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According to many studies, addressing the religious and spiritual (R/S) needs of patient's increase patient satisfaction. One area of interest is how patient self-perceived level of religiosity and spirituality (R/S) influences hospital needs. In this cross-sectional study, 195 inpatients at a non-faith-based academic hospital in Toledo, OH, USA completed surveys examining self-perceived R/S levels, as well as how those R/S levels impacted preferred services, conversations, and experiences in the hospital. Patients with no religious identity (self-identified as atheist, agnostic, or no religion) were less likely to report discussions about R/S needs than religious respondents (16.7% vs. 47.3%, p = 0.039). Nevertheless, such patients were just as likely to want a R/S conversation started by their healthcare provider (75% vs. 56%, p = 0.241). Those with no R/S identity were more likely to report presumed negative assumptions by hospital staff (25% vs. 0%, p

Background Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is associated with hypercoagulability and increased thrombotic risk in critically ill patients. To our knowledge, no studies have evaluated whether aspirin use is associated with reduced risk of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and in-hospital mortality. Methods A retrospective, observational cohort study of adult patients admitted with COVID-19 to multiple hospitals in the United States between March 2020 and July 2020 was performed. The primary outcome was the need for mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcomes were ICU admission and in-hospital mortality. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for study outcomes were calculated using Cox-proportional hazards models after adjustment for the effects of demographics and comorbid conditions. Results Four hundred twelve patients were included in the study. Three hundred fourteen patients (76.3%) did not receive aspirin, while 98 patients (23.7%) received aspirin within 24 hours of admission or 7 days before admission. Aspirin use had a crude association with less mechanical ventilation (35.7% aspirin versus 48.4% nonaspirin, P = .03) and ICU admission (38.8% aspirin versus 51.0% nonaspirin, P = .04), but no crude association with in-hospital mortality (26.5% aspirin versus 23.2% nonaspirin, P = .51). After adjusting for 8 confounding variables, aspirin use was independently associated with decreased risk of mechanical ventilation (adjusted HR, 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-0.85, P = .007), ICU admission (adjusted HR, 0.57, 95% CI, 0.38-0.85, P = .005), and in-hospital mortality (adjusted HR, 0.53, 95% CI, 0.31-0.90, P = .02). There were no differences in major bleeding (P = .69) or overt thrombosis (P = .82) between aspirin users and nonaspirin users. Conclusions Aspirin use may be associated with improved outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. However, a sufficiently powered randomized controlled trial is needed to assess whether a causal relationship exists between aspirin use and reduced lung injury and mortality in COVID-19 patients.

The risks associated with unruptured intracranial aneurysms can be neurologically debilitating and even fatal. Evaluation of these aneurysms is critical for determining what type of intervention is warranted, if at all. Cerebral angiography has long been the gold standard in the evaluation of intracranial aneurysms. However, this diagnostic modality is accompanied by several risks that are made clear to the patient before they consent to the procedure. These risks include the possibility of stroke, groin hematomas, contrast-induced anaphylaxis, contrast nephropathy, and catheter-associated infections. Dynamic CT angiography (4D-CTA) has been studied as an assessment tool for cerebral vasculopathies such as stroke, arteriovenous malformations, and aneurysms. It has been shown that 4D-CTA has the advantage of being less invasive and has a shorter examination time than cerebral angiography. In this article, we present a rare case of a giant calcified aneurysm and compare the findings of a cerebral angiogram and a 4D-CTA study.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and is responsible for approximately nine percent of all deaths worldwide. Cases of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans)-induced intracerebral hemorrhage as a result of bloodstream infections have seldom been reported. New reports show that bacteria with specific collagen binding proteins (CBPs), such as the Cnm type produced by S. mutans, may inhibit platelet aggregation and cause bleeding. In this article, we report on a 62-year-old man with a recent history of left frontal intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who presented to the emergency department after a fall due to suspected seizure while in rehabilitation. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain showed a right cerebellar hemorrhage with surrounding edema and mass effect on the fourth ventricle. A suboccipital craniotomy to evacuate the cerebellar ICH was completed without complication. Radiologic and angiographic assessments regarding the etiology of this patient's stroke did not reveal any evidence of vascular pathology or mycotic aneurysms to explain his recurrent intracranial hemorrhages. Through persistent patient and family interviews, it came to light that a few weeks prior to the patient's first ICH, he was diagnosed with a bloodstream infection by S. mutans. Bacteremia is known to be associated with embolic stroke, but only recently has it been shown that bacteremia can also be implicated in hemorrhagic stroke. S. mutans of the k serotype have specific CBPs that are attracted to exposed collagen in previously damaged small vessel walls. These bacterial proteins can interrupt the blood clotting cascade through the prevention of platelet aggregation, increasing the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage.