A new study in JAMA Network Open analyzed data from more than 125,000 patients who received lower-extremity revascularization between 2014 and 2019.

Critically ill patients who exhibit symptoms of unhealthy alcohol use can become agitated when receiving mechanical ventilation in the ICU. A study published in the February 23, 2021 issue of JAMA showed that high-dose baclofen can prevent alcohol withdrawal–related agitation.

In the United States, 77% of all UTIs and 79% of all community acquired pneumonias (CAP) are treated inappropriately in the hospital setting, according to an expert panel convened by the Pew Charitable Trust in 2018 to evaluate antibiotic use in hospitals. The panel’s findings, which were published in a March 18, 2021, report, revealed that fluoroquinolones were used inappropriately 47% of the time, and vancomycin was used inappropriately 27% of the time.

As aspiring health professionals, it is important for student pharmacists to remain informed about the nuance and complexity of the overall health care system from the perspectives of all stakeholders as we advocate for patients and the profession.

Although dexamethasone is often used to prevent nausea and vomiting after surgery, concerns have been raised that it may increase the risk of surgical-site infection. A new study from researchers in New Zealand and Australia published on May 6 in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that dexamethasone was noninferior to placebo in the incidence of surgical-site infection within 30 days after nonurgent, noncardiac surgery.