Internal Medicine Alert – December 30, 2022

Patients with Chronic Pain and Opioid Misuse: What Treatment Works?

Among primary care patients diagnosed with comorbid chronic pain and opioid misuse, researchers found a specially designed, mindfulness-based group therapy showed superiority to generic supportive group therapy in reducing opioid use and controlling symptoms of chronic pain.

Apixaban for Venous Thromboembolism in Patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease

There is a lower risk of bleeding for those taking apixaban during venous thromboembolism treatment compared to warfarin in patients with end-stage kidney disease.

Is Routine Stress Testing After Coronary Revascularization Necessary?

A multicentered study of routine stress testing at one year post-percutaneous coronary revascularization compared to usual care in patients with at least one high-risk coronary anatomic or clinical feature failed to show improved clinical outcomes at two years follow-up.

It’s Not All About the Cough

Be careful about relying on clinical queries that focus on the presence of cough for two or more weeks, which could lead to delays in the diagnosis of nearly half of pulmonary tuberculosis cases.

Teplizumab-mzwv Injection (Tzield)

Teplizumab can be prescribed to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes in adults and pediatric patients age 8 years and older with stage 2 type 1 diabetes.