Comparison of sodium zirconium cyclosilicate and sodium polystyrene sulfonate in the treatment of acute hyperkalaemia.

Objective: Sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) have been used for treating acute hyperkalaemia. The pharmacodynamic properties of SZC suggest greater theoretical utility in the acute setting than SPS, but there is no clear guidance on an optimal potassium binder. This study evaluated the efficacy of SZC and SPS in the treatment of acute hyperkalaemia.

Risk of Acute Kidney Injury Based on Vancomycin Target Trough Attainment Strategy: Area-Under-the-Curve-Guided Bayesian Software, Nomogram, or Trough-Guided Dosing.

Background: Guidelines support area-under-the-curve (AUC) monitoring for vancomycin dosing which may lower overall doses and reduce acute kidney injury (AKI).

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare incidence of AKI across 3 vancomycin dosing modalities: AUC-targeted Bayesian pharmacokinetic software, AUC-targeted empiric dosing nomogram, and trough-guided dosing using clinical pharmacists' judgment.

Methods: This retrospective study included adult patients with a pharmacy dosing consult who received ≥1 dose of vancomycin and ≥1 serum vancomycin level documented between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019.

Wound characteristics and infiltration with immune globulin for rabies postexposure prophylaxis in the emergency department.

Objective: This study described characteristics of wounds caused by animal exposures and evaluated patient factors and wound factors associated with wound infiltration of human rabies immune globulin (HRIG).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated wound characteristics among patients who had visible wounds and received HRIG or rabies vaccine for rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) at 15 emergency departments from May 2016 to June 2018.

Results: Of 110 included patients (9 children, 82 adults, and 19 older adults), 21% (n = 23) had ≥2 wounds, and 10% (n = 11) had infected wounds.

Optimization of Opioid Discharge Prescriptions Following Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a quality improvement bundle on opioid discharge prescribing following thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy.

Methods: This before-and-after study included patients undergoing thyroidectomy or parathyroidectomy at an academic medical center. The quality improvement bundle included a patient education flyer, electronic health record order sets with multimodal analgesia regimens, and provider education.

Impact of Recent Acute Kidney Injury on Creatinine Clearance Estimation in Critically Ill Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

Acute kidney injury (AKI), often present in critically ill patients and patients with cardiac dysfunction, may alter estimates of renal function. The impact of recent AKI on the accuracy of the Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance equation (CG-CrCl) before cardiac surgery is unknown. This single-center, retrospective study included patients who underwent cardiac surgery from 1 January 2006 through 30 June 2012 and whose 24-hour urine creatinine clearance (24hr-CrCl) was measured in the intensive care unit before surgery.

Implementation of Clinical Decision Support on Emergency Department Delivery of Human Rabies Immune Globulin.

Importance: Fatal human rabies infections can be prevented through appropriate rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). Errors in patient selection and administration of human rabies immune globulin in the emergency department (ED) setting were identified in a previous study of rabies PEP administration.

Objective: To test the a priori hypothesis that implementation of a rabies PEP bundle in the ED would improve full adherence to 6 human rabies immune globulin quality indicators compared with preimplementation controls.

Avoidable emergency department visits for rabies vaccination.

Background: Administering subsequent doses of rabies vaccine is not a medical emergency and does not require access to emergency department (ED) services. This study reviewed ED visits for rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) to identify avoidable ED visits for subsequent rabies vaccination.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients who received human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) or rabies vaccine at 15 EDs of a multi-hospital health system from 2016 to 2018.

Defining Vasoplegia Following Durable, Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

This study aimed to develop a definition of vasoplegia that reliably predicts clinical outcomes. Vasoplegia was evaluated using data from the electronic health record for each 15-minute interval for 72 hours following cardiopulmonary bypass. Standardized definitions considered clinical features (systemic vascular resistance [SVR], mean arterial pressure [MAP], cardiac index [CI], norepinephrine equivalents [NEE]), threshold strategy (criteria occurring in any versus all measurements in an interval), and duration (criteria occurring over multiple consecutive versus separated intervals).

Viable Hemostasis Obtained With Prothrombin Complex Concentrate in Patients Who Refuse Standard Allogeneic Blood Transfusion and Undergo Complex Cardiac Surgery: A Case Series.

Human 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) may reduce blood loss during surgery. This case series described perioperative outcomes among 9 patients who refused standard allogeneic blood transfusion, underwent complex cardiac surgery with aortic involvement, and received intraoperative 4F-PCC. Additional intraoperative cointerventions included protamine (n = 9), aminocaproic acid (n = 8), fibrinogen concentrate (n = 6), desmopressin (n = 6), factor VIIa (n = 2), and tranexamic acid (n = 1).

Adherence to guideline recommendations for human rabies immune globulin patient selection, dosing, timing, and anatomical site of administration in rabies postexposure prophylaxis.

Rabies is a fatal disease that mandates proper prophylaxis after a rabies virus exposure to prevent death. This study evaluated adherence to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for rabies immune globulin (IG) patient selection, dosing, timing of administration, and anatomical site of administration for rabies postexposure prophylaxis. This retrospective, cross-sectional study included patients who received at least one dose of rabies IG or rabies vaccine at a multi-hospital health system from January 2015 through June 2018.