Teamwork Slashes Cardiac Surgery Wound Infection Rates
A multidisciplinary approach to maintaining optimal glycometabolism in cardiac surgery patients has led to an impressive reduction in deep sternal wound infection rates at one New England hospital.
Rebleeding Often Occurs After Embolization of Gastroduodenal Hemorrhage
Angiographic embolization for gastroduodenal hemorrhage can be achieved technically in most patients, but in-hospital rebleeding occurs in almost half of cases, researchers report in the May issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Blood Substitute Safely Reduces Need for Transfusion Following Elective Surgery
A hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC-201, Biopure Corporation) appears to be a safe substitute for blood transfusion, according to results of a multinational, phase III clinical trial among patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery. However, the blood substitute may not be appropriate for high-risk patients and patients over the age of 80, the findings suggest.
Universal Truths Abide in Medicine, Even in Parallel Universes
Medicine is practiced differently around the world, and yet some aspects — especially the frustrations — are fairly universal. Where better can you experience the similarities and differences than in the blogging world, where clinicians share stories from their practices and their personal lives? Two physician bloggers, known as "Dr. Dino" and "Dr. Emer," provide […]
Did Low Payments in Ambulatory Care Spawn the Hospitalist Movement?
One of the most interesting developments in American healthcare in the past decade is the emergence of hospitalists: internists whose sole job is to manage hospitalized patients, and who never venture into the more traditional outpatient setting.
VA Study: ART Confers Negligible Risk for Heart Disease
Four-year follow-up of more than 40,000 HIV-infected patients revealed no association between longer durations of ART exposure and risk for cardiovascular disease. Summary Many antiretroviral regimens have been associated with metabolic perturbations that are linked to risk for atherosclerotic heart disease. Consequently, there is keen interest in determining the rates of cardiovascular events among HIV-infected […]
Post-Myocardial Infarction Cardiogenic Shock: What’s New?
Cardiogenic Shock: Current Concepts and Improving OutcomesReynolds HR, Hochman JSCirculation. 2008;117:686-697 Cardiogenic Shock: Basics and Clinical ConsiderationsGowda RM, Fox JT, Khan IA Int J Cardiol. 2008;123:221-228 Historically, cardiogenic shock (CS) was nearly always fatal after myocardial infarction (MI). Mortality rates were consistently reported at approximately 80% until the 1990s, when the mortality improved but only […]
New Recommendations Issued for Treatment of Malaria in the United States
A systemic review of treatment of malaria in the United States, published in the May 23/30 issue of JAMA, provides recommendations to minimize morbidity and mortality of this disease. "Even though endemic malaria has been eliminated from the United States, it remains a leading infectious disease worldwide," write Kevin S. Griffith, MD, MPH, from the […]
Fluticasone Spray for Allergic Rhinitis May Not Suppress Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Function
Fluticasone furoate nasal spray did not suppress the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis in teens and adults with allergic rhinitis (AR), according to the results of a short-term, double-blind, randomized study reported in the May issue of Annals of Allergy & Asthma Immunology.
The Case of the Ruthless Ruler With a Deadly Disease
Introduction The patient was an elderly male, a member of a prominent royal family, who became a ruthless ruler of a European principality. Little is known about his medical background, family history, or details about his final illness except that he was obese and a nonsmoker. From what is now known about his cause of […]
