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Abstract Stress hyperglycemia (SH) is a manifestation of altered glucose metabolism in acutely ill patients which worsens outcomes and may represent a risk factor for diabetes. Continuity of care can assess this risk, which depends on quality of hospital clinical documentation. We aimed to determine the incidence of SH and documentation tendencies in hospital discharge summaries and continuity notes. We retrospectively examined diagnoses during a 12-months period. A 3-months representative sample of discharge summaries and continuity clinic notes underwent manual abstraction. Over 12-months, 495 admissions had ≥ 2 blood glucose measurements ≥ 10 mmol/L (180 mg/dL), which provided a SH incidence of 3.3%. Considering other glucose states suggestive of SH, records showing ≥ 4 blood glucose measurements ≥ 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) totaled 521 admissions. The entire 3-months subset of 124 records lacked the diagnosis SH documentation in discharge summaries. Only two (1.6%) records documented SH in the narrative of hospital summaries. Documentation or assessment of SH was absent in all ambulatory continuity notes. Lack of documentation of SH contributes to lack of follow-up after discharge, representing a disruptor of optimal care. Activities focused on improving quality of hospital documentation need to be integral to the education and competency of providers within accountable health systems.

There is a broad range of possible diagnoses for an elevated beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) in the absence of intrauterine or ectopic pregnancy. When women of child bearing potential undergo evaluation for clinical trial, it is often unclear what course of evaluation to take when a pregnancy test is positive. We describe the clinical course of a patient with widely metastatic mucinous ovarian carcinoma with metastasis to the peritoneum, lymph nodes and liver. The patient was found to have a mildly elevated β-hCG during initial evaluation for clinical trial. Extensive work up for ectopic pregnancy, trophoblastic disease, and phantom β-hCG were negative. The patient's β-hCG levels continued to rise until initiation of therapy. She was treated on a phase I protocol with restaging scans revealing a partial response. The β-hCG was retested and declined in conjunction with her response, consistent with paraneoplastic β-hCG. Here, we propose a decision making algorithm to evaluate a patient with an elevated β-hCG undergoing assessment for clinical trial.

Complex III deficiency due to a MT-CYB mutation has been reported in patients with myopathy. Here, we describe a 15-year-old boy who presented with metabolic acidosis, ketotic hypoglycemia and carnitine deficiency. Electron transport chain analysis and mitochondrial DNA sequencing on muscle tissue lead to the eventual diagnosis of complex III deficiency. This case demonstrates the critical role of muscle biopsies in a myopathy work-up, and the clinical efficacy of supplement therapy.