Use and De-implementation of Fecal Occult Blood Tests in the Acute Care Setting: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: To determine methods of FOBT de-implementation in acute care practice while summarizing the reasons and contraindications for inappropriate FOBT in acute care settings. Fecal occult blood testing is valuable for colorectal cancer screening in ambulatory settings but is not valuable for diagnostics in acute care with consistent indications for discontinuation as a tradition-based practice.

Methods: We included all English language prospective and retrospective evaluation studies of FOBT use in acute care settings with or without de-implementation interventions and published as original research articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Association of coinfections with differences in outcomes across COVID-19 variants.

Background: In previous studies, there was an increase in mortality with secondary coinfections in all COVID-19 variants. However, no prior study has explored the association of coinfection with outcomes of hospitalized patients among the COVID-19 variants (Alpha, Delta, and Omicron).

Methods: This observational cohort study involved 21,186 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in 25 hospitals in Texas.

Exploring the Association of Metabolic Syndrome with In-Hospital Survival of Older Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19: Beyond Chronological Age.

Background: Despite the variability and complexity of geriatric conditions, few COVID-19 reports of clinical characteristic prognostication provide data specific to oldest-old adults (over age 85), and instead generally report broadly as 65 and older.

Objective: To examine metabolic syndrome criteria in adults across 25 hospitals with variation in chronological age.

Design And Participants: This cohort study examined 39,564 hospitalizations of patients aged 18 or older with COVID-19 who received inpatient care between March 13, 2020, and February 28, 2022.

A New Global Definition of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Since publication of the 2012 Berlin definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), several developments have supported the need for an expansion of the definition, including the use of high-flow nasal oxygen, the expansion of the use of pulse oximetry in place of arterial blood gases, the use of ultrasound for chest imaging, and the need for applicability in resource-limited settings. A consensus conference of 32 critical care ARDS experts was convened, had six virtual meetings (June 2021 to March 2022), and subsequently obtained input from members of several critical care societies. The goal was to develop a definition that would ) identify patients with the currently accepted conceptual framework for ARDS, ) facilitate rapid ARDS diagnosis for clinical care and research, ) be applicable in resource-limited settings, ) be useful for testing specific therapies, and ) be practical for communication to patients and caregivers.