Hydrogen peroxide vapor decontamination of N95 respirators for reuse.

OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to global shortages of N95 respirators. Reprocessing of used N95 respirators may provide a higher filtration crisis alternative, but whether effective sterilization can be achieved for a virus without impairing respirator function remains unknown. We evaluated the viricidal efficacy of Bioquell vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) on contaminated N95 respirators and tested the particulate particle penetration and inhalation and exhalation resistance of respirators after multiple cycles of VHP. METHODS: For this study, 3M 1870 N95 respirators were contaminated with 3 aerosolized bacteriophages: T1, T7, and Pseudomonas phage phi-6 followed by 1 cycle of VHP decontamination using a BQ-50 system. Additionally, new and unused respirators were sent to an independent laboratory for particulate filter penetration testing and inhalation and exhalation resistance after 3 and 5 cycles of VHP. RESULTS: A single VHP cycle resulted in complete eradication of bacteriophage from respirators (limit of detection 10 PFU). Respirators showed acceptable limits for inhalation/exhalation resistance after 3 and 5 cycles of VHP. Respirators demonstrated a filtration efficiency >99 % after 3 cycles, but filtration efficiency fell below 95% after 5 cycles of HPV. CONCLUSION: Bioquell VHP demonstrated high viricidal activity for N95 respirators inoculated with aerosolized bacteriophages. Bioquell technology can be scaled for simultaneous decontamination of a large number of used but otherwise intact respirators. Reprocessing should be limited to 3 cycles due to concerns both about impact of clinical wear and tear on fit, and to decrement in filtration after 3 cycles.

Experience with integrating pharmacist documenters on cardiac arrest teams to improve quality.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if adding a clinical pharmacist to the cardiac arrest team in a documenter role improves completeness of documentation and quality of advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS). SETTING: A 1541-bed, tertiary care, academic medical center with an integrated clinical pharmacy practice model. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: In 2012, we identified documentation of resuscitation activities during cardiac arrest events and compliance with published ACLS guidelines as opportunities for systematic quality improvement at our tertiary care academic medical center. Although clinical pharmacists provided pharmacotherapy support through active participation on multidisciplinary patient care rounds, pharmacists were not routinely accountable for care provided during cardiac arrest events. PRACTICE INNOVATION: We integrated pharmacists on the cardiac arrest team in the unique role of documenter and pharmacotherapy consultant. The pharmacist documenter was responsible for recording all activities (e.g., medication administered, endotracheal intubation, vital signs), providing real-time quality assurance during the event, and assisting with any clinical or operational needs of the team. Participating pharmacists received didactic lectures, practical assessments, and a written examination to ensure baseline competency in ACLS and teamwork principles. EVALUATION: Using a before-and-after study design, we conducted a retrospective chart review to evaluate our pilot program. All cardiac arrest events requiring activation of the cardiac arrest team from January 2012 through December 2013 were included (n = 80). RESULTS: Pharmacists attended all cardiac arrest team events in the postintervention period during the scheduled coverage hours. The percentage of forms with all documentation components complete increased from 0% at baseline to 28% postintervention (P = 0.002). ACLS compliance also increased from 8% preintervention to 31% postintervention (P = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Implementation of a dedicated pharmacist for documentation and pharmacotherapy consultation during cardiac arrest events is associated with improved documentation completeness and ACLS compliance. This was achieved without funding or additional pharmacist resources.

Reducing Readmission at an Academic Medical Center: Results of a Pharmacy-Facilitated Discharge Counseling and Medication Reconciliation Program.

BACKGROUND: Hospital readmission has been identified as a key quality indicator and a target for reducing health care spending. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a pharmacy-facilitated medication reconciliation and patient education model with post discharge follow-up on 30-day readmissions. METHODS: This prospective, historical control study included all patients admitted during a 6-month period to a general medicine unit with the highest 30-day readmission rate at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Patients were excluded if they expired prior to discharge, transferred, left against medical advice, were discharged to hospice, or were previously enrolled in the study. Upon admission, pharmacy technicians compiled the medication reconciliation information. Interventions were made by the pharmacist communicating with the patient's primary team. Medication and disease state counseling and final medication reconciliation were performed by the pharmacist before discharge. The primary outcome measure was 30-day readmission rates during the intervention period compared to the preceding 6 months and the same time period the previous year. Secondary outcomes included the total number of pharmacist-identified medication reconciliation interventions, total pharmacy resource utilization, and identification of patients at high risk for readmission. RESULTS: Study outcomes showed a 27% reduction in readmission during the intervention period. The pharmacist made a total of 546 medication interventions. The average pharmacist and pharmacy technician time per patient were 28.9 and 23.7 minutes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy-facilitated medication reconciliation and patient education of medicine patients decreased 30-day readmission rates.

Patent foramen ovale closure following cryptogenic stroke or transient ischaemic attack: Long-term follow-up of 301 cases.

Patent foramen ovale has been identified as a conduit for paradoxical embolism resulting in cryptogenic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). We aimed to establish rates of death, recurrent stroke or TIA among patients undergoing PFO closure for stroke or TIA at our unit. A retrospective analysis of all PFO closure patients was performed between May 2004 and January 2013. Follow up was performed by mortality tracing using the Medical Research Information Service of the Office of National Statistics. With regard to stroke or TIA recurrence, written consent forms and questionnaires were mailed with follow up telephone calls. Medical notes and imaging records were consulted where adverse events were noted. 301 patients aged 48.6 ± 11.0 years, 54.4% male, with ≥1 thromboembolic neurovascular event had percutaneous PFO closure with one of eight devices, with successful implantation in 99% of cases. Follow-up duration was 40.2 ± 26.2 months (range 1.3-105.3); complete in 301 patients for mortality (100%) and 283 patients (94.0%) for neurovascular events. Two patients died during follow-up (respiratory failure n = 1; road traffic accident n = 1). Recurrent stroke (MRI or CT confirmed) was observed in five patients (0.5%; 0.55 per 100 person-years) and TIA in 9 (1.1%; 0.98 per 100 person-years). Atrial fibrillation requiring treatment was documented in 14 patients (1.7%). Percutaneous PFO closure in patients with cryptogenic stroke or TIA is a safe treatment with a low incidence of procedural complications and recurrent neurovascular events. Registry data like these may help to demonstrate the utility of PFO closure in stroke.

Development of a National Echocardiography Quality Improvement Programme: insights into feasibility, uptake, and clinical utility.

AIMS: There are minimal data on methods to measure and improve quality in image interpretation when reporting cardiovascular imaging studies. We sought to identify the feasibility and clinical utility of a nationally implemented quality assurance (QA) process. METHODS AND RESULTS: A web-based platform was developed to administer a national QA module to 27 echocardiography departments within the UK. Three QA modules were delivered from 2011. The proportion of units using the QA module increased from 14 (52.2%) in the first module to 22 (81.5%) in the third module. There was no significant change in the proportion of correct answers between the first module (88.9%) and the third module (82.8%), P = 0.3. The number of echocardiographers with at least one incorrect answer increased from 16 (21.6%) in the first module to 54 (34%) in the third module, P = 0.03. Overall, in valvular heart disease cases there were 36 (10.6%) incorrect responses where qualitative assessment of the severity of valve dysfunction was tested compared with 4 (3.6%) incorrect responses where quantitative assessment of valve dysfunction was tested, P = 0.04. In chamber quantification cases, there were 36 (6.8%) incorrect responses where qualitative assessment of chamber function was tested compared with 3 (2.1%) incorrect responses where quantitative assessment of chamber function was tested, P = 0.04. CONCLUSION: The incorporation of national QA programme is feasible with rapid uptake. The platform allows comparison of an individual's interpretation skills against a reference standard which can be used as a method to identify inter-observer variability and as a training tool.

Prognostic impact of pre-existing right ventricular dysfunction on the outcome of transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

AIMS: Right ventricular dysfunction is a well recognized adverse prognostic factor in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement. The prognostic significance of right ventricular dysfunction in the context of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has not been established. We evaluated the relationship between preprocedural right ventricular impairment and the outcome of TAVI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between December 2007 and December 2011, a total of 155 patients with severe aortic stenosis underwent TAVI at the Sussex Cardiac Centre, of whom 83%-91% had prospective analysis of right ventricular function prior to TAVI using two different standard echocardiographic methods. We identified patients with preserved and impaired ventricular function and compared their all-cause mortality during follow-up. Right ventricular dysfunction was defined as tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) <15 mm or right ventricular peak systolic velocity (RVPSV) <9 cm/s and was identified in 11% of patients. Vital status was established from the Office of National Statistics. Average follow-up was 628 ± 392 days. A total of 107 patients were followed for at least 1 year and 63 patients for at least 2 years. Cumulative total mortality was 17.4%. In-hospital mortality was 2.6%, death within 30 days was 5.8%, 1-year mortality was 14.0%, and 2-year mortality was 15.9%. There was no statistically significant difference in outcome between patients with and without right ventricular dysfunction. This finding was consistent between the two methods used to determine right ventricular function (TAPSE: hazard ratio [HR] 1.57 and P=.42; RVPSV: HR 1.28 and P=.71). CONCLUSIONS: Preprocedural right ventricular dysfunction does not adversely impair immediate or follow-up survival during medium-term follow-up after TAVI.

Cardiac resynchronisation therapy: a randomised trial of factory or echocardiographic settings for optimum response.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess whether echocardiographically-optimised atrioventricular (AV) and interventricular (VV) delay programming provided any additional benefit over standard settings following biventricular pacemaker implantation in patients with advanced heart failure. METHODS: Paired data were collected on 22 patients (aged 67.5 ± 8.3 years, 16 male) with refractory heart failure, NYHA class III/IV symptoms, sinus rhythm, LBBB and a broad QRS complex >120 ms. All patients underwent implantation of a biventricular pacemaker and were randomised to eight weeks of factory pacing mode (Mode 1) or echocardiographically-guided pacing mode (Mode 2), followed by eight weeks in the alternate mode, in a randomised blinded crossover design. RESULTS: Peak oxygen consumption, 6 min walk distance, NYHA class and quality of life scores improved after biventricular pacing, but no significant difference was found between the two modes, with the exception of peak oxygen consumption score (baseline: 14.8 ± 0.9, Mode 1: 14.6 ± 1.2, Mode 2: 16.1 ± 1.2 mL/kg/min), which was better in Mode 2 than Mode 1 (p 0.003). CONCLUSION: Transthoracic echocardiographic optimisation of AV and VV delays following biventricular pacing may offer additional clinical benefit in an unselected group of patients when compared with factory settings.

Redo patent foramen ovale closure for persistent residual right-to-left shunting.

AIMS: The success rate in eliminating a right-left-shunting following percutaneous patent foramen ovale closure is estimated to be > 90%. However up to 10% of patients may have residual shunting following initial closure. Little is known as to the optimum treatment strategy for these patients. We report four cases in which to redo patent foramen ovale closure was possible with a second device. METHODS AND RESULTS: At our institution during 2008-2009, 101 patients underwent PFO closure: 81 patients (80%) underwent PFO closure for cerebrovascular events, 12 patients (12%) for migraine with aura, eight patients for systemic embolisation (8%), three patients (3%) for decompression illness and one patient underwent PFO closure for platypnea-orthodexia syndrome. Irrespective of the initial device, redo closure was technically feasible in all cases. All patients had at least a moderate residual shunt evident on echocardiographic evaluation at > 6-month follow-up. The patients in the current study were offered a redo procedure based on the presence of persistent disabling symptoms, as well as increased risk of neurological events, despite adequate antiplatelet therapy and anticoagulation. CONCLUSIONS: A second percutaneous interatrial septal occluder is feasible in those patients with significant residual shunting following initial closure.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation for stenosed and regurgitant aortic valve bioprostheses CoreValve for failed bioprosthetic aortic valve replacements.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is increasingly being used to treat severe aortic stenosis in patients with high operative risk. In an aging population the incidence of aortic stenosis is rising, and increasing numbers of elderly patients are undergoing aortic valve replacement with bioprosthetic valves. Therefore, there is a corresponding increase in prosthetic degeneration. This presents cardiologists with a cohort of patients for whom the risk of re-do aortic valve surgery is prohibitive. We present the first series of such patients with degenerative bioprosthetic stenosis or regurgitation successfully treated with CoreValve (Medtronic, Luxembourg) implantation.

Paravalvular regurgitation one year after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the natural history of paravalvular regurgitation at 1 year in patients undergoing TAVI. BACKGROUND: The immediate incidence of paravalvular regurgitation is estimated to be between 65 and 85% following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). There is limited data as to whether this deteriorates during follow-up. METHODS: Forty-six patients were recruited from a TAVI programme at our institute. All patients underwent an assessment of prosthetic valve function periprocedurally with aortography and immediately postprocedurally with transthoracic echocardiography. Twenty-one patients with a median age was 83 (66-91) years of whom 14 were male reached 1 year follow-up, 13 of whom were available for repeat transthoracic echocardiography. RESULTS: The incidence of paravalvular regurgitation immediately following TAVI was 86%. Of them 57% had < or = mild regurgitation and 29% had > mild regurgitation. At 1 year the incidence of paravalvular regurgitation was 77%. 54% had < or = mild regurgitation and 34% > mild regurgitation. No patient had severe regurgitation. The degree of regurgitation reduced in 6 (46%), stayed the same in 3 (23%), and increased in 4 (31%) of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing TAVI have an immediate postprocedural risk of regurgitation of 86%. In the majority of cases the degree of paravalvular CoreValve regurgitation is mild, and remains stable in 70% of patients during medium term follow-up.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy: left or left-and-right for optimal symptomatic effect--the LOLA ROSE study.

AIMS: Biventricular (BiV) pacing and left univentricular (LUV) pacing can each produce clinical benefits in heart failure. The impact of modern refinements in pacing optimization on the relative benefits of these two modes is unknown. We aimed to compare these two modes in patients with heart failure, using Echo-based optimization of each pacing mode. METHODS AND RESULTS: Paired data were collected on 18 patients (age 72 +/- 8 years; 16 male) with refractory heart failure symptoms, sinus rhythm, and LBBB with QRS duration>120 ms. Patients were randomized to an initial 8 weeks of either BiV or LUV pacing, followed by 8 weeks of the other mode, in a blinded cross-over design. Echocardiography was used to optimize atrioventricular delay for both modes and right ventricular-left ventricular offset for BiV mode. Peak oxygen consumption (baseline 13.6 +/- 2.7; BiV 15.8 +/- 3.0; LUV 15.2 +/- 3.1 mL/kg/min), 6 min walk distance (baseline 258 +/- 47; BiV 290 +/- 63; LUV 287 +/- 69 m), and scores on SF36 health questionnaire (baseline 41.5 +/- 16.8; BiV 58.6 +/- 19.6; LUV 51.8 +/- 21.3) did not differ between BiV and LUV modes. New York Heart Association class was significantly better in BiV than in LUV mode (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In this pilot study, we found no differences in major clinical outcome measures between the two modes of resynchronization.