Strain on intensive care units at the VA during the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to increase patient mortality.
VA Hospitals Grapple with COVID-19 Readmissions, Post-Discharge Deaths
Two approved vaccines and a drop in cases and hospitalizations in late January provided a spot of light after a year of grim news on the COVID-19 front.
Pharmacists Play Critical Role in VA’s Dual Missions with COVID-19 Vaccination
Throughout the pandemic, VA’s healthcare professionals have risen to the challenge of meeting two of the department’s missions: providing healthcare to veterans and improving the nation’s preparedness to national emergencies.
Concerns Raised About Lack of Continuity of Care for VA’s IBD Patients
The lack of continuity of care among VA patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with poor outcomes, such as disease flares requiring corticosteroid treatment, hospitalization and surgical intervention.
VA, DoD Quickly Began Distributing, Administrating COVID-19 Vaccines
Both the VA and DoD began distributing COVID-19 vaccine to their beneficiaries soon after the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for two products in mid-December.
DoD Experience With Resistant Pathogens Could Help Overwhelmed Hospitals
Hospitals across the country have improvised intensive care units, converted garages into wards and increased the number of patients under each clinician’s care as a flood of COVID-19 patients washes away established protocols and practices.
VA Was Excluded in Early Discussions of COVID-19 Strategic Response
VA was initially left out of strategic decisions made by the U.S. Coronavirus Task Force, the group ostensibly coordinating the nation’s response to the pandemic, the agency revealed in a recent report.
Statins Reduce Some Lymphomas in Veterans With HIV
Statins appear to have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects and appear to reduce cancer risk. A new study sought to determine if that also is the case with HIV patients, who experience chronic inflammation and immune activation.
New Definitions for Flu-Related Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis
Patients admitted to intensive care units with influenza increasingly are being diagnosed with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.
COVID-19 Inpatients More Likely Younger, Male Vs. Flu
While comorbid conditions appeared to be common among individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, estimates of prevalence vary and not enough is known about the prior medication use of patients.
Influenza Strains Don’t Differ Much in Severity
The influenza A/H1N1 pandemic of 2009 to 2010 raised the question of whether some flu strains are inherently more likely to cause severe illness than others.
Statins Reduce Risk of Acute Liver Injury in Veterans With HIV or HCV
In 2013, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association issued updated guidelines significantly expanding the number of patients who should be considered candidates for statin therapy.
Direct Acting Antivirals Cure More than 90% of Older Patients with HCV
The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommend that nearly all patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection receive treatment with direct-acting antiviral therapy.
COVID-19 Incidence in AI/AN More Than Three Times Greater Than Whites
ATLANTA—Non-Hispanic American Indians and Alaska Natives make up only 0.7% of the United States population but 13% of coronavirus disease cases across the country, according to a new report. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pointed out in an...
Army Researchers Wage War Against COVID-19 in the Laboratory
As the novel coronavirus has continued to spread throughout the United States, infecting more than six million and killing more than 185,000 people, the U.S. Army has been on the front lines in an effort to protect the nation’s health and security.
Weight Gain May Endanger Some Benefits of Hepatitis C Cure
NEW HAVEN, CT—A year ago the VA announced it had eliminated chronic infections with hepatitis C virus in all veterans willing and able to be treated. More than 100,000 veterans achieved sustained virological response or a cure with the help of direct-acting antivirals...
One VAMC’s Story: You’re at Risk All of the Time
DC Staff Battles to Save Lives of Veterans With COVID-19 WASHINGTON—The first time Michael Heimall heard about the novel coronavirus COVID-19 was in late January 2020 during a presentation at the auditorium of the DC VAMC. The members of the hospital’s infectious...
Healthcare-Associated C. Difficile Infections Show Substantial Decline
ATLANTA—While the war against COVID-19 continues, partial victory in another medical battle might have been overlooked. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine described substantial progress in the fight to prevent Clostridioides difficile infection in...
