September 2013
Be picky about PICCs
Use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) is increasingly common in hospitals, in part because they are easy to use and there is a perception that they carry less risk of infection. But PICCs shouldn't necessarily be the default line for venous access.
Let's get (more) physical
Physical examinations, patient interactions are emphasized as part of the art of medicine.
Take time to ease the pain of elderly patients
Asking the right questions and individualizing care are especially helpful.
Obesity can complicate ventilator management
Maintaining upright positioning and adequate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) are important in managing obese ventilated patients.
Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation: Who and when
Best uses include acute hypercarbic respiratory failure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema.
Surgeons, internists square off over osteomyelitis
Medical and surgical solutions to diagnosis and treatment discussed.
Music soothes ventilated patients
Patients listened to preferred music at least twice a day.
Concerns, not ignorance, inhibit stroke med adherence
Physicians should work with patients to develop solutions to medication concerns.
A new approach to inpatient admission status
Physicians must consider certain Medicare regulations, requirements when deciding whether to admit.
Quincke's legacy
A nineteenth-century physician described angioedema, invented diagnostic lumbar puncture and described a sign of aortic insufficiency, but was still rejected for a Nobel Prize.
In praise of doing research
An Irish intern recalls the thrill of presenting at his first big U.S. scientific meeting.
The fine art of listening
Every patient has a story, and listening to it might just reveal a diagnosis.
Letter from the Editor
This month's issue includes stories on peripherally inserted central catheters and bedside exam skills, and conference coverage from the American Thoracic Society, the Society of Hospital Medicine and the American Diabetes Association.
MKSAP quiz on ventilators
These cases and commentary, which focus on mechanical ventilation, are excerpted from ACP's Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP16).
Warnings on hydroxyethyl starch, acetaminophen, ketoconazole
Details on recalls, warnings and approvals.
Recent Research
Thrombolysis in wake-up stroke, probiotics in Clostridium difficile, and more.