Health mediation does not reduce the readmission rate of frequent users of emergency departments living in precarious conditions: what lessons can be learned from this randomised controlled trial?

BACKGROUND: Severe overcrowding of emergency departments (EDs) affects the quality of healthcare. One factor of overcrowding is precariousness, but it has rarely been considered a key factor in designing interventions to improve ED care. Health mediation (HM) aims to facilitate access to rights, prevention, and care for the most vulnerable persons and to raise awareness among healthcare providers about obstacles in accessing healthcare. The primary aim was to determine whether HM intervention for frequent users of EDs (FUED) living in precarious conditions could reduce the readmission rate at 90 days. METHODS: Between February 2019 and May 2022, we enrolled and interviewed 726 FUED in four EDs of southeastern France in this randomised controlled trial. The HM intervention started in the ED and lasted 90 days. In addition to the primary endpoint (first readmission at 90 days), secondary endpoints (readmission at 30 and 180 days, number of hospitalisations at 30, 90, 180 days, admissions for the same reasons as the first admission) were also studied. The outcomes were measured in the ED information systems. Statistical methods included an intention-to-treat analysis and a per-protocol analysis. Comparisons were adjusted for gender, age, ED, and health mediator. RESULTS: 46% of patients reported attending the ED because they felt their life was in danger, and 42% had been referred to the ED by the emergency medical dispatch centre or their GP; 40% of patients were considered to be in a serious condition by ED physicians. The proportion of patients who were readmitted at 90 days was high but did not differ between the control and the HM intervention groups (31.7% vs. 36.3%, p = 0.23). There was no significant difference in any of the secondary outcome measures between the control and HM intervention groups. Per-protocol analysis also showed no significant difference for the primary and secondary endpoints. CONCLUSIONS: This randomised controlled trial did not show that our health mediation intervention was effective in reducing the use of emergency services by FUED living in precarious conditions. Some limitations are discussed: the duration of the intervention (90 days), the long-term effects (> 6 months), the involvement of the ED staff. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered on clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03660215 on 4th September 2018.

[Tagravpa: Help table and grid for identifying the risk of aggravation and early rehospitalization of elderly persons 75 years and older referred to emergency departments and/or hospitalized in care units]. / Tagravpa : Tableau d'aide et grille de repérage du risque d'aggravation et de réhospitalisation précoce des personnes âgées de 75 ans et plus adressées aux urgences et/ou hospitalisées dans les unités de soins.

People aged 75 and over, frail or dependent are the most frequently hospitalized, particularly via the emergency department, and are sometimes readmitted to hospital less than a month after their discharge. Article 70 of the 2012 social security financing act has set up experiments aimed at improving the care pathway for the elderly. In this context, Marseille University Hospital has developed a table of help and grid for identifying the risk of aggravation of the elderly (Tagravpa). Comprising nine medical-psycho-social items, the grid enables the identification of the risk of aggravation to which is associated a score for identifying the risk of early re-hospitalization for the modeling of care pathways. A study was conducted in two departments. In cardiology for readmission at 1 month the results showed a grid positivity threshold of 6 for sensitivity measured at 56,6% (95% CI: 22,7-84,7) and specificity of 61,5% (95% CI: 40,7-79,1). In Emergency Department the results showed a positivity threshold of 4 for sensitivity at 83,3% (95% CI: 57,7-95,6) and specificity at 45,5% (95% CI: 36,8-54,3). This grid, called TAGRAVPA appears as a simple tool for identifying the risk of early re-hospitalization. It is applicable in a hospital environment, whatever the department and allows the initiation of an adapted path for the elderly person hospitalized or returning home from the emergency department.

Health mediation: an intervention mode for improving emergency department care and support for patients living in precarious conditions.

BACKGROUND: Severe overcrowding of emergency departments (EDs) impacts the quality of healthcare. One factor of this overcrowding is precariousness, but it has rarely been considered a key factor in designing interventions to improve ED care. Health mediation (HM) aims to facilitate access to rights, prevention, and care for the most vulnerable persons and to raise awareness among healthcare providers about obstacles in accessing healthcare. We here present the results of an ancillary qualitative study to explore the prospects regarding a health mediation intervention implemented in EDs for deprived persons who are frequent ED users, from professionals' and patients' perspectives. METHODS: Design, data collection, and data analysis were done according to a psychosocial approach, based on thematic content analysis and semi-structured interviews of 16 frequent ED users and deprived patients exposed to HM and of 14 professionals in 4 EDs of South-eastern France. RESULTS: All patients reported multifactorial distress. Most of them expressed experiencing isolation and powerlessness, and lacking personal resources to cope with healthcare. They mentioned the use of ED as a way of quickly meeting a professional to respond to their suffering, and recognized the trustworthy alliance with health mediators (HMrs) as a means to put them back in a healthcare pathway. The presence of HMrs in EDs was appreciated by ED professionals because HMrs responded to requests they were not able to access and were perceived as an efficient support for caring for deprived persons in emergency contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are in favour of health mediation in EDs as a promising solution, requested by patients and ED professionals, to cope with frequent ED users and deprived patients. Our results could also be used to adapt other strategies for the most vulnerable populations to reduce the frequency of ED readmissions. At the interface of the patients' health experience and the medico-social sector, HM could complete the immediate responses to medical needs given in EDs and contribute in alleviating the social inequalities of health.

Acute mesenteric ischemia: which predictive factors of delayed diagnosis at emergency unit?

PURPOSE: Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is frequently diagnosed late, leading to a poor prognosis. Our aims were to identify predictive factors of delayed diagnosis and to analyze the outcomes of patients with AMI admitted in emergency units. METHODS: All the patients with AMI (2015-2020), in two Emergency units, were retrospectively included. Two groups were defined according to the time of diagnosis between the arrival at emergency unit and the CT scan: ≤ 6 h (early), > 6 h (delayed). RESULTS: 119 patients (mean age = 71 ± 7 years) were included. The patients with a delayed diagnosis (n = 33, 28%) were significantly associated with atypical presentation, including lower rates of abdominal pain (73 vs 89%, p = 0.003), abdominal tenderness (33 vs 43%, p = 0.03), and plasma lactate (4 ± 2 vs 6 ± 7 mmol/l, p = 0.03) when compared with early diagnosis. After multivariate analysis, the absence of abdominal pain was the only independent predictive factor of delayed diagnosis (Odd Ratio = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.03-0.88, p = 0.03). Patients with delayed diagnosis tended to be associated to lower rates of revascularization (9 vs 17%, p = 0.4), higher rates of major surgical morbidity (90 vs 57%, p = 0.1), longer length of stay (16 ± 23 vs 13 ± 15 days, p = 0.4) and, at the end of follow-up, higher rate of short small bowel syndrome (18 vs 7%, p = 0.095). CONCLUSION: AMI is a challenge for emergency physicians. History of patient, physical exam, biological data are not sufficient to diagnose AMI. New biomarkers, and awareness of emergency physicians should improve and accelerate the diagnosis of AMI.

Early assessment of patients with COVID-19 and dyspnea using lung ultrasound scoring. / Evaluación precoz mediante ecografía pulmonar de pacientes con disnea por COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to evaluate the precision of the Modified Lung Ultrasound (MLUS score) for predicting the need for respiratory support in the first 48 hours in patients with dyspnea due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The secondary objectives were 1) to compare the MLUS and National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2), as well as the combination of both scores, as predictors of severity according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Ordinal Scale for Clinical Improvement; and 2) to compare severity assessed by ultrasound scoring to severity assessed by lung computed tomography (CT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Multicenter prospective observational cohort study conducted from March 30 to April 30, 2020, in 2 university hospitals. Adult patients with dyspnea due to COVID-19 were included. An initial lung ultrasound was performed, and the results of MLUS, NEW2, and lung CT evaluations were recorded. Patients were classified by risk according to the WHO scale at 48 hours, as follows: low risk (score less than 5) or high risk (score of 5 or more). RESULTS: A total of 100 patients were included: 35 (35%) were classified as low risk and 65 (65%) as high risk. The correlation between the MLUS and WHO assessments was positive and very high (Spearman rank correlation 􀁕 = 0.832; P .001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the MLUS, NEW2 and combined ultrasound scores, in relation to prediction of risk classification were, respectively, 0.96 (0.93-0.99), 0.89 (0.82-0.95) and 0.98 (0.96-1.0). The MLUS and lung CT assessments were correlated. CONCLUSION: An early lung ultrasound score can predict clinical severity in patients with dyspnea due to COVID-19.

OBJETIVO: El objetivo principal fue evaluar la precisión de la escala de ecografía pulmonar modificada (MLUS) para predecir la necesidad de soporte respiratorio en las primeras 48 horas en pacientes con disnea por COVID-19. Los objetivos secundarios fueron comparar la escala MLUS con la escala National Early Warning Score 2 (NEW2) y la combinación de ambas para predecir la gravedad según la escala de la OMS y comparar las escalas de gravedad calculadas por ecografía y tomografía computarizada (TC) pulmonar. METODO: Estudio observacional de cohortes prospectivo multicéntrico realizado desde 30 de marzo al 30 de abril de 2020 en 2 hospitales universitarios. Se incluyeron pacientes adultos con disnea por COVID-19. Se les realizó una ecografía pulmonar inicial y se calculó la escala MLUS, escala NEW2 y la escala de gravedad calculada por TC pulmonar. Los pacientes se clasificaron como de riesgo bajo (BR) si 5 puntos o de riesgo alto (AR) si 5 puntos según la escala de la OMS a las 48 horas. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 100 pacientes, 35 (35%) fueron de BR y 65 (65%) de AR. La correlación entre la escala MLUS y las puntuaciones de la escala ordinal de la OMS fue positiva y muy alta (rho de Spearman = 0,832; p 0,001). El área bajo la curva COR de la escala MLUS, NEW2 y combinada fue de 0,96 (0,93-0,99), 0,89 (0,82-0,95) y 0,98 (0,96-1,0), respectivamente, para predecir el grupo de RA. Hubo relación entre las escalas MLUS y lesiones pulmonares en la TC. CONCLUSIONES: Una ecografía pulmonar inicial puede predecir la gravedad clínica de los pacientes con disnea por COVID-19.

Outbreak of pneumococcal pneumonia among shipyard workers in Marseille, France, January to February 2020.

We report the third outbreak of pneumococcal pneumonia within one year among workers in European shipyards. During January and February 2020, 37 cases of pneumonia were identified in a shipyard in Marseille, south-eastern France. Outbreak control measures were implemented, including a mass vaccination campaign with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine targeting all shipyard workers. Given the high mobility of shipyard workers, coordinated responses between European public health institutes are necessary to avoid further outbreaks.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Thrombotic Complications Following Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A CT Scan Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to: 1) analyze the cannula-associated deep vein thrombosis frequency after venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation using a CT scan and 2) identify the associated risk factors for cannula-associated deep vein thrombosis. DESIGN: Retrospective observational analysis at a single center. SETTING: Tertiary referral university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Patients under venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with a femorofemoral or femorojugular cannulation admitted for acute respiratory distress syndrome or primary graft dysfunction after pulmonary transplantation. CT scan was performed within 4 days after decannulation. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We included 105 of 228 patients screened. Bacterial pneumonia was the main indication of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (46.7%). CT scans were performed at a median of 2 days (1-3 d) after decannulation. Cannula-associated deep vein thrombosis was found in 75 patients (71.4%) despite it having a mean activated partial thromboplastin time ratio of 1.60 ± 0.31. Femorofemoral cannulation induced femoral cannula-associated deep vein thrombosis more frequently than femorojugular cannulation (69.2% vs 63.1%, respectively; p = 0.04). Seventeen of the 105 patients (16.2%) had a pulmonary embolism. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher the percentage of thrombocytopenia less than 100 G/L during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation period, lower the risk for developing cannula-associated deep vein thrombosis (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.98-1.00; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Cannula-associated deep vein thrombosis after venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a frequent complication. This plead for a systematic vascular axis imaging after venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Thrombocytopenia is associated with a reduction in the occurrence of thrombotic events.

Using an Impella device to reverse refractory cardiac arrest and enable efficient coronary revascularisation.

We report the case of a 54-year-old man who suffered from refractory cardiac arrest secondary to acute myocardial infarction. As veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was unavailable, mechanical chest compression was performed and an Impella device was used that immediately delivered at 3.2 l/min flow to reach the optimal mean arterial pressure. Within 1 min, return of spontaneous circulation was achieved and a 40% left ventricular ejection fraction was measured on echography. Then, the right coronary artery could be revascularised. Despite 62 min low flow, the patient was discharged home on day 19 without neurological sequelae. During refractory cardiac arrest, the European Resuscitation Guidelines indicate that veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation should be considered as rescue therapy. Other mechanical circulatory supports such as an Impella device (left ventricular assist device propelling blood in the ascending aorta) can be a promising treatment in select patients; however, insufficient data in humans are available.

Chest CT scan and alveolar procollagen III to predict lung fibroproliferation in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Lung fibroproliferation in ARDS patients is associated with mortality. Alveolar procollagen III (NT-PCP-III) is a validated biomarker of lung fibroproliferation. A chest CT scan could be useful for the diagnosis of lung fibroproliferation. The aim of this study was to identify lung fibroproliferative CT scan aspects in ARDS patients with high levels of NT-PCP-III. RESULTS: This retrospective study included ARDS patients who had at least one assessment of alveolar NT-PCP-III and a chest CT scan within 3 days before or after NT-PCP-III determination. An alveolar level of NT-PCP-III > 9 µG/L indicated fibroproliferation. The CT scan was scored on interstitial and alveolar abnormalities. Each lobe was scored from 0 to 5 according to the severity of the abnormalities. The crude score and the corrected score (related to the number of scored lobes in cases of important lobar condensation or lobectomy) were used. One hundred ninety-two patients were included, for a total of 228 alveolar NT-PCP-III level and CT scan 'couples'. Crude and corrected CT scan fibrosis scores were higher in the fibroproliferation group compared with the no fibroproliferation group (crude score: 12 [9-17] vs 14 [11-12], p = 0.002; corrected score: 2.8 [2.2-4.0] vs 3.4 [2.5-4.7], p < 0.001). CT scan fibrosis scores and NT-PCP-III levels were significantly but weakly correlated (crude score: ρ = 0.178, p = 0.007; corrected score: ρ = 0.184, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: When the alveolar level of NT-PCP-III was used as a surrogate marker of histological lung fibroproliferation, the CT scan fibrosis score was significantly higher in patients with active lung fibroproliferation. Pulmonary condensation is the main limitation to diagnosing fibroproliferation during ARDS.

Real-time estimation of inpatient beds required in emergency departments.

BACKGROUND: Long boarding time in emergency department (ED) leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Prediction of admissions upon triage could improve ED care efficiency and decrease boarding time. OBJECTIVE: To develop a real-time automated model (MA) to predict admissions upon triage and compare this model with triage nurse prediction (TNP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in four EDs during 1 month. MA used only variables available upon triage and included in the national French Electronic Emergency Department Abstract. For each patient, the triage nurse assessed the hospitalization risk on a 10-point Likert scale. Performances of MA and TNP were compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves, the accuracy, and the daily and hourly mean difference between predicted and observed number of admission. RESULTS: A total of 11 653 patients visited the EDs, and 19.5-24.7% were admitted according to the emergency. The area under the curves (AUCs) of TNP [0.815 (0.805-0.826)] and MA [0.815 (0.805-0.825)] were similar. Across EDs, the AUCs of TNP were significantly different (P < 0.001) in all EDs, whereas AUCs of MA were all similar (P>0.2). Originally, using daily and hourly aggregated data, the percentage of errors concerning the number of predicted admission were 8.7 and 34.4%, respectively, for MA and 9.9 and 35.4%, respectively, for TNP. CONCLUSION: A simple model using variables available in all EDs in France performed well to predict admission upon triage. However, when analyzed at an hourly level, it overestimated the number of inpatient beds needed by a third. More research is needed to define adequate use of these models.

Are tracheal surveillance cultures useful in the intensive care unit?

Endotracheal aspirate (ETA) surveillance cultures have been used to predict the microorganisms responsible for ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients for 3 decades. However, although more than a dozen studies have been performed, the usefulness and the safety of this strategy are still debated. Tracheobronchial bacterial colonization often precedes the occurrence of VAP, and it has been postulated that the microbes present in the tracheal secretions a few days before VAP might be the same as those retrieved in the lower respiratory tract. A large number of studies, with heterogeneous designs and variable results, have questioned the possibility of predicting, by regular ETA cultures after the 48th hour of mechanical ventilation (MV), the microbiology of VAP and therefore of determining the adequate antibiotic therapy to limit the over-prescription of broad spectrum molecules when following guidelines. Although it has shown some promising results, the strategy has not achieved unanimity because of some discordant data. The aim of this review is to provide an updated overview of the literature available in the field and to attempt to determine the strengths and weaknesses of antibiotic stewardship based on ETA surveillance cultures in VAP, particularly in the global context of drug resistant microorganism emergence and the crucial necessity of broad spectrum molecule preservation.

Transforming Growth Factor-ß1 in predicting early lung fibroproliferation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Fibroproliferative repair phase of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is followed by a restitutio ad integrum of lung parenchyma or by an irreversible lung fibrosis and patients' death. Transforming Growth Factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) is involved in collagen production and lung repair. We investigated whether alveolar TGF-ß1 was associated with the presence of fibroproliferation and the outcome of ARDS patients. METHODS: Sixty-two patients were included the first day of moderate-to-severe ARDS. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected at day 3 (and day 7 when the patients were still receiving invasive mechanical ventilation) from the onset of ARDS. Survival was evaluated at day 60. TGF-ß1 was measured by immunoassay. The patients were classified as having lung fibroproliferation when the alveolar N-terminal peptide for type III procollagen (NT-PCP-III) measured on day 3 was > 9 µg/L as recently reported. The main objective of this study was to compare the alveolar levels of total TGF-ß1 according to the presence or not a lung fibroproliferation at day 3. RESULTS: Forty-three patients (30.6%) presented a fibroproliferation at day 3. BALF levels of total TGF-ß1 were not statistically different at day 3 (and at day 7) according to the presence or not lung fibroproliferation. Mortality at day 60 was higher in the group of patients with fibroproliferation as compared with patients with no fibroproliferation (68.4% vs. 18.6% respectively; p < 0.001). Total TGF-ß1 measured on BALF at day 3 was not associated with the outcome. Multiple logistic regression showed that the presence of lung fibroproliferation was associated with death. In contrast, TGF-ß1 was not independently associated with death. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary levels of TGF-ß1 during the first week of ARDS were not associated nor with the presence of fibroproliferation neither with death. TGF-ß1 should not be used as a biomarker to direct anti-fibrotic therapies.

Non-ventilatory therapies for acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) commonly affects intensive care unit patients and is associated with high mortality. In addition to etiologic treatment and protective ventilation, non-ventilatory therapies represent a significant part of ARDS care. Pharmacological treatments, extra corporeal devices and prone positioning are commonly grouped under this term. Studies have evaluated the individual effects of some of these non-ventilatory therapies in large randomized controlled trials. Recent advances concerning the beneficial use of neuromuscular blocking agents and prone positioning deserve attention. Conversely, the use of inhaled nitric oxide and almitrine remains to be specified. The debate concerning the role of corticosteroids could be renewed considering the emergence of new biomarkers. Finally, the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and extra-corporeal CO2 removal remain under question. The aim of this review is to summarize the latest data concerning the mainly used non-ventilatory therapies and to integrate them into a global strategy of ARDS patient care.

Influence of Shift Duration on Cognitive Performance of Emergency Physicians: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The relationship between tiredness and medical errors is now commonly accepted. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the cognitive performance of emergency physicians after a night shift of 14 hours (H14) and after a work shift of 24 hours (H24) and to compare it with tests performed after a rest night at home (H0). METHODS: Forty emergency physicians (19 staff physicians and 21 residents) were randomly evaluated at H0, H14, and H24. Four cognitive abilities (processing speed, working memory capacity, perceptual reasoning, and cognitive flexibility) were tested according to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. RESULTS: No cognitive ability was significantly altered after H14 compared with H0. Three of 4 cognitive abilities were impaired at H24 compared with H0: processing speed (11.2 [SD 2.7] versus 12.4 [SD 3.2]; mean difference=-1.2 [95% confidence interval -1.9 to -0.5]), working memory capacity (10.1 [SD 2.9] versus 11.6 [SD 3.0]; mean difference=-1.5 [95% confidence interval -2.2 to -0.8]), and perceptual reasoning (8.4 [SD 2.7] versus 10.6 [SD 2.8]; mean difference=-2.2 [95% confidence interval -3.4 to -1.0]). Cognitive abilities were not different between residents and staff physicians (except for perceptual reasoning) and were not affected by the amount of sleep during the night shift. CONCLUSION: The cognitive abilities of emergency physicians were significantly altered after a 24-hour shift, whereas they were not significantly different from the rested condition after a 14-hour night shift. Limiting 24-hour shift work for emergency physicians should be considered and further evaluated.