The effect of refresher training on fact description in medical incident report writing in the Japanese language.

To maintain the effectiveness of the training (1st-Training Session: 1st-TS) to accurate describe facts in the medical incident reports (IRs) in Japanese, a refresher TS was designed and its effectiveness was examined. First, textual analysis showed that IRs' accuracy significantly decreased six months after the 1st-TS. Based on this result, the refresher TS was designed and conducted with 64 residents. To verify the refresher TS' effectiveness, IRs after the 1st-TS, six months later, and after the refresher TS were compared via text analysis. The results showed that the refresher TS restored the description rate of patient's background, safety check procedures, original work procedures, information on equipment used, reporter's actions, and post-incident response. The questionnaire was also administered and showed that the refresher TS contributed to residents' motivation to learn about IRs. In conclusion, the refresher TS contributed to sustaining the effect of the 1st-TS on accurately describing IRs.

Characteristics, Antithrombotic Patterns, and Prognostic Outcomes in Claudication and Critical Limb-Threatening Ischemia Undergoing Endovascular Therapy.

PURPOSE: The underlying difference between intermittent claudication (IC) and critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) still remains unclear. This prospective multicenter observational study aimed to clarify differences in clinical features and prognostic outcomes between IC and CLTI, and prognostic factors in patients undergoing endovascular therapy (EVT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 692 patients with 808 limbs were enrolled from 20 institutions in Japan. The primary measurements were the 3-year rates of major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) and reintervention. RESULTS: Among patients, 79.0% had IC and 21.0% had CLTI. Patients with CLTI were more frequently women and more likely to have impaired functional status, undernutrition, comorbidities, hypercoagulation, hyperinflammation, distal artery disease, short single antiplatelet and long anticoagulation therapies, and late cilostazol than patients with IC. Aortoiliac and femoropopliteal diseases were dominant in patients with IC and infrapopliteal disease was dominant in patients with CLTI. Patients with CLTI underwent less frequently aortoiliac intervention and more frequently infrapopliteal intervention than patients with IC. Longitudinal change of ankle-brachial index (ABI) exhibited different patterns between IC and CLTI (pinteraction=0.002), but ABI improved after EVT both in IC and in CLTI (p<0.001), which was sustained over time. Dorsal and plantar skin perfusion pressure in CLTI showed a similar improvement pattern (pinteraction=0.181). Distribution of Rutherford category improved both in IC and in CLTI (each p<0.001). Three-year MACE rates were 20.4% and 42.3% and 3-year reintervention rates were 22.1% and 46.8% for patients with IC and CLTI, respectively (log-rank p<0.001). Elevated D-dimer (p=0.001), age (p=0.043), impaired functional status (p=0.018), and end-stage renal disease (p=0.019) were independently associated with MACE. After considering competing risks of death and major amputation for reintervention, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p=0.003) and infrainguinal intervention (p=0.002) were independently associated with reintervention. Patients with CLTI merely showed borderline significance for MACE (adjusted hazard ratio 1.700, 95% confidence interval 0.950-3.042, p=0.074) and reintervention (adjusted hazard ratio 1.976, 95% confidence interval 0.999-3.909, p=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The CLTI is characterized not only by more systemic comorbidities and distal disease but also by more inflammatory coagulation disorder compared with IC. Also, CLTI has approximately twice MACE and reintervention rates than IC, and the underlying inflammatory coagulation disorder per se is associated with these outcomes. CLINICAL IMPACT: The underlying difference between intermittent claudication (IC) and critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) still remains unclear. This prospective multicenter observational study, JPASSION study found that CLTI was characterized not only by more systemic comorbidities and distal disease but also by more inflammatory coagulation disorder compared to IC. Also, CLTI had approximately twice major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) and reintervention rates than IC. Intriguingly, the underlying inflammatory coagulation disorder per se was independently associated with MACE and reintervention. Further studies to clarify the role of anticoagulation and anti-inflammatory therapies will contribute to the development of post-interventional therapeutics in the context of peripheral artery disease.

Training residents in medical incident report writing to improve incident investigation quality and efficiency enables accurate fact gathering.

We assessed whether training on writing readable and accurate medical incident reports (IRs) improves the quality of fact description. In this training, 124 residents created fictional IRs. We provided tips, including using When, Where, Who, What, Why, How. We compared the fictional IRs with and without tips, and the trainees' and non-trainees' IRs submitted in the first five months after training. Results indicated that the subject words in IRs were more clarified and the readability was improved. The fictional IRs using tips were more accurate, with increased descriptions of the patient's background, reporter's actions, team members' actions and conversations, safety check procedures, result of the error, and post-incident response. The reporter's actions, work procedures, and environment were more clarified in the trainees' IRs than in the non-trainees' IRs. This training may help analysts comprehend the sequence of and underlying factors for reporter's actions based on IRs.

Growth Differentiation Factor-15 Predicts Death and Stroke Event in Outpatients With Cardiovascular Risk Factors: The J-HOP Study.

Background Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) has emerged as a novel biomarker to predict all-cause death in community-dwelling individuals and patients with cardiovascular disease. We evaluated the prognostic value of GDF-15 in outpatients with cardiovascular risk factors. Methods and Results GDF-15 levels were measured in 3562 outpatients with cardiovascular risk factors in the J-HOP (Japan Morning Surge-Home Blood Pressure) study, a nationwide prospective study. Participants were stratified according to tertiles of GDF-15 and followed up for all-cause death and cardiovascular disease. During a mean follow-up period of 6.6 years, there were 155 all-cause deaths, 81 stroke events including cerebral infarction and intracranial hemorrhage, and 141 cardiac events including cardiac artery disease and heart failure. Patients with higher GDF-15 levels were associated with risks of all-cause death and stroke events (except for cardiac events) after adjustment for traditional risk factors and other prognostic biomarkers (NT-proBNP [N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide], high-sensitivity troponin T; all-cause death, hazard ratio, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.26-4.48; P=0.007; stroke events, hazard ratio, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.31-6.56, P=0.009; compared with the lowest tertile). Furthermore, incorporating GDF-15 to the predictive models for all-cause death improved discrimination and reclassification significantly. For stroke events, GDF-15 showed similar diagnostic accuracy to NT-proBNP and high-sensitivity troponin T. Conclusions In Japanese outpatients with cardiovascular risk factors, GDF-15 improves risk stratification for all-cause death when compared with NT-proBNP and high-sensitivity troponin T. GDF-15 was associated with increased risks of stroke events beyond conventional risk factors and other prognostic markers; however, the predictive ability for stroke events was equivalent to NT-proBNP and high-sensitivity troponin T. Registration URL: http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr.; Unique identifier: UMIN000000894.

Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Predicts Cancer Death in Patients With Cardiovascular Risk Factors: The J-HOP Study.

Background: Disease-related anorexia-cachexia is associated with poor prognosis of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cancer. Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) has emerged as a central regulator of appetite and body weight. However, the exact role of GDF-15 in lean patients has not been elucidated. Aim: Our aim is to evaluate whether the association of GDF-15 with mortality, including cancer death, differs according to body mass index (BMI) level. Methods and Results: We collected blood samples from 4,061 patients with CV risk factors who were enrolled in the nationwide practice-based J-HOP (Japan Morning Surge-Home Blood Pressure) study. Serum GDF-15 levels were determined by immunoassay analysis. During a mean follow-up period of 6.6 years, we observed 174 (6.7/1000 person-year) all-cause deaths, 68 (2.6/1000 person-year) cancer deaths, and 56 (2.2/1000 person-year) CV deaths. Patients were stratified according to the cut-points of GDF-15 at 1,200 ng/L and BMI at 22.5 and 25.0 kg/m2. The association between the GDF-15/BMI based study groups and each outcome was evaluated by Cox-proportional hazard models with adjustment for established risk factors. The multivariate Cox regression model showed that patients with elevated GDF-15 (≥1,200 ng/L) and low BMI (<22.5 kg/m2) were significantly associated with increased risk of all outcomes [all-cause death, hazard ratio (HR) 3.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.85-5.34, p < 0.001; cancer death, HR 3.52, 95%CI 1.64-7.57, p = 0.001; CV death, HR 2.88, 95%CI 1.20-6.92, p = 0.018, respectively] compared to a reference group with non-elevated GDF-15 and normal BMI (22.5-25.0 kg/m2). In analyses of a subgroup with low BMI (<22.5 kg/m2), patients with elevated GDF-15 had 4.79-fold increased risk of cancer death and 11-fold greater risk of CV death when compared with patients with non-elevated GDF-15 (<1,200 ng/L) after adjustment for established risk factors. Conclusion: In patients with CV risk factors, GDF-15 was associated with all-cause, cancer, and CV death. This relationship was especially remarkable in patients with low BMI. The serum GDF-15 levels in patients with low BMI might be a useful marker to identify the potential for anorexia-cachexia associated with CVD and cancer.

Mönckeberg's sclerosis.

Contrast-enhanced computed tomography angiography reveals "railroad track-like" calcifications bilaterally from the femoral to the popliteal arteries.

Mobile mural thrombus and spontaneous echo contrast in ascending aorta after postoperative adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

A 70-year-old asymptomatic male who had undergone a right nephrectomy for renal pelvic cancer was referred to us with a thrombus in the ascending aorta detected by contrast-enhanced computed tomography after chemotherapy with gemcitabine/cisplatin. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a 4-cm mobile mural thrombus in the ascending aorta. An emergency thoracotomy for planned aortic root replacement was performed, but the intraoperative epi-aortic ultrasound indicated that the thrombus had disappeared, and it showed prominent spontaneous-echo contrast (SEC) in the ascending aorta. We speculate that vascular endothelium damage due to the cisplatin-based chemotherapy induced the thrombus and SEC in the ascending aorta.

Salt Intake and Risk of Disaster Hypertension Among Evacuees in a Shelter After the Great East Japan Earthquake.

This study investigated the association between salt intake and risk of disaster hypertension. We analyzed the data of surveys evaluating the health condition of evacuees in shelters after the Great East Japan Earthquake on April 30 and May 5, 2011. Among 272 subjects who completed the basic health condition questionnaire and underwent a medical examination, 158 (58%) had disaster hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg). Average estimated sodium intake assessed by spot urine was significantly associated with disaster hypertension (odds ratio per 1 g/d, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05-1.30). When we defined the high risk factors for salt-sensitive hypertension as older age (≥65 years), obesity (body mass index, ≥25 kg/m2), chronic kidney disease, and diabetes mellitus, estimated sodium intake was found to be a risk factor for disaster hypertension in the total group (odds ratio per 1 g/d, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.12-1.43) and even in the group without prevalent hypertension before disaster (n=146; odds ratio per 1 g/d, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.19-1.79). There was an interaction between estimated sodium intake and disaster hypertension according to the presence or absence of high risk of salt-sensitive hypertension in the group without prevalent hypertension (P=0.03). Disaster hypertension conferred a risk of microalbuminuria (odds ratio, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.71-5.26; P<0.001). We conclude that increased estimated sodium intake was associated with disaster hypertension in evacuees after disaster. This association was noted in the population with high risk of salt-sensitive hypertension and without prevalent hypertension before natural disaster. Additionally, disaster hypertension was associated with subclinical organ damage.

A Case of Left Atrial Myxoma Whose Initial Symptom Was Finger Ischemic Symptom.

We experienced a 45-year-old Japanese man who was transferred to our hospital complaining of acute onset of pain and pallor in the right lower limb. Two years earlier, he had complained of repetitive pain at rest and pallor in the left third and fourth fingers. The physical exam and angiography demonstrated occlusion of finger arteries, however we could not reach final diagnosis. Acute arterial occlusive disease in the right lower limb was suspected. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated a gross tumor in the left atrium, which suggested left atrial myxoma. An emergency tumorectomy was successfully conducted. Pathologically, the fragile tumor and resultant thrombosis could have caused the patient's peripheral circulatory failure at least two years prior to this episode. A rigorous systemic survey is important even when the ischemic symptom is localized in peripheral circulation.

Internal medicine board certification and career pathways in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Establishing and managing a board certification system is a common concern for many countries. In Japan, the board certification system is under revision. The purpose of this study was to describe present status of internal medicine specialist board certification, to identify factors associated with maintenance of board certification and to investigate changes in area of practice when physicians move from hospital to clinic practice. METHODS: We analyzed 2010 and 2012 data from the Survey of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists. We conducted logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with the maintenance of board certification between 2010 and 2012. We also analyzed data on career transition from hospitals to clinics for hospital physicians with board certification. RESULTS: It was common for physicians seeking board certification to do so in their early career. The odds of maintaining board certification were lower in women and those working in locations other than academic hospitals, and higher in physicians with subspecialty practice areas. Among hospital physicians with board certification who moved to clinics between 2010 and 2012, 95.8% remained in internal medicine or its subspecialty areas and 87.7% maintained board certification but changed their practice from a subspecialty area to more general internal medicine. CONCLUSION: Revisions of the internal medicine board certification system must consider different physician career pathways including mid-career moves while maintaining certification quality. This will help to secure an adequate number and distribution of specialists. To meet the increasing demand for generalist physicians, it is important to design programs to train specialists in general practice.

Life- and limb-saving endovascular therapy in a patient with acute abdominal aortic occlusion.

A 79-year-old man developed severe bilateral ischemic symptoms in the lower limbs. Chest-abdominal-pelvic contrast computed tomography (CT) showed acute occlusion involving the abdominal aorta, and endovascular therapy (EVT) was used as emergency treatment. Two self-expandable stents placed in the thrombus area resulted in restoration of blood flow to the lower limbs, despite limited stent expansion, and movement of these limbs. Follow-up CT showed good stent expansion. The patient had a favorable recovery without additional surgery. This case suggests that EVT might be an additional option for acute abdominal aortic occlusion if surgery or thrombolytic therapies are not possible.

Long sleep duration: a nonconventional indicator of arterial stiffness in Japanese at high risk of cardiovascular disease: the J-HOP study.

Long and short sleep durations were reported as independently associated with hypertension, aortic stiffness, and cardiovascular disease. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was shown to be associated with increased aortic stiffness. Here, we investigated the relationship between self-reported sleep duration and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in the elderly at high risk of cardiovascular disease. We also investigated whether hs-CRP moderates this relationship. Among 4310 patients with ≥1 cardiovascular risks recruited for the Japan Morning Surge-Home Blood Pressure Study, a questionnaire including items on daily sleep duration was completed. We measured the brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) and hs-CRP levels in 2304 of these patients (mean age 64.7 years, 49.6% males). In accord with the patients' sleep duration (<6 hours, ≥6 to <8 hours, and ≥8 hours per night), significant associations between sleep duration and the PWV were observed (1594 vs. 1644 vs. 1763 cm/s, P < .0001). In the multiple regression analysis adjusted for age, body mass index, total cholesterol, HbA1c and clinic systolic blood pressure, long sleep duration (≥8 hours per night) (P < .05), and log hs-CRP (P < .05) were significantly positively associated with PWV when the patients with 6- to 8-hour sleep duration were defined as a reference group. Significant interactions of long sleep duration by age and that by antihypertensive medication for baPWV were observed. The effect of long sleep on PWV was greatest in the oldest age group. Long sleep duration and hs-CRP were significant indicators of increased baPWV in this elderly high-risk Japanese population. Age and antihypertensive medication use were significant modulators of the relationship between long sleep duration and arterial stiffness.

Cardiac sarcoidosis, the complete atrioventricular block of which was completely recovered by intravenous steroid pulse therapy.

Atrioventricular block (AVB) in individuals with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is one of the major complications caused by inflammation of the conducting system of the heart, as a sign of worse prognosis. We report the case of a 53-year-old Japanese woman whose electrocardiogram showed complete AVB by the clinical diagnosis of CS. We administered intravenous methylpredonisolone (1 g/day) for 3 days. On the second day of steroid pulse therapy, the complete AVB improved to sinus rhythm of 1st degree AVB and complete right bundle branch block. Normal sinus rhythm was then observed after oral steroid therapy. These results suggest that in cases of complete AVB, steroid pulse therapy with a strong anti-inflammatory effect may be recommended first. .

A Case of Adult-Onset Acute Rheumatic Fever With Long-Lasting Atrioventricular Block Requiring Permanent Pacemaker Implantation.

A 45-year-old hypertensive Japanese woman presented with epigastric pain on inspiration, fever, complete atrioventricular block and polyarthritis. Her antistreptolysin O levels were markedly elevated. A diagnosis of rheumatic fever was made according to the modified Jones criteria. She was prescribed loxoprofen sodium, which was partially effective for her extracardiac clinical symptoms. However, she had syncope due to complete atrioventricular block with asystole longer than 10 seconds. Consequently, we implanted a permanent pacemaker. Although we prescribed prednisolone, the efficacy of which was limited for the patient's conduction disturbance, the complete atrioventricular block persisted. In our systematic review of 12 similar cases, the duration of complete heart block was always transient and there was no case requiring a permanent pacemaker. We thus encountered a very rare case of adult-onset acute rheumatic fever with persistent complete atrioventricular block necessitating permanent pacemaker implantation.

Aftershock Triggers Augmented Pressor Effects in Survivors: Follow-Up of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

BACKGROUND: Previous reports focused on the significant acute effects immediately after an earthquake on an increase in blood pressure (BP) assessed by ambulatory BP monitoring. However, there have been no data on the impact of environmental triggers on the long-term response to earthquake. METHODS: We analyzed the ambulatory BP monitoring data of 8 patients who lived in the disaster area of the 11 March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake on the day of the largest aftershock with a first tsunami warming (sirens) on 7 December 2012. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the BP in either the period 1 hour before (median (range): 126.5 (121.5-138.0) vs. 137.8 (129.5-177.0) mm Hg, P = 0.07) or that 1 hour after (139.3 (113.0-143.5) vs. 137.5 (125.0-192.0) mm Hg, P = 0.27) the aftershock between those living at home and those who had been living in temporary housing. After the time of aftershock, the systolic BP levels at that night (124.9 (113.2-137.9) vs. 107.0 (101.9-110.1) mm Hg, P = 0.021) and systolic BP levels at the following morning (149.3 (131.0-196.2) vs. 129.5 (128.8-131.0) mm Hg, P = 0.029) were also significantly higher in those living in temporary housing at the time compared to those living in their own homes. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the stress of a change in living conditions following the disaster might have contributed an increased risk of cardiovascular events.

Sleep Duration, Kidney Function, and Their Effects on Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in Elderly Hypertensive Patients.

BACKGROUND: Short sleep duration has been shown to be associated with cardio/cerebrovascular disease. White matter hyperintensities (WMH) have been associated with an increased risk of stroke. In addition to high ambulatory blood pressure (BP), chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk for WMH. In this study, we investigated the relationships among sleep duration, CKD, and WMH in elderly hypertensives. METHODS: Ambulatory BP monitoring and brain magnetic resonance imaging were performed in 514 Japanese elderly hypertensives (mean age 72.3 years, males 37%). WMH cases were further divided into deep subcortical white matter lesion or periventricular hyperintensity (PVH). CKD (n = 193) was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2). RESULTS: According to sleep duration (<7.5, ≥7.5 to <9.5, and ≥9.5 hour per night), significant associations of sleep duration were observed with WMH and PVH. In the regression analysis including age, gender, smoking, antiplatelet agents use, 24-hour systolic BP, nondipper, white coat hypertension and CKD, short sleep duration was significantly positively associated with WMH and PVH when subjects with mid-range sleep duration were used as a reference group. A significant interaction was found between short sleep duration and CKD for PVH. In the non-CKD group, short sleep duration had strong significant positive associations with WMH and PVH. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, short sleep duration was a positive significant determinant for WMH and PVH in elderly hypertensives. Sleep duration might serve as a strong determinant for white matter lesions especially in those without CKD.

Effects of nighttime single-dose administration of vasodilating vs sympatholytic antihypertensive agents on sleep blood pressure in hypertensive patients with sleep apnea syndrome.

Obstructive sleep apneas syndrome (OSAS) is associated with nocturnal hypertension with higher sleep blood pressure (BP) and its variability, both of which increase cardiovascular risk. In this crossover design study, the effect of nighttime single-dose administration of vasodilating (nifedipine 40 mg) vs sympatholytic (carvedilol 20 mg) antihypertensive agents on sleep BP in 11 hypertensive OSAS patients was evaluated. The authors recently developed a trigger sleep BP monitor with an oxygen-triggered function that initiates BP measurement when oxygen desaturation falls. The BP-lowering effects of nifedipine on the mean (P<.05) and minimum sleep systolic BPs (SBPs) (P<.01) were stronger than those of carvedilol. Sleep SBP surge (difference between the hypoxia-peak SBP measured by oxygen-triggered function and SBPs within 30 minutes before and after the peak SBP) was only significantly reduced by carvedilol (P<.05). The nighttime dosing of both vasodilating and sympatholytic antihypertensive drugs is effective to reduce sleep BP but with different BP-lowering profiles.

Disaster hypertension: experience from the great East Japan earthquake of 2011.

After a major disaster, such as the East Japan Earthquake with ensuing tsunami and nuclear accident in March 2011, there is typically a spike in cardiovascular disease onset due to increased blood pressure and hypercoagulability. The risk of cardiovascular disease after an earthquake can be reduced by understanding the characteristics of these risks and taking appropriate preventive and remedial measures. During the East Japan Earthquake disaster, Disaster Cardiovascular Prevention (DCAP) Risk Scores (0-6 points; goal ≤4 points)/Prevention Scores (0-8 points; goal ≥ 6 points) were used to identify patients at risk at shelters and then safeguard their living conditions, chiefly by monitoring blood pressure and offering appropriate lifestyle guidance as well as treatment. By quickly reducing elevated blood pressures and then assuring stable control we could prevent the mortality and morbidity associated with disaster hypertension. This paper reviews the disaster-related mechanisms that induce cardiovascular disease and introduces the DCAP system and four typical cases in which it intervened.