As general internists, we often encounter and are expected to medically manage the acute complications of decompensated cirrhosis: Gastrointestional bleed Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis Hepatic encephalopathy Hepatorenal syndrome This article tackles an important cornerstone of treatment for SBP: the use of…
What role do corticosteroids have in acute infection, particularly in pneumonia requiring hospitalization? This study from Switzerland argues there might be some benefits. As you can imagine, there is some controversy about the use of steroids.
Here are some questions to think about as you review this study: What adverse events were associated with the use of atorvastatin? Are these results externally valid and applicable to your patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke or TIA? How was…
Test and review your knowledge about VTE and management with anticoagulation.
What’s your differential diagnosis to explain the “strange behavior” of a patient with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS?
Do you ever give NSAID’s to patients with cardiomyopathy? Usually not, and here is evidence supporting why we don’t. But are there some NSAID’s that have less unfavorable outcomes?
Lactulose is widely used for treatment of hepatic encephalopathy because it is effective, cheap, and widely available. So is there any benefit to using Rifaximin in patients with hepatic encephalopathy? Here are some questions to answer when reviewing this article…