Impact of pre-operative abdominal MRI on survival for patients with resected pancreatic carcinoma: a population-based study.

Background: This study determined the impact of pre-operative abdominal MRI on all-cause mortality for patients with resected PDAC. Methods: All adult (≥18 years) PDAC patients who underwent pancreatectomy between January 2011 and December 2022 in Ontario, Canada, were identified for this population-based cohort study (ICD-O-3 codes: C250, C251, C252, C253, C257, C258). Patient demographics, comorbidities, PDAC stage, medical and surgical management, and survival data were sourced from multiple linked provincial administrative databases at ICES. All-cause mortality was compared between patients with and without a pre-operative abdominal MRI after controlling for multiple covariates. Findings: A cohort of 4579 patients consisted of 2432 men (53.1%) and 2147 women (46.9%) with a mean age of 65.2 years (standard deviation: 11.2 years); 2998 (65.5%) died while 1581 (34.5%) survived. Median follow-up duration post-resection was 22.4 months (interquartile range: 10.8-48.8 months), and median survival post-pancreatectomy was 25.9 months (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 24.8, 27.5). Patients who underwent a pre-operative abdominal MRI had a median survival of 33.1 months (95% CI: 30.7, 37.2) compared to 21.1 months (95% CI: 19.8, 22.6) for all others. A total of 2354/4579 (51.4%) patients underwent a pre-operative abdominal MRI, which was associated with a 17.2% (95% CI: 11.0, 23.1) decrease in the rate of all-cause mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 0.828 (95% CI: 0.769, 0.890). Interpretation: Pre-operative abdominal MRI was associated with improved overall survival for PDAC patients who underwent pancreatectomy, possibly due to better detection of liver metastases than CT. Funding: Northern Ontario Academic Medicine Association (NOAMA) Clinical Innovation Fund.

Characteristics of frequent users of the emergency department with chronic pain.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the proportion of high-frequency users of the emergency department (ED) who have chronic pain. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of adult patients with ≥ 12 visits to a tertiary-care, academic hospital ED in Canada in 2012-2013. We collected the following demographics: 1) patient age and sex; 2) visit details - number of ED visits, inpatient admissions, length of inpatient admissions, diagnosis, and primary location of pain; 3) current and past substance abuse, mental health and medical conditions. Charts were reviewed independently by two reviewers. ED visits were classified as either "chronic pain" or "not chronic pain" related. RESULTS: We analyzed 4,646 visits for 247 patients, mean age was 47.2 years (standard deviation = 17.8), and 50.2% were female. This chart review study found 38% of high-frequency users presented with chronic pain to the ED and that women were overrepresented in this group (64.5%). All high-frequency users presented with co-morbidities and/or mental health concerns. High-frequency users with chronic pain had more ED visits than those without and 52.7% were prescribed an opioid. Chronic abdominal pain was the primary concern for 54.8% of high-frequency users presenting with chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic pain, specifically chronic abdominal pain, is a significant driver of ED visits among patients who frequently use the ED. Interventions to support high-frequency users with chronic pain that take into account the complexity of patient's physical and mental health needs will likely achieve better clinical outcomes and reduce ED utilization.

Understanding the Impact of Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: Prevalence and Characteristics of Patients Visiting the Emergency Department for Chronic Pain at an Urban Academic Health Sciences Centre.

Background: Canadians make approximately 16 million visits to the emergency department (ED) each year. ED visits for non-urgent reasons contribute to suboptimal patient care and ineffective resource use. Aims: To estimate the proportion of ED visits related to chronic pain at our institution. Methods. We conducted a retrospective review of 1000 randomly selected ED visits at TOH during the 2012-2013 fiscal year (April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013). Visits for chronic pain were identified using pre-defined criteria. Demographic and medical data were extracted from medical charts. Results: 104 visits during this time period were related to chronic pain (10.4%; 95% CI: 8.2-12.6). All visits were from unique patients (i.e., no patients contributed more than 1 visit). Patients were predominantly women (71%), with a mean age of 45.9 years. Seventy-eight percent of patients had a primary care provider. The most common location of pain included the abdomen (24%), the head or face (21%), and the low back (21%). Only 5% of patients had consultation with a pain medicine specialist while 78% were awaiting a consultation. More than 2/3 of patients (71%) reported using opioids for their pain. Conclusion: Presenting to the ED for chronic pain was found to occur among a sample of ED visits reviewed. This can result in ineffective care for patients with chronic pain. Cost-effective solutions to improve clinical outcomes and reduce ED use for chronic pain may yield significant improvements in health outcomes of patients and benefits for the health care system.

Contexte: Les Canadiens font approximativement 16 millions de visites aux urgences chaque année. Les visites aux urgences pour des raisons non urgentes contribuent à ce que les soins aux patients soient sous-optimaux et que les ressources soient utilisées de manière inefficace.Objectifs: Estimer la proportion de visites aux urgences liées à la douleur chronique à notre institution.Méthodes: Nous avons fait un examen rétrospectif de 1 000 visites aux urgences de l'Hôpital d'Ottawa sélectionnées de manière aléatoire qui avaient eu lieu au cours de l'exercice financier 2012-2013 (1er avril 2012 au 31 mars 2013). Les visites en raison d'une douleur chronique ont été repérées à l'aide de critères prédéfinis. Les données démographiques et médicales ont été extraites des dossiers médicaux.Résultats: Au cours de la période à l'étude, 104 visites étaient liées à la douleur chronique (10,4 %; IC 95% : 8,2 ­ 12,6). Toutes les visites étaient le fait de patients uniques (i.e. aucun patient n'a contribué pour plus d'une visite). Les patients étaient en majeure partie des femmes (71 %), dont l'âge moyen était de 45,9 ans. Soixante-dix huit pour cent des patients avaient un prestataire de soins primaires. L'endroit où la douleur se manifestait le plus fréquemment était l'abdomen (24 %), la tête ou le visage (21 %) et le bas du dos (21 %). Seulement 5 % des patients avaient consulté un médecin spécialiste de la douleur tandis que 78 % étaient en attente d'une consultation. Plus de 2/3 des patients (71 %) ont déclaré avoir utilisé des opioïdes pour leur douleur.Conclusion: Il a été constaté que parmi l'échantillon de visites à l'étude, des patients s'étaient présentés aux urgences en raison d'une douleur chronique. Cette situation peut avoir pour conséquence que les soins prodigués aux patients souffrant de douleur chronique soient inefficaces. La mise en place de solutions efficientes pour améliorer les résultats cliniques et diminuer le recours aux urgences pour de la douleur chronique pourrait grandement améliorer les résultats de santé des patients tout en étant avantageux pour le système de santé.

Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for Presentations.

Background. Chronic pain (CP) accounts for 10-16% of emergency department (ED) visits, contributing to ED overcrowding and leading to adverse events. Objectives. To describe patients with CP attending the ED and identify factors contributing to their visit. Methods. We used a mixed-method design combining interviews and questionnaires addressing pain, psychological distress, signs of opioid misuse, and disability. Participants were adults who attended the EDs of a large academic tertiary care center for their CP problem. Results. Fifty-eight patients (66% women; mean age 46.5, SD = 16.9) completed the study. The most frequently cited reason (60%) for ED visits was inability to cope with pain. Mental health problems were common, including depression (61%) and anxiety (45%). Participants had questions about the etiology of their pain, concerns about severe pain-related impairment, and problems with medication renewals or efficacy and sometimes felt invalidated in the ED. Although most participants had a primary care physician, the ED was seen as the only or best option when pain became unmanageable. Conclusions. Patients with CP visiting the ED often present with complex difficulties that cannot be addressed in the ED. Better access to interdisciplinary pain treatment is needed to reduce the burden of CP on the ED.

Use of a modified Comprehensive Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (CPEQ): characteristics and functional status of patients on entry to a tertiary care pain clinic.

BACKGROUND: With increasing knowledge of chronic pain, clinicians have attempted to assess chronic pain patients with lengthy assessment tools. OBJECTIVES: To describe the functional and emotional status of patients presenting to a tertiary care pain clinic; to assess the reliability and validity of a diagnostic classification system for chronic pain patients modelled after the Multidimensional Pain Inventory; to provide psychometric data on a modified Comprehensive Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (CPEQ); and to evaluate the relationship between the modified CPEQ construct scores and clusters with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition - Text Revision Pain Disorder diagnoses. METHODS: Data on 300 new patients over the course of nine months were collected using standardized assessment procedures plus a modified CPEQ at the Comprehensive Pain Program, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario. RESULTS: Cluster analysis of the modified CPEQ revealed three patient profiles, labelled Adaptive Copers, Dysfunctional, and Interpersonally Distressed, which closely resembled those previously reported. The distribution of modified CPEQ construct T scores across profile subtypes was similar to that previously reported for the original CPEQ. A novel finding was that of a strong relationship between the modified CPEQ clusters and constructs with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition - Text Revision Pain Disorder diagnoses. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The CPEQ, either the original or modified version, yields reproducible results consistent with the results of other studies. This technique may usefully classify chronic pain patients, but more work is needed to determine the meaning of the CPEQ clusters, what psychological or biomedical variables are associated with CPEQ constructs or clusters, and whether this instrument may assist in treatment planning or predict response to treatment.