Hospital Medicine Alert – August 1, 2016

August 1, 2016

• Can Procalcitonin Predict Need for ICU Admission in Community-acquired Pneumonia Patients?

  Several studies have focused on the use of procalcitonin in diagnosing sepsis, as a prognostic marker in sepsis, and as a guide to antibiotic decisions in sepsis.

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• Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Appears More Effective Than Single Therapy

  The CHANCE study showed that the combination of aspirin and clopidogrel was superior to aspirin alone for reducing the risk of stroke in the first 90 days after a TIA or minor ischemic stroke (N Engl J Med 2013;369:11-19).

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• Human Adenovirus B7: Severe Infection

  ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY: Patients with HAdV-B7 were more likely to be adults and to have longer hospital stays.

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• Buprenorphine Implant for Subdermal Administration (Probuphine)

  The FDA has approved the first buprenorphine implant for the treatment of opioid dependence. Buprenorphine is a partial agonist at the mu-opioid receptor and an antagonist at the kappa-opioid receptor. Buprenorphine was previously approved as oral and sublingual tablets. The implant is marketed as Probuphine.

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• Cerebral Microbleeds: Risk Factor for Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage

  Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), as visualized on gradient-echo or susceptibility-weighted MRI, are considered markers of bleeding-prone cerebral microvessels and constitute a significant and independent predictor of future intracerebral hemorrhage.

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