Impact of Student Pharmacist State Anxiety on Vasopressor Calculation Accuracy in Advanced Cardiac Life Support Simulations.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of student pharmacist state anxiety on vasopressor calculation accuracy in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) simulations. METHODS: Third-year professional students participated in 2 ACLS-related simulation laboratory sessions. In week 1, students completed 3 calculations at their workstation with no stressors. Students were then randomized into teams for a bedside simulation where they independently completed 3 additional calculations either with or without stressors. Team assignments were maintained for week 2 where all participants completed a high-fidelity ACLS simulation that included a team vasopressor calculation. At both encounters, calculation accuracy was assessed as well as pre- and post-state anxiety using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) survey tool. RESULTS: Students' (N = 145) trait anxiety aligned with normative data for similarly aged professional students. Post-simulation state anxiety in week 1 was found to be higher for those completing the activity with stressors than without (STAI score 44.7 vs 36.9) paired with lower bedside calculation accuracy, despite similar initial workstation calculation accuracy. In week 2, pre-simulation state anxiety score and calculation accuracy were not significantly different between the 2 groups. However, the state anxiety score significantly increased post-simulation for those exposed to stress in the previous week. CONCLUSION: Stress negatively impacted student pharmacist vasopressor calculation accuracy. However, the repeated exposure to a stressed simulation did not result in a significant difference in pre- or post-simulation state anxiety score or calculation accuracy when compared to a non-stressed control. Consideration should be made whether to include more "real-life" simulations in student pharmacist education.

Successful Endovascular Therapy in COVID-19 Associated Pediatric Ischemic Stroke.

Cerebrovascular diseases attributed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are uncommon but can result in devastating outcomes. Pediatric acute ischemic strokes are themselves rare and with very few large vessel occlusion related acute ischemic strokes attributed to COVID-19 described in the literature as of date. COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to acute stroke care delays across the world and with pediatric endovascular therapy still in its infancy, it poses a great challenge in facilitating good outcomes in children presenting with acute ischemic strokes in the setting of COVID-19. We present a pediatric patient who underwent endovascular therapy for an internal carotid artery occlusion related acute ischemic stroke in the setting of active COVID-19 and had an excellent outcome thanks to a streamlined stroke pathway involving the vascular neurology, neuro-interventional, neurocritical care, and anesthesiology teams.

Advanced cardiac life support certification for student pharmacists improves simulated patient survival.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Basic life support (BLS) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) skills performance, as well as simulated patient survival, were compared for student pharmacist teams with and without at least one member with American Heart Association (AHA) ACLS certification. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Doctor of pharmacy students in their third professional year completed a high-fidelity mannequin simulation. Within the previous year, 30 of 184 students (16%) completed ACLS certification. Rapid response teams (n = 31) of five to six members were formed through random student assignment. Two AHA instructors recorded and assessed performance using a checklist adapted from the AHA's standardized forms for BLS and ACLS assessment. Teams with and without ACLS certified members were compared for skills performance and simulated patient survival (i.e. correct performance of all BLS and ACLS skills). FINDINGS: Teams with ACLS certified members (n = 21) were superior to teams without certified members (n = 10) for correct performance of all observed BLS and ACLS skills, including pulse assessment and medication selection for cardiovascular support. For teams who had ACLS certified members, simulated patient survival was 86% higher. The study groups did not differ in their ability to calculate a correct vasopressor infusion rate if warranted. SUMMARY: BLS and ACLS skills performance were improved by AHA ACLS certification. Additionally, simulated patient survival was improved for teams with students who had at least one ACLS certified member.

Using lean principles to introduce intraoperative navigation for scoliosis surgery.

AIMS: Intraoperative 3D navigation (ION) allows high accuracy to be achieved in spinal surgery, but poor workflow has prevented its widespread uptake. The technical demands on ION when used in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) are higher than for other more established indications. Lean principles have been applied to industry and to health care with good effects. While ensuring optimal accuracy of instrumentation and safety, the implementation of ION and its associated productivity was evaluated in this study for AIS surgery in order to enhance the workflow of this technique. The aim was to optimize the use of ION by the application of lean principles in AIS surgery. METHODS: A total of 20 consecutive patients with AIS were treated with ION corrective spinal surgery. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed with real-time modifications. Operating time, scan time, dose length product (measure of CT radiation exposure), use of fluoroscopy, the influence of the reference frame, blood loss, and neuromonitoring were assessed. RESULTS: The greatest gains in productivity were in avoiding repeat intraoperative scans (a mean of 248 minutes for patients who had two scans, and a mean 180 minutes for those who had a single scan). Optimizing accuracy was the biggest factor influencing this, which was reliant on incremental changes to the operating setup and technique. CONCLUSION: The application of lean principles to the introduction of ION for AIS surgery helps assimilate this method into the environment of the operating theatre. Data and stakeholder analysis identified a reproducible technique for using ION for AIS surgery, reducing operating time, and radiation exposure. Cite this article: Bone Joint J. 2020;102-B(1):5-10.

Impact of Delayed Oral Vancomycin for Severe Clostridium difficile Infection.

Background: Treatment of severe Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) with oral vancomycin (VAN) is known to be superior to treatment with metronidazole (MDZ). However, previous studies have not evaluated the impact on patients when oral VAN therapy is delayed after diagnosis of severe CDI. Materials and Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study of adult patients who were diagnosed with severe CDI. The objective was to compare clinical outcomes for patients treated initially with oral VAN versus patients receiving delayed oral VAN after at least 48 hours of initial treatment with MDZ. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. Results: There were 101 patients who comprised the initial oral VAN group, while 20 patients comprised the delayed oral VAN group. There was no significant difference in all-cause in-hospital mortality for patients in the initial oral VAN treatment group compared to those who had delayed oral VAN therapy (4.95% vs 15.00%, P = 0.13). Patients who were initially treated with oral VAN experienced a significantly higher rate of clinical cure (49.50% vs 20.00%, P = 0.02), shorter median postinfection length of hospitalization (7.0 days vs 13.0 days, P < 0.001), shorter median time to resolution of leukocytosis (3.9 days vs 10.4 days, P = 0.01), and were less likely to have an end of treatment serum creatinine greater than 1.5 times their baseline (8.7% vs 29.4%, P = 0.03). Conclusion: Patients who receive oral VAN as their initial treatment for severe CDI experience improved clinical outcomes compared to patients receiving delayed oral VAN after being initially treated with MDZ.

Advanced Modes of Mechanical Ventilation: Introduction for the Critical Care Pharmacist.

Mechanical ventilation continues to be an evolving modality in the critical care environment. Technological advances in microprocessor-controlled ventilation integrated with the complexity of new ventilator modes has provided the multidisciplinary team opportunities to further improve the care of the critically ill ventilator patients. As members of the critical care multidisciplinary team, pharmacists require a basic understanding of both conventional and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation in order to assist in optimizing medication use and ultimately patient health-care outcomes. Pharmacists have a key responsibility to practice vigilance to maintain safe drug therapy use by preventing drug-drug or drug-disease interactions and optimal dose selection based upon pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics principles. Pharmacists also assist in the development of drug utilization guidelines and pharmacological ventilator-weaning protocols based upon evidence-based practice. The result of these responsibilities must include the continued longitudinal assessment and reporting of quality measures to assess ventilator weaning, time to liberation of mechanical ventilation, and length of care in intensive care unit. The purpose of this article is to provide the clinical pharmacist a guide to a basic understanding of advanced modes of mechanical ventilation in adults and to apply the knowledge gained to assist in the care of the critical care patients.

Performance and retention of basic life support skills improve with a peer-led training program.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pharmacy students' performance and retention of Basic Life Support (BLS) skills were evaluated 120 days after completion of a peer-led BLS training program. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: This was a single-center, parallel group, observational study. Doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students in their third professional year completed a peer-led BLS training program (n = 148) and participated in a high-fidelity mannequin simulation activity 120 days later. Students were randomly assigned to rapid response teams (n = 24) of five to six members and the American Heart Association's standardized form for BLS assessment was used to assess BLS skills performance. The performance of skills was compared to that of students two years prior to the implementation of the peer-led BLS program. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION: Students who received peer-led BLS training demonstrated retention of BLS skills 120 days after the BLS training program. The teams also displayed significant improvement of the skills evaluated when compared to student teams prior to implementation of the peer-led training (n = 22). Improvement was demonstrated for assessment of responsiveness (96% vs. 41%, p < 0.001), assessment for breathing (100% vs. 32%, p < 0.001), assessment for pulse (96% vs. 36%, p < 0.001), and administration of appropriate ventilation (100% vs. 32%, p < 0.001). Numerical superiority was exhibited for high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) initiation by teams who received peer-led training (100% vs. 86%, p = 0.101). SUMMARY: Students who received peer-led BLS training demonstrated significant improvement in BLS skills performance and retention 120 days after the training program. Data suggests that peer-led BLS training can improve student BLS skills performance and retention.

Impact of a Pharmacist-driven Spirometry Clinic Service within a Community Family Health Center: A 5-year Retrospective Review.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to describe the impact of a trained pharmacist in performing quality spirometry testing within a community family health center. METHODS: This was a retrospective, cohort study of 150 physician-referred patients who attended their scheduled spirometry office appointment between November 2008 and December 2013. Information obtained included type of the disease (patients with obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease), calculated lung age decline due to smoking history, quality of spirometry testing, and percentage of patients requiring pulmonary drug regimen alterations due to spirometry results. Pearson correlation and descriptive statistics were used to address study objectives. FINDINGS: Spirometry testing performed by a pharmacist resulted in 87% of tests meeting guidelines for quality. Testing identified patients with reversible airway disease (39%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (21%), restrictive (11%), and mixed obstructive/restrictive (11%) lung defect. Patients with abnormal spirometry demonstrated a greater smoking pack-year history and calculated lung age than patients with normal spirometry (29.1 pack-years vs. 17 pack-years; P = 0.024 and 76.3 years vs. 54.6 years; P < 0.001, respectively). A weak correlation was found between a 29.1 smoking pack-year history and forced vital capacity (r = -0.3593, P = 0.018). The pharmacist assisted in modifying pulmonary drug regimens in 69% of patients based on evidence-based guidelines. CONCLUSION: A pharmacist-driven spirometry service was associated with quality testing results, identified respiratory disease abnormalities, and helped modifications of pulmonary drug regimens based on evidence-based guidelines. Future direction of this service may include collaborative practice agreements with physicians to expand services of pharmacists to include spirometry testing.

Pharmacological Management and Prevention Of Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Hospitalized Patients.

Rapid-acting bronchodilators, systemic corticosteroids, and antibiotics are among the keys to managing exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Preventing exacerbations should also be a component of therapy for the disease.