The association between social determinants of health and patient-centred outcomes in adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

AIMS: To explore the associations between social determinants of health and patient-centred outcomes among adults with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online self-report survey. METHODS: A survey assessing social determinants of health (demographics, socio-economic position, affordability of care and social support) and patient-centred outcomes, including the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 and validated measures of medication adherence, treatment satisfaction, treatment burden and mental health, was completed by 512 adults with chronic heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction between 06 March and 29 June 2020. Multivariable analyses included linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: Female gender, having a care partner, and being offered financial assistance with medications were associated with worse health status, while perceiving medication as affordable and being married were associated with better health status. Females and having Medicaid, dual Medicaid/Medicare or no medical insurance were associated with a higher likelihood of depression, and non-white race/ethnicity was associated with less depression. Medication adherence was lower in patients having a care partner and offered financial assistance. Patients being offered financial and medication management assistance were more likely to be overwhelmed by the treatment burden, whereas those having some college education were less so. CONCLUSIONS: Social determinants of health are associated with patients' disease-specific health status, mental health and treatment satisfaction and burden. These findings underscore the importance of assessing social determinants of health in clinical practice and the need for developing and testing novel strategies to determine whether they improve patients' health. IMPACT: The relationship between social determinants of health- and patient-centred outcomes was assessed; affordability of care and social support factors were most strongly associated with outcomes for patients with chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, underscoring the importance of assessing social determinants of health in routine clinical care. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Social determinants of health data could potentially inform care delivery for patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction by helping to identify those who require additional support to manage their symptoms, access care and adhere to treatment. Social support and affordability of treatment were associated with most patient-centred outcomes, suggesting these factors may provide clinicians with an indicator of a patient's level of general well-being that could be assessed during routine follow-up care. REPORTING METHOD: This research followed the STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Adults who have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction that consented to participate in the study provided the data used for all analyses reported on in the manuscript. Service users, caregivers or members of the public had no involvement in the study.

Prognostic Interplay Between COVID-19 and Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 may negatively impact the prognosis of patients with chronic HFrEF and vice versa. METHODS: This study included 2 parallel analyses of patients in the United States who were in the TriNetX health database and who underwent polymerase chain reaction testing for SARS-CoV-2 as an inpatient or outpatient between January and September of 2020. Analysis A included patients with positive tests for COVID-19 and compared patients with histories of worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) (hospitalization due to heart failure (HF) or IV diuretic use during the prior 12 months), HFrEF without worsening, and no prior HF. Analysis B included patients with histories of HFrEF and compared patients with positive vs negative COVID-19 tests. Outcomes included mortality and worsening HF. In both analyses, prespecified subgroup analyses were stratified by inpatient vs outpatient settings of the COVID-19 tests. RESULTS: In Analysis A, of 99,052 patients with positive COVID-19 tests, 514 (0.5%) and 524 (0.5%) patients had histories of worsening HFrEF and HFrEF without worsening, respectively. After adjustment, compared to patients without HF, worsening HFrEF (risk ratio [RR] 1.42, 95% CI 1.10-1.83; P< 0.001) and HFrEF without worsening (RR 1.33, 95% CI 0.96-1.84; P= 0.06) were associated with higher 30-day mortality rates. Excess risk of mortality tended to be pronounced in patients initially diagnosed with COVID-19 as outpatients (P for interaction, 0.12 and 0.006, respectively). In Analysis B, of 14,838 patients with HFrEF tested for COVID-19, 1038 (7.0%) had positive tests. After adjustment, testing positive was associated with excess 30-day mortality risk (RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.38-2.02; P< 0.001) and worsening HF (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.17-1.51; P< 0.001). Mortality risk was nominally more pronounced among patients presenting as outpatients (P for interaction 0.07). CONCLUSION: In this large cohort of patients tested for COVID-19, among patients testing positive, a history of HFrEF with or without worsening was associated with excess mortality rates, particularly among patients diagnosed with COVID-19 as outpatients. Among patients with established HFrEF, compared with testing negative, testing positive for COVID-19 was independently associated with higher risk of death and worsening HF.

Prevalence of chronic cough and patient characteristics in adults in Spain: A population-based cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Chronic cough (CC) represents a significant health burden. This study assessed the prevalence of CC (defined as per international guidelines as cough duration >8 weeks) in Spanish adults and compared characteristics between CC and non-CC cohorts. METHODS: CC cohorts were compiled using data from adult respondents to the 2020 Spanish cross-sectional online National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS). Using propensity scores, respondents experiencing CC during their lifetime and the previous 12 months were matched 3:1 to respondents without CC and their health characteristics were compared. The number of Spanish adults affected with CC was estimated using weighted CC prevalence. RESULTS: CC during their lifetime or the previous 12 months was experienced by 579 (8.2%) and 389 (5.5%) of 7074 NHWS respondents, of whom 233 (38.5%) and 171 (44.0%), respectively, had physician-diagnosed CC. Based on weighted prevalence rates, lifetime and 12-month CC were estimated to affect ≈3.3 million and ≈2.2 million Spanish adults, respectively. Relative to the non-CC cohort, the 12-month CC cohort consistently demonstrated poorer health status, poorer mental health, greater healthcare utilization, and lower productivity at work and home. CONCLUSION: This study contributes novel data regarding the prevalence of CC in Spain, suggests that CC is underdiagnosed, and reflects that CC and related comorbidities inflict a significant health burden in the affected population.

Patient-centered Outcomes in HFrEF Following a Worsening Heart Failure Event: A Survey Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure is a chronic disease punctuated by intermittent exacerbations that require hospitalization or intravenous diuretic therapy. The association of worsening heart failure events (WHFEs) with patient-centered outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) remains unexplored. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with HFrEF completed an online survey assessing health status, medication adherence, treatment satisfaction, treatment burden, and medication costs and affordability. Patients with and without WHFEs were compared on all study variables, with adjustment for patient characteristics using linear or logistic regression. Overall, 512 patients (52.0% WHFEs) were included. Patients with WHFEs more commonly had depression (55.3% vs 24.0%), anxiety (46.2% vs 17.9%), and insomnia (77.8% vs 44.7%; P < 0.001 for all). Patients with WHFEs had lower adjusted mean Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire values (52.9 vs 56.0) and Satisfaction with Medications Questionnaire values (70.5 vs 72.6) and higher Treatment Burden Questionnaire scores (51.1 vs 45.1; P < 0.001). Medication-related beliefs and long-term concerns were independently associated with nonadherence in patients with WHFE (adjusted odds ratios: 4.2 and 5.2, respectively; P < 0.01 for both). Patients with WHFE incurred 50.0% higher median monthly out-of-pocket HF prescription medication costs and less often perceived HF medications to be affordable. CONCLUSIONS: WHFE is associated with several adverse impacts on patients with HFrEF. Additional support is warranted to manage symptoms, comorbidities, and HF treatments to improve adherence and outcomes.

Hepatitis C virus testing for case identification in persons born during 1945-1965: Results from three randomized controlled trials.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Preventive Services Task Force recommend one-time hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing for persons born during 1945-1965 (birth cohort). However, few studies estimate the effect of birth cohort (BC) testing implementation on HCV diagnoses in primary care settings. We aimed to determine the probability of identifying HCV infections in primary care using targeted BC testing compared with usual care at three academic medical centers. From December 2012 to March 2014, each center compared one of three distinct interventions with usual care using an independently designed randomized controlled trial. Across centers, BC patients with no clinical documentation of previous HCV testing or diagnosis were randomly assigned to receive a one-time offering of HCV antibody (anti-HCV) testing via one of three independent implementation strategies (repeated-mailing outreach, electronic medical record-integrated provider best practice alert [BPA], and direct patient solicitation) or assigned to receive usual care. We estimated model-adjusted risk ratios (aRR) of anti-HCV-positive (anti-HCV+) identification using BC testing versus usual care. In the repeated mailing trial, 8992 patients (intervention, n = 2993; control, n = 5999) were included in the analysis. The intervention was eight times as likely to identify anti-HCV+ patients compared with controls (aRR, 8.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8-23.0; adjusted probabilities: intervention, 0.27%; control, 0.03%). In the BPA trial, data from 14,475 patients (BC, n = 8928; control, n = 5,547) were analyzed. The intervention was 2.6 times as likely to identify anti-HCV+ patients versus controls (aRR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.1-6.4; adjusted probabilities: intervention, 0.29%; control, 0.11%). In the patient-solicitation trial, 8873 patients (BC, n = 4307; control, n = 4566) were analyzed. The intervention was five times as likely to identify anti-HCV+ patients compared with controls (aRR, 5.3; 95% CI, 2.3-12.3; adjusted probabilities: intervention, 0.68%; control, 0.11%). Conclusion: BC testing was effective in identifying previously undiagnosed HCV infections in primary care settings. (Hepatology 2018;67:524-533).

Uptake of hepatitis C screening, characteristics of patients tested, and intervention costs in the BEST-C study.

From December 2012 to March 2014, three randomized trials, each implementing a unique intervention in primary care settings (repeated mailing, an electronic health record best practice alert [BPA], and patient solicitation), evaluated hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody testing, diagnosis, and costs for each of the interventions compared with standard-of-care testing. Multilevel multivariable models were used to estimate the adjusted risk ratio (aRR) for receiving an HCV antibody test, and costs were estimated using activity-based costing. The goal of this study was to estimate the effects of interventions conducted as part of the Birth-Cohort Evaluation to Advance Screening and Testing for Hepatitis C study on HCV testing and costs among persons of the 1945-1965 birth cohort (BC). Intervention resulted in substantially higher HCV testing rates compared with standard-of-care testing (26.9% versus 1.4% for repeated mailing, 30.9% versus 3.6% for BPA, and 63.5% versus 2.0% for patient solicitation) and significantly higher aRR for testing after controlling for sex, birth year, race, insurance type, and median household income (19.2 [95% confidence interval (CI), 9.7-38.2] for repeated mailing, 13.2 [95% CI, 3.6-48.6] for BPA, and 32.9 [95% CI, 19.3-56.1] for patient solicitation). The BPA intervention had the lowest incremental cost per completed test ($24 with fixed startup costs, $3 without) and also the lowest incremental cost per new case identified after omitting fixed startup costs ($1691). CONCLUSION: HCV testing interventions resulted in an increase in BC testing compared with standard-of-care testing but also increased costs. The effect size and incremental costs of BPA intervention (excluding startup costs) support more widespread adoption compared with the other interventions. (Hepatology 2017;65:44-53).

Prevalence of Malignant Hyperthermia Diagnosis in New York State Ambulatory Surgery Center Discharge Records 2002 to 2011.

BACKGROUND: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare yet potentially fatal pharmacogenetic disorder triggered by exposure to inhaled anesthetics and the depolarizing neuromuscular blocking drug succinylcholine. Epidemiologic research on MH is largely limited to inpatients. In this study, we examined the prevalence of recorded MH diagnosis in patients discharged from ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). METHODS: We analyzed the New York State Ambulatory Surgery Dataset for the years 2002 to 2011 and identified patients with a discharge diagnosis of MH due to anesthesia by using the International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 995.86. MH prevalence was assessed by demographic, clinical, and ASC characteristics. RESULTS: During the study period, 31 of 17,092,765 discharges from ASCs had a recorded diagnosis of MH, yielding a prevalence of 0.18 per 100,000 discharges (95% confidence interval, 0.12-0.25). The prevalence of recorded MH diagnosis per discharge differed significantly across age groups and surgical procedure categories. All patients with a recorded diagnosis of MH were from hospital-based ASCs and were discharged alive from ASCs. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of recorded MH diagnosis in ASC patients is approximately 1 per 500,000 and varies considerably with surgical procedures.

Accuracy of malignant hyperthermia diagnoses in hospital discharge records.

BACKGROUND: In 1997, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 9th Revision Clinical Modification (ICD-9) coding system introduced the code for malignant hyperthermia (MH) (995.86). The aim of this study was to estimate the accuracy of coding for MH in hospital discharge records. METHODS: An expert panel of anesthesiologists reviewed medical records for patients with a discharge diagnosis of MH based on ICD-9 or ICD-10 codes from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008 at six tertiary care medical centers in North America. All cases were categorized as possible, probable, or fulminant MH, history of MH (family or personal) or other. RESULTS: A total of 47 medical records with MH diagnoses were reviewed; 68.1% had a documented surgical procedure and general anesthesia, and 23.4% (95% CI, 12.3-38.0%) had a possible, probable, or fulminant MH event. Dantrolene was given in 81% of the MH events. All patients judged to have an incident MH event survived to discharge. Family and personal history of MH accounted for 46.8% of cases. High fever without evidence of MH during admission accounted for 23.4%, and the reason for MH coding was unclear in 6.4% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one quarter of ICD-9 or ICD-10 coded MH diagnoses in hospital discharge records refer to incident MH episodes and an additional 47% to MH susceptibility (including personal history or family history). Information such as surgical procedure, anesthesia billing data, and dantrolene administration may aid in identifying incident MH cases among those with an ICD-9 or ICD-10 coded MH diagnosis in their hospital discharge records.

Interaction Effects of Acute Kidney Injury, Acute Respiratory Failure, and Sepsis on 30-Day Postoperative Mortality in Patients Undergoing High-Risk Intraabdominal General Surgical Procedures.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI), acute respiratory failure, and sepsis are distinct but related pathophysiologic processes. We hypothesized that these 3 processes may interact to synergistically increase the risk of short-term perioperative mortality in patients undergoing high-risk intraabdominal general surgery procedures. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, observational cohort study of data (2005-2011) from the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, a high-quality surgical outcomes data set. High-risk procedures were those with a risk of AKI, acute respiratory failure, or sepsis greater than the average risk in all intraabdominal general surgery procedures. The effects of AKI, acute respiratory failure, and sepsis on 30-day mortality were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Additive interactions were assessed with the relative excess risk due to interaction. RESULTS: Of 217,994 patients, AKI, acute respiratory failure, and sepsis developed in 1.3%, 3.7%, and 6.8%, respectively. The 30-day mortality risk with sepsis, acute respiratory failure, and AKI were 11.4%, 24.1%, and 25.1%, respectively, compared with 0.85% without these complications. The adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for a single complication (versus no complication) on mortality were 7.24 (6.46-8.11), 10.8 (8.56-13.6), and 14.2 (12.8-15.7) for sepsis, AKI, and acute respiratory failure, respectively. For 2 complications, the adjusted hazard ratios were 30.8 (28.0-33.9), 42.6 (34.3-52.9), and 65.2 (53.9-78.8) for acute respiratory failure/sepsis, AKI/sepsis, and acute respiratory failure/AKI, respectively. Finally, the adjusted hazard ratio for all 3 complications was 105 (92.8-118). Positive additive interactions, indicating synergism, were found for each combination of 2 complications. The relative excess risk due to interaction for all 3 complications was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In high-risk general surgery patients, the development of AKI, acute respiratory failure, or sepsis is independently associated with an increase in 30-day mortality. In addition, the development of 2 complications shows significant positive additive interactions to further increase the risk of mortality. Our findings suggest that interactions between these 3 perioperative complications increase the risk of mortality more than would be expected by the independent effects of each complication alone.

Trends in alcohol and other drugs detected in fatally injured drivers in the United States, 1999-2010.

Drugged driving is a safety issue of increasing public concern. Using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for 1999-2010, we assessed trends in alcohol and other drugs detected in drivers who were killed within 1 hour of a motor vehicle crash in 6 US states (California, Hawaii, Illinois, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and West Virginia) that routinely performed toxicological testing on drivers involved in such crashes. Of the 23,591 drivers studied, 39.7% tested positive for alcohol and 24.8% for other drugs. During the study period, the prevalence of positive results for nonalcohol drugs rose from 16.6% in 1999 to 28.3% in 2010 (Z = -10.19, P < 0.0001), whereas the prevalence of positive results for alcohol remained stable. The most commonly detected nonalcohol drug was cannabinol, the prevalence of which increased from 4.2% in 1999 to 12.2% in 2010 (Z = -13.63, P < 0.0001). The increase in the prevalence of nonalcohol drugs was observed in all age groups and both sexes. These results indicate that nonalcohol drugs, particularly marijuana, are increasingly detected in fatally injured drivers.

Comparative analysis of outcome measures used in examining neurodevelopmental effects of early childhood anesthesia exposure.

INTRODUCTION: Immature animals exposed to anesthesia display apoptotic neurodegeneration and neurobehavioral deficits. The safety of anesthetic agents in children has been evaluated using a variety of neurodevelopmental outcome measures with varied results. METHODS: The authors used data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study to examine the association between exposure to anesthesia in children younger than 3 yr of age and three types of outcomes at age of 10 yr: neuropsychological testing, International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification-coded clinical disorders, and academic achievement. The authors' primary analysis was restricted to children with data for all outcomes and covariates from the total cohort of 2,868 children born from 1989 to 1992. The authors used a modified multivariable Poisson regression model to determine the adjusted association of anesthesia exposure with outcomes. RESULTS: Of 781 children studied, 112 had anesthesia exposure. The incidence of deficit ranged from 5.1 to 7.8% in neuropsychological tests, 14.6 to 29.5% in International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification-coded outcomes, and 4.2 to 11.8% in academic achievement tests. Compared with unexposed peers, exposed children had an increased risk of deficit in neuropsychological language assessments (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Total Score: adjusted risk ratio, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.41 to 4.33, Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Receptive Language Score: adjusted risk ratio, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.19 to 4.18, and Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Expressive Language Score: adjusted risk ratio, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.08 to 3.68) and International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification-coded language and cognitive disorders (adjusted risk ratio, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.18 to 2.10), but not academic achievement scores. CONCLUSIONS: When assessing cognition in children with early exposure to anesthesia, the results may depend on the outcome measure used. Neuropsychological and International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification-coded clinical outcomes showed an increased risk of deficit in exposed children compared with that in unexposed children, whereas academic achievement scores did not. This may explain some of the variation in the literature and underscores the importance of the outcome measures when interpreting studies of cognitive function.

Understanding the rural-urban differences in nonmedical prescription opioid use and abuse in the United States.

Nonmedical prescription opioid misuse remains a growing public problem in need of action and is concentrated in areas of US states with large rural populations such as Kentucky, West Virginia, Alaska, and Oklahoma. We developed hypotheses regarding the influence of 4 factors: (1) greater opioid prescription in rural areas, creating availability from which illegal markets can arise; (2) an out-migration of young adults; (3) greater rural social and kinship network connections, which may facilitate drug diversion and distribution; and (4) economic stressors that may create vulnerability to drug use more generally. A systematic consideration of the contexts that create differences in availability, access, and preferences is critical to understanding how drug use context varies across geography.

Variations in the risk of acute kidney injury across intraabdominal surgery procedures.

BACKGROUND: The literature on perioperative acute kidney injury (AKI) focuses mainly on cardiac and major vascular surgery. Among noncardiac general surgery procedures, intraabdominal general surgery has been identified as high risk for developing AKI, but variations in AKI risk and its impact on 30-day mortality among different types of abdominal surgeries are not well characterized. METHODS: We used the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (2005-2010) to identify patients in 15 intraabdominal general surgery procedure categories (n = 457,656). AKI was defined as an increase in the creatinine level of >2 mg/dL above baseline and/or dialysis. Relative risk regression modeling was used to assess the relative risks of AKI across the procedures. The relationships among surgical procedure, AKI, and 30-day mortality stratified by procedure type were assessed using relative risk regression. RESULTS: The overall incidence of AKI among intraabdominal surgery patients was 1.1%, which varied from 0.2% in appendectomy and 0.3% in gastric bypass patients to 2.6% in small bowel resection and 3.5% in exploratory laparotomy patients. Of the patients who developed AKI, 31.3% died within 30 days, compared with 1.9% of those who did not develop AKI. After adjusting for comorbidities and operative factors, AKI was associated with a 3.5-fold increase in the risk of 30-day mortality (adjusted risk ratio, 3.51, 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.29-3.74). Among individual procedures, the estimated adjusted risk ratio of 30-day mortality associated with AKI ranged from 1.87 (95% CI, 1.62-2.17) in exploratory laparotomy to 31.6 (95% CI, 17.9-55.9) in gastric bypass. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of AKI and the impact of AKI on 30-day mortality vary markedly across procedures within intraabdominal general surgery. This highlights the importance of preoperative risk stratification and identifies procedure type as a significant risk factor for AKI and 30-day mortality.

Anesthetic technique and acute kidney injury in endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

OBJECTIVE: Prior studies suggest that general anesthesia (GA) is associated with worse cardiopulmonary outcomes after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). Patients undergoing EVAR are at a high risk of developing perioperative acute kidney injury (AKI), and the relationship between anesthetic technique and AKI in these patients is not well-characterized. The authors sought to determine if anesthetic technique affected the risk of AKI in patients undergoing EVAR. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational cohort study analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model to assess the effects of anesthetic technique on renal outcome. SETTING: Multiple institutions, mainly in North America. PARTICIPANTS: Patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2005-2010 undergoing EVAR. INTERVENTIONS: The authors investigated the association between anesthetic techniques, comparing GA to alternative (non-GA) techniques, and AKI. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: AKI was defined as an increase in the creatinine level of>2 mg/dL and/or dialysis. Of 13,026 patients, 84.4% underwent GA and 15.6% underwent non-GA techniques. AKI developed in 2.0% of the GA group and 1.4% of the non-GA group (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.43, p = 0.075; adjusted OR [aOR] 1.00, p = 0.99). Risk factors for AKI include ASA class, ruptured aneurysm, preoperative renal dysfunction, symptomatic cardiovascular disease, and perioperative blood transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Anesthetic technique is not independently associated with the risk of AKI in patients undergoing EVAR.

Effect of atropine dose on heart rate during electroconvulsive therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Transient bradycardia during the stimulation phase of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a well-known clinical observation. The optimal dose of atropine needed to prevent bradycardia has not been determined. This study was designed to investigate the effect of low doses of atropine on heart rate during ECT. METHODS: Patients who received at least 2 different doses of atropine over their series of right unilateral ECT were included in the analysis. The anesthetic consisted of 0, 0.2, 0.3, or 0.4 mg of atropine, methohexital, and succinylcholine. Heart rate was measured by the RR interval, the time between sequential R waves on the electrocardiogram. Analysis was performed using logistic multivariate regression and repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance. RESULTS: One hundred eighteen ECT sessions were identified from 19 patients. Patients were grouped into 4 groups by atropine dose (0, 0.2, 0.3, or 0.4 mg) with 9, 33, 13, and 63 ECT sessions identified for each dose, respectively. Patients who received atropine had significantly less bradycardia after electrical stimulus and a faster heart rate through the seizure than patients who did not receive atropine. There was no significant difference in heart rate between patients receiving 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 mg of atropine at any time point. There was no significant difference in heart rate at time points after the seizure conclusion in any group of patients. CONCLUSION: Low-dose atropine results in significantly less bradycardia after electrical stimulus. There was no significant difference in heart rate across low doses of atropine.

Marijuana use and motor vehicle crashes.

Since 1996, 16 states and the District of Columbia in the United States have enacted legislation to decriminalize marijuana for medical use. Although marijuana is the most commonly detected nonalcohol drug in drivers, its role in crash causation remains unsettled. To assess the association between marijuana use and crash risk, the authors performed a meta-analysis of 9 epidemiologic studies published in English in the past 2 decades identified through a systematic search of bibliographic databases. Estimated odds ratios relating marijuana use to crash risk reported in these studies ranged from 0.85 to 7.16. Pooled analysis based on the random-effects model yielded a summary odds ratio of 2.66 (95% confidence interval: 2.07, 3.41). Analysis of individual studies indicated that the heightened risk of crash involvement associated with marijuana use persisted after adjustment for confounding variables and that the risk of crash involvement increased in a dose-response fashion with the concentration of 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol detected in the urine and the frequency of self-reported marijuana use. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that marijuana use by drivers is associated with a significantly increased risk of being involved in motor vehicle crashes.

Intraoperative cardiac arrests in adults undergoing noncardiac surgery: incidence, risk factors, and survival outcome.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative cardiac arrest (ICA) is a rare but potentially catastrophic event. There is a paucity of recent epidemiological data on the incidence and risk factors for ICA. The objective of this study was to assess the incidence, risk factors, and survival outcome of ICAs in adults undergoing noncardiac surgery. METHODS: The authors analyzed prospectively collected data for all noncardiac cases in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from the years 2005 to 2007 (n = 362,767). RESULTS: The incidence of ICA was 7.22 per 10,000 surgeries. After adjustment for American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status and other covariates, the odds of ICA increased progressively with the amount of transfusion (adjusted odds ratios = 2.51, 7.59, 11.40, and 29.68 for those receiving 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and ≥ 10 units of erythrocytes, respectively). Other significant risk factors for ICA were emergency surgery (adjusted odds ratio = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.45-2.86) and being functionally dependent presurgery (adjusted odds ratio = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.69-3.22). Of the 262 patients with ICA, 116 (44.3%) died within 24 h, and 164 (62.6%) died within 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative blood loss as indicated by the amount of transfusion was the most important predictor of ICA. The urgency of surgery and the preoperative composite indicators of health such as American Society of Anesthesiologists status and functional status were other important risk factors. The high case fatality suggests that primary prevention might be the key to reducing mortality from ICA.

A scoring system to predict unplanned intubation in patients having undergone major surgical procedures.

BACKGROUND: Unplanned tracheal intubation after surgery has been associated with high mortality. Few studies have examined the risk factors for this complication. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) is a multicenter, prospective, outcome-oriented database for patients having undergone major surgical procedures. Using the NSQIP data for the years 2005 to 2007 (n = 231,548) and Cox proportional hazards modeling, we identified risk factors and used them to derive a scoring system to stratify patients' risk of having an unplanned intubation outcome. NSQIP data for the year 2008 (n = 176,031) were then used to validate the scoring system. RESULTS: The variables most predictive of unplanned intubation were patient age (0-4 points), ASA physical status (0-7 points), the presence of preoperative sepsis (3 points), and total operative time (0-4 points). The Unplanned Intubation Risk Index based on the adjusted hazard ratios for these variables, ranging from 0 (lowest risk) to 18 (highest risk), had a 79% accuracy in distinguishing patients requiring unplanned intubation from those not requiring it (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.79-0.80). When the scoring system was applied to the validation cohort data, its discriminative performance remained virtually unchanged (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.79-0.80). CONCLUSIONS: A scoring system based on clinical risk factors was able to accurately predict unplanned intubation after surgery. Further investigation is needed to assess the utility of the Unplanned Intubation Risk Index in reducing the incidence of unplanned intubation through improved risk stratification and management in perioperative care.

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide testing patterns in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

AIMS: The N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a commonly used biomarker in heart failure for diagnosis and prognostication. We aimed to determine the prevalence of NT-proBNP testing, distribution of NT-proBNP concentrations, and factors associated with receiving an NT-proBNP test in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), including the subset with a worsening heart failure event (WHFE). METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a retrospective cohort study using two US databases: (i) the de-identified Humana Research Database between January 2015 and December 2018 and (ii) the Veradigm PINNACLE Registry® between July 2013 and September 2017. We included adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of HFrEF. In each data source, a subgroup of patients with a WHFE was identified, where a WHFE was defined as a heart failure-related hospitalization or receipt of intravenous diuretics. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess factors associated with receiving NT-proBNP testing. In Cohort 1 (n = 249 238), 9.2% of patients with HFrEF and 10.8% of patients with a WHFE received NT-proBNP testing. When restricted to patients with at least one laboratory claim, 11.3% of patients with HFrEF and 13.2% of those with a WHFE received NT-proBNP testing. In Cohort 2 (n = 91 444), 2.3% of patients with HFrEF were tested. Median (inter-quartile range) NT-proBNP concentrations among patients with HFrEF were 1399 (423-4087) pg/mL in Cohort 1 and 394 (142-688) pg/mL in Cohort 2. Median (inter-quartile range) NT-proBNP concentrations in the subset of patients with a WHFE in each cohort were 2209 (740-5894) and 464 (174-783) pg/mL, respectively. In Cohort 1, 13.4% of all HFrEF patients receiving NT-proBNP testing and 18.9% of patients with a WHFE had NT-proBNP values >8000 pg/mL; in Cohort 2, these percentages were 1.0% and 2.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In US clinical practice, NT-proBNP testing was not frequently performed in patients with HFrEF. NT-proBNP concentrations varied across data sources and subpopulations within HFrEF.

Drug arrests and injection drug deterrence.

OBJECTIVES: We tested the hypothesis that higher rates of previous hard drug-related arrests predict lower rates of injection drug use. METHODS: We analyzed drug-related arrest data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program for 93 large US metropolitan statistical areas in 1992 to 2002 to predict previously published annual estimates of the number of injection drug users (IDUs) per 10,000 population. RESULTS: In linear mixed-effects regression, hard drug-related arrest rates were positively associated (parameter = +1.59; SE = 0.57) with the population rate of IDUs in 1992 and were not associated with change in the IDU rate over time (parameter = -0.15; SE = 0.39). CONCLUSIONS: Deterrence-based approaches to reducing drug use seem not to reduce IDU prevalence. Alternative approaches such as harm reduction, which prevents HIV transmission and increases referrals to treatment, may be a better foundation for policy.