Author Archives: dscheurer

Machines better for CPR

Posted on May 18, 2013 by dscheurer

This meta-analysis of 12 studies of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest found that machine-delivered CPR was associated with ~1.5 times the odds of return of spontaneous circulation compared to human CPR. This may also be true for in-hospital arrest but needs further … Continue reading →

Posted in Cardiology, Pulmonary and Critical Care | Leave a comment

Continue warfarin for pacer/ICD procedures

Posted on May 11, 2013 by dscheurer

In this trial of patients on warfarin undergoing a pacer/ICD procedure, they were randomized to continue warfarin perioperatively, or receive heparin bridge therapy. The study was stopped early when the heparin group suffered 4 times more device pocket hematomas than … Continue reading →

Posted in Cardiology, Hematology and Oncology | Leave a comment

Copper reduces hospital acquired infections

Posted on May 11, 2013 by dscheurer

The use of copper on high-touch ICU surfaces significantly reduces the risk of hospital acquired infections and MRSA/VRE colonization (abstract).

Posted in ID | Leave a comment

Guidelines for the management of ascites

Posted on May 11, 2013 by dscheurer

The American Association for the Study of Liver Disease has released guidelines on the management of ascites. Among the recommendations, some include: use caution when prescribing agents that lower arterial blood pressure (such as ACE/ARBs), avoid the vaptan drugs, and … Continue reading →

Posted in GI | Leave a comment

SSRIs associated with higher perioperative risks

Posted on May 4, 2013 by dscheurer

This large propensity matched study found perioperative SSRIs were associated with higher in-hospital mortality, bleeding, and 30 day readmission rates compared to those not on SSRIs. More data is needed to determine if the association is due to the SSRI … Continue reading →

Posted in Peri-Operative Medicine | Leave a comment

FDA approves prothrombin concentrate

Posted on May 4, 2013 by dscheurer

The FDA just approved a prothrombin complex concentrate (Kcentra) to reversal bleeding associated with vitamin K antagonists. It does not require thawing or blood type matching, unlike plasma, but it does carry a black box warning for risk of clotting … Continue reading →

Posted in Hematology and Oncology | Leave a comment

Penicillin for cellulitis prophylaxis

Posted on May 4, 2013 by dscheurer

The large trial recruited patients with 2 or more recurrent bouts of leg cellulitis and randomized them to 12 months of penicillin (250mg BID) or placebo. Recurrence was lower in the penicillin group (22% vs 37%), with no difference in … Continue reading →

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Medicaid benefits?

Posted on May 4, 2013 by dscheurer

This study in Oregon compared 2 year results of those that were enrolled in Medicaid or not, based on a random lottery system. There were no difference between the groups in outcomes of chronic conditions, such as high cholesterol or … Continue reading →

Posted in Other | Leave a comment

H7N9 cases in China

Posted on May 4, 2013 by dscheurer

China has now reported 126 human cases of H7N9 influenza, including 24 deaths. Almost all cases had severe respiratory illnesses requiring hospitalization. No cases have been seen in the US, and the CDC is actively working on a vaccine (CDC … Continue reading →

Posted in Influenza | Leave a comment

CABG vs PCI: depends on the patient

Posted on April 27, 2013 by dscheurer

This large randomized trial found lower mortality with CABG (vs PCI) in patients with diabetes, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, or tobacco use; but those with none of these risk factors had lower mortality with PCI (abstract).

Posted in Cardiology | Comments Off