Association between Postoperative Adjuvant Vasodilator Therapy and In-Hospital Mortality for Non-Occlusive Mesenteric Ischemia: A Nationwide Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Although several clinical guidelines recommend vasodilator therapy for non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) and immediate surgery when bowel necrosis is suspected, these recommendations are based on limited evidence. METHODS: In this retrospective nationwide observational study, we used information from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database from July 2010 to March 2018 to identify patients with NOMI who underwent abdominal surgeries on the day of admission. We compared patients who received postoperative vasodilator therapy (vasodilator group) with those who did not (control group). Vasodilator therapy was defined as venous and/or arterial administration of papaverine and/or prostaglandin E1 within 2 days of admission. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included the prevalence of additional abdominal surgery performed ≥3 days after admission and short bowel syndrome. RESULTS: We identified 928 eligible patients (149 in the vasodilator group and 779 in the control group). One-to-four propensity score matching yielded 149 and 596 patients for the vasodilator and control groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality between the groups (control vs. vasodilator, 27.5% vs. 30.9%; risk difference, 3.4%; 95% confidence interval, -4.9 to 11.6; p=0.42) and no significant difference in the prevalences of abdominal surgery, bowel resection ≥3 days after admission, and short bowel syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative vasodilator use was not significantly associated with a reduction in in-hospital mortality or additional abdominal surgery performed ≥3 days after admission in surgically treated NOMI patients.

Mortality, Analgesic Use, and Care Requirements After Vertebral Compression Fractures: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 18,392 Older Adult Patients.

BACKGROUND: Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) in older adults cause considerable health and socioeconomic burdens due to worsening ability to perform activities of daily living. The long-term effects of VCFs on patient outcomes, particularly prolonged analgesic use and functional decline, remain unknown. The aims of this study were to examine long-term clinical outcomes and to determine the risk factors for persistent pain and functional disability after VCFs. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study evaluated mortality, duration of analgesic use, and changes in care requirements in older adults with VCFs using claims data from a suburban prefecture in the Greater Tokyo Area. Patients were included if they were ≥65 years of age and had been diagnosed with a VCF between June 2014 and February 2019, as determined on the basis of International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes; we also used claims data that could determine whether the patients underwent imaging examinations. Patients who discontinued outpatient visits within 1 month after the VCF diagnosis were excluded. RESULTS: We included 18,392 patients with VCFs and a mean age of 80 years. Seventy-six percent of patients were women, and the median follow-up period was 670 days. At the index VCF diagnosis, 3,631 patients (19.7%) were care-dependent. Overall, 968 patients (5.3%) died within 1 year. Among the 8,375 patients who received analgesics, 22% required analgesics for >4 months. Factors associated with prolonged analgesic use for >1 year were female sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.39 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.16 to 1.65]) and VCFs in the thoracolumbar region (OR, 1.95 [95% CI, 1.50 to 2.55]) or lumbar region (OR, 1.59 [95% CI, 1.23 to 2.04]) (the reference was the thoracic region). The care needs of 1,510 patients (8.2%) increased within 1 year. Patients with a preexisting care dependency had a 10 times higher risk of increased care need (30.2% [1,060 of 3,509]) than those who had been independent at the time of the index diagnosis (3.0% [450 of 14,761]) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with preexisting care dependency were more likely to experience functional decline following VCFs than those who were independent, which underscores the need for intensive and appropriate allocation of health-care resources to care-dependent patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Hospital and regional variations in intensive care unit admission for patients with invasive mechanical ventilation.

BACKGROUND: Patients who receive invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) in the intensive care unit (ICU) have exhibited lower in-hospital mortality rates than those who are treated outside. However, the patient-, hospital-, and regional factors influencing the ICU admission of patients with IMV have not been quantitatively examined. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used data from the nationwide Japanese inpatient administrative database and medical facility statistics. We included patients aged ≥ 15 years who underwent IMV between April 2018 and March 2019. The primary outcome was ICU admission on the day of IMV initiation. Multilevel logistic regression analyses incorporating patient-, hospital-, or regional-level variables were used to assess cluster effects by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), median odds ratio (MOR), and proportional change in variance (PCV). RESULTS: Among 83,346 eligible patients from 546 hospitals across 140 areas, 40.4% were treated in ICUs on their IMV start day. ICU admission rates varied widely between hospitals (median 0.7%, interquartile range 0-44.5%) and regions (median 28.7%, interquartile range 0.9-46.2%). Multilevel analyses revealed significant effects of hospital cluster (ICC 82.2% and MOR 41.4) and regional cluster (ICC 67.3% and MOR 12.0). Including patient-level variables did not change these ICCs and MORs, with a PCV of 2.3% and - 1.0%, respectively. Further adjustment for hospital- and regional-level variables decreased the ICC and MOR, with a PCV of 95.2% and 85.6%, respectively. Among the hospital- and regional-level variables, hospitals with ICU beds and regions with ICU beds had a statistically significant and strong association with ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that primarily hospital and regional factors, rather than patient-related ones, opposed ICU admissions for patients with IMV. This has important implications for healthcare policymakers planning interventions for optimal ICU resource allocation.

Usability of the Japanese Late-Stage Elderly Questionnaire for screening major depression.

BACKGROUND: Older adults with major depression are at risk of frailty and long-term care needs. Consequently, screening for major depression is imperative to prevent such risks. In Japan, the Late-Stage Elderly Questionnaire was developed to evaluate older adults' holistic health, including mental well-being. It comprises one specific question to gauge life satisfaction, but the effectiveness of this question to screen for major depression remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to assess the usability of this question to screen for major depression. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used a large, commercially available claims database in Japan. Participants were older adults aged ≥75 years who completed the Late-Stage Elderly Questionnaire and were classified with and without new major depression within 1 year. We evaluated the questionnaire's ability to screen for major depression using C-statistics, developing three models to assess the cut-off value based on responses to the life satisfaction question ('Satisfied', 'Somewhat satisfied', 'Somewhat unsatisfied', or 'Unsatisfied'), estimating the sensitivity and specificity of each model. RESULTS: Among 11 117 older adults, 77 newly experienced major depression within 1 year. The C-statistic for screening major depression was 0.587. The model setting the cut-off between 'Somewhat unsatisfied' and 'Unsatisfied' the demonstrated lowest sensitivity and highest specificity, while the model setting the cut-off between 'Satisfied' and 'Somewhat satisfied' demonstrated highest sensitivity and lowest specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that due to its poor screening ability and high rate of false negatives, the question assessing life satisfaction in the Late-Stage Elderly Questionnaire may not be useful for screening major depression in older adults and may require modification.

Epidemiology, microbiology, and diagnosis of infection in diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome: A multicenter retrospective observational study.

AIMS: We investigated the characteristics of infection and the utility of inflammatory markers in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome (HHS). METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective observational study in 21 acute-care hospitals was conducted in Japan. This study included adult hospitalized patients with DKA and HHS. We analyzed the diagnostic accuracy of markers including C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) for bacteremia. Multiple regression models were created for estimating bacteremia risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 771 patients, including 545 patients with DKA and 226 patients with HHS, were analyzed. The mean age was 58.2 (SD, 19.3) years. Of these, 70 tested positive for blood culture. The mortality rates of those with and without bacteremia were 14 % and 3.3 % (P-value < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) of CRP and PCT for diagnosis of bacteremia was 0.85 (95 %CI, 0.81-0.89) and 0.76 (95 %CI, 0.60-0.92), respectively. Logistic regression models identified older age, altered level of consciousness, hypotension, and higher CRP as risk factors for bacteremia. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rate was higher in patients with bacteremia than patients without it. CRP, rather than PCT, may be valid for diagnosing bacteremia in hyperglycemic emergencies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered in the UMIN clinical trial registration system (UMIN000025393, Registered December 23, 2016).

Hepatic Oxygenation Changes and Symptomatic Intradialytic Hypotension.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical studies on differences among changes in cerebral and hepatic oxygenation during hemodialysis (HD) in patients with and without intradialytic hypotension (IDH) are limited. We investigated changes in intradialytic cerebral and hepatic oxygenation before systolic blood pressure (SBP) reached the nadir during HD and compared these differences between patients with and without symptomatic IDH. METHODS: We analyzed data from 109 patients with (n = 23) and without (n = 86) symptomatic IDH who were treated with HD. Cerebral and hepatic regional oxygen saturation (rSO2), as a marker of tissue oxygenation and circulation, was monitored during HD using an INVOS 5100c oxygen saturation monitor. Changes in cerebral or hepatic rSO2 when SBP reached the nadir during HD were compared between the groups of patients. RESULTS: The cerebral rSO2 before HD in patients with and without symptomatic IDH was 49.7 ± 11.2% and 51.3 ± 9.1% (p = 0.491). %Changes in cerebral rSO2 did not significantly differ between the two groups from 60 min before the SBP nadir during HD. Hepatic rSO2 before HD in patients with and without symptomatic IDH was 58.5 ± 15.4% and 57.8 ± 15.9% (p = 0.869). The %changes in hepatic rSO2 were significantly lower in patients with symptomatic IDH than in those without throughout the observational period (p < 0.001). We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and estimated cutoff values for changes in hepatic rSO2 as a symptomatic IDH predictor. The predictive ability at 5 and 40 min before symptomatic IDH onset was excellent, with AUCs and cutoff values of 0.847 and 0.841, and -10.9% and -5.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic oxygenation significantly decreased more in patients with symptomatic IDH before its onset, than in those without symptomatic IDH, whereas changes in cerebral oxygenation did not differ. Evaluating changes in hepatic oxygenation during HD might help to predict symptomatic IDH.

Association of Novel Antihyperglycemic Drugs Versus Metformin With a Decrease in Asthma Exacerbations.

BACKGROUND: Similar to metformin, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4 Is), glucagon-like peptidase 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), and sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2 Is) may improve control of asthma owing to their multiple potential mechanisms, including differential improvements in glycemic control, direct anti-inflammatory effects, and systemic changes in metabolism. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether these novel antihyperglycemic drugs were associated with fewer asthma exacerbations compared with metformin in patients with asthma comorbid with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Using a Japanese national administrative database, we constructed 3 active comparators-new user cohorts of 137,173 patients with a history of asthma starting the novel antihyperglycemic drugs and metformin between 2014 and 2022. Patient characteristics were balanced using overlap propensity score weighting. The primary outcome was the first exacerbation requiring systemic corticosteroids, and the secondary outcomes included the number of exacerbations requiring systemic corticosteroids. RESULTS: DPP-4 Is and GLP-1 RAs were associated with a higher incidence of exacerbations requiring systemic corticosteroids compared with metformin (DPP-4 Is: 18.2 vs 17.4 per 100 person-years, hazard ratio: 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.14; GLP-1 RAs: 24.9 vs 19.0 per 100 person-years, hazard ratio: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01-1.28). In contrast, the incidence of exacerbations requiring systemic corticosteroids was similar between the SGLT-2 Is and metformin groups (17.3 vs 18.1 per 100 person-years, hazard ratio: 1.00, 95% CI: 0.97-1.03). While DPP-4 Is and GLP-1 RAs were associated with more exacerbations requiring systemic corticosteroids, SGLT-2 Is were associated with slightly fewer exacerbations requiring systemic corticosteroids (53.7 vs 56.6 per 100 person-years, rate ratio: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: While DPP-4 Is and GLP-1 RAs were associated with poorer control of asthma compared with metformin, SGLT-2 Is offered asthma control comparable to that of metformin.

Treatment strategies for pelvic organ prolapse and postoperative outcomes in older women with long-term care needs: A population-based retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate treatment options for older women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and postoperative outcomes based on their long-term care (LTC) status. METHODS: We used the medical and LTC insurance claims databases of Tochigi Prefecture in Japan, covering 2014 to 2019. We included women 65 years and older with POP and evaluated their care status and treatment, excluding women with an observation period <6 months. Among women with a postsurgical interval ≥6 months, we compared care level changes and deaths within 6 months and complications within 1 month postoperatively between those with and without LTC using Fisher exact test. RESULTS: We identified 3406 eligible women. Of the 447 women with LTC and 2959 women without LTC, 16 (3.6%) and 415 (14.0%), respectively, underwent surgery. Among 393 women with a postsurgical interval ≥6 months, 19 (4.8%) required LTC at surgery. Two of the 19 women with LTC (10.5%) and eight of 374 women without LTC (2.1%) experienced worsening care-needs level. No deaths were recorded. Urinary tract infection (UTI) was significantly more frequent in women with LTC than in women without LTC (36.8% vs 8.6%). Other complications were rare in both groups. CONCLUSION: The proportion of patients who underwent surgery for POP was lower in women with LTC than in women without LTC. Postoperative UTI was common and 11% had a worsening care-needs level postoperatively, whereas other complications were infrequent. Further detailed studies would contribute to providing optimal treatment to enhance patients' quality of life.

High versus low chloride load in adult hyperglycemic emergencies with acute kidney injury: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Hyperglycemic emergencies frequently lead to acute kidney injury (AKI) and require treatment with large amount of intravenous fluids. However, the effects of chloride loading on this population have not yet been investigated. We conducted a multicenter, retrospective, cohort study in 21 acute-care hospitals in Japan. The study included hospitalized adult patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome (HHS) who had AKI upon arrival. The patients were classified into high and low chloride groups based on the amount of chloride administered within the first 48 h of their arrival. The primary outcome was recovery from AKI; secondary outcome was major adverse kidney events within 30 days (MAKE30), including mortality and prolonged renal failure. A total of 390 patients with AKI, including 268 (69%) with DKA and 122 (31%) with HHS, were included in the study. Using the criteria of Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes, the severity of AKI in the patients was Stage 1 (n = 159, 41%), Stage 2 (n = 121, 31%), and Stage 3 (n = 110, 28%). The analysis showed no significant difference between the two groups in recovery from AKI (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% CI 0.72-1.28; P = 0.78) and in MAKE30 (adjusted odds ratio, 0.91; 95% CI 0.45-1.76; P = 0.80). Chloride loading with fluid administration had no significant impact on recovery from AKI in patients with hyperglycemic emergencies.Trial Registration This study was registered in the UMIN clinical trial registration system (UMIN000025393, registered December 23, 2016).

Exploring the influence of a financial incentive scheme on early mobilization and rehabilitation in ICU patients: an interrupted time-series analysis.

BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines recommend early mobilization and rehabilitation (EMR) for patients who are critically ill. However, various barriers impede its implementation in real-world clinical settings. In 2018, the Japanese universal healthcare coverage system announced a unique financial incentive scheme to facilitate EMR for patients in intensive care units (ICU). This study evaluated whether such an incentive improved patients' activities of daily living (ADL) and reduced their hospital length of stay (LOS). METHODS: Using the national inpatient database in Japan, we identified patients admitted to the ICU, who stayed over 48 hours between April 2017 and March 2019. The financial incentive required medical institutions to form a multidisciplinary team approach for EMR, development and periodic review of the standardized rehabilitation protocol, starting rehabilitation within 2 days of ICU admission. The incentive amounted to 34.6 United States Dollars per patient per day with limit 14 days, structured as a per diem payment. Hospitals were not mandated to provide detailed information on individual rehabilitation for government, and the insurer made payments directly to the hospitals based on their claims. Exposure was the introduction of the financial incentive defined as the first day of claim by each hospital. We conducted an interrupted time-series analysis to assess the impact of the financial incentive scheme. Multivariable radon-effects regression and Tobit regression analysis were performed with random intercept for the hospital of admission. RESULTS: A total of 33,568 patients were deemed eligible. We confirmed that the basic assumption of ITS was fulfilled. The financial incentive was associated with an improvement in the Barthel index at discharge (0.44 points change in trend per month; 95% confidence interval = 0.20-0.68) and shorter hospital LOS (- 0.66 days change in trend per month; 95% confidence interval = - 0.88 - -0.44). The sensitivity and subgroup analyses showed consistent results. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests a potential association between the financial incentive for EMR in ICU patients and improved outcomes. This incentive scheme may provide a unique solution to EMR barrier in practice, however, caution is warranted in interpreting these findings due to recent changes in ICU care practices.

Association between subjective physical function and occurrence of new fractures in older adults: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The Late-Stage Elderly Questionnaire has been incorporated into health assessments for older adults in Japan, encompassing three self-administered questions on subjective physical function: subjective gait speed decline, recent fall history, and exercise habits. Nevertheless, its efficacy in predicting new fracture occurrences remains uncertain. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study utilized Japan's DeSC database, a large commercially available claims database. Participants were older adults aged ≥75 years and provided complete responses to the Late-Stage Elderly Questionnaire at health check-ups. We performed two Cox regression analyses for new fractures based on the responses to the three questions (Model 1) and on age, sex, and responses to the three questions (Model 2). The predictive abilities of the 1-year occurrence of new fractures were compared between the two models. RESULTS: Of 11 683 eligible older adults, 927 (7.93%) experienced new fractures. Model 1 revealed significant associations between new fractures and subjective gait speed decline (hazard ratio [HR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40-1.89), recent fall history (HR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.77-2.33), and absence of exercise habits (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.13-1.47). Model 2 demonstrated superior predictive ability (area under the curve, 0.677; 95% CI, 0.659-0.695) compared with Model 1 (area under the curve, 0.633; 95% CI, 0.614-0.652), with a net reclassification improvement of 0.383 (95% CI, 0.317-0.449). CONCLUSION: Three subjective physical well-being factors were significantly associated with new fracture development in older adults. These results suggest that the three-question assessment may be a valuable screening tool for identifying new fractures. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 337-343.

Weight loss and functional decline in older Japanese people: A cohort study using large-scale claims data.

BACKGROUND: The association between weight loss and subsequent functional decline is uncertain. The study aims to elucidate the association between weight loss over a year and subsequent functional decline requiring assistance in performing their activities of daily living in older individuals. METHODS: The study used data from the publicly funded Long-Term Care Insurance service in Japan, which provides coverage for long-term care services for individuals unable to perform activities of daily living due to physical or cognitive impairment. The study enrolled people born in or before 1949, who underwent health checkups in both 2014 and 2015. The participants were followed from 2015 to the worsening of functional decline requiring long-term care services, death, or February 28, 2019, whichever occurred first. The risk of subsequent functional decline in each weight loss category was estimated using a Cox regression model adjusted for age, sex, baseline body mass index, smoking, and Charlson comorbidity index. RESULTS: We identified 67,452 eligible individuals from the database. The median follow-up period was 1,284 days. The hazard ratios (95 % confidence interval) of functional decline for -1 %, -2 %, -3 %, -4 %, and ≤-5% weight change compared to 0 % weight change were 1.17 (1.03-1.32), 1.26 (1.11-1.43), 1.29 (1.12-1.49), 1.61 (1.39-1.87), and 1.79 (1.58-1.99), respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Older people with weight loss of 1 % or more were at risk of functional decline. Close weight monitoring may serve as an easy and inexpensive means of identifying older individuals at risk of functional decline.

Association between Care-need Level after Discharge and Long-term Outcomes in 7491 Patients Requiring Rehabilitation for Stroke.

Introduction: Stroke is a major cause of disability and mortality worldwide and requires long-term care, including rehabilitation. This study aims to elucidate the association between care-need levels after discharge and long-term outcomes in patients with stroke. Methods: We used a Japanese administrative database that covers both medical and long-term care insurance systems to retrospectively identify 7491 patients who underwent acute-phase in-hospital rehabilitation for stroke between June 2014 and February 2019. We investigated the association between nationally standardized care-need levels (support levels 1-2 and care-need levels 1-3) 6 months after discharge and long-term outcomes. Using the Fine-Gray model, we conducted multivariable survival analysis with adjustment for patient backgrounds and treatment courses to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for mortality and the incidence of being bedridden. Results: The median age was 82 (interquartile range [IQR], 76-87) years, 5418 patients (72%) had cerebral infarction, and 4009 patients (54%) had partial dependence after discharge. During a median follow-up of 580 (IQR, 189-925) days, 1668 patients (22%) became bedridden, and 2174 patients (29%) died. Compared with patients with support level 1, those with higher care-need levels showed significantly higher proportions of being bedridden-the subdistribution HR [95% confidence interval] were 1.52 [1.10-2.12], 2.85 [2.09-3.88], and 3.79 [2.79-5.15] in those with care-need levels 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Higher care-need levels were also significantly associated with higher mortality. Conclusions: This large-scale observational study demonstrated that a higher level of care-need after discharge was significantly associated with poorer functional outcomes and higher mortality.

Naldemedine is associated with earlier defecation in critically ill patients with opioid-induced constipation: A retrospective, single-center cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: There are few reports describing the association of naldemedine with defecation in critically ill patients with opioid-induced constipation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether naldemedine is associated with earlier defecation in critically ill patients with opioid-induced constipation. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) without defecation for 48 hours while receiving opioids were eligible for enrollment. The primary endpoint was the time of the first defecation within 96 hours after inclusion. Secondary endpoints included presence of diarrhea, duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU length of stay, ICU mortality, and in-hospital mortality. The Cox proportional hazard regression analysis with time-dependent covariates was used to evaluate the association naldemedine with earlier defecation. RESULTS: A total of 875 patients were enrolled and were divided into 63 patients treated with naldemedine and 812 patients not treated. Defecation was observed in 58.7% of the naldemedine group and 48.8% of the no-naldemedine group during the study (p = 0.150). The naldemedine group had statistically significantly prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation (8.7 days vs 5.5 days, p < 0.001) and ICU length of stay (11.8 days vs 9.2 days, p = 0.001) compared to the no-naldemedine group. However, the administration of naldemedine was significantly associated with earlier defecation [hazard ratio:2.53; 95% confidence interval: 1.71-3.75, p < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: The present study shows that naldemedine is associated with earlier defecation in critically ill patients with opioid-induced constipation.

Proteinuria screening and risk of bone fracture: a retrospective cohort study using a nationwide population-based database.

Background and hypothesis: Proteinuria is associated with an increased risk of kidney function deterioration, cardiovascular disease, or cancer. Previous reports suggesting an association between kidney dysfunction and bone fracture may be confounded by concomitant proteinuria and were inconsistent regarding the association between proteinuria and bone fracture. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association using a large administrative claims database in Japan. Methods: Using the DeSC database, we retrospectively identified individuals with laboratory data including urine dipstick test between August 2014 and February 2021. We evaluated the association between proteinuria and vertebral or hip fracture using multivariable Cox regression analyses adjusted for various background factors including kidney function. We also performed subgroup analyses stratified by sex and kidney function and sensitivity analyses with Fine & Gray models considering death as a competing risk. Results: We identified 603 766 individuals and observed 21 195 fractures. With reference to the negative proteinuria group, the hazard ratio for hip or vertebral fracture was 1.10 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05-1.14] and 1.16 (95%CI, 1.11-1.22) in the trace and positive proteinuria group, respectively, in the Cox regression analysis. The subgroup analyses showed similar trends. The Fine & Gray model showed a subdistribution hazard ratio of 1.09 (95%CI, 1.05-1.14) in the trace proteinuria group and 1.15 (95% CI, 1.10-1.20) in the positive proteinuria group. Conclusions: Proteinuria was associated with an increased risk of developing hip or vertebral fractures after adjustment for kidney function. Our results highlight the clinical importance of checking proteinuria for predicting bone fractures.

Association Between Intraoperative Landiolol Use and In-Hospital Mortality After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Nationwide Observational Study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a major treatment. Landiolol is an ultra-short-acting beta-antagonist known to prevent postoperative atrial fibrillation. However, the effectiveness of intraoperative landiolol on mortality remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the association between intraoperative landiolol use and the in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing CABG. METHODS: To conduct this retrospective cohort study, we used data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database. All patients who underwent CABG during hospitalization between July 1, 2010, and March 31, 2020, were included. Patients who received intraoperative landiolol were defined as the landiolol group, whereas the other patients were defined as the control group. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Propensity score matching was used to compare the landiolol and control groups. RESULTS: In total, 118,506 patients were eligible for this study, including 25,219 (21%) in the landiolol group and 93,287 (79%) in the control group. One-to-one propensity score matching created 24,893 pairs. After propensity score matching, the in-hospital mortality was significantly lower in the landiolol group than that in the control group (3.7% vs 4.3%; odds ratio 0.85; 95% confidence interval 0.78 to 0.94; P = .010). CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative landiolol use was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing CABG. Further randomized controlled trials are required to confirm these findings.

Characteristics of pulmonary artery catheter use in multicenter ICUs in Japan and the association with mortality: a multicenter cohort study using the Japanese Intensive care PAtient Database.

BACKGROUND: It has been 50 years since the pulmonary artery catheter was introduced, but the actual use of pulmonary artery catheters in recent years is unknown. Some randomized controlled trials have reported no causality with mortality, but some observational studies have been published showing an association with mortality for patients with cardiogenic shock, and the association with a pulmonary artery catheter and mortality is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the utilization of pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to examine their association with mortality, taking into account differences between hospitals. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis using the Japanese Intensive care PAtient Database, a multicenter, prospective, observational registry in Japanese ICUs. We included patients aged 16 years or older who were admitted to the ICU for reasons other than procedures. We excluded patients who were discharged within 24 h or had missing values. We compared the prognosis of patients with and without PAC. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. We performed propensity score analysis to adjust for baseline characteristics and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: Among 184,705 patients in this registry from April 2015 to December 2020, 59,922 patients were included in the analysis. Most patients (94.0%) with a PAC in place had cardiovascular disease. There was a wide variation in the frequency of PAC use between hospitals, from 0 to 60.3% (median 14.4%, interquartile range 2.2-28.6%). Hospital mortality was not significantly different between the PAC use group and the non-PAC use group in patients after adjustment for propensity score analysis (3.9% vs 4.3%; difference, - 0.4%; 95% CI - 1.1 to 0.3; p = 0.32). Among patients with cardiac disease, those with post-open-heart surgery and those in shock, hospital mortality was also not significantly different between the two groups (3.4% vs 3.7%, p = 0.45, 1.7% vs 1.7%, p = 0.93, 4.8% vs 4.9%, p = 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of PAC use varied among hospitals. PAC use for ICU patients was not associated with lower hospital mortality after adjusting for differences between hospitals.

Prednisolone versus cyclosporine as initial treatment for Kawasaki disease.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of prednisolone and cyclosporine as initial combination treatments for the prevention of coronary artery abnormalities (CAA) in patients with Kawasaki disease. However, whether prednisolone or cyclosporine results in superior clinical outcomes is unknown. Thus, this study aimed to compare the outcomes of these two treatments. METHODS: Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, we identified patients with Kawasaki disease who had received prednisolone or cyclosporine in addition to initial intravenous immunoglobulin treatment between April 2014 and March 2021. The primary outcome was the proportion of CAA; secondary outcomes included intravenous immunoglobulin resistance, medical costs, and length of hospital stay. Propensity score matching was conducted to compare outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS: We identified 6288 patients with Kawasaki disease who had received prednisolone (n = 6147) or cyclosporine (n = 141) as an initial treatment in combination with intravenous immunoglobulin. Four-to-one propensity score-matched analysis demonstrated no significant difference in the proportion of CAA (0.7% vs. 2.8%; p = 0.098), intravenous immunoglobulin resistance, or medical costs between the treatment groups. The length of hospital stay was significantly longer in the prednisolone group (14 vs. 11 days, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Prednisolone and cyclosporine used in the initial combination treatment for Kawasaki disease showed similar clinical outcomes regarding the risk of CAA, intravenous immunoglobulin resistance, and medical costs, whereas the length of hospital stay was longer in the prednisolone group than in the cyclosporine group.