Individualized Treatment Effects of Bougie versus Stylet for Tracheal Intubation in Critical Illness.

Rationale: A recent randomized trial found that using a bougie did not increase the incidence of successful intubation on first attempt in critically ill adults. The average effect of treatment in a trial population, however, may differ from effects for individuals. Objective: We hypothesized that application of a machine learning model to data from a clinical trial could estimate the effect of treatment (bougie vs. stylet) for individual patients based on their baseline characteristics ("individualized treatment effects"). Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the BOUGIE (Bougie or Stylet in Patients Undergoing Intubation Emergently) trial. A causal forest algorithm was used to model differences in outcome probabilities by randomized group assignment (bougie vs. stylet) for each patient in the first half of the trial (training cohort). This model was used to predict individualized treatment effects for each patient in the second half (validation cohort). Measurements and Main Results: Of 1,102 patients in the BOUGIE trial, 558 (50.6%) were the training cohort, and 544 (49.4%) were the validation cohort. In the validation cohort, individualized treatment effects predicted by the model significantly modified the effect of trial group assignment on the primary outcome (P value for interaction = 0.02; adjusted qini coefficient, 2.46). The most important model variables were difficult airway characteristics, body mass index, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score. Conclusions: In this hypothesis-generating secondary analysis of a randomized trial with no average treatment effect and no treatment effect in any prespecified subgroups, a causal forest machine learning algorithm identified patients who appeared to benefit from the use of a bougie over a stylet and from the use of a stylet over a bougie using complex interactions between baseline patient and operator characteristics.

Neurocysticercosis and HIV/AIDS co-infection: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a high disease burden and are prevalent in overlapping low- and middle-income areas. Yet, treatment guidance for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH/A) co-infected with NCC is currently lacking. This study aims to scope the available literature on HIV/AIDS and NCC co-infection, focusing on epidemiology, clinical characteristics, diagnostics and treatment outcomes. METHODS: The scoping literature review methodological framework, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. A total of 16,969 records identified through database searching, and 45 additional records from other sources were reduced to 52 included studies after a standardised selection process. RESULTS: Two experimental studies, ten observational studies, 23 case series/case reports and 17 reviews or letters were identified. Observational studies demonstrated similar NCC seroprevalence in PLWH/A and their HIV-negative counterparts. Of 29 PLWH/A and NCC co-infection, 17 (59%) suffered from epileptic seizures, 15 (52%) from headaches and 15 (52%) had focal neurological deficits. Eighteen (62%) had viable vesicular cysts, and six (21%) had calcified cysts. Fifteen (52%) were treated with albendazole, of which 11 (73%) responded well to treatment. Five individuals potentially demonstrated an immune-reconstitution inflammatory syndrome after commencing antiretroviral therapy, although this was in the absence of immunological and neuroimaging confirmation. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of evidence to guide treatment of PLWH/A and NCC co-infection. There is a pressing need for high-quality studies in this patient group to appropriately inform diagnostic and management guidelines for HIV-positive patients with NCC.

Expediting the management of cauda equina syndrome in the emergency department through clinical pathway design.

Introduction: Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a neurosurgical emergency. Early diagnosis with MRI and subsequent surgical decompression surgery can prevent permanent neurological dysfunction. Charing Cross Hospital (CXH) is a tertiary neurosurgical referral centre where in the emergency department (ED), current practice mandated a neurosurgery review prior to requesting MRI. Hypothesis: It was hypothesised that a new clinical pathway, with better coordination from the ED, radiology and neurosurgical teams could reduce the time of presentation to diagnosis or exclusion of CES. Method: Retrospective case-note analysis of patients presenting with back pain to CXH ED over a 3-month period was performed. The primary outcome was the time interval between the patient's arrival to the ED and the MRI preliminary report. Results: The baseline primary outcome was recorded at 8 hours and 16 min (n=30). A new clinical pathway was designed empowering ED senior decision makers to order MRIs prior to neurosurgical review. Two Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were performed, each measured over a 2-month period. The first PDSA cycle was performed after the pathway was initially launched (n=17), while the second PDSA cycle measured the effect of staff education and active promotion of the pathway (n=17). MRI was requested earlier, waiting and reporting time for MRI were reduced. The exclusion or diagnosis of CES was reduced to 5 hours and 54 min in PDSA 1 and 5 hours 17 min in PDSA 2, a 29% and 36% reduction (p=0.048 and p=0.012, respectively). Conclusion: The clinical protocol was a cost-neutral and sustainable intervention that effectively reduced the time taken to diagnose or exclude CES and ED waiting times.

Challenges in screening for latent tuberculosis in inflammatory bowel disease prior to biologic treatment: a UK cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of latent tuberculosis infections (LTBI) and active TB in a cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with biologics. We also examined the effects of immunosuppressive drugs on indeterminate interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) in LTBI screening. DESIGN: Retrospective study of patients treated with biologics between March 2007 and November 2015. SETTING: St Mark's Hospital, North West London, UK. PATIENTS: 732 patients with IBD who were screened for LTBI using either tuberculin skin test or IGRA before starting a biologic treatment. METHODS: Retrospective case note review of all patients with IBD who were screened for LTBI prior to initiating biologics. Patients who developed active TB were identified from the London TB register. RESULTS: Of 732 patients with IBD, 31 (4.2%) were diagnosed with and treated for LTBI with no significant side effects. Six of 596 patients (1.0%) who received biologic treatment developed active TB. There was a higher proportion of indeterminate IGRA in the immunosuppressive medication group compared with the non-immunosuppressive group (33% (59/181) compared with 9% (6/66), p<0.001). The combination of steroids and thiopurines had the highest proportion of indeterminate IGRA (64%, 16/25). High and low doses of steroids were equally likely to result in an indeterminate IGRA result (67% (8/12) and 57% (4/7), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the challenges of LTBI screening prior to commencing biologic therapy and demonstrates the risk of TB in patients who have been screened and who are receiving prolonged and continuing doses of antitumour necrosis factor.

Omental Infarction: The Great Impersonator.

A 58-year-old female presented to the emergency department with intermittent right upper quadrant pain and nausea. On examination, the patient was tender and Murphy's sign was elicited. A presumptive diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was made but an ultrasound of the abdomen revealed a thin-walled gallbladder without calculi. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated fat stranding involving the greater omentum and the right paracolic gutter. The patient was diagnosed with a focal omental infarction and underwent emergency laparoscopic surgery. Intraoperatively, the thickened and infarcted omental segment was dissected off the abdominal wall, liver, and mesocolon and removed through the umbilical port site using an Endo Catch™ (Covidien Ltd, Dublin, Republic of Ireland). This paper presents a rare case of omental infarction and illustrates how it can mimic the classic presentation of acute cholecystitis. The literature around the incidence, pathogenesis, and management of omental infarction is reviewed and presented to the reader.

Effect of Pulsed Methylprednisolone on Pain, in Patients with HTLV-1-Associated Myelopathy.

HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is an immune mediated myelopathy caused by the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). The efficacy of treatments used for patients with HAM/TSP is uncertain. The aim of this study is to document the efficacy of pulsed methylprednisolone in patients with HAM/TSP. Data from an open cohort of 26 patients with HAM/TSP was retrospectively analysed. 1g IV methylprednisolone was infused on three consecutive days. The outcomes were pain, gait, urinary frequency and nocturia, a range of inflammatory markers and HTLV-1 proviral load. Treatment was well tolerated in all but one patient. Significant improvements in pain were: observed immediately, unrelated to duration of disease and maintained for three months. Improvement in gait was only seen on Day 3 of treatment. Baseline cytokine concentrations did not correlate to baseline pain or gait impairment but a decrease in tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) concentration after pulsed methylprednisolone was associated with improvements in both. Until compared with placebo, treatment with pulsed methylprednisolone should be offered to patients with HAM/TSP for the treatment of pain present despite regular analgesia.