1. The Child-Pugh score, derived from five clinical and lab measures (bilirubin, albumin, INR/prothrombin time, ascites, encephalopathy), is widely used to predict operative mortality and long-term prognosis in chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. 2. First developed in...

1. The ABCD2 score is a validated clinical tool that estimates the short-term risk of stroke following a transient ischemic attack (TIA), using five easily obtained patient factors: age, blood pressure, clinical features, duration of symptoms, and...

1. Among infants born to women with preterm, premature rupture of membranes, those whose mothers were randomized to treatment with erythromycin experienced a lower incidence of adverse neonatal outcomes and prolongation of pregnancy compared to the placebo...

1. The use of loop diuretics in acute decompensated heart failure is commonplace, but clinical practice varies widely with regards to the dosage and administration of therapy. 2. This study found that mode of administration (bolus vs. continuous...

The following study summary is an excerpt from the book 2 Minute Medicine's The Classics in Radiology: Summaries of Clinically Relevant & Recent Landmark Studies, 1e (The Classics Series). 1. The 2017 update to the Fleischner Society Guidelines...

1. The Lee index is a prospectively validated model that predicts the risk of a cardiac event in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. 2. The six independent predictors are as follows: 1) high-risk surgery, 2) history of ischemic...

1. Intensive glycemic control in critically ill patients significantly increases 90-day mortality when compared to conventional glycemic control. 2. The incidence of severe hypoglycemia was significantly higher in patients receiving intensive glycemic control. Original Date of Publication:...

1. Previous studies suggest that intensive blood glucose control reduces the risk of microvascular complications, though questions remained regarding the impact on macrovascular complications and mortality. 2. This study found that targeting HbA1c <6.0% resulted in higher...

1. The trial was terminated early when the data demonstrated that lower tidal volume ventilator settings in ALI/ARDS patients led to a significant decrease in in-hospital mortality. 2. Low tidal volume ventilation also led to an increase...

1. The Wells DVT criteria are a validated clinical model for estimating pre-test probability of DVT. 2. D-dimer testing in outpatients can help inform the need for venous ultrasonography in the diagnosis of DVT. Original Date of...

1. In adults undergoing noncardiac surgery, perioperative β-blocker therapy with extended-release metoprolol significantly reduced nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) risk but increased stroke and all-cause mortality at 30 days. 2. The landmark POISE trial underscores the need to...

1. In patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), prone-positioning significantly reduced 28-day and 90-day mortality when compared with patients remaining in supine position. 2. Proned patients were also successfully extubated at higher rates and required...

Image: PD 1. There were no significant differences in 28-day, 6-month, or 12-month mortality when comparing dopamine and norepinephrine as first-line vasopressors in managing shock. 2. Dopamine was associated with a significantly higher rate of arrhythmias, as...

Image: PD 1. Adding 25 mg of spironolactone to standard therapy reduces all-cause mortality in heart failure patients with an ejection fraction <35% Original Date of Publication: September 2, 1999 Study Rundown: This landmark study supported the use...

1. Women with pre-eclampsia randomized to magnesium experienced a greater than 50% reduction in eclampsia compared to women on placebo. Original Date of Publication: June 2002 Study Rundown: Pre-eclampsia is a multi-system hypertensive disorder of pregnancy associated...