Impact of social factors on risk of readmission or mortality in pneumonia and heart failure: systematic review.

Background: Readmission and mortality after hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and heart failure (HF) are publically reported. This systematic review assessed the impact of social factors on risk of readmission or mortality after hospitalization for CAP and HF-variables outside a hospital's control.

Methods: We searched OVID, PubMed and PSYCHINFO for studies from 1980 to 2012.

Predicting risk of perioperative death and stroke after carotid endarterectomy in asymptomatic patients: derivation and validation of a clinical risk score.

Background And Purpose: National guidelines on carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for asymptomatic patients state that the procedure should be performed with a ≤ 3% risk of perioperative death or stroke. We developed and validated a multivariate model of risk of death or stroke within 30 days of CEA for asymptomatic disease and a related clinical prediction rule.

Methods: We analyzed asymptomatic cases in a population-based cohort of CEAs performed in Medicare beneficiaries in New York State.