Browse Hematology/Oncology Articles by Topic

Safe Treatment Recommendations for Benzodiazepine Dependence

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Is Bariatric Surgery the Antidote for Female-associated Cancers?

This study investigated gastric surgery as a prevention for female-associated cancers. Women with a body mass index of ≥ 38 kg/m² who had surgery had an average of 28 kg of weight loss compared to the control group. This resulted in a statistically significant decrease in endometrial cancer.

Distinguishing Ischemic from Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathy Clinically

SYNOPSIS: This cardiac catheterization-based study of patients with newly diagnosed reduced left ventricular ejection fraction of unknown etiology showed that 15% had ischemic cardiomyopathy and they could be identified by clinical characteristics and an ECG-based risk score.

B-type Natriuretic Peptide Is Less Useful in Elderly Patients with Dyspnea

SYNOPSIS: Among patients ≥ 80 years of age presenting with acute dyspnea, B-type natriuretic peptide level was not useful for differentiating cardiac vs. respiratory etiologies when added to a model of clinical predictors.

Sepsis Management: What We Think We Know

SYNOPSIS: In the Protocolized Resuscitation in Sepsis Meta-Analysis (PRISM), 3,723 patients’ outcomes from the ProCESS, ARISE, and ProMISe randomized, controlled trials of early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) were evaluated. EGDT did not result in better outcomes than usual care and was associated with higher costs. The authors of a second study looked at outcomes of 49,331 patients with sepsis treated in New York from April 2014 to June 2016. More rapid completion of the three-hour sepsis bundle and antibiotic administration (but not rapid bolus administration of IV fluids) was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality.

Dual Antibiotic Therapy Is Not Routinely Necessary for Uncomplicated Cellulitis

SYNOPSIS: A randomized, multicenter, placebo-controlled clinical trial that enrolled patients presenting to emergency departments with uncomplicated cellulitis found the addition of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole to cephalexin did not lead to better outcomes.