Differences in Opioid-Related Deaths in the Appalachian Region in 2018-2021 by State and Rural-Urban County Classification.

Introduction The rapid increase in opioid-related deaths since the early 2000s is a major US public health concern. This crisis has transitioned from pharmaceuticals to illicit synthetic opioids and street mixtures. This epidemic has significantly impacted the Appalachian region. This study investigated opioid-related death rates among the Appalachian states, focusing on death rates among urban, suburban, and rural counties. Methods Opioid-related death data from 2018-2021 for the 13 states that make up the Appalachian region were collected using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database. Opioid analgesic overdose deaths were defined using ICD-10 codes X40-X44, X60-X64, and Y10-Y14, where an opioid analgesic was also coded (T40.2-T40.4). US census data was used to calculate opioid-related death rates by population. Counties were classified as urban, suburban, and rural using the 2013 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes from the US Department of Agriculture. The data were descriptively broken down and reported as either percentages or means. Results Of the opioid-related deaths between 2018 and 2021, 498 counties were identified in the 13 Appalachian states as having reported at least 10 opioid-related deaths per year. Among these counties, 337 (67.7%) were classified as urban/metropolitan, 138 (27.7%) as suburban, and 23 (4.62%) as rural. Overall, mean opioid-related deaths by populations per 1000 among all counties were 0.24 in 2018, 0.24 in 2019, 0.33 in 2020, and 0.38 in 2021. For urban/metropolitan counties, opioid-related deaths per 1000 gradually increased from 0.23 in 2018 to 0.35 in 2021. For suburban counties, the mean opioid-related deaths per 1000 increased from 0.25 in 2018 to 0.43 in 2021. For rural counties, the mean opioid-related deaths per 1000 increased from 0.43 in 2018 to 0.62 in 2021. Conclusion Opioid-related deaths, on average and by population, have risen steadily in the Appalachian region from 2018-2021 across all geographic areas (urban/metropolitan, suburban, rural). Rural counties consistently showed the highest opioid-related deaths per population compared to urban/metropolitan and suburban areas. Addressing social determinants of health such as income level, education level, healthcare access, and community-based interventions is crucial in combating this issue. Community and health system interventions must be implemented to combat the disproportionately high rate of opioid prescribing in the Appalachian region.

Opioid prescribing patterns by drug type: The Pennsylvania experience.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact on opioid prescribing patterns and trends after implementing a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) in Pennsylvania from 2016 to 2020. DESIGN: A cross-sectional data analysis using deidentified data from Pennsylvania's PDMP delivered by the Pennsylvania Department of Health was undertaken. SETTING: Data were collected from the entire state of Pennsylvania, and statistics were run at Rothman Orthopedic Institute Foundation for Opioid Research & Education. INTERVENTIONS: Evaluating the effect on opioid prescriptions after introduction of the PDMP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: In 2016, nearly 2 million opioid prescriptions were given to patients across the state. However, by the end of the study period in 2020, there was a 38 percent decrease in opioid prescriptions written. RESULTS: Beginning with Q3 2016, each subsequent quarter saw fewer opioids prescribed, decreasing on average by 3.4 ± 1.7 percent through Q1 2020. Specifically, over 700,000 fewer prescriptions were in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the third quarter in 2016. The opioids that were most frequently prescribed were oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine. CONCLUSION: While fewer prescriptions were being prescribed overall, the breakdown of drug type being prescribed remained similar in 2020 compared to 2016. Fentanyl and hydrocodone saw the largest decrease between 2016 and 2020.

Culturally adapted psychosocial interventions (CaPSI) for early psychosis in a low-resource setting: study protocol for a large multi-center RCT.

BACKGROUND: Psychosis treatment guidelines recommend cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and family intervention (FI), for all patients with first episode psychosis (FEP), though guidance borrows heavily from literature in adults from high income countries. To our knowledge, there are few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the comparative effect of these commonly endorsed psychosocial interventions in individuals with early psychosis from high-income countries and no such trials from low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The present study aims to confirm the clinical-efficacy and cost-effectiveness of delivering culturally adapted CBT (CaCBT) and culturally adapted FI (CulFI) to individuals with FEP in Pakistan. METHOD: A multi-centre, three-arm RCT of CaCBT, CulFI, and treatment as usual (TAU) for individuals with FEP (n = 390), recruited from major centres across Pakistan. Reducing overall symptoms of FEP will be the primary outcome. Additional aims will include improving patient and carer outcomes and estimating the economic impact of delivering culturally appropriate psychosocial interventions in low-resource settings. This trial will assess the clinical-efficacy and cost-effectiveness of CaCBT and CulFI compared with TAU in improving patient (positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, general psychopathology, depressive symptoms, quality of life, cognition, general functioning, and insight) and carer related outcomes (carer experience, wellbeing, illness attitudes and symptoms of depression and anxiety). CONCLUSIONS: A successful trial may inform the rapid scale up of these interventions not only in Pakistan but other low-resource settings, to improve clinical outcomes, social and occupational functioning, and quality of life in South Asian and other minority groups with FEP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05814913.

Economic and Environmental Impacts of the Wide-Awake, Local Anesthesia, No Tourniquet (WALANT) Technique in Hand Surgery: A Review of the Literature.

The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world based on the percentage of gross domestic product. This fact is coupled with health care facilities contributing nearly one-tenth of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and with the health care industry's waste contributions to landfills being second only to those of the food industry. In some instances, operating rooms produce the majority of total landfill waste from hospitals; therefore, patients undergoing surgical procedures can have both financial and environmental impacts. Recently, the wide-awake, local anesthesia, no tourniquet technique in hand surgery has grown in popularity. This technique has reportedly allowed surgeons to decrease operating room costs, time, and waste, but without compromising patient safety or outcomes. This comprehensive literature review summarizes the current literature related to the economic and environmental impacts of the wide-awake, local anesthesia, no tourniquet technique in hand surgery.

Comparative Cost Analysis of Single-use Sterile versus Reprocessed Distal Radius Volar Plate Sets.

Background: With the rise in distal radius fracture (DRF) incidence and treatment through open reduction internal fixation, there are increasing concerns in the current medical cost containment climate. To help reduce costs, manufacturers are introducing sterile packed kits. The purpose of this study is to compare the costs of the single use kit (SK) against conventional reprocessed DRF surgical sets (RS). Methods: A four-year retrospective review at three surgical centers was performed to determine a company's RS average sterilization and processing costs. RS instrumentation cost was estimated by straight-line depreciation from the original purchase price. RS implant costs were calculated from the list price. SK list cost was obtained from the same company. Incidence of surgical delays was estimated by a survey of 23 hand surgeons and cost of delays was obtained from surgical center reports. Sensitivity analysis on delay frequency was performed to assess a range of overall costs. Results: OR delays were estimated at one out of 100 cases, with an average cost of $11 per case. For RS, average instruments, implants, and sterilization costs per case was $47, $2882, and $39. The total RS cost of $2,978 and the SK was $1,667 with a difference of $1,313 per case. Conclusion: RS was found to cost $1,313 more per case than the SK in an ambulatory surgical setting and potentially more cost effective. Ultimately, pricing is highly variable at each center based on negotiated and contractual pricing.

Collaborative Care for Low-Income Patients From Racial-Ethnic Minority Groups in Primary Care: Engagement and Clinical Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess model impact and opportunities for improvement, this study examined collaborative care model (CoCM) engagement and clinical outcomes among low-income patients from racial-ethnic minority groups with depression and anxiety. METHODS: Starting in 2015, the CoCM was implemented in seven primary care practices of an urban academic medical center serving patients from racial-ethnic minority backgrounds, predominantly Medicaid beneficiaries. Eligible individuals scored positive for depressive or anxiety symptoms (or both) on the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) and PHQ-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2 (GAD-2) and GAD-7 during systematic screening in primary care settings. Screening rates and yield, patient characteristics, and CoCM engagement and outcomes were examined. Clinical improvement was measured by the difference in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores at baseline and at 10-to-14-week follow-up. RESULTS: High rates of screening (87%, N=88,236 of 101,091) and identification of individuals with depression or anxiety (13%, N=11,886) were observed, and 58% of 3,957 patients who engaged in minimally adequate CoCM treatment had significant clinical improvement. Nevertheless, only 56% of eligible patients engaged in the model, and 25% of those individuals did not return for at least one follow-up appointment. Being female with clinically significant comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms and having Medicaid or commercial insurance increased the likelihood of CoCM engagement. CONCLUSIONS: CoCM can help engage vulnerable patients in behavioral health care and improve clinical symptoms. However, significant opportunity exists to advance the model's impact in treating depressive and anxiety disorders and decreasing health disparities by addressing engagement barriers.

Larger Perioperative Opioid Prescriptions Lead to Prolonged Opioid Use After Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery: A Multicenter Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The opioid epidemic remains an ongoing public health crisis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether surgeons' prescribing patterns of the initial postoperative opioid prescription predispose patients to prolonged opioid use after upper extremity surgery. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study was done at three academic institutions. Patients who underwent carpal tunnel release, basal joint arthroplasty, and distal radius fracture open reduction and internal fixation over a 1.5-year period were included. Opioid prescription data were obtained from the Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program website. RESULTS: Postoperatively, 30.1% of the patients (191/634) filled ≥1 additional opioid prescription, and 14.0% (89/634) experienced prolonged opioid use 3 to 6 months postoperatively. Patients who filled an additional prescription postoperatively were initially prescribed significantly more pills (P = 0.001), a significantly longer duration prescription (P = 0.009), and a significantly larger prescription in total milligram morphine equivalents (P = 0.002) than patients who did not fill additional prescriptions. Patients who had prolonged opioid use were prescribed a significantly longer duration prescription (P = 0.026) than those without prolonged use. CONCLUSION: Larger and longer duration of initial opioid prescriptions predisposed patients to continued postoperative opioid use. These findings emphasize the importance of safe and evidence-based prescribing practices to prevent the detrimental effects of opioid use after orthopaedic surgery.

Scaphotrapezoid Assessment during Thumb Carpometacarpal Arthroplasty: A Cadaveric Study.

Background Due to limited sensitivity of radiographs for scaphotrapeziotrapezoid (STT) arthritis and the high rate of concurrence between thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) and STT arthritis, intraoperative visualization of the STT joint is recommended during CMC arthroplasty. Purpose We quantified the percentage of trapezoid facet of the scaphotrapezoid (ST) joint that could be visualized during this approach, and compared it to the degree of preoperative radiographic STT arthritis. Methods We performed dorsal surgical approach to the thumb CMC joint after obtaining fluoroscopic anteroposterior, lateral, and oblique wrist radiographs of 11 cadaver wrists. After trapeziectomy, the ST joint was inspected and the visualized portion of the trapezoid articulation marked with an electrocautery. The trapezoid was removed, photographed, and the marked articular surface area and total surface area were independently measured by two authors using an image analysis software. The radiographs were analyzed for the presence of STT arthritis. Results The mean visualized trapezoid surface area during standard approach for CMC arthroplasty was 60.3% (standard deviation: 24.6%). The visualized percentage ranged widely from 16.7 to 96.5%. There was no significant correlation between degree of radiographic arthritis and visualized percentage of the joint ( p = 0.77). Conclusions: On average, 60% of the trapezoid joint surface was visualized during routine approach to the thumb CMC joint, but with very large variability. Direct visualization of the joint did not correlate with the degree of radiographic STT arthritis. Clinical Relevance A combination of clinical examination, pre- and intraoperative radiographs, and intraoperative visualization should be utilized to assess for STT osteoarthritis and determine the need for surgical treatment. Level of Evidence This is a Cadaveric Research Article.

Assessment of Radiation Protection in Hand-Shielding Products With Mini C-Arm Fluoroscopy.

Background: Previous studies have highlighted the particular risk of radiation exposure to the surgeon's hands with intraoperative fluoroscopy. Although evidence exists that shielding equipment for the hands reduces exposure, the extent of protection is not well understood. Therefore, we set out to determine the degree to which radiation exposure to the surgeon's hands is decreased with hand-shielding products. Methods: An anthropomorphic model was positioned to simulate a surgeon sitting at a hand table. Thermoluminescent dosimeters were placed on the proximal phalanx of each index finger. The right index finger dosimeter was covered with a standard polyisoprene surgical glove (control arm), whereas the left index finger dosimeter was covered with commercially available hand-shielding products (study arm): lead-free metal-oxide gloves, leaded gloves, and radiation-attenuating cream. Mini fluoroscope position, configuration, and settings were standardized. The model was scanned for 15 continuous minutes in each test run, and each comparative arm was run 3 times. Results: The mean radiation dose absorbed by the control and variable dosimeters across all tests was 44.8 mrem (range, 30-54) and 18.6 mrem (range, 14-26), respectively. Each hand-shielding product resulted in statistically lower radiation exposure than a single polyisoprene surgical glove. Conclusions: The mean radiation exposure to the hands was significantly decreased when protected by radiation-attenuating options. Each product individually resulted in a statistically significant decrease in hand exposure compared with the control. We recommend that in addition to efforts to decrease radiation exposure, surgeons consider routine use of hand-shielding products when using mini c-arm fluoroscopy.

Routine monitoring of liver function tests in lung cancer resections - a necessary burden?

BACKGROUND: Increased availability of routine investigations results in significant over-investigation, burdening patients with unnecessary tests as well as increasing cost. We aimed to identify the extent of monitoring of liver function tests in lung resections, and to ascertain whether any impact on clinical decision-making occurred. METHODS: Cases were identified using theatre records coded as "lobectomy/bilobectomy" in the three-month period 20 June 2017 to 20 September 2017. Electronic records were used to collect patient data. RESULTS: A total of 91 cases were included; 77 (85%) patients had 1 set of pre-operative LFTs, 12 (13%) patients had 2 sets, and 2 (2%) patients had 0 sets; 69 (76%) had normal LFTs pre-operatively; 298 sets of LFTs were measured post-operatively, with a median of 3 sets per patient; 61 (67%) patients had either normal or static LFTs post-operatively, 13 (14%) had isolated rise in GGT, 16 (17%) had derangement of ALT and AST, and 1 patient (1%) had deranged ALP. Altered clinical decision-making due to LFTs derangement was recorded in two cases (2%). CONCLUSION: Clinicians have an obligation to justify expense, and practise in a cost-effective manner. Our data suggest that the routine perioperative monitoring of LFTs in thoracic surgery does not give any clear benefit to patient care.

Touch Surgery: Analysis and Assessment of Validity of a Hand Surgery Simulation "App".

BACKGROUND: Surgical educators are increasingly exploring surgical simulation and other nonclinical teaching adjuncts in the education of trainees. The simulators range from purpose-built machines to inexpensive smartphone or tablet-based applications (apps). This study evaluates a free surgery module from one such app, Touch Surgery, in an effort to evaluate its validity and usefulness in training for hand surgery procedures across varied levels of surgical experience. METHODS: Participants were divided into 3 cohorts: fellowship-trained hand surgeons, orthopedic surgery residents, and medical students. Participants were trained in the use of the Touch Surgery app. Each participant completed the Carpal Tunnel Release module 3 times, and participants' score was recorded for each trial. Participants also completed a customized Likert survey regarding their opinions on the usefulness and accuracy of the app. Statistical analysis using a 2-tailed t test and analysis of variance was performed to evaluate for performance within and between cohorts. RESULTS: All cohorts performed better on average with each subsequent simulation attempt. For all attempts, the experts outperformed the novice and intermediate participants, while the intermediate cohort outperformed the novice cohort. Novice users consistently gave the app better scores for usefulness as a training tool, and demonstrated more willingness to use the product. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms app validity and usefulness by demonstrating that every cohort's simulator performance improved with consecutive use, and participants with higher levels of training performed better. Also, user confidence in this app's veracity and utility increased with lower levels of training experience.

Prospective Evaluation of Opioid Consumption Following Cubital Tunnel Decompression Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Managing postoperative pain is important for patients and surgeons. However, there is concern over opioid dependency. Cubital tunnel decompression is among the most common upper extremity surgeries. Our study aimed to analyze opioid use after cubital tunnel decompression to guide postoperative opioid prescribing. METHODS: We prospectively collected opioid consumption for 16 consecutive months (February 2016 to June 2017) for cubital tunnel decompression patients. Data on demographics, insurance type, surgery performed, functional questionnaires (Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand [QuickDASH]), and electrodiagnostics (electromyography) were collected. Opioid consumption was reported at first postoperative visits. RESULTS: One hundred patients consumed a mean of 50 morphine equivalent units (MEUs) (range, 0-300), or 7 oxycodone 5-mg pills, postoperatively. Cubital tunnel release (CuTR) patients consumed fewer than ulnar nerve transposition (UNT) patients (40.4 vs 62.5 MEUs or 5.4 vs 8.3 pills, P = .08). Patients undergoing submuscular UNT consumed more than CuTR (115.0 vs 40.4 MEUs or 15.3 vs 5.4 pills, p = 0.003) and more than subcutaneous UNT patients (37.8 MEU or 5.0 pills, p = 0.03). Medicare patients consumed less than privately insured (42.7 vs 54.1 MEUs, 5.7 vs 7.2 pills, P = .02) and less than workers' compensation patients (76.8 MEU or 10.2 pills, P = .04). Older patients consumed fewer than younger patients ( P = .03). Postoperative QuickDASH score was positively related to opioid intake ( P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Patients consumed 7 oxycodone 5-mg pills after cubital tunnel decompression. Younger, privately insured, and workers' compensation patients, and those with worse functional scores and those undergoing UNT (specifically the submuscular technique) consumed more opioids.

A Cost Analysis of Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery Performed Wide Awake versus under Sedation.

BACKGROUND: Hand surgery under local anesthesia only has been used more frequently in recent years. The purpose of this study was to compare perioperative time and cost for carpal tunnel release performed under local anesthesia ("wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet," or WALANT) only to carpal tunnel release performed under intravenous sedation. METHODS: A retrospective comparison of intraoperative (operating room) surgical time and postoperative (postanesthesia care unit) time for consecutive carpal tunnel release procedures performed under both intravenous sedation and wide-awake local anesthesia was undertaken. All operations were performed by the same surgeon using the same mini-open surgical technique. A cost analysis was performed by means of standardized anesthesia billing based on base units, time, and conversion rates. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of total operative time, 28 minutes in the intravenous sedation group versus 26 minutes in the wide-awake local anesthesia group. Postanesthesia care unit times were significantly longer in the intravenous sedation group (84 minutes) compared to the wide-awake local anesthesia group (7 minutes). Depending on conversion rates used, a total of $139 to $432 was saved in each case performed with wide-awake local anesthesia by not using anesthesia services. In addition, a range of $1320 to $1613 was saved for the full episode of care, including anesthesia costs, operating room time, and postanesthesia care unit time for each patient undergoing wide-awake local anesthesia carpal tunnel release. CONCLUSION: Carpal tunnel release surgery performed with the wide-awake local anesthesia technique offers significant reduction in cost for use of anesthesia and postanesthesia care unit resources.

An Economic Analysis of MAC Versus WALANT: A Trigger Finger Release Surgery Case Study.

BACKGROUND: There has been recent interest in wide awake hand surgery, also referred to as "wide awake local anesthesia with no tourniquet" (WALANT) surgery. Using a model of single trigger finger release (TFR) surgery, a hypothesis was made that WALANT would result in decreased hospital time and cost than patients receiving sedation with monitored anesthetic care (MAC). METHODS: Consecutive cases of single TFR surgery with MAC were compared with WALANT. All surgeries were performed in the same manner, at the same facility, and by the same surgeon. Total operating room (OR) time, surgical time, recovery time, and anesthesia costs were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 78 patients: 31 MAC and 47 WALANT. The MAC group averaged 27.2 minutes of OR time; the WALANT group averaged 25.2 minutes. The MAC group surgical time was 10.2 minutes versus WALANT of 10.4 minutes. Post-operatively, the MAC group averaged 72.3 minutes in the recovery room compared with WALANT group of 30.2 minutes. Each case performed under MAC had a minimum of excess charges from anesthesia of approximately $105. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing single TFR surgery under WALANT trended toward less time in the OR, had similar surgical times, and spent significantly less time in the recovery room, compared with MAC, thereby resulting in less indirect costs. Each MAC case also had minimum direct excess anesthesia charges of $105, which knowingly underestimates overall charges as it excludes material and fixed costs associated with the delivery of anesthesia. Avoiding sedation for high-volume procedures such as TFR may result in significant systemic savings to payers, and in the future with bundling and episode-based payments can become increasingly important to patients, facilities, and surgeons.

Prospective Evaluation of Opioid Consumption Following Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery.

Background: Postoperative pain management and opioid consumption following carpal tunnel release (CTR) surgery may be influenced by many variables. To understand factors affecting opioid consumption, a prospective study was undertaken with the hypothesis that CTR performed under local anesthesia (wide awake local anesthesia with no tourniquet [WALANT]) would result in increased opioid consumption postoperatively compared with cases performed under sedation. Methods: All patients undergoing open CTR surgery were consecutively enrolled over a 6-month period. Information collected included patient demographics, surgical technique, amount and type of narcotic prescribed, number of pills taken, and type of anesthesia. Results: 277 patients were enrolled (56% women, 44% men). On average, 21 pills were prescribed, and 4.3 pills (median = 2) were consumed. There was no difference in consumption between patients who received WALANT (78 cases) versus (198 cases) sedation (4.9 vs 3.9 pills, respectively) (P = .22). There was no difference in opioid consumption based on insurance type (P = .47) or type of narcotic (P = .85). However, more men consumed no opioids (47%) compared with women (36%) (P < .05) and older patients consumed less than younger patients (P < .05). Conclusions: Opioid consumption following CTR is more influenced by age and gender, and less influenced by anesthesia type, insurance type, or the type of opioid prescribed. Many more opioids were prescribed than needed, on an average of 5:1. Many patients, particularly older patients, do not require any opioid analgesia after CTR.

Economic Analysis of Bisphosphonate Use after Distal Radius Fracture for Prevention of Hip Fracture.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a common condition among the elderly population, and is associated with an increased risk of fracture. One of the most common fragility fractures involve the distal radius, and are associated with risk of subsequent fragility fracture. Early treatment with bisphosphonates has been suggested to decrease the population hip fracture burden. However, there have been no prior economic evaluations of the routine treatment of distal radius fracture patients with bisphosphonates, or the implications on hip fracture rate reduction. METHODS: Age specific distal radius fracture incidence, age specific hip fracture rates after distal radius fracture with and without risendronate treatment, cost of risendronate treatment, risk of atypical femur fracture with bisphosphonate treatment, and cost of hip fracture treatment were obtained from the literature. A unique stochastic Markov chain decision tree model was constructed from derived estimates. The results were evaluated with comparative statistics, and a one-way threshold analysis performed to identify the break-even cost of bisphosphonate treatment. RESULTS: Routine treatment of the current population of all women over the age of 65 suffering a distal radius fracture with bisphosphonates would avoid 94,888 lifetime hip fractures at the cost of 19,464 atypical femur fractures and $19,502,834,240, or on average $2,186,617,527 annually, which translates to costs of $205,534 per hip fracture avoided. The breakeven price point of annual bisphosphonate therapy after distal radius fracture for prevention of hip fractures would be approximately $70 for therapy annually. CONCLUSION: Routine treatment of all women over 65 suffering distal radius fracture with bisphosphonates would result in a significant reduction in the overall hip fracture burden, however at a substantial cost of over a $2 billion dollars annually. To optimize efficiency of treatment either patients may be selectively treated, or the cost of annual bisphosphonate treatment should be reduced to cost-effective margins.

Reduction of medication costs after detoxification for medication-overuse headache.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether detoxifying patients with medication-overuse headache can reduce long-term medication costs. BACKGROUND: Direct costs of medications in medication-overuse headache have been reported to be very high but have never been calculated on the basis of exact register data. Long-term economic savings obtained by detoxification have never been investigated. METHODS: We conducted a registry-based observational retrospective follow-up study on 336 medication-overuse headache patients treated and discharged from the Danish Headache Center over a 2-year period. By means of the Danish Register of Medicinal Product Statistics, we collected information on the costs and use of prescription-only medication 1 year before admission and 1 year after discharge from Danish Headache Center. RESULTS: The average medication costs per patient per year decreased with 24%, from US$971 before treatment to US$737 after (P = .001), and the average medication use decreased with 14.4% (P = .02). Savings were most pronounced for patients overusing triptans. In this group, the average medication costs per patient per year decreased with 43% (P < .001), while the average triptan use decreased with 38% (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that detoxification of medication-overuse headache at a tertiary headache center has a long-lasting effect on the medication costs and use, in particular among patients overusing triptans. The results may not be generalizable to all countries and may be sensitive to the costs of triptans.

Ultrasound as a first-line test in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recommends that surgeons obtain a confirmatory test in patients for whom carpal tunnel surgery is being considered. The AAOS, however, does not specify a preferred test. Ultrasound reportedly causes less patient discomfort and takes less time to perform, while maintaining comparable sensitivity and specificity to electrodiagnostic testing (EDX). QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We determined whether ultrasound as a first-line diagnostic test is more cost-effective than using EDX alone or using ultrasound alone: (1) when used by a general practitioner; and (2) when used by a specialist. METHODS: A fictional population of patients was created and each patient was randomly assigned a probability of having true-positive, false-positive, true-negative, and true-positive ultrasound and EDX tests over an expected range of sensitivity and specificity values using Monte Carlo methods. Charges were assigned based on Medicare charges for diagnostic tests and estimates of missed time from work. RESULTS: The average charge for the use of ultrasound as a first-line diagnostic test followed by EDX for confirmation of a negative ultrasound test was $562.90 per patient in the general practitioner scenario and $369.50 per patient in the specialist scenario, compared with $400.30 and $428.30 for EDX alone, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The use of diagnostic ultrasound as a first-line test for confirmation of a clinical diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome is a more cost-effective strategy in the specialist population and results in improved false-negative rates in the generalist population despite increased cost. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, economic and decision analyses. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

MULTIPRED: a computational system for prediction of promiscuous HLA binding peptides.

MULTIPRED is a web-based computational system for the prediction of peptide binding to multiple molecules (proteins) belonging to human leukocyte antigens (HLA) class I A2, A3 and class II DR supertypes. It uses hidden Markov models and artificial neural network methods as predictive engines. A novel data representation method enables MULTIPRED to predict peptides that promiscuously bind multiple HLA alleles within one HLA supertype. Extensive testing was performed for validation of the prediction models. Testing results show that MULTIPRED is both sensitive and specific and it has good predictive ability (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve A(ROC) > 0.80). MULTIPRED can be used for the mapping of promiscuous T-cell epitopes as well as the regions of high concentration of these targets--termed T-cell epitope hotspots. MULTIPRED is available at http://antigen.i2r.a-star.edu.sg/multipred/.