Long-term cardiovascular consequences of adolescent anorexia nervosa.

BACKGROUND: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with maladaptive cardiovascular changes. This study investigated whether individuals who recovered from AN during adolescence experience long-term cardiovascular risk in early adulthood. METHODS: Former AN patients discharged from the Royal Children's and Monash Children's Hospital Eating Disorder Services in Melbourne, Australia underwent cardiovascular testing. Measurements were performed using an oscillometric device for blood pressure and pulse wave velocity, ultrasound for carotid wall structure/function, resting electrocardiogram for heart-rate variability, and the EndoPat 2000 (Itamar) system for endothelial function. Patient measures were compared to healthy controls and/or normal thresholds. RESULTS: Ninety-one percent of the former AN patients (N = 22) and controls (N = 66) were female, aged approximately 25 years, with a healthy body mass index. The mean time interval from AN recovery to participation was 7.4 years. Pulse wave velocity was lower in the former AN patients than controls. Carotid intima-media thickness was not different; however, carotid distensibility and compliance were lower, and the elastic modulus higher in the former AN patients. Greater vagal tone was observed and endothelial dysfunction was evident in 46% of the former patients. CONCLUSIONS: Young adults who recovered from adolescent AN exhibit persistent cardiovascular adaptations. Routine cardiovascular monitoring could manage potential disease risk. IMPACT: Cardiovascular complications are common in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and population studies have revealed that developmental adaptations in response to undernutrition have long-term consequences for cardiovascular health. In this study of young adults treated for AN during adolescence, there was evidence of increased carotid artery stiffness, reduced aortic stiffness, vagal hyperactivity, and endothelial dysfunction in early adulthood when compared to healthy controls. It is important to consider the cardiovascular health of patients with AN beyond achieving medical stability. Interventions that monitor cardiovascular health could minimise the burden of future cardiovascular disease.

Family-based treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A long-term psychological follow-up.

AIM: Family-based treatment (FBT) has the greatest evidence base for the treatment of adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, little is known about the long-term outcomes for patients who receive FBT. The current study aimed to investigate the long-term psychological health of former patients who received FBT for AN during adolescence. METHODS: Former patients diagnosed and treated for AN at the Royal Children's Hospital and Monash Children's Hospital (N = 36) in Melbourne, Australia completed self-report questionnaires to assess eating, exercising, mood and the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Patient scores were compared to healthy controls (N = 29) and normative data. RESULTS: The eating and exercising behaviours of the patients who formerly had AN were comparable to controls. However, the former patients experience significantly greater levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than the controls (P < 0.05). The COVID-19 pandemic appeared to impact the former patients and controls to a similar extent across quantifiable criteria. CONCLUSIONS: This study extends previous research highlighting FBT as an effective intervention for adolescents with AN. Positive short- and long-term patient outcomes can be achieved with this form of treatment.

The Progression of End-of-Life Wishes and Concordance with End-of-Life Care.

Since 2013, Kaiser Permanente Northern California has engaged in a systematic effort to elicit, document, and honor the care preferences of patients as they near the end of life. This is done through its Advanced Steps program, in which selected patients discuss their preferences for future medical care with their healthcare agent during a structured conversation with a trained advance care planning facilitator. The facilitator then translates the patient's wishes into an actionable medical order set using a Physician's Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form. We wanted to know whether these patients' recorded wishes were concordant with care received at the end of life. To evaluate, we conducted an in-depth chart review of 300 patients who died in 2015 and had participated in the program. We determined that 290 patients received concordant care, whereas three patients received care discordant with their wishes before death. Seven patients did not have sufficient information in their record to determine concordance. Interestingly, we found care preferences often changed over time; ∼20% of patients revised their end-of-life preferences after having the facilitated conversation, with most of those patients opting for less intensive care. Most changes to preferences were made verbally in the final setting of care. While advance care planning and the POLST form provide invaluable tools for recording patients' wishes, our study highlights a need to track patients' wishes as they evolve over time and a need for ongoing, real-time conversations about goals of care, even after a POLST is completed.

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Program: Design, Development, and Implementation.

Complications are common after surgery, highlighting the need for innovations that reduce postsurgical morbidity and mortality. In this report, we describe the design, development, and implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California integrated health care delivery system. This program was implemented and disseminated in 2014, targeting patients who underwent elective colorectal resection and those who underwent emergent hip fracture repair across 20 Medical Centers. The program leveraged multidisciplinary and broad-based leadership, high-quality data and analytic infrastructure, patient-centered education, and regional-local mentorship alignment. This program has already had an impact on more than 17,000 patients in Northern California. It is now in its fourth phase of planning and implementation, expanding Enhanced Recovery pathways to all surgical patients across Kaiser Permanente Northern California.