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In this issue: Aspirin and cancer prevention; rivaroxaban for pulmonary embolism; new rhinosinusitis practice guidelines; and FDA actions.
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Subjects in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial estrogen-only study randomized to receive conjugated estrogens had a lower incidence of invasive breast cancer than did those who received placebo.
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Currently, screening for fetal aneuploidy involves a variety of first-line methods that put into play combinations of maternal serum analytes and ultrasound exams in the first and second trimester, with invasive procedures such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis being reserved for those at higher risk by history, age, or worrisome results from first-line screening. As will be discussed, each screening combination comes with its own predictive accuracy and now patients and providers can choose from a buffet of screening options, including going right to the main course (amniocentesis or CVS) if one wants 100% accuracy at a small risk of fetal loss (we quote a 1 in 400 risk with amniocentesis and about a 1 in 100 risk for CVS).
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Patients with preterm contractions, who subsequently were diagnosed to have false labor and discharged, do not have an increased risk for early preterm birth, neonatal mortality, or lower Apgar scores. However, they do have a slightly greater chance of delivering in the late preterm period (34 to 36 weeks).
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Interpret the rhythm strip shown above. The widened beats on the tracing are not ventricular. What else might they be?
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The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in urinary pathogens has led Hooton and colleagues to examine the efficacy of a relatively broad spectrum orally administered cephalosporin in the treatment of uncomplicated cystitis.
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This article provides many excellent suggestions and strategies for improving communication among the members of the critical care team to reduce medical errors.
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In this study in which all patients with clinically suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia were given prompt empiric antibiotic therapy, whether that therapy turned out to be appropriate for the organisms recovered turned out to be an important determinant of patient outcomes.
