Understaffed hospitals have higher rates of infection; Ozempic could treat alcohol, drug abuse; new child heart stent approved by FDA – Morning Medical Update

Understaffed hospitals have higher rates of infection

According to a new study from the American Journal of Infection Control, researchers found that hospitals with less staff and inadequate infection prevention and control staffing levels were associated with higher rates of health care-associated infections. These infections included central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), Clostridioides difficile infections, and colon surgical site infections.

The study also found that 25% of understaffed facilities had elevated CAUTI rates, compared to 7% of health care providers with expected or above staffing levels. With 390 hospitals studied, researchers identified nearly 80% as having insufficient staff levels.

“This facility-specific calculator for infection prevention and control staffing levels is a completely novel tool for our community and one that is clearly needed to help hospitals advocate for adequate resources to keep patients and healthcare workers safe,” Rebecca Bartles, executive director of the Center for Research, Practice & Innovation at APIC and lead author of the study, said.

Ozempic could treat alcohol, drug abuse

Ozempic (semaglutide) and other weight loss drugs used to aid Type 2 diabetes and weight loss could become a potential treatment for those struggling with addiction to drugs and alcohol. New research from the journal Addiction found people addicted to these substances who were also using Ozempic or similar medications had a 50% lower rate of binging on alcohol. Researchers also found that people with opioid use disorder who were on these weight loss medications had a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose.

Fares Qeadan, the study’s lead author, said, “While we hypothesized that these medications might impact cravings and reward-seeking behavior, the observed reduction in severe outcomes for individuals with opioid and alcohol use disorders suggests a broader, more protective effect than anticipated.”

The results of the study serve as promising evidence that the weight loss drugs could be used to treat alcohol and drug abuse. There are several clinical trials underway to support this evidence, according to Qeadan and other researchers. Read more about the study here.

New child heart stent approved by FDA

In the U.S., about 40,000 babies are born with congenital heart defects each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With some of these cases, defects are treated with stents, which prop open blood vessels, allowing blood to properly flow through them.

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new heart stent specifically for infants and young children. The device could help kids born with certain congenital heart defects avoid a series of open-heart operations over their childhoods. Instead of having to get their stent replaced the further a child grows, the new stent, called the Minima stent, is designed to grow with the child as they age.

Also, the size of the stent can be adjusted through a minimally invasive procedure through a blood vessel in the groin, with patients being able to go home about a day later. The FDA approved the Minima stent to treat two heart conditions: coarctation and stenosis. Find out more about the new heart stent in this article.