Browse Internal Medicine Articles by Topic

Four Months of Rifampin Is Just as Effective, Safer, and Less Expensive than Nine Months of Isoniazid for Latent Tuberculosis

A health system cost comparison found that four months of rifampin was safer and less expensive than nine months of isoniazid in high-income countries, medium-income countries, and African countries.

Antibiotic Use in COVID-19 Patients

Fifty-seven percent of patients with COVID-19 infection treated at 38 hospitals in Michigan received early empiric antibiotics, although only 3.5% of patients had documented community-onset bacterial co-infection.

Seasonal Coronavirus: A “Common Cold Virus” that May Be Lethal in Severely Immunocompromised Patients

Seasonal coronaviruses, which are a frequent cause of benign upper respiratory tract infections, may be fatal in severely immunocompromised patients.

Repeat SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Whole genome sequencing confirmed that repeat infection with SARS-CoV-2 is possible, something that has consequences for vaccine use and for public health.

Considerations and Concerns with Vitamin C in Sepsis and Septic Shock

Sepsis remains a major healthcare problem associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Roles for hydrocortisone, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and thiamine (HAT therapy) as potential adjuvants remain controversial.

ORANGES and ACTS Trials: No Mortality Benefit with Ascorbic Acid, Thiamine, and Hydrocortisone in Septic Shock Patients

Two double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trials involving 337 patients (ORANGES, n = 137; ACTS, n = 200) with sepsis and septic shock have shown that administration of ascorbic acid, thiamine, and hydrocortisone did not reduce organ dysfunction or improve overall mortality. However, both trials showed that this combination therapy was effective in reducing the time to achieve shock resolution or shock-free days.

Does BAMI Spell the End for Cell-Based Therapy After Acute Myocardial Infarction?

Investigators tested the mortality benefit of intracoronary bone marrow cells in patients with successfully reperfused acute myocardial infarction. They observed no effect on mortality.

Pulmonary Artery Denervation: A Promising Treatment Option for CTEPH

A trial of patients with residual chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension following pulmonary endarterectomy showed pulmonary artery denervation is superior to medical management with riociguat.

When Aortic Stenosis Is Almost Severe: What Happens Next?

A study of patients with normal flow, low gradients, normal left ventricular systolic function but with calculated aortic valve areas <1.0 cm² showed that about half of them progressed to severe aortic stenosis during the 25-month median follow-up period.

Perioperative Atrial Fibrillation: Is It Important?

A large epidemiologic study with validated endpoints of patients with atrial fibrillation after non-cardiac surgery demonstrated such patients experience a higher incidence of subsequent atrial fibrillation, stroke, transient ischemic attacks, and all-cause mortality over five years of follow up.