Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are increasingly prescribed for obesity and type 2 diabetes, demonstrating efficacy in weight loss and glycemic control [1-3]. Beyond metabolic effects, these medications show protective effects against renal disease progression and reduce major adverse cardiovascular events [4]. GLP-1 agonists influence body composition through effects on both fat mass and fat-free [...]

Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are increasingly prescribed for obesity and type 2 diabetes, demonstrating efficacy in weight loss and glycemic control [1-3]. Beyond metabolic effects, these medications show protective effects against renal disease progression and reduce major adverse cardiovascular events [4]. GLP-1 agonists influence body composition through effects on both fat mass and fat-free [...]

Background: Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), also known as medical emergency or patient response teams, are widely implemented in hospitals to improve patient outcomes. Existing literature demonstrates that RRTs reduce in-hospital mortality, cardiac arrest, and unplanned ICU admissions. However, less is known about the outcomes of patients transferred to the ICU following an RRT activation. At [...]

Background: Safety-net hospitals are disproportionately affected by the national intensivist shortage. The Society of Critical Care Medicine estimates the U.S. needs over 48,000 intensivists, but fewer than half are available. This shortage is pronounced in rural and underserved urban areas, leaving hospitalists in resource-limited settings to manage critically ill patients with minimal or no intensivist [...]

Case Presentation: A 25-year-old Wolof-speaking male who recently arrived from Senegal with remote history of malaria (unclear treatment, no hospitalization) presented to the hospital with a three-day history of dull global headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, watery diarrhea, and hematuria. Upon arrival, he was noted to be diaphoretic, dehydrated, tachycardic, and hypoglycemic. Labs were significant for [...]

Case Presentation: A 41-year-old male with a history of intravenous drug use presented with status epilepticus. His seizures were preceded by episodic catatonia, hallucinations, and paranoia over the last two months. He was intubated and admitted to the ICU for evaluation of acute encephalopathy and seizures. Collateral history revealed absence of fevers or headache, and [...]

Case Presentation: A 53-year-old Vietnamese monk living in a rural Texas monastery presented with fatigue, muscle aches, and fever that progressed to respiratory distress after a two-week delay in seeking care. He was intubated and sedated at a tertiary care center. He was afebrile, tachycardic (HR 122 bpm), and normotensive. Labs showed a leukocytosis (WBC [...]