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In this issue: Azithromycin and cardiac risk; warfarin and heart failure; aspirin and VTE; effectiveness of long-acting contraceptives; and FDA actions.
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Recent ACIP recommendations for the management of influenza virus infections include: "1) early antiviral treatment of suspected or confirmed influenza among persons with severe influenza (e.g., those who have severe, complicated, or progressive illness or who require hospitalization); 2) early antiviral treatment of suspected or confirmed influenza among persons at higher risk for influenza complications; and 3) either oseltamivir or zanamivir for persons with influenza caused by 2009 H1N1 virus, influenza A (H3N2) virus, or influenza B virus or when the influenza virus type or influenza A virus subtype is unknown; 4) oseltamivir may be used for treatment or chemoprophylaxis of influenza among infants aged <1 year when indicated; 5) local influenza testing and influenza surveillance data, when available, to help guide treatment decisions; and 6) consideration of antiviral treatment for outpatients with confirmed or suspected influenza who do not have known risk factors for severe illness, if treatment can be initiated within 48 hours of illness onset."
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Scenario: The 12-lead ECG shown above was obtained from a 72-year-old woman seen in the emergency department (ED) with new-onset chest discomfort. No prior ECGs were available for comparison. The tracing was interpreted as "showing no acute changes." Do you agree? What else do you see?
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Elderly patients are often prescribed analgesics after ambulatory and short-stay surgery which may lead to their long-term use.
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Treatment of dyslipidemia with statins produces consistent, durable lowering of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), which is associated with substantial reductions in myocardial infarction and stroke.
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Short (< 7 hours/night) sleep duration is associated with increased BMI and increased genetic influences on BMI. Longer sleep duration may reduce genetic influences on body weight.
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A completely synthetic, once-monthly, erythropoiesis-stimulating agent has been approved for the treatment of anemia in dialysis patients.
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Infectious disease societies frustrated at watching antimicrobial resistance increase for decades are taking the unusual step of asking for federal regulation and oversight of clinical practice, imploring the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to require hospitals to implement antimicrobial stewardship programs.
