Background: Antipsychotics are frequently used in the hospital setting for managing both acute and chronic psychiatric disorders. However, antipsychotics have been associated with higher rates of mortality due to their cardiovascular risk factors, such as QT prolongation. This study aimed to determine the association between cumulative dose of antipsychotics (first and second-generation) and QT prolongation, [...]

Background: Cardiac arrest is a major cause of in-hospital mortality and morbidity. Despite advances in treatment and several interventions to target mortality and improve outcomes, cardiac arrest continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to examine outcomes of cardiac arrest patients. In addition to mortality, length [...]

Background: Hip fracture is a common reason for urgent inpatient surgery. In the last few years, several professional societies have identified preoperative echocardiography and stress testing for non-cardiac surgeries as low-value diagnostics. Delaying hip fracture surgery beyond 48 hours leads to worse outcomes. We sought to describe the prevalence of preoperative cardiac testing for inpatient [...]

Background: In 2014, the ACC/AHA released guidelines regarding indications for preoperative transthoracic echocardiogram (pre-op TTE) in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Studies indicate that the ordering of pre-op TTE in noncardiac surgery is not consistent with the ACC/AHA guidelines. Some studies suggest the pre-op TTE have a significant impact on management, while others have demonstrated low cardiac [...]

Background: Perioperative management of anticoagulant in mechanical valve patients is challenging, Current recommendations focus on management in patients undergoing elective surgery, while the data in patients hospitalized for emergency/urgency non-cardiac surgery is limited. We aimed to identify thromboembolic and bleeding events after anticoagulant interruption in patients with mechanical heart valves hospitalized for emergency/urgent non-cardiac surgery. [...]

Background: Overuse of non-ICU continuous cardiac (telemetry) monitoring is a well-documented problem that leads to increased hospital cost, alarm fatigue, nursing time loss, and patient discomfort. It is often ordered for detection of clinical deterioration or higher level of nursing care, without corroborating evidence. Several studies have looked at different interventions to reduce inappropriate telemetry [...]

Background: In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is an unpredictable, catastrophic event affecting approximately 200,000 US adults annually. Best outcomes during IHCA result from focused training and credentialing by AHA (ACLS, BLS). Although hospitalists supervise IHCA, best practices for resuscitation skills, preparedness, plus overall approach remain undefined. Methods: We developed an online survey of IHCA resuscitation responsibilities [...]

Background: An increased cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) on chest radiographs (CXR) is considered equivalent to cardiomegaly. However, its diagnostic value to identify left ventricular (LV) dilation is unclear. Methods: We reviewed and included the diagnostic studies that utilized CXR as the index test and TTE as the reference standard to diagnose LV dilation. Two-gate (case-control) diagnostic [...]

Case Presentation: A 37-year-old-male with no significant past medical history who presents to the hospital with 2 months of progressive exertional dyspnea, palpitations and scrotal pain. He has also noticed some leg swelling and has a nonproductive cough. For the past 6 months, he has had ongoing diarrhea and unintentional weight loss of about 20 [...]

Case Presentation: A 56 y/o African American male with a history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation presented with “pounding” chest pain after being assaulted. On presentation, the patient was afebrile and normotensive but significantly tachycardic (heart rate 140). Physical exam revealed an irregular rhythm with a s3 gallop and a 2/6 systolic murmur in the left [...]