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Mythbusting COPD exacerbations

A pulmonologist offered her do's and don'ts for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Postsurgery recovery trajectories vary, even after 30 days, VA study finds

Factors including age, frailty, and type of operation could be used to better inform patients about how long it will be—from less than 30 days to never—before they are likely to return home after surgery, according to a study using a cohort from a Veterans Affairs (VA) database.

Neutrophil percentage key to identifying bacteremia in medical inpatients, study finds

The importance of white blood cell response, especially neutrophil percentage, to detecting bacteremia was shown by a retrospective study that calculated interval likelihood ratios for bacteremia based on a complete blood count with differential.

Early anticoagulation noninferior to delayed after ischemic stroke in patients with afib

No difference in a composite outcome of recurrent ischemic stroke, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, unclassifiable stroke, or systemic embolism was seen between patients with atrial fibrillation who received anticoagulation four or fewer days after an ischemic stroke and those who received it between seven and 14 days after, a British trial found.

Many Medicare beneficiaries unable to afford out-of-pocket cost of single hospital stay

Between 34% and 50% of Medicare beneficiaries with incomes that are low, but above Medicaid eligibility, would be unable to cover the $1,600 out-of-pocket cost associated with a hospital stay, research shows.

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Take a quiz about the Oct. 23 issue!

Every week, ACP Hospitalist posts a question about the previous week's issue. See how well you remember what you've read compared to other readers.

Photo courtesy of Dr Houchens

Have a seat to improve patient care

Eye-level conversations with patients can improve their satisfaction with an encounter and potentially yours, too, a researcher explains.

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Brief Case | October 23, 2024 | FREE
Most ACP Hospitalist content is available exclusively to ACP Members. This article is free to the public.

Cases from LSU Health New Orleans

Salicylate toxicity, mucormycosis, and more.

Albumin linked with worse outcomes in sepsis patients with kidney impairment

Patients with sepsis and kidney impairment who received albumin within 24 hours of admission were more than twice as likely to need renal replacement therapy compared with similar patients who did not receive albumin during hospitalization, according to a retrospective study.

Attendings vary widely in time spent in EHR, use it less while teaching

Hospital medicine attendings spent an average of 129 minutes per day in the electronic health record (EHR) while on a teaching service compared to 240 minutes while on a direct care service, but usage patterns varied widely from physician to physician, a single-center study found.

Handoffs led to identification of diagnostic errors in single-center study

Hospitalists who took over care from a physician going off service were surveyed about the diagnoses of handed-off patients; 18.2% of the patients had a diagnosis change, and in 5.8% of cases, there appeared to have been a diagnostic error.

Failure to rescue after high-risk surgery complication more common in female patients

Male and female patients had similar rates and types of serious complications after high-risk surgery in a cohort of over 860,000 Medicare beneficiaries, but female patients were more likely to die within 30 days of surgery.

Texting for hospitalists

Experts are working on strategies to reduce the volume and interruptions of clinical texting.

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Newman's Notions | October 16, 2024 | FREE
Most ACP Hospitalist content is available exclusively to ACP Members. This article is free to the public.

Dr. Poppins

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun” includes the geriatric consult service.

Reflections on resident competencies

A reader responds to a recent research summary on trainees' confidence.


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