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SPRINT: The Systolic Blood Pressure Trial or ‘How Low Do You Go?’
Designed to see if lower blood pressures reduced the risk of blood pressure-related health outcomes, the NIH ended the SPRINT trial early and issued a news release that a lower blood pressure target significantly reduces cardiovascular complications in adults age 50 and older with high blood pressure.
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Valve Disease and Thromboembolic Risk
The CHA2DS2-VASc score for the prediction of stroke and other thromboembolism risk in patients with atrial fibrillation has been validated in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.
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Using Procalcitonin to Differentiate Bacterial from Viral Meningitis
SYNOPSIS: A meta-analysis based on nine studies found an elevated serum procalcitonin to be an accurate test for differentiating bacterial from viral meningitis in adults.
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Could High-flow Oxygen Therapy Impact Acute Respiratory Failure Management?
SYNOPSIS: Managing acute hypoxemic respiratory failure with high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) significantly reduced intubation rates compared to standard oxygen (O2) mask delivery and non-invasive ventilation among patients whose arterial O2 tension to inspired O2 fraction ratio (PaO2/FiO2) was < 200. Among all study patients, hospital mortality was lower in the HFNC group.
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Role of Transthoracic Echo in Staph Bacteremia
In patients without community-acquired Staph bacteremia, a high-risk cardiac condition, or IV drug use, a negative transthoracic echo excluded infective endocarditis.
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The Pros and Cons of Central Venous Catheterization Sites
ABSTRACT AND COMMENTARY: Improper placement can lead to a deep vein thrombosis or a blood stream infection. Here's guidance on doing it right.
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Blood Pressure Targets in Flux Again
Trial could be a game changer if the results are robust.
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Finally, a Positive Outcomes Study for Platelet Function Testing
Platelet function testing-defined clopidogrel nonresponsiveness can be overcome by prasugrel treatment, and that this is a modifiable risk factor whose treatment can improve outcomes.
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Slow Down, Save Lives? Rate Control in Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation patients receiving beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers had lower risk of mortality compared to those not taking rate-control drugs, with the lowest mortality rate in the beta-blocker group, while digoxin use was associated with a higher risk of mortality.
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Beta-blocker Dose More Important Than Heart Rate in Systolic Heart Failure
In chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, titrating beta-blocker doses may confer a greater benefit than reducing heart rate.