Hospital Medicine

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers have identified cells in the atria of the heart and pulmonary veins of humans and mice that may be a possible cause of atrial fibrillation.

A study from Johns Hopkins has found that "routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease."

Pain assessment appears to reduce sedative drug dosing, allowing for objective pain evaluation and analgesic drug dosing based on a patient's report.

Collaboration is important in healthcare, as evidenced by the growing number of "learning communities" and grassroots efforts that are bringing people and organizations together to work on the issue of eliminating disparities in health and healthcare.

Emergency room cases involving small children with apparent life-threatening event (ALTE) symptoms, such as apnea, due to ingestion of over-the-counter (OTC) cough or cold medications are on the rise.

A national health information technology infrastructure (NHITI) is not only necessary, but it is cardinal to improving delivery and reducing costs of healthcare in the United States.

The powerful vendor-lobbying group, HIMSS, has been extremely successful over the last 8 years lobbying our elected political leaders about HIT.

Here are the results from three presentations on the use of computed tomography and other advanced cardiac imaging in angina and chest pain at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

Here are the results from two presentations on outcomes in the management of stable and unstable angina and chest pain at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

Wednesday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009, the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines announced the release of the long-awaited update to the guidelines for management of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and the management of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

I have been following with interest all the discussions about the new Medical Home (aka, the Patient Centered Medical Home) concept. This is our silver bullet that will improve patient access, raise quality levels, increase overall satisfaction and save billions of healthcare dollars - all at the same time!

Study results from the MERLIN-TIMI 36 Trial looking at the risk of ischemia and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) alone or combined in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) were presented during an abstract oral session at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

A study presented Tuesday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009 looked at the relationship between coronary micro-vessel spasm, epicardial coronary artery spastic angina, and non-obstructive coronary artery disease.

Results from several interesting studies that looked at efforts to decrease door-to-balloon time in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and whether time reductions had any effect on mortality rates were presented during abstract poster sessions and abstract oral sessions Monday and Tuesday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

Does adherence to ACC/AHA guideline therapies in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) result in reductions in one-year post-discharge mortality rates?

Although previous studies have shown that women are less likely to receive acute reperfusion treatment for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in clinical practice, there is comparatively little data on "gender differences in adjunctive treatment and outcome in the setting of primary PCI." Given this lack of data, what is the impact of female gender on hospital outcome of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with STEMI in clinical practice?

Does the evidence support the guidelines that recommend immediate reperfusion therapy for patients presenting with a new or presumed new left bundle branch block (LBBB)? A study presented during the "Women, STEMI, and PCI Trials" Abstract Oral Session Tuesday morning at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009 provided a surprising answer to that question.

Do women face a higher risk of death compared with men following treatment with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) following ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)? A study presented during the "Women, STEMI, and PCI Trials" Abstract Oral Session Tuesday morning at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009 sought to answer that question.

The media has a field day with this statistic.

The pundits are going to have their field day with this one. "The danger [with this Bill] is that as costs continue to rise and coverage becomes less comprehensive, people will conclude that we've tried health reform and it didn't work. But the real problem will be that we didn't really try it.

Researchers have found that patients who experience an adverse event while hospitalized are more satisfied with their care if hospital staff members discuss the adverse event with them.

The Institute of Medicine released its "To Err is Human" report in 2000. Now that we're nearing the end of 2009, safety experts are examining the extent to which the IOM's recommendations have been implemented.

We rank 19th among industrialized countries in preventable deaths in such conditions as diabetes, epilepsy, stroke, influenza, ulcers, pneumonia, infant mortality, and appendicitis.

The new health Internet being designed by federal officials will hopefully be up and running by next year, a move that will allow physicians and patients to more easily exchange health information.

The answer may surprise you.

A researcher at McMaster University, in collaboration with a team of international scientists, has proposed that a “paradigm shift” needs to occur in disease control that focuses more on the impact that human travel can have on the moving of drug-resistant infectious diseases around the world.

Rates of clostridium difficile are increasing in the outpatient setting, according to new research from the Mayo Clinic.

I see dead doctors every day when I work as a Hospitalist at my local community hospital...