A Pilot Study for Antimicrobial Stewardship Post-Discharge: Avoiding Pitfalls at the Transitions of Care.

Purpose: Lack of patient follow-up is a major concern during care transitions, and the role of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) in assessing antimicrobial regimens after hospital discharge is not well described. We implemented an expanded ASP to include patients recently discharged from the hospital and measured its impact on inappropriate antimicrobial therapy 72 hours after inpatient culture data were finalized.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a 583-bed tertiary care center in the Upper Midwest of America.

Ketamine Infusion Therapy as an Alternative Pain Control Strategy in Patients with Multi-Trauma including Rib Fracture; Case Report and Literature Review.

Ketamine is a promising alternative agent for pain control that offers benefit to traditional strategies, particularly in the setting of rib fracture. Current pharmacologic therapies have clear adverse effects, and other options may be invasive, cost prohibitive, or marginally effective. We describe three consecutive patients with traumatic injuries including rib fracture for which a ketamine infusion was utilized as part of their pain control strategy.