Hospital Medicine Alert – March 1, 2016
March 1, 2016
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The Opioids Just Keeping Coming
Most opioid prescriptions are continued after a patient overdoses accidentally. Those patients are also at risk for a recurrent overdose.
Early Chest CT Can Improve Treatment for Community-acquired Pneumonia
In patients with suspected community-acquired pneumonia, early chest CT significantly changed management decisions.
Blood Transfusion in Cardiac Disease Patients
An observational study confirms the hypothesis that ischemic heart disease patients may do better with higher hemoglobin levels as compared to ICU patients without heart disease.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Patients Need No Convincing
Relapsing and refractory Clostridium difficile infection has become a real challenge for clinicians and affected patients alike. Some patients wind up in a seemingly never-ending cycle of illness, gradual improvement, followed by a prolonged vancomycin taper, and eventual relapse.
Is Sodium Restriction Detrimental in Chronic Heart Failure?
In an observational study of outpatients with NYHA class II or III heart failure, dietary sodium restriction (< 2500 mg/day) was associated with increased risk of death or heart failure hospitalization.