Browse Primary Care/Hospitalist Articles by Topic

Racism, Stress, and Asthma

This cross-sectional study of African-American children 1 to 6 years of age (n = 31) in Kansas City, MO, finds a statistically significant inverse correlation between asthma control (measured by Test for Respiratory and Asthma Control in Kids score) and stress from racism.

Pharmacological Therapies in HFrEF: Is Quadruple Therapy a New Standard of Care?

Approximately 50% of patients with heart failure have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). HFrEF morbidity and mortality are altered favorably with the use of guideline-directed medical therapy. Multiple drug therapies have informed evidence-based therapies for the treatment of HFrEF.

Surrogates’ Authority Varies on Mental Health Treatment Decision-Making

Ethicists should be familiar with their respective jurisdictions’ statutes and case law, especially those whose health systems cross state borders.

Frail Older Patients Receiving Higher-Intensity End-of-Life Care

There is an opportunity for targeted interventions for all older patients, especially frail older adults, undergoing emergency general surgery to establish better prognostic understanding and discuss advance care planning before hospital discharge.

Cabotegravir Extended-Release and Rilpivirine Injectable Suspension (Cabenuva) and Cabotegravir Tablets (Vocabria)

Cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV) should be prescribed to treat HIV-1-infected adults. This combination should replace the current antiretroviral (ARV) regimen in those who are virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA < 50 copies/mL) on a stable regimen with no history of treatment failure and no known or suspected resistance to ether CAB or RPV.

Subclinical Influenza Infection in Healthcare Workers

Despite all precautions, influenza vaccination, handwashing campaigns, and messaging to staff not to come to work with respiratory symptoms, healthcare workers are an important source of nosocomial influenza and respiratory infection. Now, it is happening with COVID-19.

Excess Deaths During COVID-19

Compared with death data for the same weeks from prior years, nearly 300,000 excess deaths occurred in the United States between the weeks ending Jan. 26 through Oct. 3, 2020. Two-thirds were attributed to COVID-19.

Cognitive Benefit of Rivastigmine in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia with Orthostatic Hypotension

Individuals with Parkinson’s disease dementia and orthostatic hypotension (OH) showed more robust cognitive improvement from rivastigmine vs. those without OH. The anti-OH effect of rivastigmine probably mediates this better response.

How to Record Reliable Blood Pressure Measurements

A small, community-based study to detect hypertension revealed one week of twice-daily home blood pressure (BP) measurements are more reliable and more accurately predict increased left ventricular mass than clinic or 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring.

Prior Metformin Use in Patients with Diabetes Hospitalized for COVID-19

Investigators found metformin use before COVID-19 hospitalization for patients with diabetes was associated with a lower risk of death.