Low socioeconomic status is associated with lower weight-loss outcomes 10-years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

BACKGROUND: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is the criterion standard operation for weight loss. Low socioeconomic status (SES) is common in the Veteran population undergoing bariatric surgery, but the impact of SES on long-term weight-loss outcomes is not known. We hypothesize that low socioeconomic status is associated with less weight loss after gastric bypass in long-term follow-up. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of patients undergoing RYGB at a single Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. Patients with at least 10 years of follow-up data in the electronic health record were included in the analysis. Weight loss was measured as percent excess body mass index loss (%EBMIL). The primary predictor variable, median household income, was determined using zip codes of patient residences matched to publicly available 2010 U.S. census data. Univariate relationships between income, weight loss, and other patient characteristics were evaluated. We calculated a multivariate generalized linear model of %EBMIL to estimate independent relationships with median household income quartile while controlling for patients' age, race, sex, and VA distance. RESULTS: Complete 10-year follow-up data were available for 83 of 92 patients (90.2%) who underwent RYGB between 2001 and 2007 and survived at least 10 years. The majority of patients were male (79.5%) and white (73.5%). The mean 10-year %EBMIL was 57.8% (SD: 29.5%, range - 36.0% - 132.8%). In univariate analysis, income was significantly associated with race (p < 0.001) and median distance to the VA bariatric center (p = 0.034), but income did not differ by gender (p = 0.73) or age (p = 0.45). Multivariate analysis revealed significantly lower 10-year %EBMIL for patients with the lowest income compared to patients with low-mid income (p = 0.03) and mid-high income (p = 0.01), after controlling for gender, race, age, and VA distance. CONCLUSIONS: Low socioeconomic status is associated with lower weight-loss outcomes, 10 years after RYGB. Durable weight loss is observed in all income groups.

Heart Rate Variability and Cardiopulmonary Dysfunction in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Systematic Review.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic recessive disorder with progressive muscle weakness. Despite the general muscle wasting, degeneration and necrosis of cardiomyocytes have been the main causes of morbidity and death in individuals with DMD. Cardiac failure is generally preceded by disturbances in heart rate variability (HRV), and non-invasive measurement of the autonomic nervous system has been an important tool to predict adverse cardiovascular events. Hence, the application of HRV to study autonomic modulation in DMD individuals, and the establishment of correlations between HRV and heart/lung diseases, age, and mortality will have the potential to improve quality of life and life expectancy of individuals with DMD. In order to evaluate the state of the art in this field, we conducted a systematic search in Medline/PubMed and BVS (virtual library in health) databases. We selected 8 studies using pre-defined criteria and meta-analysis revealed decreased parasympathetic activity and increased sympathetic predominance in individuals with DMD as major observations. Moreover, there is a strong association between diminished HRV and myocardial fibrosis with DMD. These patterns are evident in patients at early-stage DMD and become more prominent as disease severity and age increase. Thus, data minning clearly indicates that HRV assessment can be used as a predictor for sudden death in individuals with DMD. The use of the HRV, which is inexpensive, ubiquitously available in clinics and hospitals, and a non-invasive analysis tool, can save lives and decrease the morbity in DMD by alerting care givers to consider autonomic nervous system intervention.

Barriers and Facilitators of Surgical Prehabilitation Adherence from the Patient Perspective: a Mixed Method Study.

BACKGROUND: Adherence to prehabilitation is crucial for optimal benefit, but reasons for low adherence to home-based programs remain unexplored. Our aim was to identify and explore barriers and facilitators to prehabilitation adherence among patients undergoing abdominal surgery. METHODS: Nested in a single-center randomized controlled trial on prehabilitation (Perioperative Optimization With Enhanced Recovery (POWER)), this study had an explanatory sequential design with a connect integration. Patients randomized to the intervention arm were included in the quantitative analysis, and a subset of them was invited for a semi-structured interview. The exposure was the frequency of barriers to physical activity and healthy eating, and the outcome was adherence to those components of prehabilitation. Logistic or linear regression was used as appropriate. RESULTS: Among 133 participants in the intervention arm, 116 (87.2%) completed the initial survey ((56.9% women, median age 61 years old (IQR 49.0; 69.4)). The most frequent barriers to exercise and healthy eating were medical issues (59%) and lack of motivation (31%), respectively. There was no significant association between the barriers to physical activity score and adherence to this component of the program (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.78-1.02, p=0.09). Higher barriers to healthy eating scores were associated with lower Mediterranean diet scores pre- and post-intervention (coef.: -0.32, 95% CI: -0.49; -0.15, p<0.001; and coef.: -0.27, 95% CI: -0.47; -0.07, p=0.01, respectively). Interviews with 15 participants revealed that participating in prehabilitation was a motivator for healthy eating and exercising through goal setting, time-efficient workouts, and promoting self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: We identified key barriers to be addressed and facilitators to be leveraged in future prehabilitation programs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04504266.

Perioperative optimisation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): A systematic review and meta-analysis of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS).

Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have largely been incorporated into practice in high-income settings due to proven improvement in perioperative outcomes. We aimed to review the implementation of ERAS protocols and other perioperative optimisation strategies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and their impact on length of hospital stay (LOS). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, Global Health (CABI), WHO Global Index Medicus, Index Medicus, and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) for studies incorporating ERAS or other prehabilitation approaches in LMICs. We conducted a pooled analysis of LOS using a random-effects model to evaluate the impact of such programs. This systematic review was pre-registered on PROSPERO. Results: We screened 1205 studies and included 70 for a full-text review; six were eligible for inclusion and five for quantitative analysis, two of which were randomised controlled trials. ERAS was compared to routine practice in all included studies, while none implemented prehabilitation or other preoperative optimisation strategies. Pooled analysis of 290 patients showed reduced LOS in the ERAS group with a standardised mean difference of -2.18 (95% confidence interval (CI) = -4.13, -.0.05, P < 0.01). The prediction interval was wide (95% CI = -7.85, 3.48) with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 94%). Conclusions: Perioperative optimisation is feasible in LMICs and appears to reduce LOS, despite high levels of between-study heterogeneity. There is a need for high-quality data on perioperative practice in LMICs and supplementary qualitative analysis to further understand barriers to perioperative optimisation implementation. Registration: PROSPERO: CRD42021279053.

Accuracy of the medication list in the electronic health record-implications for care, research, and improvement.

Objective: Electronic medication lists may be useful in clinical decision support and research, but their accuracy is not well described. Our aim was to assess the completeness of the medication list compared to the clinical narrative in the electronic health record. Methods: We reviewed charts of 30 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from each of 6 gastroenterology centers. Centers compared IBD medications from the medication list to the clinical narrative. Results: We reviewed 379 IBD medications among 180 patients. There was variation by center, from 90% patients with complete agreement between the medication list and clinical narrative to 50% agreement. Conclusions: There was a range in the accuracy of the medication list compared to the clinical narrative. This information may be helpful for sites seeking to improve data quality and those seeking to use medication list data for research or clinical decision support.