Association of second antibiotic dose delays on mortality in patients with septic shock.

Objective: Determine whether a delay in the administration of the second dose of antibiotics is associated with an increased risk of mortality for patients admitted with septic shock.

Design: Retrospective, observational evaluation.

Setting: Regional multicenter evaluation including four institutions in western Pennsylvania.

Imaging of suspected pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis in obese patients.

Obesity is a growing problem around the world, and radiology departments frequently encounter difficulties related to large patient size. Diagnosis and management of suspected venous thromboembolism, in particular deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), are challenging even in some lean patients, and can become even more complicated in the setting of obesity. Many obstacles must be overcome to obtain imaging examinations in obese patients with suspected PE and/or DVT, and to ensure that these examinations are of sufficient quality to diagnose or exclude thromboembolic disease, or to establish an alternative diagnosis.