The Association Between Keratoconus and Mitral Valve Prolapse: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The debate pertaining to the association between Keratoconus (KC) and Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) continues to occur among physicians. The results of cross-sectional studies attempting to present the co-existing prevalence of these two diseases remain indeterminate. We compiled the first meta-analysis to determine the pattern of prevalence between the two diseases.

Operation Naloxone: Overdose prevention service learning for student pharmacists.

Background And Purpose: A service learning program for student pharmacists was developed to train other university students to respond effectively to opioid overdoses with naloxone. Assessments were analyzed to determine the effect of program participation on student pharmacists' overdose-related knowledge retention and harm reduction attitudes.

Educational Activity And Setting: Student pharmacists were invited to attend a 90-min train-the-trainer seminar to obtain foundational knowledge regarding opioid overdose risk, symptoms, and response.

Comparison of phenobarbital-adjunct versus benzodiazepine-only approach for alcohol withdrawal syndrome in the ED.

Objectives: To compare a phenobarbital-adjunct versus benzodiazepine-only approach for the management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in the emergency department (ED) with regard to the need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission, severity of symptoms on ED discharge, and complications.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in two academic EDs in the United States. Adult patients seen in the ED with a diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal syndrome were included.

Assessing adherence to current national guidelines for appropriate albumin use at an academic medical center.

Objective: To assess adherence to current national guidelines for appropriate albumin use at an academic medical center.

Methods: This retrospective chart review of 150 randomly selected patients prescribed and administered at least one dose of albumin was conducted in an urban academic medical center to evaluate the adherence of albumin orders to current national guidelines. Inclusion criteria consisted of discharged patients at least 18-years-old admitted to the intensive care unit or medical/surgical unit from September 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016.

Diabetes Mellitus Associates with Increased Right Ventricular Afterload and Remodeling in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and dysfunction. Parallel studies have also reported associations between diabetes mellitus and right ventricular dysfunction and reduced survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, the impact of diabetes mellitus on the pulmonary vasculature has not been well characterized.

The impact of pharmacists providing direct patient care as members of interprofessional teams on diabetes management.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of pharmacist providing direct patient care as a member of interprofessional team on diabetes management. This study is a retrospective chart review of diabetes patients seen by a pharmacist in an endocrinology clinic affiliated with an academic medical center. The following patient outcomes were recorded pre and post the pharmacist intervention: glycemic control as measured by change in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), statin use, and use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

A Comparison of Oral Anticoagulant Use for Atrial Fibrillation in the Pre- and Post-DOAC Eras.

Introduction: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have seen rapid uptake for the prevention of stroke associated with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). It is unclear whether use of DOACs represents direct therapeutic substitution over warfarin or if this coincides with an increase in overall treatment rates. This study sought to describe the difference in oral anticoagulant (OAC) use in the pre-DOAC and post-DOAC eras.

Predictors of Patient Satisfaction With Pain Management in the Emergency Department.

To identify predictors of patient satisfaction with pain control measured after emergency department (ED) discharge. This was a prospective, cross-sectional study conducted in an academic, urban ED in the United States. Adult patients with a pain-related complaint were interviewed via telephone within 72 hr of discharge from the ED.

From bone to heart: a case of MRSA osteomyelitis with haematogenous spread to the pericardium.

We report a case of a 55-year-old woman with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, Charcot arthropathy and end-stage renal disease, who presented with a syncopal episode after undergoing haemodialysis. She had a history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia from an unknown source 3 months earlier, which was treated with an 8-week course of intravenous antibiotics. At the time of presentation to the emergency room, she was found to be in refractory shock.

Insights into the Mechanism of Severe Mitral Regurgitation: RT-3D TEE Guided Management with Pathological Correlation.

Mitral valve perforation is an uncommon but important complication of infective endocarditis. We report a case of a 65-year-old man who was diagnosed to have infective endocarditis of his mitral valve. Through the course of his admission he had a rapid development of hemodynamic instability and pulmonary edema secondary to acutely worsening mitral regurgitation.

Dissecting the unspeakable: a fatal case of aortic dissection.

A 47-year-old man with diabetes and hypertension presented with sudden onset of chest pain and subsequently developed expressive aphasia. Brain imaging revealed multiple areas of ischaemic infarcts. Transoesophageal echocardiogram revealed aortic dissection with a free-floating thrombus on the dissection flap, which was the source of emboli.