Browse Hematology/Oncology Articles by Topic

Are There Definitive Clues?

How certain are you that the run of wide complex tachycardia that begins with beat #4 is ventricular tachycardia?

Encephalitis Due to Powassan Virus

Powassan virus is transmitted by the same tick that carries the etiologic agent of Lyme disease and several other pathogens. The number of cases of encephalitis caused by this virus may be increasing in the endemic areas.

Ready for Dengue in the United States?

Dengue is increasingly recognized in the southern United States. When recently surveyed, however, clinicians in Texas seemed incompletely prepared to understand and manage patients with dengue.

Infective Endocarditis Trends and Outcomes

Using large databases from New York and California, investigators found the overall incidence of infective endocarditis remained stable between 1998 and 2013, and 90-day mortality declined. Changes were noted in pathogen etiology and patient characteristics over time.

Is Exposure to Arterial Hyperoxia During Critical Illness Dangerous?

Exposure to severe hyperoxia during critical illness is associated positively with increased ICU and hospital mortality and associated negatively with ventilator-free days.

Predicting Electrical Cardioversion Failure

A study of the 30-day success rate of electrical cardioversion of acute atrial fibrillation revealed five clinical predictors of recurrence. These were combined into a risk score that could be useful to avoid unnecessary cardioversions in the acute setting.

Tolvaptan Fails to Improve Dyspnea in Acute Heart Failure

In patients hospitalized for acute heart failure, adding tolvaptan to furosemide lead to increased weight and fluid loss, but did not improve dyspnea at 24 hours.

Restricting Fluoroquinolone Use Reduces CDI More Than Infection Control Methods

An observational study from England showed that restricting fluoroquinolone use reduced incidence of Clostridium difficile infection more than would be predicted by improved infection control methods alone.

Risk Factors for Hospital Readmissions Ending in Death or Transition to Hospice

In this retrospective cohort study, multiple factors were identified during initial hospitalization, including sepsis and shock, that were associated with a hospital readmission within 30 days resulting in death or transition to hospice. Infection was a frequent cause for readmissions that ended in death.

Study Challenges Orthodoxy of IV Hydration for Prevention of Contrast Nephropathy

SYNOPSIS: This trial randomized 660 patients with chronic kidney disease and a planned procedure requiring intravascular iodinated contrast to prophylactic hydration or to no hydration. No hydration was found to be non-inferior for prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy and saved significant costs.