Background: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation is a commonly utilized procedure used for patients with chronic liver disease and resistant portal hypertension. Previous studies have explored the trends and short-term outcomes in TIPS procedures. This study aims to further compare short-term in-hospital outcomes of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) when undergoing TIPS. Methods: This [...]

Background: Sepsis is associated with a six-fold greater risk of developing new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients with new onset AF demonstrate increased risk of stroke, vascular events, and death. However, the characteristics and management of new onset AF have not been well-described. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≥ 18 years [...]

Background: The approach to managing and admitting patients with syncope in an emergency setting lacks standardization. Our study aims to investigate how regional variation in management of emergency department (ED) patients presenting with syncope impacts outcomes and resource utilization in this patient population. Methods: We used the 2006 to 2014 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample to [...]

Background: Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is one of the most common diagnoses encountered in medical and surgical practice. It causes significant morbidity and mortality. Post-operative adhesions are the most common cause. Several studies done in the past reviewed if early operative management would be of benefit compared to conservative management. Some studies have shown that [...]

Background: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Inter-hospital transfers (IHT) are becoming the standard for treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMIs) as specialized care is often concentrated at tertiary centers. The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) recommends door-to-balloon time [...]

Background: Factor concentrates such as 4 factor-prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) are commonly used off-label as reversal agents in factor Xa inhibitor-associated bleeding events. However, there have been limited studies on the efficacy and safety of 4F-PCC use in these settings. We conducted a retrospective observational study of the use of 4F-PCC for major bleeding occurring [...]

Background: Gamification and social incentives, such as family/peer engagement in goal-setting and feedback, are increasingly used by employers and health plans to promote physical activity and lose weight in outpatient settings but these approaches have not been used to improve mobility and reduce hospital-associated functional decline after hospital discharge. Methods: 12-week randomized, controlled trial of [...]

Background: Age is a risk factor for infective endocarditis, and almost half of diagnosed patients are age ≥60 years. Large national studies have not evaluated inpatient mortality and surgical valvular interventions between older White and Black patients hospitalized with infective endocarditis. Methods: We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database to identify older adults ≥ 60 [...]

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is one of the most common causes of hospitalization in the United States. Intravenous hydration with normal saline (NS) is the most commonly used fluid for resuscitation. Recent studies have shown better outcomes with the use of more pH balanced fluid-like ringer’s lactate and Plasmalyte (PL). We conducted a retrospective cohort [...]

Background: The Choosing Wisely campaign discourages CT imaging in low-risk patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) (e.g., low clinical probability and negative d-dimer). Few studies have investigated patient, provider, or operational characteristics associated with overuse of CT imaging. One possible approach to this research question is to examine variability in diagnostic yield (i.e., the percentage [...]