December 29, 2010 |  2
In todays NEJM, three surgeons from the American College of Surgery (ACS) reply to a commentary on sleep deprivation and elective surgery. The letter is instructive. Read it, and you will note several things:
December 29, 2010 |  2
Last month, we dug through a sample set of Hospitalist Compensation and Productivity data.  That column excited two people, maybe three, to get out a slide rule and some actuarial tables for the sheer joy of the experience!  Meanwhile, my partners insist that everyone else had to grab a drink and find something better to […]
December 27, 2010 |  0
The CDC has updated it’s recommendations for use of rapid tests for influenza. Although they are easy to perform, with turnaround times of 15 minutes, most have limited sensitivity and therefore high false negative rates. This should be factored in when using these rapid tests, and patients with a high clinical suspicion for influenza should […]
December 26, 2010 |  0
In this large industry sponsored randomized trial of apixaban (an oral Xa inhibitor) versus enoxaparin in patients post-hip THA, patients were treated for 35 days, and followed up at an additional 60 days for the primary outcome (DVT/PE/Death). Patients in the apixaban group had significantly fewer events than the enoxaparin group (1% versus 4%). Apixaban, […]
December 26, 2010 |  0
Circulating influenza virus has been isolated in most states. Fortunately the vaccine well matches the circulating strains, so we can hope for a mild influenza season (CDC site)
December 23, 2010 |  14
In this month’s Archives of Internal Medicine, my colleagues and I report the results of our early experience with hospitalist co-management of neurosurgery patients. We found stratospheric satisfaction among neurosurgeons and nurses, as well as impressive cost reductions ($1400/admission). At the same time, there was no impact on quality or safety, at least as judged […]