Implicit measurement of actual inappropriate prescribing predicted ADE risk, an important clinical outcome. This finding helps confirm the validity of prior studies that have relied on explicit measures to link potentially inappropriate prescribing to adverse health outcomes.

Hyperarousal is a hallmark of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD has been associated with increased blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in veteran populations. We retrospectively identified male patients consulted to outpatient psychiatry at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. Patients were divided into PTSD (n = 88) and non-PTSD (n = 98) groups. All PTSD patients and a subset of non-PTSD patients had documented blast exposure during service. The study investigated whether patients with PTSD had higher systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) than patients without PTSD. The effect of trauma exposure on BP was also examined. Mean SBP (133.8 vs. 122.3 mm Hg; p < .001), DBP (87.6 vs. 78.6 mm Hg; p < .001), and HR (78.9 vs. 73.1 bpm; p < .001) were all significantly higher in the PTSD group. Trauma-exposed patients without PTSD had significantly higher BP than nonexposed patients. The prevalence of hypertension (HTN) was 34.1% (diagnosed and undiagnosed) among PTSD patients. Patients with PTSD had higher BP and HR compared to patients without PTSD. Trauma exposure may increase BP in this population. These findings will increase awareness about the cardiovascular implications of PTSD.

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Key Points Question Do urologic clinicians within the Veterans Health Administration system adhere to the American Urological Association’s antimicrobial prophylaxis guideline for endoscopic urologic procedures? Findings In this cohort study analyzing the medical records of 375 patients at 5 Veterans Health Administration hospitals and the administrative data of 29 530 records throughout the entire Veterans Health Administration system, antimicrobial prescribing was guideline discordant in nearly 60% of patients, the rate of excessive postprocedural antimicrobial use was high, and nearly 40% of records received a median of 3 excess days of antimicrobial therapy. Agreement between these 2 data sources was high. Meaning In patients who underwent common urologic procedures, the rates of guideline-discordant antimicrobial use were high, mainly because of overprescribing of postprocedural antimicrobial agents.

• Sulfonylureas effectively reduce hemoglobin A1c by an expected 1.0%-2.0%. Maintaining glycemic control has been shown to lower morbidity secondary to microvascular complications including retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy.• Glyburide is metabolized to active metabolites that may accumulate in patients with renal dysfunction and has been associated with a 2-fold incidence of hypoglycemia in elderly patients compared with glipizide.What is already known about this subject

Erythema multiforme is an acute inflammatory skin reaction that often is caused by drugs, especially sulfonamides and their derivatives. Celecoxib, a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, is a sulfonamide derivative commonly prescribed to treat arthritis in patients who cannot tolerate or who have a contraindication for taking traditional nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents. A 57-year-old man with a previously undocumented sulfa allergy experienced an allergic skin reaction and had difficulty breathing secondary to throat swelling. His condition was believed to be erythema multiforme associated with the introduction of celecoxib into his drug regimen. His drug therapy was discontinued, but a subsequent reaction occurred when the sulfonamide derivative glyburide was reintroduced. It is important for clinicians to obtain a careful history and perform a thorough medical evaluation in all patients receiving sulfonamides and their derivatives, as a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction may be prevented.

Background Empiric antimicrobial therapy for healthcare-acquired infections often includes vancomycin plus an antipseudomonal beta-lactam (AP-BL). These agents vary in risk for adverse events, including acute kidney injury (AKI) and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Studies have only examined these risks separately; thus, our objective was to simultaneously evaluate AKI and CDI risks with AP-BL in the same patient cohort. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 789,200 Veterans Health Administration medical admissions from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2016. The antimicrobials examined were vancomycin, cefepime, piperacillin/tazobactam, and meropenem. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to contrast risks for AKI and CDI across individual target antimicrobials and vancomycin combination therapies, including adjustment for known confounders. Results With respect to the base rate of AKI among patients who did not receive a target antibiotic (4.6%), the adjusted hazards ratios for piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, and meropenem were 1.50 (95% CI: 1.43-1.54), 1.00 (0.95-1.05), 0.92 (0.83-1.01), respectively. Co-administration of vancomycin increased AKI rates (data not shown). Similarly, against the base rate of CDI (0.7%), these ratios were 1.21 (1.07-1.36), 1.89 (1.62-2.20), and 1.99 (1.55-2.56), respectively. Addition of vancomycin had minimal impact on CDI rates (data not shown). Conclusions Piperacillin/tazobactam increased AKI risk, which was exacerbated by concurrent vancomycin. Cefepime and meropenem increased CDI risk relative to piperacillin/tazobactam. Clinicians should consider the risks and benefits of AP-BL when selecting empiric regimens. Further well-designed studies evaluating the global risks of AP-BL and patient specific characteristics that can guide empiric selection are needed.

We investigated the frequency and determinants of guideline-discordant antibiotic prescribing in outpatients with respiratory infections or cystitis. Antibiotic prescribing was guideline discordant in 60% of patients. The most common reason for discordance was prescribing an antibiotic when not indicated. In a multivariate analysis, physicians in training had the highest likelihood of guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:724-728.