Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Cardiac Catheterization After a Three-Day Holiday Weekend Versus a Two-Day Weekend.

Objectives: The study aim is to determine whether invasive cardiac procedures following a 3-day (holiday) weekend have worse outcomes compared with procedures following a 2-day (normal) weekend.

Background: Catheterization laboratory schedules after 3-day holiday weekends tend to be overloaded with urgent procedures for patients who have waited up to 3 days. We hypothesized that this would be reflected by more procedural complications in patients undergoing procedures after a 3-day weekend.

Is 30-Day Mortality after Admission for Heart Failure an Appropriate Metric for Quality?

Background: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) model for publicly reporting national 30-day-risk-adjusted mortality rates for patients admitted with heart failure fails to include clinical variables known to impact total mortality or take into consideration the culture of end-of-life care. We sought to determine if those variables were related to the 30-day mortality of heart failure patients at Geisinger Medical Center.

Methods: Electronic records were searched for patients with a diagnosis of heart failure who died from any cause during hospitalization or within 30 days of admission.

Monitoring and Reversal of Anticoagulation and Antiplatelets.

Since percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was first described and the breakthrough studies of the role of stents were reported, the evolution in anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy used during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has reduced periprocedural ischemic events and stent thrombosis. Although greater combinations and doses of anticoagulation with antiplatelets seem to provide the best protection against thrombogenic and embolic events, there is a significant trade-off with a higher risk of major and minor bleeding episodes. This review article expands on each of the commonly used antiplatelet and anticoagulants used at time of PCI, focusing on drug monitoring and reversal.

Readmission in the 30 days after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objectives: This study sought to identify the frequency and etiology of readmission within 30 days of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a large integrated healthcare system.

Background: One-fifth of Medicare patients are readmitted within 30 days of hospitalization. Identifying the causes of readmission may help identify strategies to prevent readmission.