Comparison of Safety and Efficacy of Aspiration Thrombectomy and Ultrasound Accelerated Thrombolysis for Management of Pulmonary Embolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: To compare the safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) and ultrasound-accelerated thrombolysis (USAT) in pulmonary embolism (PE) management by performing a systematic review of the literature.

Materials And Methods: The PubMed database was searched to identify articles on Inari's FlowTriever and Penumbra's Indigo mechanical thrombectomy devices (Group A) and the Ekos Endovascular system (Group B). Outcomes variables analyzed include pre- and post-procedure RV/LV ratio, pre- and post-procedure pulmonary artery pressure, hospital length of stay, technical success, specific complications, and mortality rate.

Antitumor Activity of Metformin Combined with Locoregional Therapy for Liver Cancer: Evidence and Future Directions.

This article aimed to examine the effect of metformin use on improving outcomes after liver-directed therapy in patients with HCC and identify future directions with the adjuvant use of and potential therapeutic agents that operate on similar mechanistic pathways. Databases were queried to identify pertinent articles on metformin's use as an anti-cancer agent in HCC. Eleven studies were included, with five pre-clinical and six clinical studies.

Out-of-Pocket Expenditures for Imaging Examinations: Perspectives From National Patient Surveys Over Two Decades.

Purpose: Using national surveys, we longitudinally studied imaging costs-and specifically those paid out-of-pocket (OOP) by patients-over two decades.

Methods: Using 2000 to 2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, we identified all imaging-focused encounters (mammography, radiography, ultrasonography, and CT and MR [surveyed together in Medical Expenditure Panel Survey]) and calculated mean overall and OOP encounter costs. Effects of sociodemographic, personal, and clinical factors were measured using logistic regression and generalized linear modeling.

Length of Stay, Cost, and Outcomes related to Traumatic Subdural Hematoma in inpatient setting in the United States.

Objective: In the US, the prevalence of traumatic subdural hematoma (TSDH) continues to increase. Using a nationally representative sample of discharge records of patients with TSDH, the study objectives were to estimate trend in number of TSDH cases, surgical management, inpatient cost, length of stay (LOS), mortality rate, and complication rate; and to identify the association of sociodemographic, clinical and hospital characteristics with complications and mortality.

Method: We identified patients with a primary diagnosis of TSDH from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2010 to 2017.