May 31, 2023
Treating addiction behind bars
Incarcerated patients have a right to medication for opioid use disorder, and hospitalists can help them access it.
Hypercalcemia from calcium sulfate antibiotic beads
A patient was admitted with right hip pain from a chronic prosthetic joint infection.
MD and DO hospitalists provide care of similar cost and quality
A retrospective study of hospitalized Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries found no differences in 30-day mortality, readmissions, length of stay, or spending between those cared for by physicians with an allopathic versus an osteopathic degree.
Rapid uptitration of oral therapies after hospitalization was safe, effective across LVEF categories
A high-intensity care strategy after discharge was associated with a reduced risk of death and heart failure readmission at 180 days, regardless of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), a prespecified analysis of a randomized trial found.
Automated alert increased documented goals-of-care conversations
Emailing primary hospital team members about their older or seriously ill patients' current code status with suggested language about goals of care had a particularly large effect on whether these conversations occurred with patients of minoritized race or ethnicity, a trial found.
AHA/ASA update recommendations on aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
The new guideline from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) covers diagnosis and management of the condition and replaces the organizations' 2012 guideline.