Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports 
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This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.Best Practices for Medication Utilization Evaluations in Postsurgical Pain Management
ConclusionMUEs continue to become the standard for quality improvement for optimizing care and ensuring optimal outcomes. This review of the literature provides guidance in post-surgical pain management, an area that requires measurement of both subjective and objective outcomes. (Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports)
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - December 9, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Current Review of the Literature that Informed the 2015 American Heart Association Guidelines Update
AbstractPurpose of ReviewOut-of-Hospital cardiac arrest affects over 300,000 individuals in the US per year and is the third leading cause of death for Americans. Given the extent of this public health problem, investigations are ongoing to improve upon outcomes for patients who suffer cardiac arrest. This review will address the literature that informed the 2015 American Heart Association update to the Cardiopulmonary and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Guidelines (Callaway et al. in Circulation 132:S465 –82,2015).Recent FindingsIn this manuscript, we reviewed the literature that informed the major changes to the guidelin...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - November 2, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Echocardiography for ED Dyspnea Evaluation
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe undifferentiated dyspneic patient is one of the most common critically ill patients encountered by hospital providers and continues to present a diagnostic challenge. Since its advent, bedside ultrasonography has demonstrated increasing clinical utility in identifying cardiopulmonary causes of dyspnea including left-sided heart failure, pulmonary edema, acute and chronic right-sided heart strain and failure, pneumonia, pleural fluid collections, airway processes such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiac tamponade. This review discusses the ability of point of care ultrasound to...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - October 14, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Iron Supplementation in Heart Failure
AbstractPurpose of ReviewIron deficiency is a common comorbidity in heart failure (HF) patients; it is detected in up to 50 % of patients with chronic HF and in up to 70% in patients with acute HF, often without concomitant anemia. HF patients are particularly susceptible to iron deficiency; disturbances in nutrition and gastrointestinal tract absorption, as well as excess blood loss may lead to absolute iron deficien cy, while chronic inflammatory state associated with HF may lead to functional iron deficiency. As iron contributes to cardiac and peripheral muscle dysfunction, iron deficiency is associated with poor exe...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - September 6, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Troponin-Guided Heart Failure Therapy: Are We There Yet?
AbstractPurpose of reviewBiomarkers are widely used in medicine and the natriuretic peptides are the prototypical biomarker for heart failure aiding in diagnosis, prognosis, and biomarker-guided therapy. Cardiac troponins are mostly known for their role in diagnosing acute coronary syndrome, but they also play an important role in heart failure management.Recent findingsCurrent guidelines support using troponin for diagnosing ischemia as the cause of heart failure decompensation and prognosticating the risk for morbidity and mortality in acute and chronic heart failure. Recently, novel heart failure therapies have been sho...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - August 29, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Contemporary Treatment of Hyperkalemia
AbstractPurpose of ReviewHyperkalemia is a common and serious electrolyte abnormality. It can have multiple etiologies but occurs more frequently in the setting of decreased renal function. Although the symptoms of hyperkalemia can be nonspecific and the electrocardiogram can be nondiagnostic, studies show that hyperkalemia increases mortality in- and out-of-hospital settings. Yet advances in treatment have been lacking.Recent FindingsSodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS), the sole potassium binder that has been on the market for five decades, has only recently been shown to be effective in a randomized trial in an outpatient...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - August 24, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Serelaxin in the Treatment of Acute Heart Failure
AbstractThe incidence and mortality associated with acute heart failure (AHF) remain high despite tremendous progress in the treatment of chronic heart failure. Novel approaches to AHF management are needed to improve outcomes. Serelaxin, a recombinant form of human relaxin-2, is a vasoactive peptide hormone with hemodynamic and neurohormonal effects. Serelaxin ’s major clinical trials (Pre-RELAX-AHF and RELAX-AHF) demonstrate efficacy in improving heart failure symptoms, decreasing hospital length of stay and reducing morality at 180 days. The AHF patients included in these trials represent a specific and prevalent coh...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - August 22, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
The Role of Hospitalists in Managing Patient Flow: Lessons from Four Hospitals
This report will serve to aid hospitalist groups looking to implement ABM, while navigating challenges and pitfalls. (Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports)
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - August 16, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Appropriate Red Blood Cell Transfusion Utilization Among Hospitalized Medical Patients
AbstractPurpose of ReviewBlood transfusion is one of the most common procedures performed in hospitalized patients and while in some instances it can save lives, it is not a benign procedure. Blood transfusions are associated with increasing cost, a limited supply, a multitude of complications and threaten patient safety and quality of care.Recent FindingsTo optimize blood utilization, evidence-based transfusion guidelines were developed in 2012 and it is imperative for physicians to understand and implement these guidelines as significant inconsistency between physician transfusion practices still exists today. The costs ...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - August 15, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Hospital Readmissions in Pneumonia Patients: Quality of Care and Cost Containment
AbstractPurpose of ReviewPneumonia is a significant health problem in the United States severely impacting morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, pneumonia is responsible for over 100,000 readmissions every year. Recent efforts to curve the pneumonia readmission rates include increased hospital ’s accountability and Medicare& Medicaid reimbursement penalties for excess readmission rates.Recent FindingsMultiple factors associated with pneumonia readmissions are not modifiable or amenable to intervention. Yet, recent data suggest that improving pneumonia readmission rates is feasible. Factors such as adherence to e...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - August 9, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Antimicrobial Stewardship: The Role of Hospitalists and the Emergency Department
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe use of potent broad-spectrum antibiotics has led to the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance andClostridium difficile infections worldwide. Multidrug-resistant infections account for a significant portion of hospital-acquired infections, having a major negative impact on clinical outcomes and healthcare costs.Recent FindingsIt has been reported that a large fraction of antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals is inappropriate or suboptimal. Antimicrobial stewardship promotes the judicious use of antimicrobials to improve patient care, while minimizing unintended consequences such as anti...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - August 8, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Importance of a Travel History in Evaluation of Respiratory Infections
< h3 class= " a-plus-plus " > Abstract < /h3 > < span class= " a-plus-plus abstract-section id-a-sec1 " > < h3 class= " a-plus-plus " > Purpose of Review < /h3 > < p class= " a-plus-plus " > International travel has increased at a fast pace and will continue to rapidly rise. Concomitantly, with this increase in travel is the increase in post travel-related diseases, such as respiratory illnesses. Identifying the cause of the posttravel respiratory illness is a complex challenge for many healthcare professionals because similar presentations occur for both infectious and noninfectious causes. Not only is diagnosis important...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - July 25, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Cardiac Ultrasound in Acute Coronary Syndromes
< h3 class= " a-plus-plus " > Abstract < /h3 > < span class= " a-plus-plus abstract-section id-a-sec1 " > < h3 class= " a-plus-plus " > Purpose of Review < /h3 > < p class= " a-plus-plus " > Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) presents a diagnostic, management, and prognostic challenge to even the most experienced clinicians. The role of cardiac ultrasound in ACS also changes frequently, with two distinct modalities used to assist in diagnosis and management of ACS —transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS). We will review the latest updates in both the cardiology and emergency medicine litera...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - July 21, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Controversies in the Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia
Abstract
Purpose of Review
Community-acquired pneumonia remains a common and serious infection, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. Despite a more standardized approach towards management of this disease, several key uncertainties still remain. In this narrative review we examine the latest evidence to investigate what we identified as three of the most clinically relevant controversies.
Recent Findings
Novel tests including procalcitonin and molecular assays for respirat...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - July 8, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
Diagnosis and Management of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection
This article reviews the current literature regarding diagnosis, microbiology, treatment, and prevention of CA-UTIs.
Recent Findings
Misconceptions surrounding diagnostic technique and indications for testing result in unneeded antimicrobial administration. Due to the substantial burden of CA-UTIs, much emphasis has been placed on prevention and the most successful prevention strategies are aimed at behavioral changes to minimize unnecessary catheterizations.
Summary
Th...
Source: Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports - July 7, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research
