Background: The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) might be protective in patients with sepsis. We sought to characterize potential association of hyperlipidemia (HLP) vs no HLP with all-cause mortality among patients hospitalized for pneumonia. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study. The initial cohort consisted of consecutive 8,553 adults hospitalized at a large academic center with […]

Background: Research surrounding COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is rapidly increasing, including the study of biomarkers for predicting outcomes. There is little data examining the correlation between serum albumin levels and COVID-19 disease severity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether admission albumin levels reliably predict outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed […]

Background: Uncertain language, specifically for the diagnosis of pneumonia in chest radiograph reports has been noted in previous research studies (1, 2, 3). In fact, as many as 1 out of every 4 chest x-rays (CXRs) are not positive or negative for pneumonia but are uncertain (4). Some uncertain reports use language modifiers that precede […]

Background: Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the leading causes of hospitalization in the United States.[1] In an effort to improve the quality of care for this resource-intensive disease, our institution implemented a clinical decision support (CDS) pathway for CAP comprised of three phases: (1) education on best practices, (2) education and a CDS […]

Case Presentation: 55 year old man with history of diabetes, hypertension and remote history of testicular cancer treated with chemotherapy and orchiectomy in 1993 and currently with no active malignancy presents with fever and malaise which began about a week ago. On admission, his laboratory results were notable for leukocytosis with a white blood cell […]

Case Presentation: A 51-year-old Hispanic male with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia was admitted from the ED for evaluation of recurrent fevers, multiple joint pains, and tachycardia. Physical exam findings included cachectic appearance and right inguinal lymphadenopathy. Initial laboratory testing was significant for a WBC of 23,300 (80.2% neutrophils, 13.3% lymphocytes), Hb of 11.1, […]

Case Presentation: A 57 year-old male with history of alcoholic cirrhosis, hypertension, and stage IV chronic kidney disease (CKD) presented to the hospital with bilateral lower extremity edema and shortness of breath. He was diagnosed with worsening CKD meeting criteria for hemodialysis, acute decompensated cirrhosis, severe sepsis due to spontaneous bacterial peritonitis complicated by pansensitive […]

Case Presentation: A 50-year-old male with history of gastric lap band, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes presented with two months of worsening shortness of breath. He denied cough, fever, myalgias, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell, or pleuritic chest pain. He had no history of asthma, COPD, or tobacco use. […]

Case Presentation: 68-year-old white female presented with upper respiratory tract symptoms which progressed to cough in 4 days and she was found to have a right lower lobe pneumonia. Her sputum culture revealed MSSA (Methicillin Susceptible Staphylococcus Aureus) and she was treated with ceftriaxone and azithromycin. But her pneumonia worsened and she developed parapneumonic effusion, […]

Case Presentation: A 44-year-old female with a past medical history of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (hemoglobin A1c 16.5%), hypertension, and obesity presented to the emergency room (ER) for left sided facial swelling after a mosquito bite. Physical exam revealed swelling, erythema, and tenderness and she was diagnosed with facial cellulitis, for which she was […]