Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia in HIV-Negative, Non-transplant Patients: Epidemiology, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention.

Purpose of Review: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is an opportunistic fungal infection that is increasingly seen in HIV-negative patients with immune compromise due to other etiologies. We lack comprehensive clinical recommendations for this population. Recent Findings: In non-HIV cases, PJP has a mortality rate of up to 50%, which is unacceptable despite the presence of safe and effective prophylaxis and therapy. Steroid use is one of the most common risk factors for disease development. New data suggests that lower doses of the preferred treatment regimen, TMP-SMX, may be equally effective for treatment while limiting side effects. While commonly used, the benefit of corticosteroids for the treatment of PJP has recently been called into question, with a recent multicenter cohort demonstrating no benefit among solid organ transplant recipients. Summary: A high suspicion of PJP in individuals with pneumonia during immunosuppressant use is crucial. Therapeutic options are evolving to decrease potential side effects while maintaining efficacy in this highly morbid disease.

Manic Episodes in a Patient With Neurosyphilis Following Brief Discontinuation of Bipolar Medication.

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder resulting in episodes of either mania or hypomania. The episodes can manifest themselves as a period of abnormally and persistently elevated mood, abnormally and persistently increased activity or energy, distractibility, insomnia, grandiosity, flight of ideas, increased activity, pressured speech, and racing thoughts. Neurosyphilis is a progression of syphilis infection involving the brain, meninges, or spinal cord. The interaction between bipolar disorder and neurosyphilis has not been extensively studied, but it has been theorized that neurosyphilis can exacerbate mood disorders. This case study details a patient with concurrent late-onset bipolar disorder and neurosyphilis and how the discontinuation of bipolar medication resulted in an acute manic episode. In addition, this case underscores the importance of differentiating the presenting symptoms between bipolar disorder and neurosyphilis.

A Novel VACTERL Assessment Tool to Facilitate Counseling for Expectant Families.

INTRODUCTION: VACTERL is defined as 3 or more of the following congenital defects: vertebral, anorectal, cardiac, tracheoesophageal (TE), renal, and limb. The purpose of this study was to create an easy-to-use assessment tool to help providers counsel expecting families regarding the likelihood of additional anomalies and postnatal outcomes. METHODS: Employing the Kids' Inpatient Database from 2003-2016, neonates (<29 days old) with VACTERL were identified using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM codes. For each unique combination of VACTERL, multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate inpatient mortality, and Poisson regression was used to estimate length-of-stay during the initial hospitalization. RESULTS: The assessment tool used in this study is available at https://choc-trauma.shinyapps.io/VACTERL. 1,886 of 11,813,782 (0.016%) neonates presented with VACTERL. 32% weighed <1,750 g, and 239 (12.7%) died prior to discharge. Associated with mortality were limb anomaly (1.8 [1.01-3.22], p < 0.05), prematurity (1.99 [1.14-3.47], p < 0.02), and weight <1,750 g (2.19 [1.25-3.82], p < 0.01). Median length-of-stay was 14 days (IQR: 7-32). Associated with increased length-of-stay were cardiac defect (1.47 [1.37-1.56], p < 0.001), vertebral anomaly (1.1 [1.05-1.14], p < 0.001), TE fistula (1.73 [1.66-1.81], p < 0.001), anorectal malformation (1.12 [1.07-1.16], p < 0.001), and weight <1,750 g (1.65 [1.57-1.73], p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This novel assessment tool may help providers counsel families confronting a VACTERL diagnosis.

Insurance-Based Disparities in Congenital Cardiac Operations in the Era of the Affordable Care Act.

A body of literature has previously highlighted the impact of health insurance on observed disparities in congenital cardiac operations. With aims of improving access to healthcare for all patients, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded Medicaid coverage to nearly all eligible children in 2010. Therefore, the present population-based study aimed to examine the association of Medicaid coverage with clinical and financial outcomes in the era the ACA. Records for pediatric patients (≤ 18 years) who underwent congenital cardiac operations were abstracted from the 2010-2018 Nationwide Readmissions Database. Operations were stratified using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (STAT) Category. Multivariable regression models were developed to evaluate the association of insurance status on index mortality, 30-day readmissions, care fragmentation, and cumulative costs. Of an estimated 132,745 hospitalizations for congenital cardiac surgery from 2010 to 2018, 74,925 (56.4%) were insured by Medicaid. The proportion of Medicaid patients increased from 57.6 to 60.8% during the study period. On adjusted analysis, patients with Medicaid insurance were at an increased odds of mortality (1.35, 95%CI: 1.13-1.60) and 30-day unplanned readmission (1.12, 95%CI: 1.01-1.25), experienced longer lengths of stay (+ 6.5 days, 95%CI 3.7-9.3), and exhibited higher cumulative hospitalization costs (+ $21,600, 95%CI: $11,500-31,700). The total hospitalization cost-burden for patients with Medicaid and private insurance were $12.6 billion and $8.06 billion, respectively. Medicaid patients exhibited increased mortality, readmissions, care fragmentation, and costs compared to those with private insurance. Our results of outcome variation by insurance status indicate the necessity of policy changes to attempt to approach equality in surgical out comes for this high-risk cohort. Baseline characteristics, trends, and outcomes by insurance status over the ACA rollout period 2010-2018.

Patient selection for heart transplant: balancing risk.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Heart failure incidence continues to rise despite a relatively static number of available donor hearts. Selecting an appropriate heart transplant candidate requires evaluation of numerous factors to balance patient benefit while maximizing the utility of scarce donor hearts. Recent research has provided new insights into refining recipient risk assessment, providing additional tools to further define and balance risk when considering heart transplantation. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent publications have developed models to assist in risk stratifying potential heart transplant recipients based on cardiac and noncardiac factors. These studies provide additional tools to assist clinicians in balancing individual risk and benefit of heart transplantation in the context of a limited donor organ supply. SUMMARY: The primary goal of heart transplantation is to improve survival and maximize quality of life. To meet this goal, a careful assessment of patient-specific risks is essential. The optimal approach to patient selection relies on integrating recent prognostication models with a multifactorial assessment of established clinical characteristics, comorbidities and psychosocial factors.

The Theory and Applications of Measuring Broad-Range and Chromosome-Wide Recombination Rate from Allele Frequency Decay around a Selected Locus.

Recombination is the exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes via physical crossovers. High-throughput sequencing approaches detect crossovers genome wide to produce recombination rate maps but are difficult to scale as they require large numbers of recombinants individually sequenced. We present a simple and scalable pooled-sequencing approach to experimentally infer near chromosome-wide recombination rates by taking advantage of non-Mendelian allele frequency generated from a fitness differential at a locus under selection. As more crossovers decouple the selected locus from distal loci, the distorted allele frequency attenuates distally toward Mendelian and can be used to estimate the genetic distance. Here, we use marker selection to generate distorted allele frequency and theoretically derive the mathematical relationships between allele frequency attenuation, genetic distance, and recombination rate in marker-selected pools. We implemented nonlinear curve-fitting methods that robustly estimate the allele frequency decay from batch sequencing of pooled individuals and derive chromosome-wide genetic distance and recombination rates. Empirically, we show that marker-selected pools closely recapitulate genetic distances inferred from scoring recombinants. Using this method, we generated novel recombination rate maps of three wild-derived strains of Drosophila melanogaster, which strongly correlate with previous measurements. Moreover, we show that this approach can be extended to estimate chromosome-wide crossover interference with reciprocal marker selection and discuss how it can be applied in the absence of visible markers. Altogether, we find that our method is a simple and cost-effective approach to generate chromosome-wide recombination rate maps requiring only one or two libraries.

Trends in Readmission and Costs After Transcatheter Implantation Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Renal Dysfunction.

Patients with renal dysfunction are at increased risk for developing aortic valve pathology. In the present era of value-based healthcare delivery, a comparison of transcatheter and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) readmission performance in this population is warranted. All adult patients who underwent transcatheter or SAVR from 2011 to 2014 were identified using the Nationwide Readmissions Database, containing data for nearly 50% of US hospitalizations. Patients were further stratified as chronic kidney disease stage 1 to 5 as well as end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis. Kaplan-Meier, Cox Hazard, and multivariable regression models were generated to identify predictors of readmission and costs. Of the 350,609 isolated aortic valve replacements, 4.7% of patients suffered from chronic kidney disease stages 1 to 5 or end-stage renal disease. Transcatheter aortic valve patients with chronic kidney disease stages 1 to 5/or end-stage renal disease were older (81.9 vs 72.9 years, p <0.0001) with a higher prevalence of heart failure (15.2 vs 4.3%, p = 0.04), and peripheral vascular disease (31.1 vs 22.8%, p <0.0001) compared to their SAVR counterparts. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in chronic kidney disease stage 1 to 3 patients had a higher rate of readmission due to heart failure and pacemaker placement than SAVR. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement was associated with increased costs compared with SAVR for all renal failure patients. In conclusion, in this national cohort of chronic and end-stage renal disease patients, transcatheter aortic valve implantation was associated with increased mortality, readmissions for chronic kidney disease stages1 to 3, and index hospitalization costs.

The Incidence of Dysphagia Among Patients Undergoing TAVR With Either General Anesthesia or Moderate Sedation.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) performed with either general anesthesia (GA) or moderate sedation (MS). DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred ninety-seven patients undergoing TAVR from 2012 to 2016 INTERVENTIONS: After Institutional Review Board approval, 197 consecutive patients undergoing TAVR from 2012 to 2016 at the authors' institution were identified for analysis and placed into groups depending on method of anesthesia received (GA: n = 139 v MS: n = 58). Groups then were compared with respect to baseline characteristics, operative details, primary outcome variables (dysphagia, pneumonia), and secondary outcome variables. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: Any patient who failed the institution's postprocedure bedside swallow test subsequently underwent a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing test, confirming the diagnosis of dysphagia. GA patients were significantly more likely to develop dysphagia, which occurred in 10 GA patients and no MS patients (p = 0.04). MS patients also were found to have significantly reduced operative durations and spent less time in the intensive care unit and hospital (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who underwent TAVR with moderate sedation were less likely to develop dysphagia. Use of MS may be particularly suitable in patients predisposed to swallowing dysfunction.

Incidence of Cerebral Microemboli in Single-Dose vs. Multidose Cardioplegia in Adult Cardiac Surgery.

Cerebral microemboli have been associated with neurocognitive deficits after cardiac operations using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Interventions by the perfusionist and alterations in blood flow account for a large proportion of previously unexplained microemboli. This study compared the incidence of microemboli during cardiac operations using conventional (multidose) and del Nido (single-dose) cardioplegia delivery. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography was used to detect microemboli in bilateral middle cerebral arteries of 30 adult patients undergoing cardiac operations using CPB and aortic clamping. Multidose conventional blood cardioplegia (CBC) was used in 15 patients and single-dose del Nido cardioplegia (DNC) in 15. Manual count of microemboli during cross-clamp and during administration of cardioplegia was performed. Baseline preoperative characteristics were similar between groups. There were no differences in the ascending aortic atheroma grade (1.4 ± .4 CBC vs. 1.6 ± .7 DNC, p = .44), bypass times (141 ± 36 minutes CBC vs. 151 ± 33 minutes DNC, p = .64), and cross-clamp times (118 ± 32 minutes CBC vs. 119 ± 45 minutes DNC, p = .95). The use of multidose CBC was associated with a seven-fold increase in the number of microemboli per minute of bypass (1.65 ± 1 vs. .24 ± .18 emboli/min DNC, p = .0004). In this prospective pilot study, we found that the use of single-dose cardioplegia strategy led to fewer cerebral microemboli when compared with the traditional multidose approach. Our findings warrant further investigation of various cardioplegia strategies and neurologic outcomes in larger cohorts.

Comparison of Online and Classroom-based Formats for Teaching Emergency Medicine to Medical Students in Uganda.

OBJECTIVES: Severe global shortages in the health care workforce sector have made improving access to essential emergency care challenging. The paucity of trained specialists in low- and middle-income countries translates to large swathes of the population receiving inadequate care. Efforts to expand emergency medicine (EM) education are similarly impeded by a lack of available and appropriate teaching faculty. The development of comprehensive, online medical education courses offers a potentially economical, scalable, and lasting solution for universities experiencing professional shortages. METHODS: An EM course addressing core concepts and patient management was developed for medical students enrolled at Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda. Material was presented to students in two comparable formats: online video modules and traditional classroom-based lectures. Following completion of the course, students were assessed for knowledge gains. RESULTS: Forty-two and 48 students enrolled and completed all testing in the online and classroom courses, respectively. Student knowledge gains were equivalent (classroom 25 ± 8.7% vs. online 23 ± 6.5%, p = 0.18), regardless of the method of course delivery. CONCLUSIONS: A summative evaluation of Ugandan medical students demonstrated that online teaching modules are effectively equivalent and offer a viable alternative to traditional classroom-based lectures delivered by on-site, visiting faculty in their efficacy to teach expertise in EM. Web-based curriculum can help alleviate the burden on universities in developing nations struggling with a critical shortage of health care educators while simultaneously satisfying the growing community demand for access to emergency medical care. Future studies assessing the long-term retention of course material could gauge its incorporation into clinical practice.

Readmission and resource utilization after orthotopic heart transplant versus ventricular assist device in the National Readmissions Database, 2010-2014.

BACKGROUND: As the technology of ventricular assist devices continues to improve, the morbidity and mortality for patients with a ventricular assist device is expected to approach that of orthotopic heart transplantation. The present study was performed to compare perioperative outcomes, readmission, and resource utilization between ventricular assist device implantation and orthotopic heart transplantation, using a national cohort. METHODS: Patients who underwent either orthotopic heart transplantation or ventricular assist device implantation from 2010 to 2014 in the National Readmission Database were selected. RESULTS: Of the 12,111 patients identified during the study period, 5,440 (45%) received orthotopic heart transplantation, while 6,671 (55%) received ventricular assist devices. Readmissions occurred frequently after ventricular assist device implantation and orthotopic heart transplantation, with greater rates at 30 days (29% versus 24%, P=.005) and 6 months (62% versus 46%, P < .001) for the ventricular assist device cohort. Cost of readmission was greater among ventricular assist device patients at 30 days ($29,115 versus $21,586, P=.0002) and 6 months ($34,878 versus $20,144, P = .0106). CONCLUSION: Readmission rates and costs for patients with a ventricular assist device remain greater than their orthotopic heart transplantation counterparts. Given the projected increases in ventricular assist device utilization and limited transplant donor pool, further emphasis on cost containment and decreased readmissions for patients undergoing a ventricular assist device is essential to the viability of such therapy in the era of value-based health care delivery.

Diffusion of robotic-assisted laparoscopic technology across specialties: a national study from 2008 to 2013.

INTRODUCTION: Robotic-assisted procedures were frequently found to have similar outcomes and indications to their laparoscopic counterparts, yet significant variation existed in the acceptance of robotic-assisted technology between surgical specialties and procedures. We performed a retrospective cohort study investigating factors associated with the adoption of robotic assistance across the United States from 2008 to 2013. METHODS: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, patient- and hospital-level variables were examined for differential distribution between robotic-assisted and conventional laparoscopic procedures. Multilevel logistic regression models were constructed to identify independent factors associated with robotic adoption. Furthermore, cases were stratified by procedure and specialty before being ranked according to proportion of robotic-assistance adoption. Correlation was examined between robotic-assistance adoption and relative outcome in comparison with conventional laparoscopic procedures. RESULTS: The national robotic case volume doubled over the five-year period while a gradual decline in laparoscopic case volume was observed, resulting in an increase in the proportion of procedures performed with robotic assistance from 6.8 to 17%. Patients receiving robotic procedures were more likely to be younger, males, white, privately insured, more affluent, and with less comorbidities. These differences have been decreasing over the study period. The three specialties with the highest proportion of robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedures were urology (34.1%), gynecology (11.0%), and endocrine surgery (9.4%). However, no significant association existed between the frequency of robotic-assistance usage and relative outcome statistics such as mortality, charge, or length of stay. CONCLUSION: The variation in robotic-assistance adoption between specialties and procedures could not be attributable to clinical outcomes alone. Cultural readiness toward adopting new technology within specialty and target anatomic areas appear to be major determining factors influencing its adoption.

Myocardial functional changes in transfemoral versus transapical aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has greatly expanded the treatment options available for patients with severe aortic stenosis at high surgical risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared changes in myocardial function in TAVR with a transfemoral (TF) versus a transapical (TA) approach at a major tertiary hospital from 2012-2016. Traditional echocardiographic measures of cardiac structure and function were tracked, alongside the use of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography to measure myocardial strain and strain rates. RESULTS: For the entire cohort with complete data at all time points (n = 42), between the pre-TAVR baseline (mean: 20.1 d) and the post-TAVR 1-mo follow-up (mean: 32.7 d), global longitudinal strain significantly increased (from -15.6% to -18.2%, P < 0.001). When comparing the TF (n = 31) and TA (n = 11) groups, TA patients showed persistently impaired apical longitudinal strain at the 1-mo follow-up (-15.9% versus -22.3%, P < 0.05). In terms of clinical outcomes, both groups (n = 131 for TF, n = 53 for TA) were similar in terms of 30-d mortality, readmission rate, and risk of post-TAVR acute kidney injury. However, TA patients experienced significantly longer length of hospitalization (7.58 versus 3.92 d, P = 0.02), intensive care unit hours (105.4 versus 47.1 h, P = 0.02), and were at a greater risk of long-term (>72 h) intensive care unit stay (45% versus 25%, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing TA-TAVR exhibit impaired apical longitudinal strain, although global myocardial function is similar to TF-TAVR otherwise. Myocardial strain measured by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography appears to be a sensitive method to detect subtle cardiac remodeling after TAVR.

Complications Following Transradial Cerebral Angiography : An Ultrasound Follow-Up Study.

OBJECTIVE: The feasibility and usefulness of transradial catheterization for coronary and neuro-intervention are well known. However, the anatomical change in the catheterized radial artery (RA) is not well understood. Herein, we present the results of ultrasonographic observation of the RA after routine transradial cerebral angiography (TRCA). METHODS: Patients who underwent routine TRCA with pre- and post-procedure Doppler ultrasonography (DUS) of the catheterized RA were enrolled. We then recorded and retrospectively reviewed the diameter and any complicated features of the RA observed on DUS, and the factors associated with the diameter and complications were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 223 TRCAs across 181 patients were enrolled in the current study. The mean RA diameter was 2.48 mm and was positively correlated with male gender (p<0.001) and hypertension (p<0.002). The median change in diameter after TRCA was less than 0.1 mm (range, -1.3 to 1.2 mm) and 90% of changes were between -0.8 and +0.7 mm. Across 228 procedures, there were 12 cases (5.3%) of intimal hyperplasia and 22 cases (9.6%) of asymptomatic local vascular complications found on DUS. Patients with abnormal findings on the first procedure had a smaller pre-procedural RA diameter than that of patients without findings (2.26 vs. 2.53 mm, p=0.0028). There was no significant difference in the incidence of abnormal findings for the first versus subsequent procedures (p=0.68). CONCLUSION: DUS identified the pre- and post-procedural diameter and local complications of RA. Routine TRCA seems to be acceptable with regard to identifying local complications and changes in RA diameter.

Incidence of Myocardial Infarction After High-Risk Vascular Operations in Adults.

IMPORTANCE: Advances in perioperative cardiac management and an increase in the number of endovascular procedures have made significant contributions to patients and postoperative myocardial infarction (POMI) risk following high-risk vascular procedures. Whether these changes have translated into real-world improvements in POMI incidence remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the temporal trends of myocardial infarction (MI) following high-risk vascular procedures. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective cohort study was performed using data collected from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2013, in the American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database, to which participating hospitals across the United States report their preoperative, operative, and 30-day outcome data. A total of 90 303 adults who underwent a high-risk vascular procedure-open aortic surgery or infrainguinal bypass-during the study period were identified. Patients were divided into cohorts based on their year of operation, and their baseline cardiac risk factors and incidence of POMI were compared. Cases from 2005 to 2014 in the database were eligible for inclusion if one of their Current Procedural Terminology codes matched any of the operations identified as a high-risk vascular procedure. Data analysis took place from August 1, 2016, to November 15, 2016. EXPOSURES: The main exposure was the year of the operation. Other variables of interest included demographics, comorbidities, and other risk factors for MI. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcome of interest was the incidence of POMI. RESULTS: Of the 90 303 patients included in the study, 22 836 (25.3%) had undergone open aortic surgery and 67 467 (74.7%) had had infrainguinal bypass. The open aortic cohort comprised 16 391 men (71.9%), had a mean (SD) age of 69.1 (11.5) years, and was predominantly white (18 440 patients [80.8%] self-identified as white race/ethnicity). The infrainguinal bypass cohort included 41 845 men (62.1%), had a mean (SD) age of 66.7 (11.7) years, and had 51 043 patients (75.7%) who self-identified as white race/ethnicity. During the study period, patients who underwent open aortic procedures were more likely to be classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists class IV (7426 patients [32.6%] vs 15 683 [23.3%] for the infrainguinal bypass cohort) or class V (1131 [5.0%] vs 206 [0.3%]; P < .001) and to undergo emergency procedures (4852 [21.3%] vs 4954 [7.3%]; P < .001). The open aortic procedure cohort also experienced significantly higher actual incidence of POMI (464 [3.0%] vs 1270 [1.9%]; P < .001). From 2009 to 2014, the incidence of POMI demonstrated no substantial temporal change (2.7% in 2009 to 3.1% in 2014; P = .64 for trend). Postoperative MI was consistently associated with poor prognosis, with a 3.62-fold (95% CI, 2.25-5.82) to 11.77-fold (95% CI, 6.10-22.72) increased odds of cardiac arrest and a 3.01-fold (95% CI, 2.08-4.36) to 6.66-fold (95% CI, 4.66-9.52) increased odds of mortality. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The incidence of MI did not significantly decrease in the past decade and has been consistently associated with worse clinical outcomes. Further inquiry into why advanced perioperative care did not reduce cardiac complications is important to quality improvement efforts.

Efficacy of Distal Perfusion Cannulae in Preventing Limb Ischemia During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To date, no consensus exists regarding indication, technique, or efficacy of distal perfusion cannulae (DPC) in preventing limb ischemia among patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). We aim to examine the available literature and report association between DPC and risk of limb ischemia. PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Google Scholar, and bibliographies of included studies were searched from database inception until August 2016. Original studies describing the DPC placement technique and incidence of limb ischemia following DPC placement among VA-ECMO patients were included for systematic review. Studies with a comparison group of patients without DPC were included for meta-analysis. Two authors independently screened title/abstracts, reviewed full texts, and extracted data from the eligible studies. Meta-analysis was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel method under a random-effects model. Statistical heterogeneity was examined with the I2 statistic (RevMan Version 5.3). Of 542 title/abstracts screened, 62 full text articles were selected for review, yielding 22 retrospective observational studies, for a total of 779 patients with 132 limb ischemia events. There was significant variation in DPC indication, cannula type, and placement technique among the studies. Compared to no DPC, the presence of a DPC was associated with at least a 15.7% absolute reduction in the incidence of limb ischemia (9.74 vs. 25.42%; risk ratio 0.41; 95% confidence interval 0.26-0.65, P < 0.01; heterogeneity statistic I2 = 28%). There was no statistically significant difference in mortality in the pooled dataset comparing DPC versus no DPC. In adults treated with VA-ECMO, DPC placement was associated with a lower incidence of limb ischemia. Currently no consensus guidelines exist regarding indication for DPC placement. Given the association described in this analysis, future prospective trials are warranted to establish a causal relationship and optimal technique for the use of DPC in patients treated with VA-ECMO.

Increased risk for complications following diagnostic cerebral angiography in older patients: Trends from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1999-2009).

The full utility of diagnostic cerebral angiography, an invasive cerebrovascular imaging technique, is currently debated. Our goal was to determine trends in diagnostic cerebral angiography utilization and associated complications from 1999 through 2009. The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was used to identify patients who received primary cerebral angiography from 1999-2009 in the United States. We observed trends in discharge volume, total mean charge, and post-procedural complications for this population. Data was based on sample projections and analyzed using univariate and multivariate regression. There were a total of 424,105 discharges indicating primary cerebral angiography nationwide from 1999-2009. The majority of these cases (65%) were in patients older than 55years. Embolic stroke was the most frequent complication, particularly in the oldest age bracket, occurring in 16,304 patients. The risk for complications increased with age (p<0.0001) and with other underlying health conditions. Pulmonary, deep vein thrombosis, and renal associated comorbidities resulted in the greatest risk for developing post-procedural complications. Throughout the study period case volume for cerebral angiography remained constant while total charge per patient increased from $17,365 in 1999 to $45,339 in 2009 (p<0.001). While the overall complication rate for this invasive procedure is relatively low, the potential risk for embolic stroke in older patients is significant. It is worth considering less invasive diagnostic techniques for an older and at risk patient population.