Background: While pericarditis is a well-recognized inflammatory condition of the pericardium, its association with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains underexplored. Only a limited number of clinical studies have investigated the prevalence and outcomes of AF in the context of acute pericarditis. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of AF and its impact on in-hospital outcomes [...]

Background: Mitral stenosis (MS) frequently coexists with atrial fibrillation (AF) and is known to precipitate or exacerbate heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Whether MS confers additional short-term mortality risk in patients hospitalized with both HFpEF and AF has not been well characterized in contemporary U.S. cohort. Methods: Using the 2018–2022 U.S. National Inpatient [...]

Background: In the US, over 200,000 patients experience in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) annually, with survival rates remaining low. Despite advances in resuscitation, predicting return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and post-IHCA hospital discharge remains challenging. We evaluated key predictors of ROSC and discharge following IHCA. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed medical records of IHCA patients [...]

Background: Inpatient pain management for oncology patients relies predominantly on pharmacologic strategies, particularly opioids, which are associated with various side effects and potential complications. Structural and resource differences between university and public hospitals may contribute to inequities in pain control, yet these disparities remain understudied. Acupuncture has emerged as a safe and effective integrative therapy [...]

Background: Hospitalized adults frequently experience pain and other distressing symptoms that impede recovery and contribute to longer hospital stays. Pharmacologic treatments remain central to symptom management but carry risks such as side effects, tolerance, and polypharmacy. As hospitals increasingly adopt integrative, patient-centered care models, massage therapy (MT) has emerged as a promising non-pharmacologic intervention. Despite [...]

Background: In patients with hematologic malignancies, intrathecal chemotherapy delivered by means of a lumbar puncture has found a critical role at delivering vital medications to patients with central nervous system spread. However, many oncology patients who require this procedure have refractory thrombocytopenia that can lead to delays in intrathecal chemotherapy administration as well as potentially [...]

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects 14.2 million Americans(1) is the fourth leading cause of death and is responsible for significant morbidity(2). Evidence from clinical trials suggests that either azithromycin or roflumilast can be used to treat airway inflammation in patients with controlled COPD, but few studies have described how often these medications are [...]

Background: Acute psychological stress has long been recognized as a trigger for cardiovascular events. More recently, attention has turned to sociopolitical stress as a potentially significant cardiovascular risk factor, with United States presidential elections serving as recurring, predictable sources of nationwide psychological stress. The goal of this study was to determine whether US presidential elections [...]

Background: The optimal length of hospitalist clinical blocks (e.g. the number of consecutive days worked) is unclear. Some studies have shown that greater continuity is associated with better patient outcomes. However, longer clinical blocks may lead to clinician burnout and fatigue. We conducted a pragmatic trial comparing two different block lengths, one being a standard [...]

Background: Urinary catheters are commonly used in hospitalized adults and can lead to catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), the most common hospital-acquired infection. External urinary collection devices – external urinary catheters (EUCs) and PureWicks – have been increasingly used as presumptively safer alternatives to indwelling urinary catheters (IUCs) and are not currently counted towards hospitals’ [...]