Browse Internal Medicine Articles by Topic

Invasive Procedures and the Risk of Infective Endocarditis

This large study suggests that several invasive, nondental medical procedures may be triggers for subsequent infective endocarditis, reopening the debate regarding prevention and management.

Choosing a Vasopressor in Cardiogenic Shock: Is There a Difference?

When studying cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction, these investigators found using epinephrine compared to norepinephrine produced similar effects on blood pressure and cardiac index, but resulted in a higher incidence of refractory cardiogenic shock.

Infectious Disease Alert Updates

Worse Than Snake Oil; Contract Tracing Using WHO Network; Preparing Your Hospital for Candida auris

Re-evaluating Steroid Therapy in Septic Shock

Two recent trials have provided more data regarding steroid therapy for septic shock.

Encephalitis, Fever, and Doxycycline

Scrub typhus is a significant cause of acute encephalitis in north India and other parts of Asia and Africa. Doxycycline is a safe and effective treatment option.

The Viral World Keeps on Going — Some Recent Activity

Ebola makes a comeback, but meets a vaccine. Lassa fever and Rift Valley fever also make their mark, while Keystone virus infects a teenager in Florida.

Using Multilocus Sequence Typing for Surveillance and Discovery of Borrelia Species

Broad polymerase chain reaction screening followed by multilocus sequence typing is a useful method to understand the geographic distribution of Borrelia species causing human disease. Candidatus B. johnsonii (carried by bat ticks) was not known previously to infect humans. Its identification in a human patient suggests it may cause a relapsing fever syndrome.

A Negative Nares Screen for MRSA Helps Exclude MRSA Pneumonia

A meta-analysis determined that nares screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has a high specificity and negative predictive value for MRSA pneumonia. MRSA nasal screening can be a useful tool for antimicrobial stewardship personnel to de-escalate empiric anti-MRSA therapy.

Are In-hospital Deaths Related to Community-acquired Pneumonia Preventable?

This secondary analysis of data from five tertiary care centers found that among patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia, very few deaths potentially were related to a lapse in in-hospital quality of pneumonia care.

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status Associated With Infection Risk, But Not Sepsis

Based on a large, national, prospective cohort study, lower neighborhood socioeconomic status was associated with a higher incidence of hospitalizations for infection (but not sepsis) at presentation.