Background: Outcomes among hospitalized patients with severe vision impairment or blindness have not been extensively explored. The purpose of this study was to determine clinical and resource utilization outcomes in patients with severe vision impairment/blindness. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for year 2017, hospitalized adults with and without [...]

Background: It is not known whether hospital outcomes are different among patients with deafness/mutism compared to those without this disability. The purpose of this study was to assess clinical outcomes and utilization data among patients with deafness/mutism compared to all other patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Nationwide Inpatient Sample year 2017, hospitalized [...]

Background: Historically, patients transferred from one hospital to another are admitted through the emergency department and then placed on the desired unit at the accepting hospital. This practice creates delays for critically ill patients in need of continuous ICU care. A strategy known as the direct admission addresses this issue. With this strategy, transfer patients [...]

Background: Serum levels of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal (NT) proBNP are measured at admission to assess likelihood of acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Pro-BNP, released by myocardium due to cardiac wall distention, is cleaved into the active BNP and inactive NT-proBNP forms. Elevated NT-proBNP levels on initial presentation are a reliable marker of [...]

Background: Migraine headache is a common pediatric disorder frequently leading to hospital admission. Inpatient migraine headache treatment involves increasingly complex treatments, including fluid resuscitation and a variety of medications and therapies. Our previous study(1) has shown that the cost of inpatient treatment for pediatric migraine headache is increasing at a higher rate than reported overall [...]

Background: Length of stay (LOS) is an important outcome measure in the evaluation of the quality of care for hospitalized patients. LOS in adults with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is reported to be about 3 days, but detailed information about LOS in pediatric patients with DKA is lacking. Knowledge of factors that impact LOS is essential [...]

Background: Patients with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) are a nationwide concern. They have significant morbidity, mortality & for several reasons, such as comorbid psychiatric conditions, medication noncompliance, low income or poor access to healthcare services, have an increased risk of hospital readmissions. Processes aimed at reducing readmission rates in this population are important for improving [...]

Background: Prolonged lengths of stay (PLOS) on general internal medicine wards are associated with increased mortality and morbidity for patients and represent a costly source of health care spending [1]. Increasingly, nonmedical barriers to discharge, including the need for guardianship, limited facility options, and lack of home support are recognized as contributors to PLOS in [...]

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a common, chronic clinical syndrome often accompanied by episodes of acute decompensation driven by volume overload (1). Reversing this overloaded state is the principal goal in treatment of acute decompensated HF, typically achieved using loop diuretics (2). Despite ubiquitous use of loop diuretics, guidance on initial dosing strategies remains limited [...]

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a major contributor to hospitalizations. At our institution, we determined that the average length of stay (LOS) for HF admissions was 0.54 days longer than expected compared to similar hospitals nationwide based on a risk-adjusted methodology. A chart review (n=25 patients) revealed that LOS was often extended due to ongoing [...]