Hospital Medicine Alert – January 1, 2013
January 1, 2013
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Successful Decrease in Therapy Duration for Community-Acquired Pneumonia
In this single-center, prospective study, median duration of antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) decreased from 10 to 7 days with an antibiotic stewardship program that included education and prospective feedback to the managing team. -
The Positive Impact of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Pediatrics
In the first report (Newland et al), a quasi-experimental study with a control group (also known as a nonrandomized, postintervention design) was performed from 20042010 to determine the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) implemented in March 2008 in a tertiary care childrens hospital that was based on prospective-audit-with-feedback. The control group included 25 childrens hospitals. -
NSAIDS Post Myocardial Infarction
The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) early after myocardial infarction (MI) has been shown to increase the risk of death or recurrent MI, but little is known about the long-term risks. Thus, this group from Denmark evaluated their national database and identified more than 99,000 patients who survived 30 days after discharge following their first MI. -
Psychological Distress Decreased When Families Completed Daily ICU Diary
Family members who received a diary written during their family members ICU admission had lower levels of symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder. -
Cancer May Be a Risk Factor for Ischemic Stroke
A history of cancer in a patient with ischemic stroke often raises additional concerns for the clinician, including assessment of cancer activity, as well as possible thrombophilias. The use of thrombolytic agents is also controversial in patients with active cancers. -
Serious Cardiac Arrhythmias May Occur During First 72 Hours After Stroke
Investigators of the stroke arrhythmia monitoring Database in Erlangen, Germany, performed continuous telemetric cardiac rhythm monitoring on 501 acute stroke patients admitted to their stroke unit. -
Can We Predict Long-Term Cognitive Impairment in Survivors of Critical Illness?
In survivors of critical illness with documented cognitive impairment at discharge, commonly used cognitive screening tests do not predict which of these patients will experience long-term cognitive impairment. -
Pharmacology Watch: Zolpidem and Risk of Falls in Hospitalized Patients
Zolpidem and risk of falls; AVR and anticoagulation; statins in cancer patients; and FDA actions. -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement