April 28, 2010 |  7
If you’ve ever been on a diet, you know that it really helps to keep a food log. Seeing your consumption chronicled in one place is illuminating – and often explains why those love handles aren’t melting away despite two hours on the treadmill each week. In today’s issue of the New England Journal of […]
April 27, 2010 |  0
The CDC has released a health advisory for physicians to be aware of the risk of Dengue fever in travelers returning from Haiti, where Dengue is endemic. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes, is characterized by high fevers and systemic symptoms, and can usually be managed with conservative symptomatic treatment. Typical incubation period is 3-14 […]
April 27, 2010 |  0
In this retrospective analysis of 400 patients with new onset Afib who underwent cardioversion, it was successful in restoring sinus rhythm in 96% of patients (within 3 attempts). No patients experienced stroke, thromboembolic event, or died within 30 days. Almost all the patients had a CHADS2 score of 1 and were generally healthy. In this […]
April 27, 2010 |  0
Timing of cholecystectomy in patients with gallstone pancreatitis remains controversial. In this small trial, 50 patients with mild pancreatitis (Ranson score 3 or less) were randomized to early cholecystectomy (within 48 hours) or late cholecystectomy (after resolution of pain and improvement in labs). Those in the early group had significantly shorter LOS (mean 3.5 vs […]
April 27, 2010 |  0
In this retrospective analysis of a large database, researchers found that patients recently discharged after an MI or stent on PPI-clopidogrel had a 93% higher risk of re-hospitalization for MI (and 64% higher risk for re-hospitalization for MI or stent) than patients on clopidogrel without a PPI. This association was found despite type of PPI […]
April 27, 2010 |  0
In this observational study of 98 nurses in 2 hospitals, 53% of medication administrations were interrupted. The frequency and occurrence of interruptions increased both clinical errors and procedural failures, regardless of nurse experience. Nursing interruptions can be harmful, and interventions to minimize interruptions during medical administration are much needed (abstract)