The American journal of medicine
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Many physicians recommend that patients receive follow-up chest imaging after the diagnosis of pneumonia to ensure that a pulmonary malignancy is not missed. However, there is little research evidence to support this practice. Our aims were to assess the frequency of the diagnosis of pulmonary malignancy, and to identify risk factors for pulmonary malignancy following hospitalization for pneumonia. ⋯ A small, but clinically important, proportion of patients are diagnosed with pulmonary malignancy posthospitalization for pneumonia. Additional research is needed to examine whether previously undiagnosed pulmonary malignancies might be detected at admission, or soon after, for those hospitalized with pneumonia.
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Review Meta Analysis
The association between smoking and low back pain: a meta-analysis.
To assess the association between smoking and low back pain with meta-analysis. ⋯ Our findings indicate that both current and former smokers have a higher prevalence and incidence of low back pain than never smokers, but the association is fairly modest. The association between current smoking and the incidence of low back pain is stronger in adolescents than in adults.
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The do-not-resuscitate order, introduced nearly a half century ago, continues to raise questions and controversy among health care providers and patients. In today's society, the expectation and availability of medical interventions, including at the end of life, have rendered the do-not-resuscitate order particularly relevant. ⋯ Specific strategies can improve the quality of code status conversations and enhance end-of-life care planning. In this article, we review the history, epidemiology, and determinants of do-not-resuscitate orders, as well as frequently encountered questions and recommended strategies for discussing this important topic with patients.
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To assess the diagnostic value of the chest radiograph for the diagnosis of pneumonia in bedridden patients, using non-contrast-enhanced high-resolution chest computed tomography (CT) as the gold standard. ⋯ In bedridden patients with suspected pneumonia, a normal chest radiograph does not rule out the diagnosis, hence, a chest CT scan might provide valuable diagnostic information.