Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2021
Observational StudyAssociation between Opioids Prescribed to Medical Inpatients with Pain and Long-Term Opioid Use.
Opioid receipt during medical hospitalizations may be associated with subsequent long-term use. Studies, however, have not accounted for pain, which may explain chronic use. The objective of this study was to identify the association between opioid exposure during a medical hospitalization and use 6 to 12 months later. ⋯ Although opioid receipt at discharge was associated with long-term use, the number of patients this applied to was small. Pain severity was an important predictor of long-term use and should be accounted for in future studies.
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2021
Health Disparities of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Texas, March-July 2020.
Although disparities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevalence are known, knowledge of the recent surge of COVID-19 in Texas and factors affecting fatality rates is limited. Understanding the health disparities associated with COVID-19 can help healthcare professionals determine the populations that are most in need of COVID-19 preventive care and treatment. The aim of this study was to assess COVID-19-related case and mortality rates. ⋯ This time period represents the highest COVID-19 surge time in Texas. Although our data consist of a short time period of population-level data in an ongoing pandemic and are limited by information reported to the Texas Department of State Health Services, older age, male sex, Hispanics, and Blacks are currently associated with higher infection rates, whereas older age, male sex, and Whites are associated with higher mortality rates. Clinicians and decision makers should be aware of the COVID-19 health disparities and risk factors for mortality to better promote targeted interventions and allocate resources accordingly.
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2021
Trends in Incidence and Mortality Rates of Uterine Cancer in Kentucky.
The objective of this analysis was to gauge how the incidence and mortality of uterine cancer in Kentucky have changed from 1995 through 2017. An assessment of the trends in incidence and mortality across different geographic areas and between different races was also performed. ⋯ The incidence of uterine cancer is higher in rural and Appalachian Kentucky, without a corresponding geographic trend in mortality. Uterine cancer mortality is significantly higher in Black women.
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2021
Sugammadex Reduces PACU Recovery Time after Abdominal Surgery Compared with Neostigmine.
This study blindly evaluated sugammadex compared with neostigmine on length of stay in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). ⋯ Sugammadex patients had a significantly shorter PACU stay.