Case volume and specialization in critically ill emergency patients: a nationwide cohort study in Japanese ICUs.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have explored the association between the number of cases and patient outcomes for critical illnesses such as sepsis and trauma, as well as various surgeries, with the expectation that a higher number of cases would have a more favorable effect on patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to elucidate the association among intensive care unit (ICU) case volume, specialization, and patient outcomes in critically ill emergency patients and to determine how ICU case volumes and specializations impact the outcomes of these patients in Japanese ICUs. METHODS: Utilizing data from the Japanese Intensive Care PAtient Database (JIPAD) from April 2015 to March 2021, this retrospective cohort study was conducted in 80 ICUs across Japan and included 72,214 emergency patients aged ≥ 16 years. The primary outcome measure was in-hospital mortality, and the secondary outcomes encompassed ICU mortality, 28-day mortality, ventilator-free days, and the lengths of ICU and hospital stays. Bayesian hierarchical generalized linear mixed models were used to adjust for patient- and ICU-level variables. RESULTS: This study revealed a significant association between a higher ICU case volume and decreased in-hospital mortality. In particular, ICUs with a higher percentage (> 75%) of emergency patients showed more pronounced effects, with the odds ratios for in-hospital mortality in the higher case volume quartiles (Q2, Q3, and Q4) being 0.92 (95% credible interval [CI]: 0.88-0.96), 0.70 (95% CI: 0.67-0.73), and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.73-0.83), respectively, compared with the lowest quartile (Q1). Similar trends were observed for various secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Higher ICU case volumes were significantly associated with lower in-hospital mortality rates in Japanese ICUs predominantly treating critically ill emergency patients. These findings emphasize the importance of ICU specialization and highlight the potential benefits of centralized care for critically ill emergency patients. These findings are potential insights for improving health care policy in Japan and may be valuable in emergency care settings in other countries with similar healthcare systems, after careful consideration of contextual differences.

A Case of Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome With Recurrent Shock and Erythema.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a fatal infectious disease often transmitted through tick bites and exposure to fluids from infected individuals. Early diagnosis is critical due to the high mortality rates of the disease; however, it might be challenging if a patient's history of tick contact is unclear. We report a detailed diagnosis of SFTS in a 69-year-old man with atypical symptoms but without identifiable tick bites. The diagnosis was made on the basis of massive diarrhea, recurrent shock, and unusual erythema presentation following hospital admission.

Early administration of mucoactive agents and ventilator-free days: a propensity score-matched study.

Background: Mucoactive agents are often prescribed for the management of airway secretions. However, it is unclear whether they improve respiratory outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients. Methods: We examined the association between the early administration of mucoactive agents in ventilated patients and increased ventilator-free days (VFDs). This retrospective observational study was conducted in two intensive care units (ICUs) of a tertiary care hospital in Japan. We applied 1:1 propensity score matching between the early mucoactive agent group and the on-demand mucoactive agent group. We compared VFDs during the first 28 days of ICU stay as the primary outcome between the groups. Results: In total, 662 participants were eligible for this study, and 94 participants (47 in each group) were included in the analysis. There was no difference in the median VFDs between the groups [21 days; interquartile (IQR) 1-24 for the early group vs. 20 days; IQR 13-24 for the on-demand group; P=0.53]. The median ICU-free days were 19 (range, 12-22) days and 19 (range, 13-22) days for the early and on-demand mucoactive agent groups, respectively (P=0.72). Conclusions: Early administration of mucoactive agents was not associated with increased VFDs.

A Review of Research Studies Using Data from the Administrative Claims Databases in Japan.

BACKGROUND: In Japan, several research studies have used administrative claims databases. However, no study has compared the studies conducted in each database. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the type, design, and research area of each research study using the administrative databases in Japan to illustrate the suitability of the database used for the types of research studies. METHODS: We reviewed studies from four administrative claims databases (the Japanese National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups [NDB]; the DPC Study Group database [DPC]; Japan Medical Data Center [JMDC]; and Medical Data Vision [MDV]). The PubMed database was searched from January 2015 to October 2020. We assessed the type, design, and research area of the abstract or full text of each research study. RESULTS: Overall, 643 studies were included. The number of studies increased from 59 in 2015 to 171 in 2020. Descriptive studies accounted for 62.7% (42 studies) of the studies from the NDB, while the treatment effectiveness studies accounted for 81.7% (211 studies) of the studies from the DPC database and were the most common in the JMDC and MDV. Cohort studies accounted for only 17.9% of the studies on NDB but 45.5% on DPC. The most common research area was medicine, general, and internal medicine (53 studies, 8.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The type and design of the studies conducted differed in each database and were influenced by the characteristics of the database used. In the future, it may be necessary to integrate various real-world data databases to increase their comprehensiveness.

Body Mass Index and Ventilator Dependence in Critically Ill Subjects in Japan: A Cohort Study Using a Nationwide Database.

BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) can be an important indicator for health outcomes among critically ill patients. However, the association between BMI and ventilator dependence at ICU discharge among these patients remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the association between BMI at ICU admission and ventilator dependence at the time of ICU discharge. As secondary outcomes, we used ICU mortality, hospital mortality, and implementation of tracheostomy during ICU stay. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. The data were derived from The Japanese Intensive Care Patient Database, a nationwide ICU database in Japan. We included all patients in the registry who were ≥ 16 y old, received mechanical ventilation, and were admitted to an ICU between April 2018 and March 2019. On the basis of their BMI at ICU admission, subjects were classified as underweight (< 18.5 kg/m2); normal weight (≥ 18.5 kg/m2 to < 23 kg/m2); overweight (≥ 23 kg/m2 to < 27.5 kg/m2); or obese (≥ 27.5 kg/m2). RESULTS: Among 11,801 analyzed subjects, 388 (3.3%) subjects were ventilator-dependent at ICU discharge. Compared with normal-weight subjects, the risk for ventilator dependence at ICU discharge increased among underweight subjects even after adjusting for potential confounders and inter-ICU variance in 2-level multivariable logistic regression analysis (odds ratio 1.46 [95% CI 1.18-1.79]). Although obesity was also associated with a higher risk of ventilator dependence, the association was less clear (odds ratio 1.10 [95% CI 0.99-1.22]). The risk of ICU mortality, hospital mortality, and implementation of tracheostomy also increased in underweight subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Critically ill underweight subjects had a higher risk of ventilator dependence at ICU discharge compared to normal-weight subjects, even after adjusting for potential confounders and inter-ICU variance. The association between BMI and ventilator dependence should be examined using information on subjects' nutritional status and frailty in further studies.

Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis Score and Patient Outcomes.

CONTEXT: The Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis (LRINEC) score helps to diagnose necrotizing soft-tissue infection (NSTI). The LRINEC score has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis, although few studies have evaluated this association. AIMS: We aimed to describe the characteristics of NSTI and assess whether the LRINEC score was associated with mortality and amputation. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective observational study from January 2007 to May 2018, in a Japanese tertiary care hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients with NSTI were identified through our hospital database using the discharge diagnosis. We extracted data on patient characteristics, laboratory examinations, microbiological information, treatment, and in-hospital mortality. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: We estimated the odds ratios (ORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for in-hospital mortality using logistic regression models. RESULTS: We identified 58 patients. The median LRINEC score was 8 (interquartile range [IQR]: 6-9). Forty-four patients (75.9%) scored 6 or more. The eight patients with amputations had a median score of 6 (IQR: 4.5-7.5) versus 8 (IQR: 7-9) for patients who underwent debridement (P = 0.091). Survivors and nonsurvivors had median scores of 8 (IQR: 6-9) and 6 (IQR: 5-8), respectively (P = 0.148). The OR for mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis was 10.5 (95% CI: 1.00-110.36; P = 0.050). CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between the LRINEC score and patients' outcomes: mortality and amputation. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the utility of the LRINEC score and factors associated with poor prognosis in patients with NSTI.

Urgent intubation without neuromuscular blocking agents and the risk of tracheostomy.

Neuromuscular blocking agents play a significant role in improving the success rate for urgent intubation, although there is limited evidence about the effect on subsequent outcomes, such as the incidence of tracheostomy. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to examine the association between avoidance of neuromuscular blocking agents for urgent tracheal intubation and incidence of tracheostomy among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The setting of this study was an eight-bed ICU at a tertiary-care hospital in Okayama, Japan. We included patients who underwent urgent tracheal intubation at the emergency department or the ICU and were admitted to the ICU between April 2013 and November 2017. We extracted data on methods and medications of intubation, predictors for difficult intubation, Cormack-Lehane grade, patient demographics, primary diagnoses, reintubation. We estimated odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals for elective tracheostomy during the ICU stay using logistic regression models. Of 411 patients, 46 patients underwent intubation without neuromuscular blocking agents and 61 patients underwent tracheostomy. After adjusting for potential confounders, patients who avoided neuromuscular blocking agents had more than double the odds of tracheostomy (odds ratio 2.59, 95% confidence interval 1.06-6.34, p value = 0.04). When stratifying the subjects by risk status for tracheostomy, the association was more pronounced in high-risk group, while we observed less significant association in the low-risk group. Avoidance of neuromuscular blocking agents for urgent intubation increases the risk of tracheostomy among emergency patients, especially those who have a higher risk for tracheostomy.

Incidence and risk factors of acute kidney injury in the Japanese trauma population: A prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have reported the prevalence and risk factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in relatively young trauma patients. The aims of this study were to identify the prevalence and risk factors of AKI among older Japanese trauma patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study in the 8-bed intensive care unit (ICU) of a Japanese tertiary-care hospital. Participants comprised trauma patients aged 18 years or older admitted to the ICU. Our primary outcome was the incidence of AKI within 10days of admission, according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. RESULTS: Among 333 patients, 66 (19.8%) developed AKI (Stage 1, n=54; Stages 2, n=5; and Stage 3, n=7). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the incidence of AKI was associated with increased age (odds ratio (OR), 1.38; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-1.65), male sex (OR, 2.06; 95%CI, 1.04-4.07), greater amount of red blood cell transfusions (OR, 1.61; 95%CI, 1.04-1.17), and presence of underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR, 3.97; 95%CI, 1.78-8.83). Length of stay in the ICU was significantly longer in patients with AKI (6days) than in those without (3days; p<0.001). Patients ≥65 years old were more likely to develop AKI (26.2% vs 11.6%; p<0.001). No significant differences in ICU stay (median, 4 vs 4days; p=0.70), hospital stay (median, 24 vs 21days; p=0.45), or 28-day mortality (2.1% vs 1.4%; p=0.19) were evident between age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 20% of trauma patients developed AKI, and the elderly were more likely to develop AKI. Older age, male, greater units of red blood cell transfusions, and underlying CKD were associated with incidence of AKI.

Impact of Attending Physicians' Comments on Residents' Workloads in the Emergency Department: Results from Two J(

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether peppy comments from attending physicians increased the workload of residents working in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: We conducted two parallel-group, assessor-blinded, randomized trials at the ED in a tertiary care hospital in western Japan. Twenty-five residents who examined either ambulatory (J(^o^)PAN-1 Trial) or transferred patients (J(^o^)PAN-2 Trial) in the ED on weekdays. Participants were randomly assigned to groups that either received a peppy message such as "Hope you have a quiet day!" (intervention group) or did not (control group) from the attending physicians. Both trials were conducted from June 2014 through March 2015. For each trial, residents rated the number of patients examined during and the busyness and difficulty of their shifts on a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: A total of 169 randomizations (intervention group, 81; control group, 88) were performed for the J(^o^)PAN-1 Trial, and 178 (intervention group, 85; control group, 93) for the J(^o^)PAN-2 Trial. In the J(^o^)PAN-1 trial, no differences were observed in the number of ambulatory patients examined during their shifts (5.5 and 5.7, respectively, p = 0.48), the busyness of their shifts (2.8 vs 2.8; p = 0.58), or the difficulty of their shifts (3.1 vs 3.1, p = 0.94). However, in the J(^o^)PAN-2 trial, although busyness (2.8 vs 2.7; p = 0.40) and difficulty (3.1 vs 3.2; p = 0.75) were similar between groups, the intervention group examined more transferred patients than the control group (4.4 vs 3.9; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Peppy comments from attending physicians had a minimal jinxing effect on the workload of residents working in the ED. TRIAL REGISTRATION: University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR), UMIN000017193 and UMIN000017194.

Impact of closed versus open tracheal suctioning systems for mechanically ventilated adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Whether closed tracheal suctioning systems (CTSS) reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) compared with open tracheal suctioning systems (OTSS) is inconclusive. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that compared CTSS and OTSS. METHODS: PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Web of Science, Google Scholar, and a clinical trial registry from inception to October 2014 were searched without language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials of CTSS and OTSS that compared VAP in mechanically ventilated adult patients were included. The primary outcome was the incidence of VAP. Secondary outcomes were mortality and length of mechanical ventilation. Data were pooled using the random effects model. RESULTS: Sixteen trials with 1,929 participants were included. Compared with OTSS, CTSS was associated with a reduced incidence of VAP (RR 0.69; 95 % CI 0.54-0.87; Q = 26.14; I (2) = 46.4 %). Compared with OTSS, CTSS was not associated with reduction of mortality (RR 0.96; 95 % CI 0.83-1.12; Q = 2.27; I (2) = 0.0 %) or reduced length of mechanical ventilation (WMD -0.45 days; 95 % CI -1.25 to 0.36; Q = 6.37; I (2) = 5.8 %). Trial sequential analysis suggested a lack of firm evidence for 20 % RR reduction in the incidence of VAP. The limitations of this review included underreporting and low quality of the included trials, as well as variations in study procedures and characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Based on current, albeit limited evidence, it is unlikely that CTSS is inferior to OTSS regarding VAP prevention; however, further trials at low risk of bias are needed to confirm or refute this finding.