Background: Cancer is a risk factor for readmissions. We aimed to describe the potentially preventable 7-day unplanned readmissions in patients admitted to the hospital medicine service at a tertiary comprehensive cancer center. There is currently no defined criteria for potentially preventable readmissions among the cancer population. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis performed by a […]

Background: Accurate and reliable medication reconciliation (MedRec) is an indispensable step ensuring patient safety and minimizing medical errors during transitions of care. Yet, it is one of the most challenging aspects in healthcare quality and safety. In fact, inaccurate MedRec accounts for 40 % of medication errors, up to 20% of which result in harm […]

Case Presentation: 69 year old female with a history of untreated hepatitis B presented with leg pain, fatigue, and a 13-pound unintended weight loss over 5 months. She had no family history of cancer and had unremarkable age-appropriate cancer screenings. On exam, she had normal vitals, bilateral paraspinal and hip tenderness and positive straight leg […]

Case Presentation: An 80-year-old female with a history significant for breast cancer status post mastectomy with chemo/radiation therapy and phenytoin-induced liver injury in 2013 presented with nine months of weakness, weight loss, and 2-3 month history of confusion, memory loss, and widespread tremors, suspicious for focal status epilepticus. Workup revealed hyponatremia (135 mmol/L) and elevated […]

Case Presentation: A 73-year-old woman with a history of cervical carcinoma treated with chemotherapy and radiation in remission presented with weight loss (6 kg), poor oral intake and dysphagia over the prior three months. She reported epigastric and chest discomfort after swallowing, early satiety and the feeling of food becoming stuck in her upper abdomen. […]

Case Presentation: A 62-year-old male with past medical history including tobacco use and hypertension presented to the ED with fatigue, generalized weakness, and ankle pain of two-week duration. His clinical course started with upper respiratory symptoms following contact with family members who were positive for COVID-19. The presenting symptoms resolved without confirmatory testing and were […]

Case Presentation: A 60-year-old male with a history of right hepatic resection for donation in 2011 presented to theEmergency Department for acute onset of chills, malaise, and fever up to 101.3 at home withassociated vomiting, abdominal pain, and abdominal distention. He was found to have fluidrefractory hypotension, elevated lactate, and a stage II AKI with […]

Case Presentation: A 57-year-old African American man with a past medical history of alcohol use disorder, treatment naive chronic hepatitis C infection, and epilepsy presented with left flank pain without urinary symptoms. A non-contrast abdominal CT scan did not show renal pathology but showed compression fracture the L1 vertebra with paravertebral soft tissue and stranding. […]

Case Presentation: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine malignancy, with high propensity to metastasize and reoccur. It most commonly affects the skin, and seldomly involves internal organs [1]. MCC is a rare entity, with 2488 cases/year in 2013 in the United states and more aggressive than melanoma [1, 2]. Gaining insight into this […]

Case Presentation: We present the case of a 67-year-old female with a history of GERD, diabetes, and remote breast cancer treated with lumpectomy, radiation, and tamoxifen who presented with one-month of persistent abdominal distension associated with anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath. In addition, she had one episode of severe epigastric pain that radiated […]