BEHIND THE PROTON PUMP INHIBITOR PRESCRIPTION: AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY ON PHYSICIAN PRACTICES AND KNOWLEDGE.

BACKGROUND: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely prescribed worldwide, often resulting in their overuse. Consequently, it is essential to identify the likely causes of this overuse to facilitate their appropriate prescription. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess physician prescribing patterns, their knowledge of PPIs, and factors affecting their knowledge. METHODS: An online survey was conducted among Latin American and Spanish physicians, collecting the following data: professional information, patterns of PPI usage, familiarity with published evidence, and the management approach in three hypothetical case-scenarios. Participant knowledge was categorized as sufficient or insufficient based on the results of the case scenarios. Subsequently, subgroup analysis was performed based on physician training level, years in practice, specialty, and time since the last PPI literature review. RESULTS: A total of 371 physicians participated in the survey. Thirty-eight percent frequently prescribe PPIs, primarily for prophylactic purposes (57.9%). Eighty percent were unfamiliar with PPI deprescribing strategies, and 54.4% rarely reviewed the ongoing indication of patients taking a PPI. Sixty-four percent demonstrated sufficient knowledge in the case-scenarios. A significant association was observed between specialty type (medical vs surgical: 69.4% vs 46.8%, P<0.001), the timing of the PPI indication literature review (<5 years vs >5 years: 71.4% vs 58.7%, P=0.010), and sufficient knowledge. CONCLUSION: While most participants prescribed PPIs regularly and for prophylaxis purposes, the majority were unfamiliar with deprescribing strategies and rarely reviewed ongoing indications. Sufficient knowledge is correlated with recent literature reviews and medical specialty affiliation. BACKGROUND: • The study aims to evaluate physician prescribing patterns, assess their knowledge of proton pump inhibitors, and identify factors influencing their knowledge. BACKGROUND: • An online survey of Latin American and Spanish physicians assessed proton pump inhibitor usage patterns and case-scenario responses, categorizing knowledge, and conducting subgroup analysis based on training, experience, specialty, and literature review timing. BACKGROUND: • Thirty-eight percent of surveyed physicians commonly prescribed proton pump inhibitors, and among them, 80% were unfamiliar with deprescribing strategies, with 54.4% rarely reviewing ongoing indications. BACKGROUND: • Sufficient knowledge was correlated with recent literature reviews and medical specialty affiliations.

Anemia can predict organ failure in acute pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is the leading hospital admission in Gastroenterology and has a variable clinical course. Identifying severity of AP patients in its early stages is of foremost importance to improve prognosis. The revised Atlanta Classification grades AP severity by the presence of organ failure and local complications.

Bastidores da prescrição de inibidores de bomba de prótons: uma pesquisa internacional sobre práticas e conhecimentos médicos / Behind the proton pump inhibitor prescription: an international survey on physician practices and knowledge

ABSTRACT Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely prescribed worldwide, often resulting in their overuse. Consequently, it is essential to identify the likely causes of this overuse to facilitate their appropriate prescription. Objective: This study aims to assess physician prescribing patterns, their knowledge of PPIs, and factors affecting their knowledge. Methods: An online survey was conducted among Latin American and Spanish physicians, collecting the following data: professional information, patterns of PPI usage, familiarity with published evidence, and the management approach in three hypothetical case-scenarios. Participant knowledge was categorized as sufficient or insufficient based on the results of the case scenarios. Subsequently, subgroup analysis was performed based on physician training level, years in practice, specialty, and time since the last PPI literature review. Results: A total of 371 physicians participated in the survey. Thirty-eight percent frequently prescribe PPIs, primarily for prophylactic purposes (57.9%). Eighty percent were unfamiliar with PPI deprescribing strategies, and 54.4% rarely reviewed the ongoing indication of patients taking a PPI. Sixty-four percent demonstrated sufficient knowledge in the case-scenarios. A significant association was observed between specialty type (medical vs surgical: 69.4% vs 46.8%, P<0.001), the timing of the PPI indication literature review (<5 years vs >5 years: 71.4% vs 58.7%, P=0.010), and sufficient knowledge. Conclusion: While most participants prescribed PPIs regularly and for prophylaxis purposes, the majority were unfamiliar with deprescribing strategies and rarely reviewed ongoing indications. Sufficient knowledge is correlated with recent literature reviews and medical specialty affiliation.

RESUMO Contexto: Os inibidores da bomba de prótons (IBPs) são amplamente prescritos em todo o mundo, muitas vezes resultando em seu uso excessivo. Consequentemente, é essencial identificar as prováveis causas desse uso excessivo para facilitar sua prescrição adequada. Objetivo: Este estudo tem como objetivo avaliar o padrão de prescrição dos médicos, seu conhecimento sobre IBPs e fatores que afetam seu conhecimento. Métodos: Uma pesquisa on-line foi conduzida entre médicos latino-americanos e espanhóis, coletando os seguintes dados: informações profissionais, padrões de uso de IBP, familiaridade com evidências publicadas e abordagem de manejo em três casos-cenários hipotéticos. O conhecimento dos participantes foi categorizado em suficiente ou insuficiente com base nos resultados dos cenários de caso. Posteriormente, a análise de subgrupos foi realizada com base no nível de formação do médico, anos de prática, especialidade e tempo desde a última revisão da literatura dos IBPs. Resultados: Um total de 371 médicos participaram da pesquisa. Trinta e oito por cento prescrevem frequentemente IBP, principalmente para fins profiláticos (57,9%). Oitenta por cento não estavam familiarizados com as estratégias de prescrição de IBP, e 54,4% raramente revisaram a indicação contínua de pacientes em uso de IBP. Sessenta e quatro por cento demonstraram conhecimento suficiente nos cenários-caso. Observou-se associação significativa entre o tipo de especialidade (médica vs cirúrgica: 69,4% vs 46,8%, P<0,001), o momento da revisão da literatura de indicação do IBP (<5 anos vs >5 anos: 71,4% vs 58,7%, P=0,010) e conhecimento suficiente. Conclusão: Embora a maioria dos participantes prescrevesse IBPs regularmente e para fins de profilaxia, no entanto, não estava familiarizada com estratégias de prescrição e raramente revisava as indicações em andamento. O conhecimento suficiente está correlacionado com revisões recentes da literatura e afiliação à especialidade médica.

Gut microbiota predicts severity and reveals novel metabolic signatures in acute pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE: Early disease prediction is challenging in acute pancreatitis (AP). Here, we prospectively investigate whether the microbiome predicts severity of AP (Pancreatitis-Microbiome As Predictor of Severity; P-MAPS) early at hospital admission. DESIGN: Buccal and rectal microbial swabs were collected from 424 patients with AP within 72 hours of hospital admission in 15 European centres. All samples were sequenced by full-length 16S rRNA and metagenomic sequencing using Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Primary endpoint was the association of the orointestinal microbiome with the revised Atlanta classification (RAC). Secondary endpoints were mortality, length of hospital stay and severity (organ failure >48 hours and/or occurrence of pancreatic collections requiring intervention) as post hoc analysis. Multivariate analysis was conducted from normalised microbial and corresponding clinical data to build classifiers for predicting severity. For functional profiling, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed and normalised enrichment scores calculated. RESULTS: After data processing, 411 buccal and 391 rectal samples were analysed. The intestinal microbiome significantly differed for the RAC (Bray-Curtis, p value=0.009), mortality (Bray-Curtis, p value 0.006), length of hospital stay (Bray-Curtis, p=0.009) and severity (Bray-Curtis, p value=0.008). A classifier for severity with 16 different species and systemic inflammatory response syndrome achieved an area under the receiving operating characteristic (AUROC) of 85%, a positive predictive value of 67% and a negative predictive value of 94% outperforming established severity scores. GSEA revealed functional pathway units suggesting elevated short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in severe AP. CONCLUSIONS: The orointestinal microbiome predicts clinical hallmark features of AP, and SCFAs may be used for future diagnostic and therapeutic concepts. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04777812.

Value of CRP/albumin ratio as a prognostic marker of acute pancreatitis: a retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: the C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio is an inflammatory marker that has shown promise in the prognosis of critically ill patients. This study is aimed to assess the value of CRP/albumin ratio to predict severity in acute pancreatitis. METHODS: a retrospective study was performed using a prospectively collected database of patients diagnosed with AP admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology between March 2014 and December 2021. RESULTS: among 722 patients included in the study, 78.67 % had mild, 15.65 % had moderately severe, and 5.67 % had severe acute pancreatitis. The CRP/albumin ratio was significantly associated with severe AP (OR 1.02; 95 % CI: 1.01-1.03; p < 0.001), and each ten-unit increase in the ratio was associated with a 20 % increased likelihood of severe acute pancreatitis. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of the CRP/albumin ratio in severe acute pancreatitis was 0.68 (95 % CI: 0.58-0.77), which was higher than that of the Ranson criteria (0.62). The optimal cut-off value for predicting severe acute pancreatitis was 7.51, with a sensitivity of 63.4 % and specificity of 65.6 %. CONCLUSIONS: despite its low sensitivity and specificity, the CRP/albumin ratio could be used as a complementary marker to the current scoring systems for the initial assessment of acute pancreatitis prognosis. It is easily obtainable and can provide additional prognostic information to clinicians.

Recurrent acute pancreatitis is not uncommon in our clinical setting.

Data on recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis (RAP) are scarce. The aim of the study was to evaluate our rate of RAP and risks factors. This is a retrospective, single-center, study of consecutive patients admitted for AP and followed-up. Patients with more than one AP attack (RAP) were compared with patients with only a single AP episode (SAP) Clinical, demographic, outcome measures and severity were studied. 561 patients were included and follow-up over a mean 67.63 months' time. Our rate of RAP was 18,9%. Most patients suffered form only one episode of RAP (93%). Etiology of RAP episodes was mainly biliary (67%). On univariate analysis younger age (p 0.004), absence of high blood pressure (p 0.013) and absent of SIRS (p 0.022) were associated with recurrence of AP. On multivariate analysis only younger age was related to RAP (OR 1.015 95%IC 1.00-1.029). There were no statistical differences in outcome measures between both cohorts. RAP had a milder course in terms of severity (SAP 19% moderately severe/severe versus 9% in SAP). Almost 70% of the biliary RAP patients did not have a cholecystectomy performed. In this subset of patients, age OR 0.964 (95%IC 0.946-0.983), cholecystectomy OR 0.075 (95%IC 0.189-0.030) and cholecystectomy plus ERCP OR 0.190 (95%IC 0.219-0.055) were associated with absent of RAP. The rate of RAP in our series was 18,9%. Younger age was the only risk factor associated. Biliary etiology accounts for a large proportion of our RAP which could have been prevented with cholecystectomy or cholecystectomy plus ERCP.

Influence of enlarged waist circumference and hypertriglyceridemia in the severity of acute pancreatitis: A retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Acute pancreatitis is a frequent inflammatory gastrointestinal disorder with high mortality rates in severe forms. An early evaluation of its severity is key to identify high-risk patients. This study assessed the influence of waist circumference together with hypertriglyceridemia on the severity of acute pancreatitis. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed, which included patients admitted with acute pancreatitis from March 2014 to March 2021. Patients were classified into four phenotype groups according to their waist circumference and triglyceride levels: normal waist circumference and normal triglycerides; normal waist circumference and elevated triglycerides; enlarged waist circumference and normal triglycerides; and enlarged waist circumference and triglycerides, namely hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) phenotype. Clinical outcomes were compared among the groups. RESULTS: 407 patients were included. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and intensive care unit admission were most frequent among patients in the HTGW phenotype group, at 44.9% and 8.2%, respectively. The incidence of local complications was higher in the normal waist circumference with elevated triglycerides group (27%). On multivariable analysis, an enlarged waist circumference was related to an increase of 4% and 2% in the likelihood of developing organ failure and SIRS, respectively. Hypertriglyceridemia was an independent risk factor for both organ failure and local complications. CONCLUSIONS: HTGW phenotype was significant related to developing of SIRS. It seems that an enlarged waist circumference has a greater role than hypertriglyceridemia in the development of SIRS. Obesity and hypertriglyceridemia were both independent risk factors for organ failure. Patients with hypertriglyceridemia were more likely to develop local complications.

Recurrent acute pancreatitis is not uncommon in our clinical setting

Data on recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis (RAP) are scarce. The aim of the study was to evaluate our rate of RAP and risks factors. This is a retrospective, single-center, study of consecutive patients admitted for AP and followed-up. Patients with more than one AP attack (RAP) were compared with patients with only a single AP episode (SAP) Clinical, demographic, outcome measures and severity were studied. 561 patients were included and follow-up over a mean 67.63 months' time. Our rate of RAP was 18,9%. Most patients suffered form only one episode of RAP (93%). Etiology of RAP episodes was mainly biliary (67%). On univariate analysis younger age (p 0.004), absence of high blood pressure (p 0.013) and absent of SIRS (p 0.022) were associated with recurrence of AP. On multivariate analysis only younger age was related to RAP (OR 1.015 95%IC 1.00-1.029). There were no statistical differences in outcome measures between both cohorts. RAP had a milder course in terms of severity (SAP 19% moderately severe/severe versus 9% in SAP). Almost 70% of the biliary RAP patients did not have a cholecystectomy performed. In this subset of patients, age OR 0.964 (95%IC 0.946-0.983), cholecystectomy OR 0.075 (95%IC 0.189-0.030) and cholecystectomy plus ERCP OR 0.190 (95%IC 0.219-0.055) were associated with absent of RAP. The rate of RAP in our series was 18,9%. Younger age was the only risk factor associated. Biliary etiology accounts for a large proportion of our RAP which could have been prevented with cholecystectomy or cholecystectomy plus ERCP.

La Pancreatitis Aguda Recurrente (PAR) es una entidad frecuente de la que hay pocos datos publicados. El objetivo del estudio es hallar la tasa y factores de riesgo asociados a PAR en nuestro medio. Es un estudio retrospectivo, unicéntrico, de pacientes ingresados por Pancreatitis Aguda (PA) y seguidos posteriormente. Se dividen en 2 grupos de pacientes: 1.- pacientes con un solo episodio de PA (PAS) y 2.- pacientes con más de un ingreso por PA (PAR). Se comparan variables clínicas, demográficas y de resultado. Resultados: 561 pacientes fueron incluidos y seguidos durante una media de 67,63 meses. 18,9% tuvieron al menos otro ingreso por PA. La mayoría sufrieron un solo episodio de PAR (93%). La etiología más frecuente fue biliar (67%). En el análisis univariado, una menor edad (p 0,004), la ausencia de hipertensión arterial (p 0,013) y de SIRS (p 0,022) se asociaron con PAR. En el análisis multivariado solo una menor edad se relacionó con PAR (OR 1,015, 95%, IC 1,00-1,029). No encontramos diferencias en las variables resultados entre ambos grupos. La PAR cursó de forma más leve (9% de pancreatitis moderada/graves o graves versus 19%). Casi un 70% de los pacientes con PAR biliar no tenían realizada una colecistectomía tras el ingreso índice. En este subgrupo de PAR, la edad OR 0,964 (95% IC 0,946-0,983), la colecistectomía OR 0,075 (95% IC 0,189-0,030) y la colecistectomía más colangiografía retrógrada OR 0,190 (95% IC 0,219-0,055) se asociaban a ausencia de PAR. Conclusión: Nuestra tasa de PAR fue 18,9%, con una menor edad como factor de riesgo. La etiología biliar fue la más frecuente que podría haberse evitado de haber realizado colecistectomía o colecistectomía más colangiografía retrógrada tras el primer ingreso.

Colon necrosis in acute severe pancreatitis.

A 78 year-old woman was admitted for biliary acute pancreatitis (AP). Fluid and analgesia were initially administered. Her clinical course was poor with persisting abdominal pain, intestinal paresis and fever development. On her 7th admission day a contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan was performed where a huge necrotic peripancreatic collection was found with gastric compression .

The enigmatic triad, a clinical challenge.

The concomitant occurrence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) and acute pancreatitis (AP) was first described by Nair et al. as "The Enigmatic Triad", because the causal factor of AP is still not fully established. We recently attended a patient with this triad.

Recurrent acute biliary pancreatitis - A frequent and preventable condition potentially associated with morbidity and mortality.

Recurrent acute biliary pancreatitis (RABP) is a common condition associated with an increase in hospital admissions, morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. This editorial will attempt to discuss the issue's current status as well as actions for its prevention.

Chronic diarrhea due to autoimmune enteropathy.

Chronic diarrhea is a common symptom seen in the Gastroenterology clinic. Occasionally, the diagnosis is a real challenge as there are multiple entities with unremitting diarrhea as a symptom. Herein, we present a patient affected with intractable diarrhea who was transferred to our department. After many laboratory, endoscopy and radiological tests, she was diagnosed with autoimmune enteropathy (AE) and achieved clinical remission with corticosteroids and azathioprine.

Factors associated with mortality in patients with infected pancreatic necrosis: the "surgery effect".

Severe acute pancreatitis complicated by infection is associated with high mortality. Invasive treatment is indicated in the presence of infected (suspected) pancreatic and/or peripancreatic necrosis (IPN) in the absence of response to intensive medical support. Step-up approach (SUA) has been demonstrated to lower complication rate compared to upfront open surgery. However, this approach has not been associated with lower mortality, and no factors have been studied that could help to identify the high risk patients. In this study, we aimed to analyse those factors associated with mortality following the invasive treatment of IPN, focusing on the role of surgical necrosectomy. A retrospective and observational study based on a multicentre prospective database was conducted. The database was coordinated by the Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Spain and the Spanish Association of Pancreatology. Demographics, clinical data, and laboratory and imaging findings were collected. Atlanta 2012 criteria were considered to classify acute necrotizing pancreatitis and for the definition of IPN. Step-up approach was used in all centres with the intention of avoiding surgery whenever possible. Surgical necrosectomy was performed by open approach. From January 2013 to October 2014, a total of 1655 patients with the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis were included in our database. 1081 were recruited for the final analysis. Out of them, 205 (19%) were classified into acute necrotizing pancreatitis. 77 (8.3%) patients underwent invasive treatment of INP and were included in our study. Overall mortality was 29.9%. Upfront endoscopic or percutaneous drainage was performed in 60 (77.9%) patients and mortality was 26.6%. Out of 60, 22 (36.6%) patients subsequently received rescue surgery; mortality in rescue surgery group was 18.3%. Upfront surgery was carried out in 17 (22.1%) patients; mortality in this group was 41%. At univariate analysis, surgical necrosectomy, extrapancreatic infection, immunosuppression and de-novo haemodialysis were associated with mortality. At multivariate analysis, only surgical necrosectomy was significantly associated with mortality (p = 0.002 OR 3.89). Surgical approach for IPN is associated with high mortality rate. However, these data should be interpreted with caution, since we are not able to assess whether this occurs due to the need of surgery as the only resort when the other approaches are not feasible or fail.

Esophageal actinomycosis mimicking a carcinoma.

A 75-year-old male was referred due to dysphagia and iron-deficiency anemia. An upper endoscopy was performed which revealed a friable mass at 30 to 37 cm from the incisors, consistent with esophageal malignancy. However, the pathology only demonstrated granulation inflammatory tissue. An endoscopic ultrasound exam showed a 2-3 cm esophageal wall thickening with a 1.5 cm lymph node, which was staged as a T2-3 N1 esophageal tumor. A CT-scan also identified a 7.5 cm esophageal malignancy surrounded by several large pathological lymph nodes.

Statin intake can decrease acute pancreatitis severit.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Acute Pancreatitis (AP) is one of the leading gastrointestinal conditions requiring hospitalization. It has been suggested that statins could exert a protective role in the natural history of AP; however, their influence is not entirely clear. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between statin intake and AP. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of a prospective registry of patients diagnosed with AP. Statin intake on admission as well as clinical, analytical, demographic and radiological data were recorded. OUTCOME PARAMETERS: Severity of AP, SIRS development, organ failure, local complications, intensive care admission, collection drainage, hospital length of admission, and death. Univariate and multivariate analyses as well as a propensity score logistic regression were conducted. RESULTS: From March 2014-October 2018 we studied 356 patients. 101 patients (28%) were taking statins. 55 (15%) suffered from moderate/severe pancreatitis. Multivariate analysis showed a 50% less risk of suffering from moderate/severe AP (OR 0.50 95% CI 0.22-1.0, p 0.50) and 33% less risk of developing local complications (OR 0.33 95%CI 0.15-0.80, p 0.014) among statin consumers, with a tendency towards less SIRS. Propensity score analysis confirmed that patients on statins suffering from AP had a lower risk to have a moderate/severe episode (OR 0.409 95%CI 0.192-0.872, p 0.031), to develop local complications (OR 0.47 95%CI 0.20-1.06, p 0.11) and SIRS (OR 0.516 95% CI 0.28-0.93, p 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Patients taking statins who suffer from an episode of AP are more likely to follow a mild course and have a lower risk of developing local complications and SIRS.