Latest news with #emergency department
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
See where COVID cases are rising amid summer wave: New CDC data
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows activity of COVID-19 is increasing across a wide swath of the country. As the U.S. approaches the midpoint of summer, the CDC is reporting cases of the virus are growing or likely growing in more than half of all states, including many in the South and Southeast. The center's July 18 report shows at least 26 states plus Washington, D.C., are encountering a summer surge, according to its epidemic trend modeling, using data from emergency department visits. The CDC notes its modeling indicates trends in overall cases, not the actual numbers of current infections. New COVID variant is spreading: What are the symptoms? A familiar summer surge The rate of positive COVID-19 tests is increasing nationally, the CDC said of the last week in data, with emergency department visits for the virus are increasing among children 4 years old and younger. Though there is an uptick in COVID-19 cases in more than two dozen states, the CDC says the overall amount of people seeking care for acute respiratory illnesses is at a very low level. That's accompanied by low levels of seasonal influenza activity and very low levels of RSV activity, the CDC says. Overall, trends in COVID-19 cases continue downward as compared to the last few years, according to long-term data trends in deaths, emergency room visits and positive cases. The U.S. has seen a wave of higher COVID-19 cases every summer since 2020. COVID-19 in 2025: What's the latest vaccine guidance? It's complicated. COVID-19 cases are growing in 10 states: Arkansas Hawaii Illinois Iowa Kentucky North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Texas Virginia The CDC's latest report says cases are likely growing in more than a dozen other states, plus Washington, D.C. In one state − Montana − COVID-19 cases are likely declining. COVID-19 cases are likely growing in the following 16 states: Alaska California Delaware Georgia Indiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Mississippi New Jersey New York Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Wisconsin Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19 cases rising in these states amid summer wave: CDC data Solve the daily Crossword
Medscape
14-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Urinalysis Patterns Help Spot Enterococcal UTIs in the ED
TOPLINE: A combination of a positive leukocyte esterase result and a negative nitrite result on urinalysis was associated with a sevenfold higher likelihood of Enterococcus-associated urinary tract infection (UTI) in emergency department (ED) patients. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a secondary analysis of the multicenter UNTRIED study, which included 1836 patients (median age, 67 years) diagnosed with UTI in the ED. Patients were included if they had a monomicrobial positive urine culture and were excluded if their culture was negative, was polymicrobial, contained unidentified bacterial species, or was positive for Staphylococcus species. The primary outcome was a urinalysis showing a positive result for leukocyte esterase and a negative result for nitrite, along with predefined risk factors such as older age, male sex, recent antibiotic use, comorbidities, and urinary tract abnormalities. TAKEAWAY: Only 5% of the included patients had positive urine cultures for Enterococcus species, whereas the majority (70%) had Escherichia coli infections. A urinalysis showing a positive result for leukocyte esterase and a negative result for nitrite was strongly associated with Enterococcus-positive cultures (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 7.09; 95% CI, 3.73-13.47). Independent risk factors for Enterococcus infection included age 65 years or older (aOR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.18-3.13), male sex (aOR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.11-2.81), and antibiotic use in the past 90 days (aOR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.28-3.15). IN PRACTICE: "This secondary analysis of the UNTRIED study indicates that adult patients who were ultimately diagnosed with Enterococcus-associated UTIs in the ED were seven times more likely to show a combination of positive leukocyte esterase and negative nitrite on urinalysis," the authors wrote. "This work should be used to inform future risk stratification to optimize empiric antibiotic selection in ED patients diagnosed with UTI," they added. SOURCE: The study was led by Anne E. Zepeski, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City. It was published online on June 24, 2025, in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. LIMITATIONS: The observational and retrospective nature of the study limited the ability to establish causal relationships. Variability in testing practices among participating hospitals affected the detection of Enterococcus infection. Laboratory practices varied across sites, potentially affecting nitrite and culture results. DISCLOSURES: The authors declared no funding or conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
