Hospital Medicine

Matthew Martinez, MD, FACC, discussed warfarin alternatives and newer mechanical and interventional strategies for the management of atrial fibrillation at Hospital Medicine 2013.

Researchers present surprising new data at Hospital Medicine 2013 about venous thromboembolism prophylaxis implementation, along with novel approaches to integrating primary care and hospital management of very ill patients.

Inpatient management of patients with increasingly virulent community acquired and nosocomial infections, ranging from bacteremia to C. difficile colitis, presents hospitalists with challenging choices.

Many accepted practices in hospital medicine, ranging from electrolyte management to the components of a syncope workup, may have scant or equivocal evidence to support their use.

Medication reconciliation at the time of admission as well as at patient discharge can prevent significant harm from adverse drug events, yet many providers feel they don't have time to take this important step.

The FDA approved Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (Kcentra), a first-in-class treatment for urgent vitamin K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulation reversal in adults with acute major bleeding.

Miscommunication is a frequently cited cause of preventable medical error, A new study finds that ambient background noise, whether it is loud equipment, talk among team members, or music, is a patient and surgical safety factor that can affect auditory processing among surgeons and surgical team members in the operating room (OR).

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have published a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology's May 2013 issue showing that copper surfaces in intensive care unit (ICU) rooms reduced health-acquired infections (HAIs) by 60 percent.

A statewide neonatal screening program in New Jersey designed to detect critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs) using pulse oximetry has been shown to save lives while putting little burden on hospital staff, according to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on May 10, 2013, to increase payments to US acute care hospitals by almost $27 million in fiscal year 2014.

The Joint Commission recently issued important recommendations to tackle the problem of medical device "alarm fatigue" in hospitals and its associated safety concerns.

Patients who have IBD, even those who are in clinical remission, often exhibit symptoms consistent with IBS, which can complicate the assessment and management of IBD and lead to unnecessary interventions.

Population-based study finds patients who use thiazide medications face a nearly fivefold increased risk of developing hyponatremia compared to patients who do not use these medications.

Study supports the current practice of post-surgery H. pylori eradication in patients with perforated peptic ulcers.

Phase III study results show patients with chronic non-cancer pain and opioid-induced constipation (OIC) experienced improvements in spontaneous bowel movement frequency and other symptoms of OIC.

A literature review of randomized controlled trials and open-label studies of six months or longer duration finds good evidence that opioid therapy improves pain scores, with weaker evidence for its long-term effect on functional status.

Genome studies provide clues about variation in individual risk for H. pylori infection.

Only half of all patients who report experiencing symptoms that would fulfill migraine diagnostic criteria have received a formal migraine diagnosis from a physician.

Both corrected and persistent hyponatremia are predictors of all-cause mortality in patients presenting with myocardial infarction.

Results from a small study indicate patients with difficult-to-treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) may benefit from therapy with tanezumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against nerve growth factor.

Analysis of claims data finds patients often receive starting doses of Butrans that do not follow published recommendations, with more than one-third of patients receiving initial doses that are too low.

Results from a small retrospective study indicate that treatment with tolvaptan increases sodium concentrations and excretion rhythm without significantly affecting kidney function in patients with refractory hyponatremia and dcompensated heart failure.

Citing an increased risk of liver injury observed in recent clinical trials, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has limited Samsca (tolvaptan) treatment to 30 days and recommended the oral selective vasopressin V2-receptor antagonist be discontinued in patients with signs of liver disease or symptoms of liver injury.

Researchers claim that restricting dietary intake of fermentable short-chain carbohydrates improves GI symptoms in patients with IBS.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Kcentra [prothrombin complex concentrate (human)] for the urgent reversal of anticoagulation induced by vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapies such as warfarin in adult patients with acute major bleeding.

Researchers comparing scoring systems find considerable variation in performance and several factors that complicate direct comparison of systems.

Recent study results show no benefit from percutaneous transluminal venous angioplasty in improving symptoms of patients with multiple sclerosis.

The stigma attached to chronic diseases such as IBS has been shown to negatively affect patients' self-image and sense of worth, leading to worse outcomes. Being aware of this and working to counteract the psychological effects of stigma can improve the patient-physician relationship and lead to better outcomes.

Researchers will use MRI to identify structural brain changes that correlate with symptom relief in patients with IBS.

Researchers say that new insight into the microbiome will lead to new opportunities for treating a variety of medical conditions, both within and outside the gut.