Hospital Medicine Alert – September 1, 2007
September 1, 2007
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Methylprednisolone to Prevent Post-Extubation Laryngeal Edema
In a mixed population of adult ICU patients who had been intubated for at least 36 hours, administration of 80 mg of methylprednisolone over the 12 hours preceding extubation substantially reduced the incidence of post-extubation laryngeal edema and the need for re-intubation. -
Pericarditis Triage
Most cases of acute pericarditis are due to idiopathic or viral causes and have a benign prognosis with symptomatic treatment. How to identify those cases due to specifically treatable causes or those cases not expected to do well would be useful to know. -
Endocarditis due to E. faecalis: Ampicillin + Ceftriaxone
The combination of ampicillin and ceftriaxone was effective in treatment of endocarditis due to E. faecalis. Efficacy was similar for infections involving isolates with and without high-level aminoglycoside resistance. -
Preoperative Anemia and Postoperative Outcomes
In this study of 310,311 veterans aged 65 or older who underwent major noncardiac surgical procedures, 30-day mortality increased 1.6% for every percentage-point decrease in preoperative hematocrit below 39%. -
New Mechanism of Bacterial Resistance to Aminoglycosides
Methylation of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) has emerged as an important mechanism of resistance to aminoglycosides in pathogens including Enterobacteriaceae and non-fermenters including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter species. -
Antithrombotic Therapy for Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation
In this paper, Hart and colleagues report the results of a meta-analysis of antithrombotic therapy in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).