Bedside Manner 2020: An Inventory of Best Practices.

Bedside manner, a doctor's deportment with a patient, encompasses all aspects of the patient interaction, including all verbal and nonverbal communication strategies. Bedside manner can be a powerful adjunct for healing. In academic medical centers, trainees generally learn bedside manner by observing their attendings and mentors-in other words, as part of the "hidden curriculum.

Effect of Anemia on Mortality in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Rationale: The effect of anemia on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure is unknown.

Objectives: To examine the association between anemia (hemoglobin <12 g/dL) and 90-day and overall mortality in patients with COPD having acute respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation.

Methods: Retrospective study of patients admitted to a quaternary referral medical intensive care unit (ICU) between October 2007 and December 2012 with a diagnosis of COPD and requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure of any cause.

Management of antithrombotic agents in patients undergoing flexible bronchoscopy.

Bleeding is one of the most feared complications of flexible bronchoscopy. Although infrequent, it can be catastrophic and result in fatal outcomes. Compared to other endoscopic procedures, the risk of morbidity and mortality from the bleeding is increased, as even a small amount of blood can fill the tracheobronchial tree and lead to respiratory failure.

Predictors of mortality after transjugular portosystemic shunt.

Aim: To investigate if echocardiographic and hemodynamic determinations obtained at the time of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) can provide prognostic information that will enhance risk stratification of patients.

Methods: We reviewed medical records of 467 patients who underwent TIPS between July 2003 and December 2011 at our institution. We recorded information regarding patient demographics, underlying liver disease, indication for TIPS, baseline laboratory values, hemodynamic determinations at the time of TIPS, and echocardiographic measurements both before and after TIPS.

New Nodule-Newer Etiology.

Aim: To evaluate frequency and temporal relationship between pulmonary nodules (PNs) and transbronchial biopsy (TBBx) among lung transplant recipients (LTR).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 100 records of LTR who underwent flexible bronchoscopy (FB) with TBBx, looking for the appearance of peripheral pulmonary nodule (PPN). If these patients had chest radiographs within 50 d of FB, they were included in the study.