Do readers encode the sequencing of consonant (C) and vowel (V) phonemes (skeletal structure) in printed words? The authors used the Stroop task to examine readers' sensitivity to skeletal structure. In Experiment 1, CVC nonwords (e.g., pof) facilitated the naming of colors with congruent frames (e.g., red, a CVC word) but not with incongruent ones (e.g., green). In Experiment 2, the color blac...

This paper investigates the abandonment of an administrative innovationcorporate venture capital (CVC) programs by information technology (IT) corporations. CVC programs are modeled upon the venture capital (VC) practices of finding, funding, and guiding entrepreneurial startups. We draw upon prior research on organizational learning and innovation diffusion to empirically examine the role of i...

Background. Central venous catheters (CVC) are a major risk factor for candidemia. Mixed candidemia with bacteremia due to CVCs has been increasingly reported in recent times. However, the risk factors for this dual infection have not been clearly identified. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for CVC associated mixed candidemia. Methods. This was a prospective case control ...

PROBLEM Measuring a process of care in real time is essential for continuous quality improvement (CQI). Our inability to measure the process of central venous catheter (CVC) care in real time prevented CQI efforts aimed at reducing catheter related bloodstream infections (CR-BSIs) from these devices. DESIGN A system was developed for measuring the process of CVC care in real time. We used the...

Acetylcholine (ACh) can effect vasodilation by several mechanisms, including activation of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase and prostaglandin (PG) production. In human skin, exogenous ACh increases both skin blood flow (SkBF) and bioavailable NO levels, but the relative increase is much greater in SkBF than NO. This led us to speculate ACh may dilate cutaneous blood vessels through PGs, a...

Thermoregulatory cutaneous vasodilation is diminished in the elderly. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that a reduction in nitric oxide (NO)-dependent mechanisms contributes to the attenuated reflex cutaneous vasodilation in older subjects. Seven young (23 +/- 2 yr) and seven older (71 +/- 6 yr) men were instrumented with two microdialysis fibers in the forearm skin. One site s...

BACKGROUND Noncuffed, percutaneously inserted central venous catheters (CVCs) are widely used and cause at least 250,000 bloodstream infections (BSIs) in U.S. hospitals each year. We report a prospective study to determine whether inflammation at the insertion site is predictive of CVC-related BSI. METHODS Percutaneously inserted, noncuffed CVCs inserted into the subclavian, internal jugular,...

To cite: Chopra V, Shojania KG. BMJ Qual Saf 2013;22:93–96. Central venous catheter-related bloodstream infection (CVC-BSI) is common, costly and potentially fatal. For decades, conventional wisdom regarded these infections as inevitable complications of care. This view changed following landmark studies 3 that demonstrated substantial reductions associated with the CVC-BSI ‘bundle.’ 5 Investig...

OBJECTIVES The incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) attributed to central venous catheters (CVCs) inserted in the emergency department (ED) is not widely reported. The goal was to report the incidence of ED CLABSI. Secondary goals included determining the effect of a CVC bundle introduced by the hospital infection prevention department to decrease CLABSI during t...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of 2% clindamycin vaginal cream (CVC) to treat bacterial vaginosis (BV) in pregnancy. METHODS A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, tricenter study. Four hundred and four women with BV on Gram stain at their first antenatal clinic visit were randomized to receive a 3-day course of 2% CVC or placebo. The outcome was assessed using an inte...