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Breast MRI Exams Increase the Biopsy Rate Without Improving Cancer Detection

Compared to women who undergo breast cancer screening with mammography alone, those receiving MRI exams experience a two- to fivefold increased rate of core and surgical biopsy. However, the biopsies have a lower cancer yield rate than mammography alone.

Obesity and Prolapse: Are They Related?

Women with a body mass index in the overweight and obese range are more likely to experience pelvic organ prolapse compared to women in the normal range.

Induction of Labor at 39 Weeks

Inducing low-risk obstetrical patients at 39 weeks may be associated with lower rates of cesarean delivery and the need for neonatal respiratory support.

ECMO vs. Prone Position in ARDS: The Curious Rejection of Evidence-based Practice

Despite credible evidence from a large, randomized, controlled trial and numerous meta-analyses demonstrating improved outcomes, prone position is seldom attempted prior to initiating extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to treat severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Critical Illness-related Corticosteroid Insufficiency: What’s New?

For critically ill patients with sepsis, septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and major trauma, a multispecialty task force of 16 international experts developed evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis of corticosteroid insufficiency and use of corticosteroids in the ICU.

A Perspective on PEEP at 50 Years

Fifty years ago, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) was introduced as an effective technique for improving oxygenation in patients with large intrapulmonary shunt, the hallmark of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Although PEEP remains the primary means for stabilizing oxygenation in ARDS, consensus on how to approach setting it remains elusive. This is a narrative review on how our understanding and approach to PEEP has evolved over the past half century.

ED Malpractice Claims Allege Failure to Obtain Translator

According to one expert: “An entire case can be brought around one inadvertent slip-up."

Will Antibiotics for Appendicitis Become Standard of Care for ED?

Antibiotics instead of surgery is a reasonable approach for some patients with early uncomplicated appendicitis, according to the authors of a recent study; however, it is not the standard of care.

Plaintiff Attorney Could Depict ‘Early Adopters’ of New ED Treatment Approaches as Reckless

New treatment approaches may be good options for a particular ED patient, but a bad outcome can trigger malpractice litigation alleging the standard of care was violated.

Untwisting the Myths: A Medicolegal Review of Testicular Torsion

Testicular torsion (TT) is a urologic emergency with potentially devastating consequences and costs for providers and patients alike. With an annual incidence of approximately 4.5 per 100,000 males aged 1-25 years, TT is an uncommon medical condition, yet is the third most common cause of medical malpractice suit in this demographic. Because of varying presentations and physical exam findings, along with diagnostic imaging subject to individual interpretation, ED providers may miss this time-sensitive diagnosis.