Effects of Medical Transport on Outcomes in Children Requiring Intensive Care.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The need to centralize patients for specialty care in the setting of regionalization may delay access to specialist services and compromise outcomes, particularly in a large geographic area. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of interhospital transferring of children requiring intensive care in a Canadian regionalization model. METHODS: A retrospective cohort design with a matched pair analysis was adopted to compare the outcomes in children younger than 17 years admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a Canadian children's hospital by a specialized transport team (pediatric critical care transported [PCCT] group) and those children admitted directly to PICU from its pediatric emergency department (PED group). The outcomes of interest included mortality 72 hours from initial contact with the critical care team (ie, either PICU transport team or intrahospital PICU team). RESULTS: In total, 680 (27%) transports met our inclusion criteria, whereas 866 (7%) cases of 11 570 total PICU admissions were admitted directly from the emergency department. A total of 493 pairs were formed for the matched analyses. Odds of mortality within 72 hours in the PCCT group were significantly higher than in the PED group (odds ratio [OR]: 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-4.45; P = .032). When excluding cases who had at least one episode of cardiac arrest before involvement of the pediatric critical care (PCC) transport team, the OR dropped to 1.66 (95% CI: 0.77-3.46). CONCLUSIONS: Children transported from nonpediatric hospitals had a higher 72-hour mortality when compared to those children admitted directly to a children's hospital PICU from its own PED in a Canadian regionalized health-care model.

Epidemiology of Pediatric Critical Care Transport in Northern Alberta and the Western Arctic.

OBJECTIVE: Specialized pediatric critical care transport teams are essential to pediatric retrieval systems. This study aims to describe the contemporary transports performed by a Canadian pediatric critical care transport team and to compare the treatment and outcomes of children referred from high-level care (hospitals offering pediatric services where an adult ICU exists) and nonhigh-level care (all other hospitals) hospitals. DESIGN: A descriptive cohort study. SETTING: The Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Western Canada. PATIENTS: Children younger than 17 years old transported by the transport team from referral hospitals within the Stollery Children's Hospital catchment area to Stollery Children's Hospital between 1998 and 2015. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Characteristics of transports, patient demographics presenting vital signs, and outcomes were described overall and compared by transport-related time and referral hospital types (high-level care and nonhigh-level care). In total, 3,352 transports met the inclusion criteria; 1,049 were retrieved from eight high-level care hospitals and 2,303 from 53 nonhigh-level care hospitals; the median one-way transport distance was 383 kilometers, and 70% of the transports were air transports. The annual number of transports has increased during the study period. The PICU admission rate was between 40% and 55%. Transports from high-level care hospitals had significantly higher odds of being admitted to the PICU (odds ratio, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.31-2.93). The odds of intubation at the referral hospital were higher in the high-level care group, but the odds of intubation upon PICU admission was similar between the two groups. Mortality during or after transport was not significantly different between high-level care and nonhigh-level care hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The current transport system has multiple priorities with regard to efficiency and quality. The medical services at referral hospitals may affect the likelihood of PICU admission and subsequent PICU length of stay; however, no negative impact was observed in other outcomes including mortality.

Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing Strains, Alberta, Canada, 1991-2007.

Beijing strains are speculated to have a selective advantage over other Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains because of increased transmissibility and virulence. In Alberta, a province of Canada that receives a large number of immigrants, we conducted a population-based study to determine whether Beijing strains were associated with increased transmission leading to disease compared with non-Beijing strains. Beijing strains accounted for 258 (19%) of 1,379 pulmonary tuberculosis cases in 1991-2007; overall, 21% of Beijing cases and 37% of non-Beijing cases were associated with transmission clusters. Beijing index cases had significantly fewer secondary cases within 2 years than did non-Beijing cases, but this difference disappeared after adjustment for demographic characteristics, infectiousness, and M. tuberculosis lineage. In a province that has effective tuberculosis control, transmission of Beijing strains posed no more of a public health threat than did non-Beijing strains.

All-cause and HIV-related mortality rates among HIV-infected patients after initiating highly active antiretroviral therapy: the impact of Aboriginal ethnicity and injection drug use.

BACKGROUND: Aboriginals are over-represented in Canada's HIV epidemic and are commonly infected with HIV via injection drug use (IDU); however, little is known about the impact of Aboriginal ethnicity on mortality after starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Therefore, we compared mortality rates between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal HIV patients and between IDU and non-IDU HIV patients after they initiated HAART. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of antiretroviral-naïve patients starting HAART January 1999-June 2005 (baseline), followed until December 2005. We constructed two Cox proportional hazards models, one to estimate all-cause and one to estimate HIV-related mortality hazard ratios (HRs), considering sex, and baseline age, CD4 cell count, HIV RNA level, calendar year, and HAART regimen as potential confounders. RESULTS: The 548 study patients were followed for 1,889.8 person-years; 194 (35%) were Aboriginal, 255 (46%) were IDUs. We observed 55 deaths; 47% were HIV-related. In multivariable models, Aboriginals experienced higher all-cause (HR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.05-3.26, p = 0.034) and HIV-related (HR = 3.47, 95% CI = 1.36-8.83, p = 0.009) mortality rates compared to non-Aboriginals; and, compared to patients with other exposures, IDUs experienced higher all-cause (HR = 2.45, 95% CI = 1.31-4.57, p = 0.005) but similar HIV-related (p = 0.27) mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to non-Aboriginals, Aboriginal HIV patients suffer higher all-cause and HIV-related mortality rates after starting HAART. The strongest and most significant predictor of higher all-cause mortality was IDU. Future research should examine reasons for the observed poorer survival of Aboriginal and IDU HIV patients after initiating HAART to develop interventions to improve the prognosis for these vulnerable populations.

Bicycle helmet use after the introduction of all ages helmet legislation in an urban community in Alberta, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Bicycle trauma is a common cause of recreational death and disability and helmets have been shown to reduce fatal and non-fatal head and face injuries. This study evaluated the effect of mandatory bicycle helmet legislation for all ages in St. Albert, Alberta. METHODS: We observed bicyclists from June to September of 2006 in St. Albert, a community subject to both provincial (< 18 years old) and municipal (all ages) helmet legislation, and compared our results with observations taken in 2000 when no legislation existed. Helmet wearing and rider characteristics were recorded by trained observers. Poisson regression analysis was used to obtain helmet prevalence (HP) and prevalence ratio (PR) estimates. RESULTS: HP increased from 45% to 92% (PR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.72-2.39) post-legislation. Controlling for other covariates, children were 53% (PR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.34-1.74) and adolescents greater than 6 times (PR =6.57; 95% CI: 1.39-31.0) more likely to wear helmets; however, adults (PR = 1.26; 95% CI: 0.96-1.66) did not show a statistically significant change post-legislation. Restricting the analysis to high socio-economic status areas, adult helmet prevalence increased in St. Albert from 58% to 73% post-legislation compared with a 52% to 57% change across the province; this effect was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Helmet legislation in St. Albert was associated with a significant increase in helmet use among child and adolescent cyclists. A larger increase in HP was observed for adults in St. Albert than in other areas of the province; however, this difference was not statistically significant, which may reflect the small sample size or insufficient time passage after bylaw enactment.

Risk factors and trends in childhood stunting in a district in Western Uganda.

OBJECTIVES: This representative, cross-sectional study conducted in Kabarole District, Western Uganda, determined the nutritional status of children 6-59 months of age and established a trend in the childhood stunting rates. METHODS: A multi-stage random cluster sampling was performed to select 322 children and their principal caregivers. Anthropometric measurements were taken from the children and compared with a reference population and the children's principle caregivers were interviewed. RESULTS: Childhood stunting was high with 43.0% of all children having a z-score of less than or equal to -2. Predictive factors for stunting were a low economic status of the household, poor health of the child's caregiver, residence located at a long distance from a health unit and use of a contaminated water source. The comparison of our study results with an earlier nutritional study in Kabarole District revealed that there is an increasing trend of childhood stunting over the years of 28.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 22.1-33.1%] in 1989 vs 43% (95% CI 37.6-48.8%) in 2006 and that stunting rates in Kabarole District were much higher compared to national data. CONCLUSION: The high stunting rates in children and the increasing trend in stunting needs further investigations. It should also be determined why stunting rates in children in Kabarole District are much higher than the national average. There is a need for better nutritional interventions as part of the district's public health programs.

Breastfeeding practices of HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in Kabarole district, Uganda.

Ugandan policy regarding infant feeding for HIV-positive mothers is replacement feeding (RF), if feasible; otherwise, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for 3 months is advised (or EBF for 6 months, if RF is still not feasible). HIV-negative mothers should practise EBF for 6 months. The study objective was to explore the association between maternal HIV status and breastfeeding practices in Kabarole, Uganda. Data were collected from questionnaires administered at home to 182 women (44 HIV-positive and 138 HIV-negative) 3 months post-partum and from medical charts. The HIV-negative women were matched on delivery date to HIV-positive women at a ratio of 3:1. Interviewers were blinded to HIV status. There was no statistically significant association between adherence to Ugandan national feeding guidelines and maternal HIV status in bivariate analysis [odds ratio (OR) = 1.52; confidence interval (CI): 0.76-3.04]. Multivariate analyses showed a significant association between adherence to feeding guidelines and child illness (OR = 0.40; CI: 0.21-0.79) and between adherence to feeding guidelines and rural residence in Burahya county (OR = 2.43; CI: 1.15-5.13). Many mothers do not follow the feeding guidelines for HIV infection. This region-specific information on breastfeeding practice determinants will be used to inform local Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes. The nature of the association between child illness and EBF should be further explored.

Gender differences in antiretroviral treatment outcomes of HIV patients in rural Uganda.

Gender differences in treatment outcomes of 305 persons living with HIV receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Kabarole district, western Uganda, were evaluated. The primary treatment outcome was virological suppression defined as HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) <400 copies/ml and the secondary outcome measure was the increase in the CD4 cell count after six months on ART. Statistical analysis included descriptive, univariate, and multivariate methods. Proportionally, more females chose to seek treatment compared to males. After six months of treatment, females were more likely to have viral suppression (VL > 400 copies/ml) as compared to males (odds ratio 2.14, 95% confidence interval 0.99-4.63, p=0.05). While females had a significantly higher baseline CD4 cell count at initiation of treatment compared to males, the increase in CD4 cell count after six months on ART was similar in males and females. The reasons for better ART outcomes for females should be further investigated. Ideally, ART programs should work toward equitable treatment outcomes for men and women, if the cause of the gender differential lies in patient behavior and the way ART services are delivered.

Predictors for wheezing phenotypes in the first decade of life.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study examined prenatal, perinatal and early childhood predictors of wheezing phenotypes in the first decade of life. METHODS: Information on current wheezing, was collected prospectively from five surveys conducted every 2 years over the first decade of life. Five wheezing phenotypes were defined: non-wheezers, preschool, primary-school, intermittent and persistent wheezers. Logistic regression with adjustment for survey design was used to determine the predictors of wheezing phenotypes. RESULTS: Data on 2711 children were used in the analysis. Early respiratory infection, the child's allergy and parental asthma were significant risk factors for preschool, intermittent and persistent wheeze. The child's allergy and parental asthma had stronger associations with persistent wheeze than with preschool wheeze. Breastfeeding was a significant predictor of both preschool and intermittent wheezing. Daycare attendance was a risk factor for preschool wheeze but a protective factor for primary-school wheezing. Crowding at home was a protective factor for both preschool and primary-school wheeze. Parental smoking was a significant factor for preschool wheeze. CONCLUSION: This study identified different predictors for each wheezing phenotype with some degree of overlap. The observed differential effects for these conditions raises the possibility that there are different aetiologies for asthma among children.

Epidemiology of bicycle injuries in 13 health divisions, Islamic Republic of Iran 2003.

Bicyclists are vulnerable road users for severe injury all over the world. The nature and extent of such injuries are less well known in Iran. Using data from a comprehensive survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in 13 health divisions of Iran, in 2003, we examined circumstances around bicyclist injury and death. Trained health workers completed the survey instruments by interviewing patients who stayed more than 24h in hospitals and/or relatives, hospital personnel and by reviewing patient charts. Data were cross-matched with medico-legal documents to prevent missing deaths. The information that was collected from 64 cities/towns' emergency departments (EDs), over the study period, showed that 440 injured cyclists were hospitalized and/or died due to traffic collisions. Most injuries occurred in males (94.8%) and in the young (median age: 14 years with 75%

Impact of physician-less pediatric critical care transport: Making a decision on team composition.

PURPOSE: To explore the impact of a physician non-accompanying pediatric critical care transport program, and to identify factors associated with the selection of specific transport team compositions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Children transported to a Canadian academic children's hospital were included. Two eras (Physician-accompanying Transport (PT)-era: 2000-07 when physicians commonly accompanied the transport team; and Physician-Less Transport (PLT)-era: 2010-15 when a physician non-accompanying team was increasingly used) were compared with respect to transport and PICU outcomes. Transport and patient characteristics for the PLT-era cohort were examined to identify factors associated with the selection of a physician accompanying team, with multivariable logistic regression with triage physicians as random effects. RESULTS: In the PLT-era (N=1177), compared to the PT-era (N=1490) the probability of PICU admission was significantly lower, and patient outcomes including mortality were not significantly different. Associations were noted between the selection of a physician non-accompanying team and specific transport characteristics. There was appreciable variability among the triage physicians for the selection of a physician non-accompanying team. CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences were observed with increasing use of a physician non-accompanying team. Selection of transport team compositions was influenced by clinical and system factors, but appreciable variation still remained among triage physicians.

Does functional recovery in elderly hip fracture patients differ between patients admitted from long-term care and the community?

BACKGROUND: It is largely unknown whether functional recovery following hip fracture differs between long-term care (LTC) and community-dwelling residents. Our primary purpose was to compare recovery between these patients 6 months following hip fracture, controlling for known prognostic factors. Secondarily, we examined the contribution of residential status, in addition to patient characteristics, to functional recovery. METHODS: We studied a population-based inception cohort of 451 hip fracture patients >/= 65 years old admitted to one Canadian health region hospital between July 1999 and September 2000. Participants completed the Modified Barthel Functional Index (MBI) in hospital and again via telephone interviews 6 months postoperatively. Data were also collected on surgery and rehabilitation timing, length of hospital stay (LOS). and discharge destination. Relative change from prefracture function adjusting for known prognostic factors, and the proportion of participants returning to prefracture function were compared between the LTC and community-dwelling residents. RESULTS: LTC residents (n = 115) were older, with lower function prefracture, more comorbidities, and increased dementia than community-dwelling residents (n = 336). Six months postfracture, 17 (22%) LTC and 180 (71%) community-dwelling residents had regained prefracture function (p <.001). LTC residents had 33% lower (-40.6, -27.2) and community-dwelling residents 11.6% lower (-14.8, -8.4) 6-month MBI scores relative to prefracture scores after risk adjustment. Residential status was significantly associated with risk-adjusted functional recovery (p <.001). Median LOS was 4 days less for LTC than for community-dwelling residents (p <.001). Twelve (10%) LTC and 266 (79%) community-dwelling residents were discharged to inpatient rehabilitation (p <.001). CONCLUSION: Following hip fracture, most LTC residents do not regain prefracture function irrespective of known prognostic factors. Further investigation is needed as to the extent to which personal and environmental characteristics contribute to outcome after hip fracture.

Relationship between characteristics of volunteer community health workers and antiretroviral treatment outcomes in a community-based treatment programme in Uganda.

Community health workers (CHWs) can help to redress the shortages of health human resources needed to scale up antiretroviral treatment (ART). However, the selection of CHWs could influence the effectiveness of a CHW programme. The purpose of this observational study was to assess whether sociodemographic characteristics and geographic proximity to patients of volunteer CHWs were predictors of clinical outcomes in a community-based ART (CBART) programme in Kabarole, Uganda. Data from CHW surveys for 41 CHWs and clinic charts for 185 patients in the CBART programme were analysed using multivariable logistic and Cox regression models. Time to travel to patients was the only statistically significant characteristic of CHWs associated with ART outcomes. Patients whose CHWs had to travel one or more hours had a 71% lower odds of virologic suppression (adjusted OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.13-0.65, p = .002) and a 4.52 times higher mortality hazard rate (adjusted HR = 4.52, 95% CI = 1.20-17.09, p = .026) compared to patients whose CHWs had to travel less than one hour. The findings show that the sociodemographic characteristics of CHWs were not as important as the geographic distance they had to travel to patients.

Ordinal regression model and the linear regression model were superior to the logistic regression models.

OBJECTIVE: Ordinal scales often generate scores with skewed data distributions. The optimal method of analyzing such data is not entirely clear. The objective was to compare four statistical multivariable strategies for analyzing skewed health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcome data. HRQOL data were collected at 1 year following catheterization using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ), a disease-specific quality of life and symptom rating scale. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: In this methodological study, four regression models were constructed. The first model used linear regression. The second and third models used logistic regression with two different cutpoints and the fourth model used ordinal regression. To compare the results of these four models, odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and 95% confidence interval widths (i.e., ratios of upper to lower confidence interval endpoints) were assessed. RESULTS: Relative to the two logistic regression analysis, the linear regression model and the ordinal regression model produced more stable parameter estimates with smaller confidence interval widths. CONCLUSION: A combination of analysis results from both of these models (adjusted SAQ scores and odds ratios) provides the most comprehensive interpretation of the data.

Travelers' knowledge of prevention and treatment of travelers' diarrhea.

BACKGROUND: Information regarding the prevention and treatment of travelers' diarrhea (TD) is available to the public from various sources, such as medical personnel, travel clinics, personal contacts, and the Internet. This type of information may help travelers avoid this illness or help those afflicted minimize its duration. METHODS: We collected questionnaire data from 104 travelers at departure gates for flights to Mexico from Calgary, Alberta on their knowledge of symptoms and treatment of TD and food risks associated with this illness and sources of information used. RESULTS: Almost half reported they received some information on travel-related diseases and on TD prior to the flight. When education level was controlled for, the mean score for people who had obtained information on TD was significantly higher than that for those who did not have such information. College or university-educated travelers scored better than did other travelers. A high proportion of travelers correctly identified risk levels associated with specific foods consumed during travel, and many recognize that they are at an increased risk of acquiring diarrheal illness while traveling in a developing country. CONCLUSIONS: Information on TD appears to improve the level of knowledge on its prevention and treatment among travelers from southern Alberta.

Best practices for elderly hip fracture patients. A systematic overview of the evidence.

OBJECTIVES: To determine evidence-based best practices for elderly hip fracture patients from the time of hospital admission to 6 months postfracture. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase, PEDro, Ageline, NARIC, and CIRRIE databases were searched for potentially eligible articles published between 1985 and 2004. REVIEW METHODS: Two independent reviewers determined studies appropriate for inclusion using standardized selection criteria, extracted data, evaluated internal validity, and then rated studies according to levels of evidence. Only Level 1 or 2 evidence was included in our summary of clinical recommendations. RESULTS: Spinal anesthesia, pressure-relieving mattresses, perioperative antibiotics, and deep vein thromboses prophylaxes had consistent evidence of benefit. Routine preoperative traction was not associated with any benefits and should be abandoned. Types of surgical management, postoperative wound drainage, and even "multidisciplinary" care, lacked sufficient evidence to determine either benefit or harm. There was little evidence to either determine best subacute rehabilitation practices or to direct ongoing medical issues (e.g., nutrition). Studies conducted during the subacute recovery period were heterogeneous in terms of treatment settings, interventions, and outcomes studied and had no clear evidence for best treatment practices. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence for perioperative practices is relatively robust and evidence-based perioperative treatment guidelines can be easily established. Conversely, more evidence is required to better guide the care of elderly patients with hip fracture during the subacute recovery period and convalescence.

Sex differences in access to coronary revascularization after cardiac catheterization: importance of detailed clinical data.

BACKGROUND: Although some studies suggest that access to cardiac procedures may differ by sex, others have found no evidence of gender bias in cardiac care. OBJECTIVE: To study rates of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in men and women after cardiac catheterization. DESIGN: Cohort study with prospective data collection. SETTING: Alberta, Canada. PATIENTS: Persons undergoing cardiac catheterization between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 1998 (n = 21 816). MEASUREMENTS: The occurrence of revascularization procedures (PCI or CABG) in the year after cardiac catheterization was measured. Unadjusted revascularization rates, partially adjusted rates (adjusted for clinical variables available in most databases, including administrative databases), and fully adjusted rates (additionally adjusted for extent of coronary artery disease and ejection fraction) were also evaluated. RESULTS: The unadjusted relative risk was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.65 to 0.71) for the end point of any revascularization in women relative to men. The relative risk increased to 0.69 (CI, 0.66 to 0.72) with partial adjustment and to 0.98 (CI, 0.94 to 1.03) with full adjustment, indicating equivalent access to revascularization for men and women. For PCI, the corresponding relative risks were 0.77 (CI, 0.73 to 0.82), 0.84 (CI, 0.80 to 0.89), and 1.02 (CI, 0.96 to 1.08). For CABG surgery, the relative risks were 0.54 (CI, 0.51 to 0.58), 0.51 (CI, 0.48 to 0.55), and 0.93 (CI, 0.87 to 1.01). CONCLUSIONS: In Alberta, Canada, clinical variables fully explain sex differences in rates of revascularization after cardiac catheterization, and misleading conclusions would arise without full adjustment for clinical differences between men and women. Extreme caution is needed in interpreting reports on access to care that use sparsely detailed clinical data sources.

The epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in Alberta, Canada.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence and pattern of traumatic spinal cord injury and cauda equina injury (SCI) in a geographically defined region of Canada. METHODS: The study period was April 1, 1997 to March 31, 2000. Data were gathered from three provincial sources: administrative data from the Alberta Ministry of Health and Wellness, records from the Alberta Trauma Registry, and death certificates from the Office of the Medical Examiner. RESULTS: From all three data sources, 450 cases of SCI were identified. Of these, 71 (15.8%) died prior to hospitalization. The annual incidence rate was 52.5/million population (95% CI: 47.7, 57.4). For those who survived to hospital admission, the incidence rate was 44.3/million/year (95% CI: 39.8, 48.7). The incidence rates for males were consistently higher than for females for all age groups. Motor vehicle collisions accounted for 56.4% of injuries, followed by falls (19.1%). The highest incidence of motor vehicle-related SCI occurred to those between 15 and 29 years (60/million/year). Fall-related injuries primarily occurred to those older than 60 years (45/million/year). Rural residents were 2.5 times as likely to be injured as urban residents. CONCLUSION: Prevention strategies for SCI should target males of all ages, adolescents and young adults of both sexes, rural residents, motor vehicle collisions, and fall prevention for those older than 60 years.

Systematic review of statistical methods used to analyze Seattle Angina Questionnaire scores.

BACKGROUND: The Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) is being used with increasing frequency in clinical research to address the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease. The reliability and validity of the SAQ as a disease-specific HRQOL questionnaire has been established. The purpose of this paper was to systematically identify all studies analyzing SAQ scores, and to review the suitability of the statistical methods used. METHODS: The literature search included all years from the development of the SAQ (1994) to December 2001. Electronic databases were searched using 'Seattle angina questionnaire' as a key word, text word or medical subject heading, as well as combinations of Seattle, angina and questionnaire. The Scientific Citation Index was searched to identify any manuscripts that cited the developmental articles of the SAQ. Relevant manuscripts were identified as studies that used the SAQ as a measurement tool for HRQOL outcome data. RESULTS: Of the 62 studies identified, 14 articles used the SAQ as an outcome measurement tool. The statistical validity of all but one of the 14 studies was doubtful because assumptions required for the use of parametric tests were not addressed and there was no mention of the distributions of the SAQ scores. Based on the designs of the studies, unsuitable analysis methods were used. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that investigators may need to increase their attention to the distributional characteristics of their HRQOL data and the design of the study before applying statistical tests to appropriately analyze SAQ HRQOL data.

Interinstitutional variation in the use of abciximab for percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Several clinical trials have established abciximab as an efficacious agent for use in conjunction with percutaneous coronary intervention; however, there is little documented about its use in routine clinical practice in Canada. OBJECTIVES: To determine the use of abciximab, and secondarily, its associations with one-year death and repeat revascularization rates in 2751 Alberta residents who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention in 1999. METHODS: Descriptive statistics were used to determine use patterns. Logistic regression models were used to define risk of long-term outcomes and to determine associations between abciximab use and risk-adjusted death and repeat revascularization rates. RESULTS: Abciximab was administered to 43.5% of the study population and interinstitutional differences were revealed (site A, 46.7%; site B, 26.6%; site C, 54.6%, P<0.001). Use patterns according to the adjusted risk of death or repeat revascularization also differed across these sites. There were no differences between patients treated with versus those treated without abciximab in risk-adjusted one-year mortality (3.7%, 95% CI 2.8% to 3.7% versus 3.1%, 95% CI 2.3% to 4.0%) or revascularization rates (16.7%, 95% CI 14.8% to 19.1% versus 15.8%, 95% CI 14.0% to 17.7%). However, differences in baseline clinical characteristics between these two groups may limit the inferences that can be made from these outcome comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Use patterns varied across the tertiary care hospitals in Alberta and the use of abciximab was not associated with reduced rates of long term death or repeat revascularization. The absence of provincial or national guidelines may have influenced the uptake and application of this novel therapy.