Background: Ultrasonography is a safe, non-invasive bedside tool used by providers to obtain real-time, dynamic images to support diagnostic guidance, therapeutic decisions, and procedural success. Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) has demonstrated improved outcomes in states of critical illness such as trauma or shock and enhanced the command and accuracy of procedural skills. Despite these important measures, […]

Background: Ultrasonography is a safe, non-invasive bedside tool used by providers to obtain real-time, dynamic images to support diagnostic guidance, therapeutic decisions, and procedural success. Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) has demonstrated improved outcomes in states of critical illness such as trauma or shock and enhanced the command and accuracy of procedural skills. Despite these important measures, […]

Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) primarily occurs in elderly adults and contributes to excess patient mortality, readmissions, and hospital and postdischarge costs. Two‐thirds of CDI hospitalizations are for patients with CDI as a secondary diagnosis (secondary CDI). These patients, who either acquired CDI in the hospital or were admitted for a more serious condition, may […]

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming an important part of internal medicine (IM) residency training. Achieving competency requires performing a large volume of clinical exams which can be difficult within the constraints of residency. Often cited barriers include insufficient resident time and the interruption of daily workflow. Methods: Prospective cohort study within a 700-bed, quaternary […]

Background: Little is known about how to effectively train residents with point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) despite increasing usage. This study sought to assess whether handheld ultrasound devices (HUDs), alongside a year-long lecture series, improved trainee image interpretation skills with POCUS. Methods: Internal medicine intern physicians (n=149) at a single academic institution from 2016-18 participated in the […]

Background: Despite recommendations for mobility, older inpatients often stay in bed, increasing the risk for functional decline after discharge. Although studies show poor sleep is associated with lowered daytime physical activity in community‐dwelling adults, no study has examined this association in hospitalized adults who suffer acute sleep loss from a variety of disruptions. The aim […]

Background: The latest guidelines on parapneumonic effusion (PPE) management1 recommend immediate evaluation of PPE with ultrasound. Recognizing that bedside procedure services (BPSs) staffed with procedural hospitalists (proceduralists) are becoming the first point of ultrasound contact for many patients admitted with PPE our study sought to demonstrate that proceduralists can reliably agree with radiologists (viewed as […]

Background: Despite widespread use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), about 1 in 20 patients who receive these devices will develop PICC‐related deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Preventing this complication is an important goal for hospitalists. Although prophylactic anticoagulation with heparin for the duration of catheter placement (both in and out of the hospital) has been […]

Case Presentation: A 72‐year‐old man with a history of coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, hypertension, and nonfunctional left adrenal cortical adenoma resected 1 month ago presented after a syncopal episode lasting several minutes. He felt lightheaded prior to losing consciousness. There was no seizure activity, confusion, unilateral weakness, chest pain, palpitations, or shortness […]

Background: Imaging diagnostics such as CT and MRI are practically inaccessible to many of this developing nation’s 42 million citizens. Ultrasound, however, is more readily available but primarily limited to use in obstetrics. With proper training, the diagnostic utility of ultrasonography may be expanded to non-obstetric point-of-care examinations. In this study, we aimed to evaluate […]