Salbutamol Causes More Harm Than Benefit to Patients with Early ARDS
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Salbutamol infusion significantly increased 28-day mortality.
Reviewing:
Gao Smith F et al., Lancet 2012 Jan 21; 379:229
Thompson BT., Lancet 2012 Jan 21; 379:196
Joint Commission Accreditation Portends Higher Quality of Care
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
February 6, 2012
Arun Mohan, MD, MBA, and Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, SFHM
Accredited hospitals outperform nonaccredited hospitals and improve more over time.
Reviewing:
Schmaltz SP et al., J Hosp Med 2011 Oct; 6:454
Do Discharge Facilitators Improve the Discharge Process?
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
This intervention improved follow-up scheduling and discharge-summary completion but did not affect hospital readmissions or emergency department visits within 30 days of discharge.
Reviewing:
Finn KM et al., J Hosp Med 2011 Nov/Dec; 6:494
Admission and Repeat Head CT for Patients on Warfarin with Minor Head Injury?
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
This approach identifies most delayed intracranial bleeds, but whether it changes patient outcomes and justifies the increased resources is not clear.
Reviewing:
Menditto VG et al., Ann Emerg Med 2012 Jan 13
Neurologists Sometimes Disagree with Emergency Physicians' Diagnoses of TIA
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
In a retrospective single-center study, features associated with discordant diagnoses were headache, involuntary movement, and dizziness.
Reviewing:
Schrock JW et al., Ann Emerg Med 2012 Jan; 59:19
Acute Kidney Injury in Myocardial Infarction
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Even relatively small increases in serum creatinine were associated with adverse outcomes.
Reviewing:
Fox CS et al., Circulation 2012 Jan 24; 125:497
Rate of Physician Referrals Is on the Rise
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
The increase was particularly large for cardiac, gastrointestinal, orthopedic, dermatologic, and ear/nose/throat symptoms.
Reviewing:
Barnett ML et al., Arch Intern Med 2012 Jan 23; 172:163
Cytomegalovirus Serostatus and Outcome in Critically Ill Patients
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
In a large, retrospective study, 64% of critically ill patients were CMV positive, but CMV serostatus was not associated with outcome.
Reviewing:
De Vlieger G et al., Crit Care Med 2012 Jan; 40:36
Readmission Rates in the U.S. vs. the Rest of the World
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
Trial data suggest that readmission after STEMI is more common — and length of initial hospital stay, shorter — in the U.S. than in other countries; but the picture may be skewed.
Reviewing:
Kociol RD et al., JAMA 2012 Jan 4; 307:66
PCI Safe at Centers With or Without On-Site CABG
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
A new meta-analysis suggests that on-site backup surgical capability is not necessary for either primary or elective PCI.
Reviewing:
Singh M et al., JAMA 2011 Dec 14; 306:2487
Kinlay S., JAMA 2011 Dec 14; 306:2507
