Blog

Blood cultures are low yield in routine patients with skin and soft-tissue infection.  Don't do it unless your patient has high-risk features.  False positive cultures are common and require costly follow up for patients.

It makes sense to treat an allergic reaction with an antihistamine.  This study suggests that treating patients with an allergic reaction with a H1-antagonist may decrease the chance of disease progression to anaphylaxis, though the level of evidence is weak.

One of the most important tasks we do in sepsis care, after identifying it, is to start appropriate antibiotics as soon as possible.  This is associated with mortality reduction.

TXA reduced mortality in women, especially when given in the first 3 hours of postpartum hemorrhage, without increased risk of thromboembolic events.

This simplified protocol worked well, was safe, and provided a one-size-fits-all approach to the workup of VTE.  It also reduced CT use by 14%.

C-spine injury is rare in children under 3 years.  GCS < 14, GCS (eye) of 1, MVC mechanism, or age between 2- 3 years were associated with c-spine injury.

For uncomplicated cellulitis in otherwise healthy patients, cephalexin alone is probably adequate.

NOACs were not associated with an increased risk of traumatic ICH compared to other anticoagulant or antiplatelet agents.

Loperamide abuse is increasingly seen.  It can be rarely associated with cardiac conduction system disturbances.  Talk to poison control, and put these patients on a monitor.

Electronic, asynchronous sign-out to the admitting team was widely used, reduced time to admission order completion, and seemed to be safe in this single center retrospective study.