Journal of hospital medicine : an official publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
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Psychiatric comorbidity is common in pediatric medical and surgical hospitalizations and is associated with worse hospital outcomes. Integrating medical or surgical and psychiatric hospital care depends on accurate estimates of which hospitalized children have psychiatric comorbidity. ⋯ Current methods may underestimate the prevalence of psychiatric conditions in hospitalized children. Information from multiple sources may be needed to develop accurate estimates of the scope of the population in need of services so that mental health resources can be appropriately allocated. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2017;12.
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In recent years, US hospitals have switched from use of unfractionated heparin to use of low-molecular-weight heparin, which is associated with lower risk of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). In the study reported here, we retrospectively searched the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) for patients who were at least 18 years old and received a diagnosis of HIT between 2009 and 2011. Our goal was to get an updated perspective on the incidence and economic impact of HIT. ⋯ HIT and HITT cases were significantly (P ⟨ 0.001) more likely than non-HIT cases to be fatal (9.63% and 12.28% vs 2.19%), and they had significantly higher costs and longer inpatient stays. HIT and especially HITT are associated with increased mortality, costs, and length of stay. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2017;12:94-97.
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Empiric antimicrobial therapy often consists of the combination of gram-positive coverage with vancomycin (VAN) and gram-negative coverage, specifically an antipseudomonal beta-lactam such as piperacillin-tazobactam (PTZ). Nephrotoxicity is commonly associated with VAN therapy; however, recent reports show higher nephrotoxicity rates among patients treated with the combination of VAN and PTZ. ⋯ In this study of more than 10,000 patients, VAN combined with PTZ was associated with twice the odds of AKI development compared to either agent as monotherapy. This demonstrates the need for judicious use of combination empiric therapy. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2017;12:77-82.
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Depression among hospitalized patients is often unrecognized, undiagnosed, and therefore untreated. Little is known about the feasibility of screening for depression during hospitalization, or whether depression is associated with poorer outcomes, longer hospital stays, and higher readmission rates. We searched PubMed and PsycINFO for published, peer-reviewed articles in English (1990-2016) using search terms designed to capture studies that tested the performance of depression screening tools in inpatient settings and studies that examined associations between depression detected during hospitalization and clinical or utilization outcomes. ⋯ With regard to outcomes, studies from several individual hospitals found depression to be associated with poorer functional outcomes, worse physical health, and returns to the hospital after discharge. These findings suggest that depression screening may be feasible in the inpatient setting, and that more research is warranted to determine whether screening for and treating depression during hospitalization can improve patient outcomes. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2017;12:118-125.
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Editorial Comment
Acute kidney injury is important in the hospital and afterward.