Tag: diagnosis
Accuracy and Applications of Lung Ultrasound to Diagnose VAP
Lung ultrasound (LUS) is an accurate tool to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia. However, it is not yet an established tool to diagnose ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Small subpleural consolidations and dynamic... read more
Medical Misdiagnosis: More Common Than You Think
Each year an estimated 12 million Americans get the wrong diagnosis from their doctor--a medical problem is seen as something else, missed entirely or identified late. Most of the diagnostic errors are not about rare diseases,... read more
Endobronchial Ultrasound Can ID Pulmonary Thromboembolism
The researchers found that in four cases (0.7 percent), filling defects were demonstrated in central pulmonary arteries while sampling mediastinal lymph nodes.... read more
Rapid genetic testing useful for diagnosis of critically ill children
In a cohort of children under the age of 12 months admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) without a clear diagnosis, rapid, targeted genetic testing revealed a diagnosis in about one-third of patients. Genetic diagnoses... read more
First Year in Care Critical to Retention, HIV Suppression
A previous study showed that the rate of long-term mortality more than doubled when patients missed visits in the first year after diagnosis.... read more
Systematic review suggests synovial fluid analysis when necessary for diagnosis of gout
Gout presents with acute attacks of synovitis that start out as intermittent but can advance to chronic symptoms.... read more
Link Between Diabetes and Hospital Readmission Rates
Patients with diabetes have higher rates of hospital readmission compared with patients without diabetes, according to a pilot study published in Clinical Diabetes and Endocrinology. In the first study, the readmission rate... read more
Growing Concerns of Hepatitis E in Europe
Cases of Hepatitis E in Europe have increased by 10x over 10 years, with 5617 cases in 2015. Testing, case definitions, diagnosis, and surveillance for HEV infection vary extensively across Europe, with only 20 member states... read more
New Diagnostic Tests: More Harm Than Good
Although new diagnostics may advance the time of diagnoses in selected patients, they will increase the frequency of false alarms, overdiagnosis, and overtreatment in others. Bjorn Hofmann and H. Gilbert Welch explain how... read more
Transthoracic echocardiography: an accurate and precise method for estimating cardiac output in the critically ill patient
Cardiac output (CO) monitoring is a valuable tool for the diagnosis and management of critically ill patients. In the critical care setting, few studies have evaluated the level of agreement between CO estimated by transthoracic... read more
Diagnostic Value of Procalcitonin on Early Postoperative Infection After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Procalcitonin was more accurate than C-reactive protein and WBC to predict early postoperative infection, but the diagnostic properties of procalcitonin could not be observed during the first 3 postoperative days due to the... read more
Exosomes in Critical Illness
Exosomes are small, cell-released vesicles (40–100 nm in size) with the potential to transfer proteins, lipids, small RNAs, messenger RNAs, or DNA between cells via interstitial fluids. Due to their role in tissue homeostasis,... read more
New Telestroke Guidelines by American Telemedicine Association
These new telestroke guidelines were developed to assist practitioners in providing assessment, diagnosis, management, and/or remote consultative support to patients exhibiting symptoms and signs consistent with an acute... read more
Integrating Advance Care Planning into Practice
Advanced respiratory diseases progress over time and often lead to death. As their condition worsens, patients may lose medical decision making ability. Advance care planning (ACP) is a process in which patients receive information... read more
MRI in Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has high specificity but limited sensitivity for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE), according to a systematic review published in the journal Thrombosis Research. Given these inconclusive... read more
Visual Aids for Infectious Disease Diagnoses
Learning the hallmarks of proper diagnosis requires using all of our senses: hearing, to listen to a patient’s symptoms; touch, to probe an infection site; and occasionally smell, to qualitatively determine infection characteristics... read more
Biopsy first: Lessons learned from CALGB 140503
In a carefully monitored cohort of patients with suspected small NSCLC <2 cm, a substantial number are misdiagnosed (benign nodules) or understaged. These patients may not have benefited from a thoracic surgical procedure.... read more
Seizures Prior to Diagnosis of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
Seizures were a condition commonly experienced by patients prior to diagnosis of TSC; understanding the initial diagnoses experienced by TSC patients may help lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of TSC. Many patients... read more
Fibromyalgia as marker for seizures less reliable
The specificity of fibromyalgia as a marker for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures is less reliable than previously described, results from a large analysis showed. Fibromyalgia may not be as reliable a clinical indicator... read more
CT said to be 'effective gatekeeper' for coronary angiography
Study found the length of stay was shortened by 22.9 hours with CT, and patients preferred noninvasive testing.... read more
Use of interventions improves patient care for viral hepatitis
Researchers recommend multiple, inexpensive interventions be included in screening, diagnosis and treatment programs for patients with hepatitis B and C viruses, in an effort to optimize the outcomes of hepatitis care.... read more
What goes into the first aid kit of the future?
A revolution is taking place in the recesses of bathroom mirrors and pantry cabinets as a new wave of gadgets expand our conception of the First Aid Kit.... read more
