Endoscopic innovations in diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer: a narrative review and future directions.

Pancreatic cancer serves as the third leading cause of cancer-associated morbidity and mortality in the United States, with a 5-year survival rate of only 12% with an expected increase in incidence and mortality in the coming years. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas constitute most pancreatic malignancies. Certain genetic syndromes, including Lynch syndrome, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome, hereditary pancreatitis, familial adenomatous polyposis, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, familial pancreatic cancer mutation, and ataxia telangiectasia, confer a significantly higher risk.

Are trauma centers penalized for improved prehospital resuscitation?: The effect of prehospital transfusion on arrival vitals and predicted mortality.

Background: Prediction models for survival in trauma rely on arrival vital signs to generate survival probabilities. Hospitals are benchmarked on expected and observed outcomes. Prehospital blood (PB) transfusion has been shown to improve mortality, which may affect survival prediction modeling.

Paradigm shift in transfusion practices during early COVID-19 pandemic: A single center retrospective study.

Background: The advent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) unveiled the worst national blood crisis that the United States had witnessed in over a decade. With the pandemic influencing the different stages of the acquisition of blood products outside the hospital setting, we aimed to explore the possible barriers contributing to the shortage of blood products within the medical community.

Aim: To assess the adherence to restrictive blood transfusion practices for patients in the COVID era and pre-COVID era.

Is the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories after bowel anastomosis in trauma safe?

Background: With an increasing interest in multimodal and opioid-reducing pain strategies, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have become common place in the care of injured patients. Long-standing concerns of increased anastomotic leak (AL) rate with the use of NSAIDs, however, have persisted. We hypothesized that there would be no significant risk associated with NSAID use after bowel anastomosis in trauma patients.

Treatment Sequences After Discontinuing a Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Comparison of Cycling Versus Swapping Strategies.

Objective: To evaluate the sequences of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and non-TNFi used by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients whose initial TNFi therapy has failed, and to evaluate effectiveness and costs.

Methods: Using the Truven Health MarketScan Research database, we analyzed claims of commercially insured adult patients with RA who switched to their second biologic or targeted disease-modifying antirheumatic drug between January 2008 and December 2015. Our primary outcome was the frequency of treatment sequences.

Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations of Cycling Versus Swapping Medications in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis After Failure to Respond to Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors.

Objective: To systematically review the modeling approaches and quality of economic analyses comparing cycling tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) to swapping to a therapy with a different mode of action in patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose initial TNFi failed.

Methods: We searched electronic databases, gray literature, and references of included publications until July 2017. Two reviewers independently screened citations.

A comparison of resuscitation intensity and critical administration threshold in predicting early mortality among bleeding patients: A multicenter validation in 680 major transfusion patients.

Background: To address deficiencies associated with the classic definition of massive transfusion (MT), critical administration threshold (CAT) and resuscitation intensity (RI) were developed to better quantify the overall severity of illness and predict the need for transfusions and early mortality. We sought to evaluate these as more appropriate replacements for MT in defining mortality risk in patients undergoing major transfusions.

Methods: Patients predicted to receive MT at 12 Level I trauma centers were randomized in the Pragmatic, Randomized Optimal Platelet and Plasma Ratios (PROPPR) trial.

Effects of a Systematic Quality Improvement Process to Decrease Complications in Trauma Patients With Prehospital Peripheral Intravenous Access.

Peripheral intravenous (PIV) catheterization is commonly performed, and its complications are costly, may result in serious health issues, and may adversely affect patient satisfaction. At our large urban Level I trauma center, we identified a cluster of 7 PIV complications from prehospital insertions in a 5-month period. Several of the patients developed noninfectious as well as infectious, limb-threatening complications requiring aggressive operative intervention.