Healthcare Disparities Among Homeless Patients Hospitalized With Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Propensity-Matched, State-Level Analysis.

Goals: Examine outcomes among homeless patients admitted with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, including all-cause mortality and endoscopic intervention rates.

Background: Hospitalizations among homeless individuals have increased steadily since at least 2007 but little is known about GI outcomes in these patients.

Study: The 2010-2014 Healthcare Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases from New York and Florida were used to identify adults admitted with a primary diagnosis of acute upper or lower GI bleed.

The fragility of randomized placebo-controlled trials for irritable bowel syndrome.

Background: The fragility index (FI) represents the number of participants whose status in a trial would have to change from a non-event (not experiencing the primary endpoint) to an event (experiencing the primary endpoint) in order to turn a statistically significant result into a non-significant result. We sought to evaluate the fragility indices of irritable bowel syndrome [IBS-mixed (IBS-M), IBS-constipation (IBS-C), & IBS-diarrhea (IBS-D)] trials.

Methods: Irritable bowel syndrome trials published in high-impact journals were identified from Medline.

Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy and Mild Cognitive Impairment Worsen Quality of Life in Elderly Patients With Cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Patients with cirrhosis are growing older. The overlap between minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and predementia mild cognitive impairment (MCI) could affect quality of life (QOL). We investigated the performance of elderly patients with cirrhosis on tests for MHE and MCI and their effects on QOL.

Same- vs Different-Hospital Readmissions in Patients With Cirrhosis After Hospital Discharge.

Introduction: There is a lack of data on the impact of readmission to the same vs a different hospital following an index hospital discharge in cirrhosis patients.

Methods: We sought to describe rates and predictors of different-hospital readmissions (DHRs) among patients with cirrhosis and also determine the impact on cirrhosis outcomes including all-cause inpatient mortality and hospital costs. Using the national readmissions database, we identified cirrhosis hospitalizations in 2013.

The Price of Medical Tourism: The Legal Implications of Surgery Abroad.

Medical tourism, or traveling abroad to obtain medical services, has evolved into a global health care phenomenon, with over 15 million U.S. patients each year seeking medical care internationally, representing a $50 billion dollar industry in 2017.

Psychoactive Drugs in Plastic Surgery.

Background: Psychoactive drug use is on the rise in the United States, with plastic surgery patients a potentially susceptible group. This study aimed to determine the incidence of cosmetic and reconstructive patients in our practice taking psychoactive drugs and to compare those values with the national average. Furthermore, we discuss the patient safety concerns when patients withhold their medical history information over the course of their treatment.

Radiographic and orthopedic evaluation of wrist trauma.

This paper was written to enable radiologists to contribute more usefully to the diagnosis and treatment of various wrist injuries. All imaging modalities are discussed to equip the radiologist for his difficult task. We present a systematic approach to the evaluation of wrist trauma patients beginning with initial plain films and proceeding through more invasive or sophisticated studies in order to achieve a definitive diagnosis.