Technology-Enabled Self-Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease With or Without Asynchronous Remote Monitoring: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of mortality and leads to frequent hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) visits. COPD exacerbations are an important patient outcome, and reducing their frequency would result in significant cost savings. Remote monitoring and self-monitoring could both help patients manage their symptoms and reduce the frequency of exacerbations, but they have different resource implications and have not been directly compared. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of implementing a technology-enabled self-monitoring program versus a technology-enabled remote monitoring program in patients with COPD compared with a standard care group. METHODS: We conducted a 3-arm randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a remote monitoring and a self-monitoring program relative to standard care. Patients with COPD were recruited from outpatient clinics and a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Patients in both interventions used a Bluetooth-enabled device kit to monitor oxygen saturation, blood pressure, temperature, weight, and symptoms, but only patients in the remote monitoring group were monitored by a respiratory therapist. All patients were assessed at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after program initiation. Outcomes included self-management skills, as measured by the Partners in Health (PIH) Scale; patient symptoms measured with the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ); and the Bristol COPD Knowledge Questionnaire (BCKQ). Patients were also asked to self-report on health system use, and data on health use were collected from the hospital. RESULTS: A total of 122 patients participated in the study: 40 in the standard care, 41 in the self-monitoring, and 41 in the remote monitoring groups. Although all 3 groups improved in PIH scores, BCKQ scores, and SGRQ impact scores, there were no significant differences among any of the groups. No effects were observed on the SGRQ activity or symptom scores or on hospitalizations, ED visits, or clinic visits. CONCLUSIONS: Despite regular use of the technology, patients with COPD assigned to remote monitoring or self-monitoring did not have any improvement in patient outcomes such as self-management skills, knowledge, or symptoms, or in health care use compared with each other or with a standard care group. This may be owing to low health care use at baseline, the lack of structured educational components in the intervention groups, and the lack of integration of the action plan with the technology. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03741855; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/ NCT03741855.

Technology-Enabled Self-Monitoring of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease With or Without Asynchronous Remote Monitoring: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of mortality worldwide. Reducing the number of COPD exacerbations is an important patient outcome and a major cost-saving approach. Both technology-enabled self-monitoring (SM) and remote monitoring (RM) programs have the potential to reduce exacerbations, but they have not been directly compared with each other. As RM is a more resource-intensive strategy, it is important to understand whether it is more effective than SM. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of SM and RM on self-management behaviors, COPD disease knowledge, and respiratory status relative to standard care (SC). METHODS: This was a 3-arm open-label randomized controlled trial comparing SM, RM, and SC completed in an outpatient COPD clinic in a community hospital. Patients in the SM and RM groups recorded their vital signs (oxygen, blood pressure, temperature, and weight) and symptoms with the Cloud DX platform every day and were provided with a COPD action plan. Patients in the RM group also received access to a respiratory therapist (RT). The RT monitored their vital signs intermittently and contacted them when their vitals varied outside of predetermined thresholds. The RT also contacted patients once a week irrespective of their vital signs or symptoms. All patients were randomized to 1 of the 3 groups and assessed at baseline and 3 and 6 months after program initiation. The primary outcome was the Partners in Health scale, which measures self-management skills. Secondary outcomes included the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, Bristol COPD Knowledge Questionnaire, COPD Assessment Test, and modified-Medical Research Council Breathlessness Scale. Patients were also asked to self-report on health system usage. RESULTS: A total of 122 patients participated in the study, 40 in the SC, 41 in the SM, and 41 in the RM groups. Out of those patients, 7 in the SC, 5 in the SM, and 6 in the RM groups did not complete the study. There were no significant differences in the rates of study completion among the groups (P=.80). CONCLUSIONS: Both SM and RM have shown promise in reducing acute care utilization and exacerbation frequencies. As far as we are aware, no studies to date have directly compared technology-enabled self-management with RM programs in COPD patients. We believe that this study will be an important contribution to the literature. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03741855; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03741855. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/13920.

Limitations in the current screening practice of assessing left ventricular ejection fraction for a primary prophylactic implantable defibrillator in southern Ontario.

BACKGROUND: Screening echocardiography (ECHO) is commonly performed to determine whether the patient's left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is appropriate for primary prophylactic implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) referral. However, radionuclide ventriculography (RNA) is used by many implantation centres for decision making. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether current screening ECHO techniques are effective in identifying patients suitable for primary prophylactic ICD referral. METHODS: Correlation, sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios (LRs) of semiquantitative and numerical quantitative ECHO LVEFs were calculated for predicting RNA LVEFs that met implantation criteria (LVEF less than 30% and less than 35%). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Among 193 patients, the LRs for a semiquantitative ECHO predicting an RNA LVEF of less than 30% (negative LR was 0.21 to 0.69 and positive LR was 1.22 to 2.83) or RNA LVEF of less than 35% (negative LR was 0.24 to 0.73 and positive LR was 1.33 to 3.46) demonstrated that current screening ECHO techniques are ineffective. However, the positive predictive value of grade 4 ECHO was 93.0%, suggesting that these patients may not require further LVEF investigation before implantation. Among 102 patients, current quantitative ECHO techniques did not improve the screening characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Current screening ECHO techniques may not be adequate for screening patients for consideration of a primary prophylactic ICD, but a grade 4 ECHO finding has a high positive predictive value in meeting implantation LVEF criteria. Improved screening standards should increase the number of patients referred with appropriate LVEF for primary prophylactic ICD implantation.

Abdominal wall and labial edema presenting in a girl with Henoch-Schönlein purpura: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Henoch-Schönlein purpura is a common immunoglobulin A-mediated vasculitic syndrome in children, characterized by purpuric rash, arthritis and abdominal pain. Renal involvement, manifested by the presence of hematuria and/or proteinuria, is also frequently seen. In most cases, patients with this disease achieve complete recovery, but some progress to renal impairment. Gastro-intestinal manifestations are present in two-thirds of affected patients and range from vomiting, diarrhea, and peri-umbilical pain to serious complications such as intussusception and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 7-year-old Caucasian girl who presented with abdominal pain, labial swelling, and a large abdominal ecchymosis two weeks after having been diagnosed with Henoch-Schönlein purpura. A computed tomography scan revealed abdominal wall edema extending to the groin, without any intra-abdominal pathology. She was successfully treated with intravenous steroids. CONCLUSION: Circumferential anterior abdominal wall edema and labial edema have never been reported previously, to the best of our knowledge, as a complication of Henoch-Schönlein purpura. These findings further contribute to the wide spectrum of manifestations of this disorder in the literature, aiding in its recognition and management.

Adherence to waiting-time targets for pediatric nephrology clinic referrals.

Waiting times for specialist consultation have not been adequately studied, especially in the pediatric population. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which pediatric nephrology subspecialty clinic referral waiting times are adhered to with regard to previously determined access targets. Referrals to the pediatric nephrology clinics at Children's Hospital, London, Ontario, Canada, received between October 2007 and November 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. Appointment schedule was allotted by a nephrologist based on the patient's presenting complaint, reported in the referral, in accordance with the previously determined access targets. Adherence to access targets was assessed by the actual clinic visit. There were a total of 250 referrals during the timeframe studied. The median waiting time was 73 (range 0-193) days. Overall, 64% (159/250) of patients met their access target. The median time that patients waited over their access target was 6 (range 0-78) days. Of the patients who did not meet their access targets, 31% (28/91) exceeded their target by 20% or more. Office handling was a component for patients with access target <1 week, whereas availability of clinic space was the main reason for nonadherence to access targets.