As residents we were always taught not to extubate at night. This JAMA cohort study examined the frequency of overnight extubations and their outcomes. This study looked at 97 844 patients in US intensive care units who were intubated. They found 20.1% were extubated at night. The study extended from January 1, 2015, to July 5,… Read More
This is a link to the 4th annual report from the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area publication which reports on the effects of legalization in Colorado. Marijuana related traffic deaths increased 48 percent in the three year average (2013‐2015) since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana compared to the three‐year average (2010‐2012) prior to legalization.… Read More
This November 2016 Modern Health article looks at the fatalistic view many gun violence survivors and witnesses have and how it affects their lives and future behaviors. This is especially true with children who are repeatedly exposed to violence. The trauma surrounding exposure to gun violence is not disputed, especially among children. In 1995, the… Read More
This November 4, 2016 New York Times Article talks about how Community paramedicine programs are expanding and are increasingly tending to older patients in their homes, solving problems there and eliminating costly ambulance trips. In 2009, when Medstar Mobile Healthcare began enrolling patients in Fort Worth, it was one of four emergency services in the… Read More
This JAMA article discusses the problems of routinely hospitalizing elderly patients which may hasten their disability, independence, and demise In older patients, acute medical illness that requires hospitalization is a sentinel event that often precipitates disability. This results in the subsequent inability to live independently and complete basic activities of daily living (ADLs). This hospitalization-associated… Read More
This is a shocking graph that indicates according to the CDC that middle school kids are more likely to die from suicide then motor vehicle accidents. This is from MMWR Source: QuickStats: Death Rates for Motor Vehicle Traffic Injury, Suicide, and Homicide Among Children and Adolescents aged 10–14 Years — United States, 1999–2014 |… Read More
This is a troubling study that finds an inverse relationship between readmissions and mortality. It states that if you include increased mortality as a quality measure almost 1/3 of hospitals with a favorable readmission rate would be penalized This study attempts to determine how readmission penalties for hospitals in the United States would change if… Read More
This November 3, 2016 JAMA Viewpoint suggests the apparent association between a reduction of psychiatric beds and increasing suicide rates in the United States. The article proposes that the US needs to expand inpatient psychiatric treatment facilities to prevent suicides Currently, the United States has a relatively low 22 psychiatric beds per 100 000 population compared… Read More
This Jama Facial and Plastic Surgery article looks at satisfaction, efficacy, longevity, and safety of hyaluronic acid filler for treatment of midface volume loss. Even with a relatively low mean injection volume of 6.65 mL patients achieved satisfactory cosmetic results. The study followed participants for 12 months. The majority were female but 5% were male… Read More
