Tough questions for AI
A hospitalist researcher talks about what happens when large language models are asked to help with tricky care decisions.
Bringing hospitalists to behavioral health
Hospitalists took on new part-time hybrid roles caring for patients in a psychiatric facility.
More conservative dialysis strategy appeared to offer faster recovery from AKI
Patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) that had been treated with dialysis were randomized to a conservative strategy of dialysis only when metabolic or clinical indicators were met or a conventional strategy of thrice-weekly dialysis.
Thrombectomy superior to anticoagulation for PE in reducing RV/LV ratio, manufacturer trial shows
The proportion of pulmonary embolism (PE) patients who had a normalized right-to-left ventricular (RV/LV) diameter ratio at 48 hours was nearly threefold higher with computer-assisted vacuum thrombectomy compared with anticoagulation alone, according to a manufacturer-funded trial.
Clamping trials for chest drain removal didn't appear to reduce pneumothorax recurrence
About a third of patients requiring an intercostal chest drain for spontaneous pneumothorax underwent a clamping trial for drain removal, but the recurrence rate of pneumothorax was not significantly different with or without clamping, a retrospective British study found.
Levetiracetam linked to lower risk for recurrent poststroke seizure than valproic acid
Patients with a recent history of stroke who were admitted for a seizure were significantly less likely to be rehospitalized for another seizure if they were prescribed levetiracetam versus valproic acid before discharge, although their mortality risk did not differ, a retrospective study in Taiwan found.
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All aboard
Hospitalists look at standardizing the onboarding process.
Chronic kidney disease
Many special considerations apply to coding of chronic kidney disease stages, including the need for a stable creatinine level to determine the patient's baseline.
Hospitalist handoffs often suboptimal for patients with limited English proficiency
To improve them, a research team recommended using a standardized tool that incorporates language needs, health literacy, cultural context, and family involvement.
New version of the SOFA score developed, validated
The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA)-2 score includes the same six organ domains but realigns the scoring within domains and addresses advances in medical care since the original score was developed.
Patient census but not days on service linked with hospitalist decision fatigue
The odds of a decision fatigue event were 1.58 times greater with a patient census above 13 patients, according to a study of 43 hospitalists caring for 2,081 patients.
Two new studies provide potentially practice-changing evidence in shock care
One trial found that basing septic shock resuscitation on capillary refill time was noninferior to usual care, while another found similar mortality in shock patients whether or not they were randomized to automatically receive an arterial catheter within four hours.
The s-index
A division chief proposes a new way to measure and reward the service of academic physicians.
Newman's Notions | October 29, 2025 | FREE
Most ACP Hospitalist content is available exclusively to ACP Members. This article is free to the public.
Happy hospitalist coincidences
Patients and editors make some coincidental appearances.
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