June 8, 2013
Patient satisfaction appears to be higher when emergency physicians contact them via email or phone briefly after a visit to the ED when compared with no contact. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center found an average patient satisfaction rate of 79.4% among those who were not contacted, compared with a 87.7% rate for those who were contacted.…
June 6, 2013
Ultrasonography appears to have a strong ability to detect shoulder dislocations among patients who present to the ED with a clinical impression of such an event, according to an observational study. Ultrasonography demonstrated results that were identical to those found on radiography.…
June 5, 2013
A simple clinical risk score involving seven characteristics appears to help identify women with angina pectoris who have abnormal stress test findings and are likely to have coronary artery disease (CAD). A study showed that independent predictors of CAD included age 55 or older, BMI less than 30 kg/m2, smoking, low HDL cholesterol, family history of premature CAD, lateral abnormality on stress imaging, and an exercise capacity of less than 5 metabolic equivalents.…
June 4, 2013
Researchers from New York suggest that readmissions after CABG may be reduced through careful postoperative surveillance for risk factors and frequent causes of readmission. The study team found that cardiac and pulmonary complications, including pleural effusions, were frequent reasons for readmission.…
Among patients with early stage breast cancer, breast-conserving therapy with radiation appears to be associated with a better disease-specific survival (DSS) when compared with mastectomy. A large investigation revealed that DSS results were greater among women aged 50 and older with hormone receptor (HR)-positive disease than for younger women with HR-negative disease.…
When compared with usual care, peer health coaching appears to significantly improve diabetes control in low-income patients. A 6-month study found that A1C levels dropped by 1.07% for those who received coaching, compared with a 0.3% decreased rate for those receiving usual care.…
Results of a study of patients with shock requiring high-dose vasopressor therapy indicate that only about one in six survives to 90 days after therapy. Stress-dose corticosteroid therapy was associated with a higher survival rate and appeared reasonable in this patient population.…
Lung cancer screening does not appear to change risk perceptions of the disease or smoking-related conditions among current and former smokers with a minimum 30 pack-year history. In the 1-year analysis, researchers found that any changes in risk perceptions were not associated with changes in smoking status.…
June 3, 2013
In patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) infections, the development of CIED-related infective endocarditis and the presence of comorbid conditions appear to increase short- and long-term mortality, according to a Mayo Clinic study. The authors noted that patient age, heart failure, metastatic malignancy, corticosteroid therapy, and renal failure were associated with long-term mortality in patients with CIED infections.…
