Medical Knowledge

Red Blood Cell Transfusion- 2023 AABB International Guidelines

Importance  Red blood cell transfusion is a common medical intervention with benefits and harms. Objective  To provide recommendations for use of red blood cell transfusion in adults and children. Evidence Review  Standards for trustworthy guidelines were followed, including using Grading of Recommendations Assessment,…

Hyperthyroidism – A Review

Importance  Overt hyperthyroidism, defined as suppressed thyrotropin (previously thyroid-stimulating hormone) and high concentration of triiodothyronine (T3) and/or free thyroxine (FT4), affects approximately 0.2% to 1.4% of people worldwide. Subclinical hyperthyroidism, defined as low concentrations of thyrotropin and normal concentrations of T3 and FT4, affects…

Diagnosis and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder – A Review

Importance  Bipolar disorder affects approximately 8 million adults in the US and approximately 40 million individuals worldwide. Observations  Bipolar disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression and mania or hypomania. Bipolar depressive episodes are similar to major depressive episodes. Manic and…

Futility in Clinical Trials

This JAMA Guide to Statistics and Methods discusses the early stopping of clinical trials for futility due to lack of evidence supporting the desired benefit, evidence of harm, or practical issues that make successful completion unlikely.

Patient With Pulmonary Symptoms, Dysphagia, and Raynaud Disease

A nonsmoking patient with gastroesophageal reflux disease and Raynaud disease had 4 weeks of dysphagia and a 4.54-kg weight loss over 3 months, cough productive of yellow sputum, and dyspnea on exertion. White blood cell count and creatine kinase and…

Suicide Risks of Health Care Workers in the US

Importance  Historically elevated risks of suicide among physicians may have declined in recent decades. Yet there remains a paucity of information concerning suicide risks among other health care workers. Objective  To estimate risks of death by suicide among US health care workers….

Clinical Care for People Who Survive Childhood Cancer – A Review

Importance  An estimated 15 000 children and adolescents aged 0 to 19 years are diagnosed with cancer each year in the US, and more than 85% survive for at least 5 years. By 45 years of age, approximately 95% of people who…

Cefepime vs Piperacillin-Tazobactam in Adults Hospitalized With Acute Infection – The ACORN Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance  Cefepime and piperacillin-tazobactam are commonly administered to hospitalized adults for empirical treatment of infection. Although piperacillin-tazobactam has been hypothesized to cause acute kidney injury and cefepime has been hypothesized to cause neurological dysfunction, their comparative safety has not been evaluated…