The Impact of Social Determinants of Health on Discharge Disposition Following One- and Two-Level Posterior Interbody Fusion.

Background Current research is limited in exploring the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on the discharge location within elective spine surgery. Further understanding of the influence of SDOH on disposition is necessary to improve outcomes. This study explores how SDOH influence discharge disposition for patients undergoing one- or two-level posterior interbody fusion (TLIF/PLIF). Methods This was a retrospective propensity-matched cohort study. Patients who underwent TLIF/PLIF between 2017 and 2020 at a single academic medical center were identified. The chart review gathered demographics, perioperative characteristics, intra/post-operative complications, discharge disposition, and 90-day outcomes. Discharge dispositions included subacute nursing facility (SNF), home with self-care (HSC), home with health services (HHS), and acute rehab facility (ARF). Demographic, perioperative, and disposition outcomes were analyzed by chi-square analysis and one-way ANOVA based on gender, race, and income quartiles. Results Propensity score matching for significant demographic factors isolated 326 patients. The rate of discharge to SNF was higher in females compared to males (25.00% vs 10.56%; p=0.001). Men were discharged to home at a higher rate than women (75.4% vs 61.95%; p=0.010). LatinX patients had the highest rate of home discharge, followed by Asians, Caucasians, and African Americans (83.33% vs 70.31% vs 66.45% vs 65.90%; p<0.001). The post hoc Tukey test demonstrated statistically significant differences between Asians and all other races in the context of age and BMI. Additionally, patients discharged to SNF showed the highest Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score, followed by those at ARF, HHS, and HSC (4.36 vs 4.05 vs 2.87 vs 2.37; p<0.001). The estimated median income for the cohort ranged from $52,000 to $250,001, with no significant differences in income seen across comparisons. Conclusion Discharge disposition following one- or two-level TLIF/PLIF shows significant association with gender and race. No association was seen when comparing discharge rates among zip code-level median income quartiles.

Complications of Venous Thromboembolism Chemoprophylaxis in Lumbar Laminectomy With and Without Fusion.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of chemoprophylaxis (CPX) agents in preventing venous thromboembolism must be weighed against potential risks. Current literature regarding the efficacy of CPX after laminectomies with or without fusion is limited, with no clear consensus to inform guidelines. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the association between CPX and surgical complications after lumbar laminectomy with and without fusion. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of patients at a single large academic institution. METHODS: The medical records of patients who underwent lumbar laminectomies with or without lumbar fusion from 2018 to 2020 were reviewed for demographics, surgical characteristics, CPX agents, postoperative complications, epidural hematomas, and wound drainage. Patients receiving CPX (n = 316) were compared with patients not receiving CPX (n = 316) via t test following propensity score matching, and patients on CPX were further stratified by fusion status. RESULTS: The CPX group had higher body mass index and American Society of Anesthesiologists grades. Rates of venous thromboembolism, epidural hematomas, infections, postoperative incision and drainage, transfusions, wound dehiscence, and reoperation were not associated with CPX. Moist dressings were more frequent, and average days of drain duration were longer with CPX. Overall postoperative complication rate and length of stay (LOS) were greater with CPX. The fusion subgroup had a lower Charlson Comorbidity Index, had a lower American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, was younger, had more women, and underwent more minimally invasive laminectomies. While estimated blood loss, operative times, and LOS were significantly greater in the fusion group, there was no difference in rate of intraoperative and postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: CPX after lumbar laminectomies with or without fusion was not associated with increased rates of epidural hematomas, wound complications, or reoperation. Patients receiving CPX had more postoperative cardiac complications, but it is possible that surgeons were more likely to prescribe CPX for higher-risk patients. They also had higher rates of ileus and moist dressings, greater LOS, and longer length of drain duration. Patients who underwent lumbar laminectomy with fusion on CPX tended to be lower risk yet incurred greater blood loss, operative times, LOS, cardiac complications, and hematomas/seromas than patients not undergoing fusion. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This retrospective study compared surgical complications of lumbar laminectomies in patients who received chemoprophylaxis vs patients who did not. Chemoprophylaxis was not associated with increased rates of epidural hematomas, wound complications, or reoperation, but it was associated with higher rates of postoperative cardiac complications and ileus.

Enhancing SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in Malawi using telephone syndromic surveillance from July 2020 to April 2022.

INTRODUCTION: Monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in low-resource countries such as Malawi requires cost-effective surveillance strategies. This study explored the potential utility of phone-based syndromic surveillance in terms of its reach, monitoring trends in reported SARS-CoV-2-like/influenza-like symptoms (CLS/ILS), SARS-CoV-2 testing and mortality. METHODS: Mobile phone-based interviews were conducted between 1 July 2020 and 30 April 2022, using a structured questionnaire. Randomly digital dialled numbers were used to reach individuals aged ≥18 years who spoke Chichewa or English. Verbal consent was obtained, and trained research assistants with clinical and nursing backgrounds collected information on age, sex, region of residence, reported CLS/ILS in the preceding 2 weeks, SARS-CoV-2 testing and history of household illness and death. Data were captured on tablets using the Open Data Kit database. We performed a descriptive analysis and presented the frequencies and proportions with graphical representations over time. FINDINGS: Among 356 525 active phone numbers, 138 751 (38.9%) answered calls, of which 104 360 (75.2%) were eligible, 101 617 (97.4%) consented to participate, and 100 160 (98.6%) completed the interview. Most survey respondents were aged 25-54 years (72.7%) and male (65.1%). The regional distribution of the respondents mirrored the regional population distribution, with 45% (44%) in the southern region, 41% (43%) in the central region and 14% (13%) in the northern region. The reported SARS-CoV2 positivity rate was 11.5% (107/934). Of the 7298 patients who reported CLS/ILS, 934 (12.8%) reported having undergone COVID-19 testing. Of the reported household deaths, 47.2% (982 individuals) experienced CLS/ILS 2 weeks before their death. CONCLUSION: Telephonic surveillance indicated that the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases was at least twice as high as the number of confirmed cases in Malawi. Our findings also suggest a substantial under-reporting of SARS-CoV-2-related deaths. Telephonic surveillance has proven feasible in Malawi, achieving the ability to characterise SARS-CoV-2 morbidity and mortality trends in low-resource settings.

Acute Cardiac Events in Hospitalized Older Adults With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection.

Importance: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection can cause severe respiratory illness in older adults. Less is known about the cardiac complications of RSV disease compared with those of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Objective: To describe the prevalence and severity of acute cardiac events during hospitalizations among adults aged 50 years or older with RSV infection. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study analyzed surveillance data from the RSV Hospitalization Surveillance Network, which conducts detailed medical record abstraction among hospitalized patients with RSV infection detected through clinician-directed laboratory testing. Cases of RSV infection in adults aged 50 years or older within 12 states over 5 RSV seasons (annually from 2014-2015 through 2017-2018 and 2022-2023) were examined to estimate the weighted period prevalence and 95% CIs of acute cardiac events. Exposures: Acute cardiac events, identified by International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification or International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification discharge codes, and discharge summary review. Main Outcomes and Measures: Severe disease outcomes, including intensive care unit (ICU) admission, receipt of invasive mechanical ventilation, or in-hospital death. Adjusted risk ratios (ARR) were calculated to compare severe outcomes among patients with and without acute cardiac events. Results: The study included 6248 hospitalized adults (median [IQR] age, 72.7 [63.0-82.3] years; 59.6% female; 56.4% with underlying cardiovascular disease) with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection. The weighted estimated prevalence of experiencing a cardiac event was 22.4% (95% CI, 21.0%-23.7%). The weighted estimated prevalence was 15.8% (95% CI, 14.6%-17.0%) for acute heart failure, 7.5% (95% CI, 6.8%-8.3%) for acute ischemic heart disease, 1.3% (95% CI, 1.0%-1.7%) for hypertensive crisis, 1.1% (95% CI, 0.8%-1.4%) for ventricular tachycardia, and 0.6% (95% CI, 0.4%-0.8%) for cardiogenic shock. Adults with underlying cardiovascular disease had a greater risk of experiencing an acute cardiac event relative to those who did not (33.0% vs 8.5%; ARR, 3.51; 95% CI, 2.85-4.32). Among all hospitalized adults with RSV infection, 18.6% required ICU admission and 4.9% died during hospitalization. Compared with patients without an acute cardiac event, those who experienced an acute cardiac event had a greater risk of ICU admission (25.8% vs 16.5%; ARR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.23-1.93) and in-hospital death (8.1% vs 4.0%; ARR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.36-2.31). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study over 5 RSV seasons, nearly one-quarter of hospitalized adults aged 50 years or older with RSV infection experienced an acute cardiac event (most frequently acute heart failure), including 1 in 12 adults (8.5%) with no documented underlying cardiovascular disease. The risk of severe outcomes was nearly twice as high in patients with acute cardiac events compared with patients who did not experience an acute cardiac event. These findings clarify the baseline epidemiology of potential cardiac complications of RSV infection prior to RSV vaccine availability.

Long-term impact of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Kenya: Nasopharyngeal carriage among children in a rural and an urban site six years after introduction.

BACKGROUND: Kenya introduced Synflorix™ (GlaxoSmithKline, PCV10-GSK), a 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, in 2011, using three primary doses and, in select areas, catch-up campaigns. Surveys conducted 1-2 years post-introduction showed a stable prevalence of pneumococcal colonization, with declines in vaccine-type carriage. However, little is known about the long-term impact of PCV10-GSK in Kenya. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of pneumococcal carriage among children aged <5 years in November-December 2017 in Kibera (Nairobi informal settlement, no catch-up) and Asembo (rural western Kenya, 2-dose catch-up for children 1-4 years), using the same methods and settings as prior annual surveys from 2009 to 2013. Participants were randomly selected from an ongoing population-based surveillance platform. Nasopharyngeal swabs were frozen in skim milk-tryptone-glucose-glycerin media within 4 h and underwent culture with broth enrichment for pneumococcus. Isolates were serotyped by polymerase chain reaction and Quellung. RESULTS: We enrolled 504 children, including 252 from each site; >90 % of participants had received 3 doses of PCV10-GSK. Pneumococcal colonization was detected in 210 (83.3 %) participants in Kibera and 149 (59.1 %) in Asembo, which was significantly lower than the prevalence observed in 2013 (92.9 % and 85.7 %, respectively). PCV10-GSK serotypes were detected in 35/252 (13.9 %) participants in Kibera and 23/252 (9.1 %) in Asembo, respectively; these prevalences were lower, but not statistically different, from vaccine-type carriage prevalences in 2013 (17.3 % and 13.3 %, respectively). In 2017 in both sites, serotypes 3, 6A, 19A, 19F, and 35B were among the most common serotypes. CONCLUSION: Six years post-PCV10-GSK introduction, the prevalence of pneumococcal carriage among children has decreased, and the impact of PCV10-GSK on vaccine-type carriage has plateaued. Kenya recently changed from PCV10-GSK to Pneumosil™ (Serum Institute of India), a 10-valent PCV that includes serotypes 6A and 19A; these data provide historical context for interpreting changes in vaccine-type carriage following the PCV formulation switch.