Hospital Medicine Alert – September 1, 2017

September 1, 2017

• Cefazolin Leads to Better Outcomes for Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Than Nafcillin or Oxacillin

  SYNOPSIS: A retrospective study that included patients from 119 Veterans Affairs hospitals found lower mortality and a similar recurrence rate for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia treated with cefazolin compared to nafcillin and oxacillin.

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• Early Diuretic Administration Associated With Improved Survival in Acute Heart Failure Patients

  SYNOPSIS: Among patients presenting to the ED with acute heart failure, those who received the first dose of intravenous furosemide within 60 minutes of arrival demonstrated lower in-hospital mortality compared to those receiving the first dose after 60 minutes.

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• Requiem for Beta-blockers Post-Myocardial Infarction?

  SYNOPSIS: A propensity score analysis of all hospital survivors of acute myocardial infarction in the United Kingdom from 2007-2013 showed that one-year survival in hospital patients without heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction treated with beta-blockers did not differ from survival in those patients not so treated.

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• Maternal Mortality, Postpartum Hemorrhage, and Tranexamic Acid: The WOMAN Study

  SYNOPSIS: A multicenter study involving patients in 193 countries has shown a decrease in maternal mortality in women with postpartum hemorrhage who were given tranexamic acid once the diagnosis was made.

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• Safe Treatment Recommendations for Benzodiazepine Dependence

  SYNOPSIS: There are clear, evidence-based treatment withdrawal regimens for benzodiazepine-dependent patients.

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