Background: Mortality data estimates show that there are about 400,000‐460,000 sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs) in the United States annually. Managing cardiac arrest patients with coma postresuscitation has been largely supportive. Following restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), secondary inflammatory responses lead to further brain injury, resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Induced mild hypothermia (32°C‐34°C) has […]

Background: This study evaluated whether clinicians are providing appropriate thromboprophylaxis to at‐risk medical and surgical patients in accordance with ACCP guidelines. Methods: Premier's Perspective™ inpatient administrative database was used to assess VTE prophylaxis rates in acute medical (acute myocardial infarction [AMI], lung disease, stroke, heart failure, cancer, spinal cord injury, trauma) and surgical (orthopedic, urologic, […]

Background: In a large tertiary‐care hospital, a quality improvement program was initiated to evaluate the current practices and trends in preoperative cardiac risk assessment and prescription of perioperative beta‐ers for patients undergoing elective, noncardiac surgery with a planned hospitalization ≥1 day. Methods: Data for this study originated exclusively from institutional databases, primarily the electronic medical […]

Background: Admission hyperglycemia has been associated with adverse clinical outcomes of patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction, stroke, or trauma. The effect of admission or discharge glucose level on clinical outcomes, particularly readmissions in ADHF, is less clear. Methods: We performed a careful chart review of 332 patients consecutively admitted for ADHF between 2004 and […]

Background: Despite increased focus on handoffs, the accuracy of information transferred using resident sign‐outs has not been well characterized. This study aimed to describe the frequency, types, and harm potential of medication discrepancies between patient charts and resident sign‐outs. Methods: All interns and their patients at a single hospital in January 2006 were eligible for […]

Background: Patients admitted to academic teaching hospitals are often cared for by multiple physicians of different training levels. This study aimed to ascertain the ability of patients to identify their inpatient physicians and patient and system factors that predict patient ability to identify inpatient physicians. Methods: All general medicine inpatients at a single academic medical […]

Background: Acute lower extremity (LE) cellulitis often presents with swelling and erythema. In many cases this leads hospitalists to work up the patient for concurrent deep venous thrombosis (DVT). No previous studies have looked specifically at whether clinical features alone can be used to rule out DVT in the presence of clinical LE cellulitis. We […]

Background: The rise in prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in children is well recognized; however, its effect on diabetes‐related hospitalization rates is not well characterized. The objective of this study was to examine the trends in the hospitalization and characteristics of children admitted with a diagnosis of T2DM. Methods: Hospital discharge rates of […]

Background: Surgeons in the perioperative management of their patients are increasingly involving hospitalist physicians. This relationship includes preoperative assessments and postoperative referrals or comanagement for medical conditions including fevers, diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. The purpose of the study was to document the incidence and clinical predictors of postoperative fevers in adult patients undergoing […]

Background: Even though some readmissions are unavoidable, there is an implicit concern that they represent a failure in the health care system or inappropriate wishful thinking. Readmissions are not only expensive but suggest we have placed the patient at risk. In numerous studies, a variety of factors such as noncompliance, adverse drug reaction, and lack […]