Hospital Medicine Alert – April 1, 2011
April 1, 2011
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Prosthetic Valve Thrombosis — Urgent Surgery or Thrombolysis?
Thrombosis of prosthetic heart valves is one of the most feared complications of heart-valve replacement. -
Should ICU Patients Be Bathed Daily with Chlorhexidine?
This observational study found a large reduction in central line-associated bloodstream infections compared to historical controls for surgical ICU patients bathed daily with chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated cloths. -
Early Aggressive Therapy for Myasthenia Gravis
Early plasmapheresis and high-dose intravenous corticosteroids may be as effective as conventional oral corticosteroid therapy in the treatment of myasthenia gravis. -
And the Bands Played On
Physicians may not be able to rely upon their clinical laboratory to accurately report the neutrophil "band count." -
Rasburicase: Clearing Uric Acid from the Tumor Lysis Syndrome
Uric acid as a weak organic acid (pka 5.8) is poorly soluble at physiological pH. It presence in serum is derived both from diet and endogenous biosynthesis, and it is excreted primarily by renal (75%) mechanisms under normal circumstances.