal Pediatric Dialysis Emergency Machine (CARPEDIEM) is a dialysis system designed to provide continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) for infants weighing between 5 and 20 pounds. CRRT is generally used for those in acute kidney injury or failure. UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital is one of five hospitals in the United States certified to use the system; five others are awaiting certification. (The University of Iowa)

New COVID-19 subvariant increasing rapidly across Iowa

With COVID-19 activity on the rise in Eastern Iowa because of a new coronavirus subvariant, a local public health expert is again emphasizing the importance of vaccinations and other safety measures to protect others. Johnson County has seen elevated transmission rates and growing case counts in recent weeks because of BA.2, a subvariant of omicron that is rapidly spreading across the United States, according to Dr. Dan Diekema, epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. (The Cedar Rapids Gazette)

St. Luke’s innovation lab ‘full steam ahead’

It’s been about two-and-a-half years since UnityPoint Health-Cedar Rapids established a space for clinicians and other hospital staff to test their entrepreneurship. In December 2019, the Cedar Rapids health system opened “generate,“ an innovation lab stocked with tools and equipment — including hand tools, a laser cutter, a 3D printer — as a place for hospital staff to build prototypes for their inventions. St. Luke’s is the first hospital in the Midwest with the first nurse-run, hands-on fabrication lab, said Rose Hedges, St. Luke’s nursing research and innovation coordinator with the lab. (The Cedar Rapids Gazette)

National news

Why the CDC issued an alert about liver damage in children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised physicians and public health officials Thursday to be on the lookout for pediatric patients with hepatitis from unknown causes. According to the advisory, a cluster of kids in an Alabama children’s hospital developed liver damage — liver failure in some cases – in conjunction with hepatitis and adenovirus infections. Nine children were identified between October 2021 and February 2022, all of whom tested positive for adenoviruses, which cause cold-like symptoms: diarrhea; sore throat; fever; and can lead to conjunctivitis, bronchitis and pneumonia.

How much does your mask protect you if others aren’t wearing one?

If you’re one of the many people still masking up in airports, on the subway or during a bus ride following the end of the federal public transportation mask mandate, you might be wondering: Is it still worth it? “The short answer is yes,” says Dr. Reynold Panettieri, Jr, a critical care physician and Professor of Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School — it is worth it. “The long answer is that it’s not as effective as everyone else wearing a mask.” (CNET)

Vanderbilt developing cloud-based tool to track health equity programs

Vanderbilt University Medical Center partnered with the Association of American Medical Colleges on a two-year pilot program to develop an improved, cloud-based version of spreadsheet-based tool to track and coordinate health equity efforts at their institutions, according to an April 21 press release. The tool will allow organizations to share data and provide reports to identify populations and geographic areas impacted by inequities. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

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