Carbon monoxide poisoning in Denmark with focus on mortality and factors contributing to mortality.

INTRODUCTION: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is frequent worldwide but knowledge regarding the epidemiology is insufficient. The aim of this study was to clarify the extent of this intoxication, its mortality and factors associated with mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: National databases from Statistics Denmark were used to identify individuals who suffered from CO-poisoning during 1995-2015, as well as information regarding co-morbidities, mortality and manner of death. RESULTS: During the period from 1995 to 2015, 22,930 patients suffered from CO-poisoning in Denmark, and 21,138 of these patients (92%) were hospitalized. A total of 2,102 patients died within the first 30 days after poisoning (9.2%). Among these, 1,792 (85% of 2,102) were declared dead at the scene and 310 (15% of 2,102) died during hospitalization. Deaths due to CO-poisoning from smoke were intentional in 6.3% of cases, whereas deaths due to CO containing gases were intentional in 98.0% of cases. Among patients who survived >30 days, there was no significant difference in survival when comparing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) treatment with no HBO treatment after adjustment for age and co-morbidities such as drug abuse, psychiatric disease, stroke, alcohol abuse, arterial embolism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cerebrovascular disease and atrial fibrillation. Several co-morbidities predicted poorer outcomes for patients who survived the initial 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: Poisoning from smoke and/or CO is a frequent incident in Denmark accounting for numerous contacts with hospitals and deaths. Both intoxication and mortality are highly associated with co-morbidities interfering with cognitive and physical function. Treatment with HBO was not seen to have an effect on survival.

Short- and long-term cause of death in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting: A nationwide cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Knowledge of the association between time and causes of death after coronary artery bypass grafting is sparse. We examined short- and long-term mortality and cause of death in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. METHODS: With the use of Danish nationwide registries, we identified all patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting from 1998 to 2014. Cause of death was classified as cardiovascular or noncardiovascular according to death certificates. Landmark analyses of the cumulative incidences of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality after 1, 3, and 5 years after coronary artery bypass grafting were performed. Multivariable cause-specific Cox regression models were used to evaluate changes over time in the risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality after 1 and 7 years after coronary artery bypass grafting, respectively. RESULTS: Among 37,495 included patients, 12,230 (32.6%) died during a median follow-up of 7.4 years. Causes of death were classified as cardiovascular in 6459 patients (52.8%) and noncardiovascular in 5771 patients (47.2%). Within the first year, the incidence of cardiovascular death was higher compared with noncardiovascular death (3.9% vs 1.1%, P < .001). The cumulative incidences of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular were deaths similar in the periods 1 to 3 years (2.3% vs 2.6%, P = .004), 3 to 5 years (3.1% vs 3.2%, P = .75), and 5 to 7 years postsurgery (3.7% vs 4.0%, P = .07). The crude rates and adjusted risks of short- and long-term all-cause and cardiovascular mortality decreased during the study period despite an increase in age and burden of comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, cardiovascular causes were responsible for the majority of deaths within the first year. Deaths due to noncardiovascular causes gained importance over time elapsed since coronary artery bypass grafting.

Bystander Efforts and 1-Year Outcomes in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

BACKGROUND: The effect of bystander interventions on long-term functional outcomes among survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has not been extensively studied. METHODS: We linked nationwide data on out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Denmark to functional outcome data and reported the 1-year risks of anoxic brain damage or nursing home admission and of death from any cause among patients who survived to day 30 after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We analyzed risks according to whether bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or defibrillation was performed and evaluated temporal changes in bystander interventions and outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 2855 patients who were 30-day survivors of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during the period from 2001 through 2012, a total of 10.5% had brain damage or were admitted to a nursing home and 9.7% died during the 1-year follow-up period. During the study period, among the 2084 patients who had cardiac arrests that were not witnessed by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, the rate of bystander CPR increased from 66.7% to 80.6% (P<0.001), the rate of bystander defibrillation increased from 2.1% to 16.8% (P<0.001), the rate of brain damage or nursing home admission decreased from 10.0% to 7.6% (P<0.001), and all-cause mortality decreased from 18.0% to 7.9% (P=0.002). In adjusted analyses, bystander CPR was associated with a risk of brain damage or nursing home admission that was significantly lower than that associated with no bystander resuscitation (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47 to 0.82), as well as a lower risk of death from any cause (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.99) and a lower risk of the composite end point of brain damage, nursing home admission, or death (hazard ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.84). The risks of these outcomes were even lower among patients who received bystander defibrillation as compared with no bystander resuscitation. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we found that bystander CPR and defibrillation were associated with risks of brain damage or nursing home admission and of death from any cause that were significantly lower than those associated with no bystander resuscitation. (Funded by TrygFonden and the Danish Heart Foundation.).

Preoperative Electrocardiogram Score for Predicting New-Onset Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if electrocardiogram (ECG) markers from routine preoperative ECGs can be used in combination with clinical data to predict new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) following cardiac surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective observational case-control study. SETTING: Single-center university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred consecutive adult patients (50 POAF, 50 without POAF) who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery, or combinations. INTERVENTIONS: Retrospective review of medical records and registration of POAF. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Clinical data and demographics were retrieved from the Western Denmark Heart Registry and patient records. Paper tracings of preoperative ECGs were collected from patient records, and ECG measurements were read by two independent readers blinded to outcome. A subset of four clinical variables (age, gender, body mass index, and type of surgery) were selected to form a multivariate clinical prediction model for POAF and five ECG variables (QRS duration, PR interval, P-wave duration, left atrial enlargement, and left ventricular hypertrophy) were used in a multivariate ECG model. Adding ECG variables to the clinical prediction model significantly improved the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve from 0.54 to 0.67 (with cross-validation). The best predictive model for POAF was a combined clinical and ECG model with the following four variables: age, PR-interval, QRS duration, and left atrial enlargement. CONCLUSION: ECG markers obtained from a routine preoperative ECG may be helpful in predicting new-onset POAF in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Longevity and admission to nursing home according to age after isolated coronary artery bypass surgery: a nationwide cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Data on nursing home admission in patient's ≥80 years after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are scarce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate longevity and subsequent admission to a nursing home stratified by age in a nationwide CABG cohort. METHODS: All patients who underwent isolated CABG from 1996 to 2012 in Denmark were identified through nationwide registers. The cumulative incidence of admission to a nursing home after CABG was estimated. A Cox regression model was constructed to identify predictors for living in a nursing home 1 year after CABG. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used for survival analysis. Subanalysis on home care usage was performed in the period 2008-2012. RESULTS: A total of 38 487 patients were included. The median age was 65.4 ± 9.5 years (1455 > 80 years) and 80% were males. The 30-day mortality rate was 2.8%, increasing with age (1.2% in patients <60 years and 7.8% in patients ≥80 years). The mortality rate at 1 year was 2.2% among patients aged <60 and 14.1% among patients ≥80 years. At the 1-year follow-up, 4.2% of patients <60 years, 7.9% of patients 60-70 years, 14.4% of patients 70-74 years, 18.5% of patients 75-79 years and 29.1% of patients ≥80 years had received home care. The proportion of patients admitted to a nursing home at 1, 5 and 10 years after CABG was 0.1, 0.4 and 1.0% (<60 years), and 1.4, 7.5 and 16.8% (≥80 years), respectively. Main predictors for living in a nursing home 1 year postoperatively were: age ≥80 years [hazard ratio (HR) 17.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 7.4-42.8], female sex (HR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6), previous heart failure (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.4), previous myocardial infarction (HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.3-3.2) and previous stroke (HR 3.3, 95% CI 2.1-4.9). Neither urgent nor emergency surgeries were significant predictors for living in a nursing home 1 year postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of all patients selected for CABG surgery in Denmark between 1996-2012, including the elderly, were able to live independently at home without the need of home care for many years after CABG. The risk of nursing home admission was small and dependent on the patient's age, sex and preoperative comorbidities.

Age-dependent trends in postoperative mortality and preoperative comorbidity in isolated coronary artery bypass surgery: a nationwide study.

OBJECTIVES: An increasing number of octogenarians are being subjected to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The purpose of this study was to examine age-dependent trends in postoperative mortality and preoperative comorbidity over time following CABG. METHODS: All patients who underwent isolated CABG surgery between January 1996 and December 2012 in Denmark were included. Patients were identified through nationwide administrative registers. Age was categorized into five different groups and time into three periods to see if mortality and preoperative comorbidity had changed over time. Predictors of 30-day mortality were analysed in a multivariable Cox proportional-hazard models and survival at 1 and 5 years was estimated by Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: A total of 38 830 patients were included; the median age was 65.4 ± 9.5 years, increasing over time to 66.6 ± 9.5 years. Males comprised 80%. The number of octogenarians was 1488 (4%). The median survival was 14.7 years (60-69 years), 10.7 years (70-74 years), 8.9 years (75-79 years) and 7.2 years (≥80 years). The 30-day mortality rate was 3%, increasing with age (1% in patients <60 years, 8% in octogenarians). The long-term mortality rate at 1 and 5 years was 2 and 7% (age <60 years) and 14 and 36% (age >80 years), respectively. The proportion of patients >75 years increased from 10 to 20% during the study period as well as the proportion of patients undergoing urgent or emergency surgery. The burden of comorbidities increased over time, e.g. congestive heart failure 13-17%, diabetes 12-21%, stroke 9-11%, in all age groups. Age and emergency surgery were the main predictors of 30-day mortality: age >80 years [hazard ratio (HR): 5.75, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.41-7.50], emergency surgery (HR: 5.23, 95% CI: 4.38-6.25). CONCLUSION: Patients are getting older at the time of surgery and have a heavier burden of comorbidities than before. The proportion of patients undergoing urgent or emergency surgery increased with age and over time. Despite this, the 30-day mortality decreased over time and long-term survival increased, except in octogenarians where it was stable. Octogenarians had substantially higher 30-day mortality compared with younger patients but surgery can be performed with acceptable risks and good long-term outcomes.