Anesthetic Management of a Patient With an Implantable Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulator: A Case Report.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition, particularly in obese men and in those with an increased neck circumference. Management with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine has been the mainstay of treatment over many years; although, it is not acceptable to all. Recently, innovative medical devices, such as hypoglossal nerve stimulators, have emerged and are now being increasingly utilized.

Adult Abdominal Migraine Improved by OnabotulinumtoxinA Injections.

Abdominal migraine is often regarded as a childhood disorder and less commonly described in adults. However, gastrointestinal symptoms are known to occur to adult migraine patients, and recognition of adult abdominal migraine may facilitate treatment of the recurrent abdominal symptoms and avoidance of unproductive and sometimes invasive therapies. Here, I describe a patient with chronic migraine headaches and recurrent abdominal pain both of which showed sustained improvement after treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA injections.

Clinician-Directed Performance Improvement: Moving Beyond Externally Mandated Metrics.

Pay-for-performance and public reporting programs have successfully focused hospitals' attention on quality. But they have also had unintended consequences, including encouraging a narrowing of focus to mandated metrics, and their effectiveness in improving outcomes remains uncertain. Moreover, they have not successfully engaged clinicians.

A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve the Care of Infants Born Exposed to Opioids by Implementing the Eat, Sleep, Console Assessment Tool.

Objectives: The incidence of infants born exposed to opioids continues to rise. Historically, newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome have been treated with medication-weaning protocols, leading to costly and prolonged hospital stays. We aimed to reduce the proportion of newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome who receive opioid medications for treatment of withdrawal symptoms through a quality improvement program.

Value of certification in infection prevention and control.

The Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology conducted a marketing research study to determine the perceived value of the certification in infection prevention and control among infection prevention professionals and other stakeholders. Four thematic categories were identified: certification process and standards; professionalism, competency, and career growth; patient care, safety, infection prevention and control; and regulatory compliance. Respondents stated that certification demonstrated professional competency, increased career growth, improved regulatory compliance, was important in influencing legislation, and improved the practice of infection prevention and control.

A flatline Lead I in a neonate with suspected congenital heart disease.

In a neonate with bradycardia and hypoxia, and clinical concern for critical congenital heart disease (CCHD), highly unusual ECG findings were present. These included a flatline Lead 1, and identical Leads 2, 3, and AVF. These abnormalities were due to bilateral arm to leg lead exchanges and not to heart disease.

Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid Causing Central Airway Obstruction.

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a rare variant of the skin disease pemphigoid, which predominantly involves the mucous membranes. This rare autoimmune disease that infrequently affects the respiratory tract is characterized by subepithelial blister formation that may result in scarring. Immunopathologic examination of mucous membranes reveals the deposition of immunoglobulins and complement within the subepithelial basement membrane.

ECG quiz: Murphy's law strikes again!

ECG Quiz: An unusual ECG in a 77year old man with chest pain.

Case report of medical thoracoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy in the workup of giant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura.

Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP) is a rare tumor of fibroblastic origin. It can be quite vascular, and its surgical management carries the risk of a major intra-operative bleed. The pre-operative use of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) to visualize the vascular supply of the tumor has not been reported.

Standardized Best Practices and Individual Craft-Based Medicine: A Conversation About Quality.

Standardization of medical care through protocols, order sets, and other tools is increasingly a part of efforts to improve quality. The authors, a physician beginning a new position as director of a community hospital quality program and the chief quality officer of a health care system and director of a course in health care delivery improvement, discuss the benefits and risks of standardization in health care. Recommendations for responsible standardization are presented.

Acute hepatotoxicity associated with therapeutic doses of intravenous acetaminophen.

Background: IV acetaminophen at 4 g per day is considered safe, producing no hepatic failure in more than 1400 cases. Oxidation of acetaminophen forms a reactive intermediate that binds to cellular proteins resulting in acetaminophen-protein adducts (APAP-CYS). Serum concentrations of APAP-CYS have been found to correlate with acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity.

Silver-resistance, allergy, and blue skin: truth or urban legend?

Medical and non-medical uses of silver are increasing. While the health benefits of silver therapy are widely claimed, few studies address the possible side effects of resistance, allergy, or skin discoloration. In this manuscript, a review of silver absorption, mechanism of action, allergy, microbial resistance and skin changes is presented.