The Southern Medical Journal is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.
Objective: We aimed to review recommendations for the postoperative resumption of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and report complications 30 days postoperatively. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients receiving DOAC therapy who underwent preoperative evaluations from January 1, 2015 through May 30, 2018. We noted days that DOAC therapy was withheld, postoperative...
Overweight and obesity affect more than one-third of the world’s population.1,2 Should current trends continue, it is projected that an estimated 38% of the world’s adult population will be overweight and another 20% will be obese by 2030.3 In the United States, projections based on recent trends forecast that nearly...
Objective: To assess the clinical characteristics and clinical outcomes of bradycardic patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Methods: The electronic medical records of 221 consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia between June and September 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient characteristics, electrocardiographic data, and clinical and laboratory information were retrospectively...
Objectives: Obesity can be an independent predictor of fibrosis in tissues, including the liver, heart, and skin. We evaluated a rural Appalachian cohort of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) for its relation to obesity. Methods: Using American Thoracic Society 2018 diagnostic guidelines, an IPF cohort was systematically identified at an Appalachian...
Objectives: In the management of cardiovascular disease, it is important to identify patients at risk early on, to provide interventions to prevent the disease and its complications. The goal of our study was to investigate the association between glucose levels and silent myocardial infarction (SMI) among patients, who consisted of...
Establishing a diagnosis of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is not always straightforward, and significant vigilance and a low threshold of suspicion are necessary on the part of the clinician. A delayed or misdiagnosis may result in patient harm in the form of organ failure or even death. TMA is clinically diagnosed...
Objectives: To assess the relation between total job stressor burden and physician burnout, identifying potentially contributory modifiable stressors, using a comprehensive, theory-based instrument created for physicians by physicians. Methods: From 2018 to 2019, we conducted a cross-sectional study in a public teaching hospital in India. Of 305 clinically active physicians,...
Objectives: We evaluated internal medicine residents’ confidence and knowledge of personal finance, perceptions of burnout, and relations between these issues before and after an educational intervention. Methods: We surveyed internal medicine residents at two university-based training programs in 2018. We developed and implemented a curriculum at both sites, covering topics...
Objectives: The American Society of Hematology’s 4T scoring system is a validated tool to assess a patient’s probability of having heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) before testing is performed. There is no benefit to testing patients with a low probability 4T score for HIT. This study aimed to assess for inappropriate HIT...
Objectives: Because the population in Florida is 25.6% Hispanic, it is possible to evaluate the influence of race and ethnicity within clinically relevant subgroups of women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), including histology and tumor grade. This study explores racial/ethnic disparities in the incidence of EOC in Florida by histology...
