Damian McNamara is a journalist for Medscape Medical News and MDedge. He worked full-time for MDedge as the Miami Bureau covering a dozen medical specialties during 2001-2012, then as a freelancer for Medscape and MDedge, before being hired on staff by Medscape in 2018. Now the two companies are one. He uses what he learned in school – Damian has a BS in chemistry and an MS in science, health and environmental reporting/journalism. He works out of a home office in Miami, with a 100-pound chocolate lab known to snore under his desk during work hours.
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Fluid protocol takes aim at bariatric surgery readmissions
A quality improvement project tracked fluid intake in patients after bariatric surgery to prevent hospital readmissions.
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Multidisciplinary bundle drives drop in colorectal SSIs
NEW YORK – A community hospital with higher-than-average surgical site infection rates implemented a protocol that landed them an “exemplary”...
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Surgeons can take steps to reduce excess opioids
What can surgeons do to prevent their prescriptions from adding to the opioid abuse crisis?
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Outcomes improved with ERAS pathway tailored to colorectal surgery
NEW YORK – Clinicians launched an enhanced recovery pathway after colorectal surgery at their hospital in an effort to decrease surgical site...
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Ventricular assist devices linked to sepsis
It all began when a microbiologist started noticing an increasing number of bloodstream infections among patients with ventricular assist devices...
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Expanded urine culture identified more pathogens
NEW ORLEANS – How well could an enhanced protocol for detecting uropathogens in a lab setting translate to the clinical setting?
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Adding cefepime to vancomycin improved MRSA bacteremia outcomes
NEW ORLEANS – Do cefepime and vancomycin have a synergistic relationship useful for shortening MRSA bloodstream infections?
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Vancomycin research reveals reasons for readmissions and prolonged stays
Which patients treated with vancomycin for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections get readmitted to the hospital within 30 days and/or...
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Hospital isolates C. difficile carriers and rates drop
NEW ORLEANS – Screen for and isolate asymptomatic carriers.
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C. difficile travels on the soles of our shoes
NEW ORLEANS - Have you considered checking underfoot for the spread of C. difficile?
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Ceftaroline shortens duration of MRSA bacteremia
NEW ORLEANS – In vitro data translated well to in vivo findings in MRSA treatment.
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Carbapenem-resistant sepsis risk factors vary significantly
NEW ORLEANS - When it comes to sepsis, it's the risk factors that are important.
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Hospital antibiograms may not apply to emergency department patients
Choose empiric antimicrobial therapy for urinary tract infections in the emergency department based on factors associated with differences in...
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Monoclonal antibody holds promise for S. aureus pneumonia
Staphylococcus aureus
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Rapid culture, stewardship improve S. aureus bacteremia outcomes
How well does the strategy translate to community hospitals?