Background: Red blood cell (RBC) parameters (hemoglobin [Hgb], hematocrit [Hct], mean corpuscular volume [MCV], and red cell distribution width [RDW]) are reported in complete blood count reports and have been hypothesized to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, these association have not been reported in a large cohort of healthy US adults with long–term follow–up. [...]

Background: Heart failure is characterized by multiple hospital readmissions and increased risk of death. Our study assesses acute change in NT–proBNP (a cardiac biomarker) and its association with readmission and mortality using a parametric analysis. This method allows visualization of the baseline hazard, communication in terms where the metric is time, and can remove the [...]

Background: While whole blood viscosity (WBV) has been shown to be related to the pathogenesis of various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, laboratory measurement of WBV is time consuming and tedious. WBV can be estimated reliably from simple and frequently used laboratory tests. However, whether estimated WBV is also associated with increased all–cause mortality and cardiovascular [...]

Background: Falls are the most frequently reported adverse events in inpatient settings. About 30%of people over 65 years will fall every year – making it a major socioeconomic problem in elderly. Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality in hospitalized elderly persons with a prevalence of 3–4%,which increases with age. Mild chronic hyponatremia may appear [...]

Background: The evidence about the safety and effectiveness of outpatient care as opposed to inpatient care in selected low–risk patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is accumulating. Most patients enter or remain in the hospital for initial therapy, though some patients may be suitable for partial or complete outpatient management. The Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index [...]

Background: The 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) management guidelines for bronchiolitis recommends reducing the misuse and over–use of short acting beta agonist bronchodilator therapy for pediatric patients with bronchiolitis. Our institution has participated in the Value in Inpatient Pediatrics (VIP) since 2008, which is a multi–center network of pediatric facilities that share data about [...]

Background: Medicare payments around episodes of inpatient surgery vary as much as 40–70% across hospitals. Although such variation is attributable to multiple factors, differential use of physician services is one key component. In this context, we explored the use of medicine consultations after inpatient surgery, factors associated with increased utilization, and variations in practice patterns [...]

Background: Critical care makes up nearly 1% of the US gross domestic product, but there is wide hospital variation in critical care resource use. It is possible that some hospitals have higher ICU admission rates because of patient factors beyond their control such as admitting diagnosis. Therefore, we sought to describe the association between hospital [...]

Background: Relatively little is known about the impact of renal dysfunction on morbidity and mortality in patients with pneumonia, especially in non–severe disease. The contribution of intravenous computed tomography contrast dye to renal dysfunction in this group is also unclear. Methods: We reviewed the electronic medical record of 4,459 consecutive admissions of adults =18 years [...]

Background: VTE is common after total hip (THR) or knee (TKR) replacement. Anticoagulants reduce the risk of VTE but result in bleeding, requiring assessment of benefit–risk. Methods: To improve estimates of treatment effects on low–frequency events, data were pooled from 4 phase 3 clinical trials (RECORD1–4) of rivaroxaban vs enoxaparin regimens (or enoxaparin/placebo combination in [...]