Rapid implementation of a clinical decision-support workflow during the national blood culture bottle shortage.

Background: The United States Food and Drug Administration recently announced a national blood culture (BC) bottle shortage; the exact date of restoration is still being determined.

Aim: Implement a workflow to mitigate the BC bottle shortage at our hospital.

Methods: We created the following clinical decision support workflow in electronic medical record to help mitigate BC bottle use: (a) limit to two BC in 24 hours, (b) only repeat BC if 72 hours have passed from the prior sets, (c) do not repeat BC for coagulase-negative bacteremia when considered a contaminant (i.

Battle of the Blocks: Which Pain Management Technique Triumphs in Gender-Affirming Bilateral Mastectomies?

Background: Gender-affirming mastectomy, performed on transgender men and non-binary individuals, frequently leads to considerable postoperative pain. This pain can significantly affect both patient satisfaction and the overall recovery process. The study examines the efficacy of four analgesic techniques pectoral nerve (PECS) 2 block, erector spinae plane (ESP) block, thoracic wall local anesthesia infiltration (TWI), and systemic multimodal analgesia (SMA) in managing perioperative pain, with special consideration for the effects of chronic testosterone therapy on pain thresholds.

A randomized trial of continuous glucose monitoring to improve post-transplant glycemic control.

Introduction: This study examines whether the use of inpatient Continuous Glucose Monitors provides improved glycemic control over finger-stick glucose monitoring post-transplant.

Methods: This is a single-site, prospective randomized controlled trial of 40 patients receiving conventional finger-stick glucose monitoring or continuous monitoring using the Medtronic Guardian Sensor 3 during the first 5 days post-transplant. Included patients were adult renal transplant recipients with a diagnosis of diabetes.

The effect of race coefficients on preemptive listing for kidney transplantation.

Background: Race coefficients of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) formulas may be partially responsible for racial inequality in preemptive listing for kidney transplantation.

Methods: We used the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database to evaluate differences in racial distribution of preemptive listing before and after application of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) race coefficients to all preemptively listed non-Black kidney transplant candidates (eGFR modulation). Odds of preemptive listing were calculated by race, with Black as the reference before and after eGFR modulation.

Poverty, Comorbidity, and Ethnicity: COVID-19 Outcomes in a Safety Net Health System.

Objective: To determine if race-ethnicity is correlated with case-fatality rates among low-income patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

Research Design: Observational cohort study using electronic health record data.

Patients: All patients assessed for COVID-19 from March 2020 to January 2021 at one safety net health system.