Characteristics associated with higher cost per day or longer length of stay in hospitalized patients who died during the hospitalization or were discharged to hospice.

Background: Palliative care has been recommended as an approach to improve the quality of care for patients with advanced illness, while achieving hospital cost savings. However, studies are lacking that identify hospitalized patients who are more likely to have higher cost per day or length of stay (LOS) who may benefit from palliative care consultation.

Objective: Identify characteristics associated with higher cost per day or longer LOS in hospitalized patients at the end of life--those likely to benefit from palliative care consultation.

The endoscopic management of Zenker diverticulum: CO2 laser versus endoscopic stapling.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to analyze the endoscopic management of Zenker diverticulum (ZD) using both the CO2 laser and endoscopic stapling techniques. This study compares the two techniques in terms of diverticulum size, onset to oral intake, hospital stay, resolution of symptoms (dysphagia and regurgitation), and complications.

Study Design: A retrospective consecutive case series was performed at an academic medical center.