Today we do a round-up of some of the recent semaglutide trials. Does semaglutide ever miss? But what about tirzepatide, which causes even more weight loss? We also review two new critical care trials, FLUID and the UK-ROX, new platelet transfusion guidelines, and a new retrospective study of apixaban vs rivaroxaban vs warfarin. Oral Semaglutide for Diabetes with Cardiovascular Disease or CKD (SOUL) Semaglutide for Peripheral Artery Disease (STRIDE) Semaglutide for MASH (ESSENCE) Semaglutide vs ...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 62
What do you do when most trials suggest benefit for an intervention, but then a new trial suggests harm? We thought steroids in pneumonia was a settled question, but REMAP-CAP had other plans! We also review a new RCT for BP targets in patients with hypertension and diabetes, a new aldosterone synthase inhibitor for hypertension, and reduced dose apixaban for cancer-associated thrombosis. Hydrocortisone for Severe CAP (REMAP-CAP) Predicting Benefit of Corticosteroids in Pneumonia Intensive BP Co...
Apr 24, 2025•57 min•Ep. 61
For this episode we are joined by EBM guru, Dr. Brian Locke, who deftly breaks down all of our statistics questions. Is half dose DOAC as good as full dose DOAC for preventing VTE, and does it reduce bleeding risk? Can procalcitonin reduce duration of antibiotics for infections without compromising mortality rates? Can LLMs like GPT-4 help physicians manage patients better? Can reinforcement learning models predict when to start vasopressin in patients with septic shock? What is the risk of resu...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 60
We're back, after a brief hiatus! Today we talk about duration of therapy for bacteremia, Factor XI inhibition for atrial fibrillation, whether to stop ACEi or ARB before elective surgery, and whether GLP-1 agonists are beneficial in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Go to minute 7:30 to skip the banter. 7 vs 14 Days of Antibiotics for Bacteremia (BALANCE) Abelacimab vs Rivaroxaban for Atrial Fibrillation (AZALEA-TIMI-71) Asenduxian vs Apixaban for Atrial Fibrillation (OCEANIC-AF) ...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 59
It's been a long time, but we are back! Apologies on the audio quality from Dr. Jenkins. Apparently he was recording from inside a cardboard box. Today we talk about important, practice changing studies in internal medicine from the last several months. What's the best anticoagulant in patients with cirrhosis and atrial fibrillation? Why do doctors use so much unfractionated heparin for acute PE? Should we still be using beta blockers in patients with acute MI? Does finerenone improve outcomes i...
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 58
Today we are joined by Dr. Brian Locke, recently graduated pulmonary-critical care fellow, who takes us on a journey of avoiding statistical fallacies. Does metformin reduce the likelihood of long COVID? Should we give platelet transfusions to thrombocytopenic patients before central line placement? Did the CANVAS trial change practice in cancer associated thrombosis? Should patients with a stroke due to atrial fibrillation start oral anticoagulation earlier or later? We discuss all these questi...
Jun 27, 2023•59 min•Ep. 57
Today we have a special guest, Dr. Joel Topf, board-certified nephrologist and medical educator extraordinaire. Our listeners will likely recognize Dr. Topf from his prolific tweeting @Kidney_boy, as well as his numerous appearances on the Curbsiders podcast. He is a co-founder of the NephJC on Twitter, and host and founder of the NephJC podcast Freely Filtered . He is also host of the podcast Channel Your Enthusiasm , a deep dive monthly recap of the nephrology textbook Clinical Physiology of A...
May 25, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 56
This week we have special guest, Dr. Adam Spivak, to talk about the new study on doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis for STIs. Dr. Spivak is an infectious disease expert and works in both an HIV clinic and a free PrEP clinic. I also review the latest COVID-19 anticoagulation trial and a paper looking at rates of fracture non-union in people who receive bisphosphonates. Check it out! Doxycycline Post-exposure Prophylaxis for STIs High dose prophylactic anticoagulation in COVID-19 Bisphosphonate...
Apr 27, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Today we have special guest, Dr. Sarah Gilligan, a nephrologist, to talk about the new study of thiazides for kidney stones. We all learn in medical school that thiazides reduce urinary excretion of calcium, but does that really translate to fewer kidney stones? We also have Dr. Brian Locke on to talk about the CAPE COD trial, a big new critical care paper on using hydrocortisone in severe pneumonia, as well as the latest COPD guidelines and a retrospective study of oral antibiotics for infectiv...
Mar 25, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Today we welcome special guest and fellow EBM lover Dr. Mita Hoppenfeld to talk about a new randomized controlled trial evaluating the best duration of antibiotics for febrile UTI in men. Is 7 days as good as 14 days? We also review the latest guidelines for lower GI bleeding and a new retrospective study on renal outcomes in patients with AKI who receive IV contrast. 7 vs 14 days of antibiotics for Febrile UTI in Men Lower GI Bleeding Guidelines IV Contrast in patients with AKI Music from Uppbe...
Feb 25, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 2
We're back with Season 4! Sorry for the unplanned hiatus. Today we talk about the CLOVERS trial, which tested the hypothesis that early vasopressors and restrictive fluid would be superior to liberal fluids plus rescue vasopressors. We also looked at the TRANSFORM-HF study, which compared torsemide and furosemide in congestive heart failure, the PREVENT CLOT study, which compared aspirin to enoxaparin for VTE prophylaxis after a traumatic fracture, and the AID-ICU study, which compared haloperid...
Jan 31, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Today we have a couple special guests under the age of 2. Birdie and Gus! Do SGLT2 inhibitors improve diuresis in acute heart failure? Are they better than metformin for reducing cardiovascular mortality? Is high dose dexamethasone better than standard dose in ICU patients with COVID? We also talk about outcomes in patients with isolated distal DVT compared to proximal DVT, a large case series of patients with monkeypox infection, blood donor outcomes and the outcomes for surgeons who operated t...
Jul 22, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Today we are joined by Dr. Brian Locke to talk about multiple new critical care trials, including the CLASSIC trial of a restrictive vs standard fluid strategy, the LOVIT trial of vitamin C in septic shock, and the PREPARE-II trial of fluid bolus at the time of intubation to prevent cardiovascular collapse. We also look at whether 72 hours of antibiotics are safe in patients with neutropenic fever, whether hospitalist workload affects patient length of stay, and what kind of careers general inte...
Jun 24, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Today we had Dr. Patricia Liu to talk about a new study from Journal of Hospital Medicine on the management of opioid use disorder in the hospital. And then we got a little carried away covering way too many articles! Inpatient Management of Opioid Use Disorder Hepatitis C Care for People Who Inject Drugs Final SOLIDARITY trial results for Remdesivir TAVI for Moderate Risk Severe Aortic Stenosis Mediterranean Diet vs Low Fat Diet for Secondary Prevention of CVD Steroids for IgA Nephropathy GLP-1...
May 25, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Today, Dr. James Fang, Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Utah, and AHA/ACC/HFSA Heart Failure Guideline Committee Member, joins us to talk about the new heart failure guidelines, published in April 2022. We talk about the new classifications, including HF with improved EF and HF with mildly reduced EF, and new recommendations for medical therapy for all the heart failure types. How do you start someone on GDMT? Who should get SGLT-2 inhibitors? How can we get more people on A...
May 04, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Dr. Brian Locke is back to talk about that "nonrandomized" proning trial. We also talk about the new oral carbapenem for UTI trial, whether 1-2 months of DAPT is non-inferior to 12 months of DAPT, whether less than 1500 mg of sodium reduces heart failure hospitalizations, the risk of anaphylaxis from IV iron, and whether pickle juice is effective for treating cramps in cirrhosis. Check it out! Oral Tebipenem vs IV Ertapenem for Complicated UTI Awake Proning for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients 1-2...
Apr 23, 2022•51 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Today we have Dr. Brian Locke back on to talk about asthma management and a new trial of reliever-triggered inhaled glucocorticoids for Black and Latinx patients with asthma. Other questions we try to answer: Does methenamine prevent recurrent UTIs in women? Should CT coronary scan be done before invasive coronary angiography? Does melatonin prevent delirium in ICU patients? How good are patients at interpreting home COVID tests? What is the most common cause of type 2 NSTEMI? Give it a listen a...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 7
We finally have the published trial results for Paxlovid! We also look at the latest trial showing the ivermectin is ineffective in treating COVID-19 and one year outcomes in ICU COVID-19 patients. We also look at a meta-analysis of trials looking at different diagnostic strategies for ruling out PE, a retrospective study of thiamine use in ICU patients with alcohol use disorder, and a new study on pulse oximetry in people with different skin color. Check it out! Paxlovid for High Risk, Nonhospi...
Feb 25, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Today we are joined by Dr. Brian Locke to talk about the newest big trial on IV fluids in critically ill patients and a meta-analysis that looks at all the similar trials. Is this question finally settled? We also look at PICC lines vs midlines, IV L-ornithine L-aspartate in acute treatment of hepatic encephalopathy, a new ward-based program for delirium prevention in older inpatients, post-discharge thromboprophylaxis for high risk COVID patients, and whether mindfulness training can help burno...
Jan 28, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 5
It's our last episode in 2021! This episode we have Dr. Libo Wang and Dr. Jon Harrison on to talk about their new paper in the Annals of Internal Medicine about ultrasound JVP for estimating CVP, validated with right heart catheterization. We also ask them their thoughts on a new meta-analysis looking at metoprolol vs diltiazem for atrial fibrillation with RVR. We also look at a new large retrospective study of apixaban vs rivaroxaban for stroke prevention, a study looking at reducing sleep inte...
Dec 31, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Somehow we got through 7 articles today, and none of them are about COVID-19! Happy Thanksgiving! Chlorthalidone in CKD Milvexian for VTE Prevention Risk of Recurrent VTE in Subsegmental PE Rivaroxaban associated with higher rates of GI bleeding Depression and Residency Mental-Stress Induced Myocardial Ischemia Patient Outcomes for Part Time Hospitalists Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/dope License code: NP8HLP5WKGKXFW2R Music from Uppbeat (free for Creato...
Nov 25, 2021•59 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Today we talk about the effect of eliminating the race coefficient from the estimated GFR calculators, the risk of bleeding from anticoagulation after first unprovoked VTE, another trial looking at therapeutic anticoagulation in COVID-19, and whether 12 mg of dexamethasone is better than 6 mg for severe COVID-19 infections. New GFR Equations without Race Race, Genetic Ancestry and Estimating Kidney Function Long Term Bleeding Risk from Oral AC after First Unprovoked VTE Therapeutic Heparin for C...
Oct 28, 2021•51 min•Season 3Ep. 2
We're back after a nice relaxing summer taking care of a surge of COVID-19 patients. To start off season 3 we decided to do a rapid review of some of the best articles over the last three months. Dr. Brian Locke returns to help us break down some critical care papers, we talk about the miracle of SGLT-2 inhibitors, the treatment of UTIs in men, and the latest in COVID-19 literature. Hypothermia vs Normothermia after Cardiac Arrest Empagliflozin for Heart Failure with Preserved EF Antibiotic Dura...
Sep 30, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Today is our season 2 finale, and we have a master class on prosthetic joint infections from Dr. Laura Certain. Is 6 weeks as good as 12 weeks for prevent recurrent infections? How does the surgeon decide what kind of surgery to do? Should we use oral or IV antibiotics? When should you use rifampin?? Dr. Certain answers all these questions and more. We also talk about the new colon cancer screening guidelines from USPSTF, hospital admission for chest pain after ACS ruled out in the ED, whether m...
Jun 03, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 17
How long can you delay antibiotics in patients with suspected sepsis before the risk of hospital mortality increases? What proportion of patients with suspected sepsis end up having actual sepsis? Dr. Devin Horton joins us to review a paper in Critical Care Medicine that tries to answer these questions. Antibiotic Delay Intervals and Hospital Mortality for Patients with Suspected Sepsis High Flow Nasal Oxygen POCUS for Acute Dyspnea Screening of Atrial Fibrillation in Older Patients Music from h...
May 13, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Today we have special guest Dr. Natalie Como to talk about Hospital at Home and what it's like to practice hospital medicine at a rural critical access hospital. We also look at a retrospective paper on ACE/ARBs in veterans with pulmonary hypertension and talk about vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Check it out! Hospital at Home with Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment RAAS Inhibition and Pulmonary Hypertension Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Music fro...
Apr 28, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Today we are joined by heavy hitter Dr. Brian Locke to talk about the new paper on 3 vs 8 days of antibiotics for pneumonia, a clever new paper looking at whether there is any association between IV contrast and kidney function, and a new retrospective study on DOAC use for valvular atrial fibrillation. Check it out! Three Days of Antibiotics for Pneumonia IV Contrast and Kidney Function DOACs for Valvular Atrial Fibrillation Music from https://filmmusic.io "Sneaky Snitch" by Kevin MacLeod (http...
Apr 08, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Today we are doing double duty: podcasting and parenting. Fortunately our babies were well-behaved. We talk about three trials for semaglutide and weight loss and a new 4 level pre-test probability rule for diagnosing PE. We also talk about a retrospective study of cefazolin vs nafcillin for epidural abscess, a ferritin/procalcitonin ratio for differentiating bacterial from COVID pneumonia, and a new randomized controlled trial of intermediate thromboprophylaxis for ICU patients with COVID19. Ch...
Mar 24, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Today has a nice liver disease theme. Does targeting a serum albumin above 3 g/dL reduce death, infections and kidney failure in patients with decompensated cirrhosis? Does terlipressin work in hepatorenal syndrome? Albumin Infusion for Decompensated Cirrhosis Terlipressin for Type 1 Hepatorenal Syndrome Music from https://filmmusic.io "Sneaky Snitch" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): h...
Mar 11, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Today I am joined by Infectious Disease expert Dr. Emily Spivak to talk about the latest batch of tocilizumab trials for COVID-19 and a meta-analysis of all the convalescent plasma trials. Check it out! Tocilizumab in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 (COVACTA) IL-6 Receptor Antagonists in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 (REMAP-CAP) RECOVERY Tocilizumab pre-print Meta-analysis of Convalescent Plasma for COVID-19 Music from https://filmmusic.io "Sneaky Snitch" by Kevin MacLeod (https://in...
Mar 04, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 11
