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After pelvic floor reconstructive surgery, antibiotic prophylaxis with daily nitrofurantoin during postoperative catheterization does not decrease risk of urinary tract infection.
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This was a retrospective cohort study from Quebec and Ontario, Canada, examining patients ≥ 65 years of age admitted to a hospital with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) between 1998 and 2007.
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Recent controversy has erupted concerning the use of prophylactic beta-blockers in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing non-cardiac surgery.
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A prospective study comparing angiographic clot burden score and ECG score in 105 patients with PE found no correlation between the two, and neither predictor correlated with 12-month mortality. In a second retrospective study of 33 consecutive patients with massive PE by conventional clinical criteria, there was also no correlation between findings on CT angiography and mortality.
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Valproic acid and phenytoin were equally effective in the treatment of acute repetitive seizures and status epilepticus.
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Forty-four acute care hospitals participated in a prospective study over four years to determine the effect of quality improvement (QI) interventions on appropriate prescribing of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis. Hospitals were randomly assigned to either feedback on the results of the ongoing audit vs feedback plus an intensive collaborative intervention group. Both groups showed improvement in most quality indicators, but there appeared to be no benefit of the intensive QI collaborative intervention over performance feedback.
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Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is the standard bridging therapy for patients with mechanical heart valves who need to temporarily stop oral anticoagulants. Small case series have suggested that low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) may be useful for this purpose.
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Terminally ill cancer patients who had end-of-life discussions with their physician had better quality of life during their last week, and their caregivers had an easier bereavement.
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In patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, CPAP or NIV produces a more rapid improvement in respiratory distress and arterial blood gases than standard therapy.
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Uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (origin distal to left subclavian artery) is usually treated medically. However, early mortality is 10%-12%, and is due to complications.
