September 17, 2025
Nitrous oxide misuse no laughing matter
A clinical toxicologist offers advice for hospitalists on managing patients admitted for nitrous oxide misuse.
Anemia
The distinctions among acute or chronic blood loss anemia, iron deficiency anemia, and hemorrhage are crucial for correct coding and diagnosis-related group assignment.
Medicare Advantage driving increases in long hospital stays
Patients on Medicare Advantage being discharged to skilled nursing facilities saw a particularly large increase in their risk of an extended hospital stay, according to the comparison of length of stay under Medicare Advantage versus traditional Medicare in 2017 to 2023.
Different pulse oximeters provide different readings on same patients, study finds
Tested on patients using noninvasive ventilation or continuous positive airway pressure during sleep, a transcutaneous oxycapnograph with a probe on an earlobe, a pulse oximeter with a finger probe, and a pulse oximeter with a ring probe provided substantially different results.
VA physicians report better work-life balance than private-sector peers, survey shows
A survey of more than 600 physicians found that those working at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals reported lower odds of malpractice concerns and medical records issues than their private-sector peers, but rates of burnout between the groups were not significantly different.
Lower oxygenation targets for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure may worsen pulmonary outcomes
ICU patients had similar cognitive impairment but worse pulmonary diffusion capacity at one-year follow-up if they were assigned a target of 60 mm Hg versus 90 mm Hg for partial pressure of arterial oxygen, a Danish study found.
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