July 13, 2022
Growing an HM division
Hospitalist leaders at some facilities have moved their groups out from under the umbrella of general internal medicine to launch divisions of hospital medicine, in what they see as an evolutionary step for the field.
Disseminated histoplasmosis with CNS involvement
A patient progressed from diarrhea and fever to status epilepticus when infection penetrated the central nervous system (CNS).
LMWH may offer best risk-benefit profile for thromboprophylaxis in medical inpatients
A meta-analysis found that an intermediate dose of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) had the most favorable balance of risk and harms during hospitalization for acute illness, while unfractionated heparin and direct oral anticoagulants had the least.
Higher dose of dexamethasone, noninvasive ventilation didn't improve COVID-19 mortality
A randomized trial compared two doses of dexamethasone as well as high-flow nasal oxygen, continuous positive airway pressure, and standard oxygen support in ICU patients with COVID-19 and respiratory failure and found no significant differences.
Universal gown, glove use in ICU did not reduce patients' acquisition of C. difficile
Requiring health care workers to wear gloves and gowns for all patient contact in the ICU did not decrease acquisition of Clostridioides difficile compared with usual care, according to a secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized trial in 20 medical and surgical ICUs in the U.S.
Machine learning model uses SDOH to improve mortality prediction in heart failure
Inclusion of social determinants of health (SDOH) in a machine learning model led to more accurate prediction of inpatient mortality among Black patients hospitalized with heart failure than usual risk scoring.