Pain physician
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Transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) is an interventional technique used to relieve disc herniation related back and radicular pain. Although few studies have investigated the factors predicting positive outcomes after TFESI, there is no data concerning the possible relationship between pre-procedure serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and the response to TFESI. ⋯ Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a lower probability of meaningful pain relief following TFESI. It may worth assessing serum vitamin D level prior to this intervention, although prospective investigation is necessary.
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Although the clinical significance and treatment management of opioid use disorder (OUD) is sufficiently discussed, utilization of healthcare services associated with OUD has not been adequately studied in the United States. ⋯ In the United States, very few health issues have garnered the attention of such diverse sectors as the opioid crisis. Our analysis of 2016 NIS data found that patients with OUD accounted for approximately 740,000 discharges that year. This represents about a 55% increase over 2015. We also demonstrate that inpatient settings provide a unique opportunity for targeting evidence-based, comprehensive interventions at patients with OUD. Key words: Opioid use disorder, discharge diagnosis, hospital resource utilization, cost-to-charge ratio, HCUP, NIS, AHRQ.