Reducing Unnecessary Laboratory Testing: A Quality Improvement Initiative at Wellstar Spalding Medical Center.

Objectives: The healthcare industry is grappling with escalating expenses, partially attributed to the inefficient use of medical resources, particularly by ordering unnecessary laboratory tests. Such practices not only increase costs but also result in extended hospital stays, patient discomfort, and potential clinical complications such as iatrogenic anemia. Blood tests, although essential for guiding medical decisions, are associated with significant clinical and financial costs.

Outcomes of Acute Mesenteric Ischemia in Patients With COVID-19: A Nationwide Database Study.

Introduction Initially regarded as primarily a respiratory illness, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has since been recognized as a complex disease affecting multiple systems. A COVID-19 infection can cause a hypercoagulable state leading to thrombotic complications in various systems. Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) has been reported as a rare complication of COVID-19, carrying a significant mortality rate.

Spectrum of neurologic & neuroimaging manifestation in COVID-19.

Objective: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) initially thought to be confined to the respiratory system only, is now known to be a multisystem disease. It is critical to be aware of and timely recognize neurological and neuroradiological manifestations affecting patients with COVID-19, to minimize morbidity and mortality of affected patients.

Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to our Level 1 trauma and stroke center during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York from March 1st to May 30, 2020, with a positive test for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) who presented mainly with neurological findings and had acute radiological brain changes on Computed Tomography (CT) scan.

Incidence of Thrombotic Events and Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Units.

Introduction While coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mostly causes respiratory illnesses, emerging evidence has shown that patients with severe COVID-19 can develop complications like venous thromboembolism (VTE) and arterial thrombosis as well. The incidence of thrombosis among critically ill patients in the literature has been highly variable, ranging from 25 to 69%. Similarly, reported mortality among critically ill patients has been highly variable too, and it has ranged from 30 to 97%.

Implementing visual cues to improve the efficacy of screening colonoscopy: exploiting the Hawthorne effect.

Background: Colonoscopy is the gold standard for colon cancer screening. Adenoma detection rate and a withdrawal time of 6 min are quality metrics to measure the efficacy of colonoscopy in colon cancer screening. The aim of our study was to exploit the Hawthorne effect in an effort to ensure adherence to a minimum 6-min withdrawal time and subsequently increase adenoma detection rate.

Aortic Stenosis in African Americans: Focus On Disparities in Treatment and Outcomes.

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the third most common type of cardiovascular disease after hypertension and coronary artery disease, and it carries a high mortality rate when left untreated. Risk factors include male sex, hypertension, tobacco use, advanced age, elevated LDL cholesterol, and coronary atherosclerosis. Definitive treatment for AS includes valve repair, either percutaneously or surgically; however, in aging populations corrective surgery carries increased risk.

Mycobacterium kansasii Infection in a Patient Receiving Biologic Therapy-Not All Reactive Interferon Gamma Release Assays Are Tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium kansasii, a nontuberculous mycobacterium, can lead to lung disease similar to tuberculosis. Immunotherapeutic biologic agents predispose to infections with mycobacteria, including M kansasii. T-cell-mediated interferon gamma release assays like QuantiFERON-TB Gold Test (QFT) are widely used by clinicians for the diagnosis of infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis; however, QFT may also show positive result with certain nontuberculous mycobacterial infections.