Impact of malnutrition and nutrition support in hospitalised patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is prevalent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and has been associated with worse clinical outcomes. AIMS: This observational study examines trends in protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) amongst hospitalised IBD and non-IBD patients, and the association between (1) malnutrition and (2) nutrition support and hospitalisation outcomes. METHODS: We queried the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2010 to 2018 for hospitalisations with and without IBD. Amongst patients with IBD and concurrent PCM, we identified those who received nutrition support. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan-Meier analyses evaluated the associations between PCM and nutrition support and readmission and mortality. Multiple linear regression described the association between compared variables and length of stay (LOS) and total hospitalisation costs. RESULTS: This study included 1,216,033 patients (1,820,023 hospitalisations) with Crohn's disease (CD), 832,931 patients (1,089,853 hospitalizations) with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 240,488,656 patients (321,220,427 hospitalisations) without IBD. Admitted IBD patients were 2.9-3.1 times more likely to have PCM than non-IBD patients. IBD patients with PCM had a higher risk of readmission and mortality, as well as longer LOS and higher hospitalisation costs. Nutrition support (parenteral and enteral) was associated with a reduced risk of readmission, but higher mortality increased LOS and higher total hospitalisation costs. CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition in hospitalised IBD patients remains an important contributor to readmission, mortality, LOS and healthcare costs. Providing nutrition support to IBD patients may reduce the risk of readmission. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of nutrition support amongst hospitalised IBD patients to optimise disease and healthcare outcomes.

Optimizing the nutrition support care model: Analysis of survey data.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is underrecognized and underdiagnosed, despite high prevalence rates and associated poor clinical outcomes. The involvement of clinical nutrition experts, especially physicians, in the care of high-risk patients with malnutrition remains low despite evidence demonstrating lower complication rates with nutrition support team (NST) management. To facilitate solutions, a survey was designed to elucidate the nature of NSTs and physician involvement and identify needs for novel nutrition support care models. METHODS: This survey assessed demographics of NSTs, factors contributing to the success of NSTs, elements of nutrition education, and other barriers to professional growth. RESULTS: Of 255 respondents, 235 complete surveys were analyzed. The geographic distribution of respondents correlated with population concentrations of the United States (r = 90.8%, p < .0001). Most responding physicians (46/57; 80.7%) reported being a member of NSTs, compared with 56.5% (88/156) of dietitians. Of those not practicing in NSTs (N = 81/235, 34.4%), 12.3% (10/81) reported an NST was previously present at their institution but had been disbanded. Regarding NSTs, financial concerns were common (115/235; 48.9%), followed by leadership (72/235; 30.6%), and healthcare professional (HCP) interest (55/235; 23.4%). A majority (173/235; 73.6%) of all respondents wanted additional training in nutrition but reported insufficient protected time, ability to travel, or support from administrators or other HCPs. CONCLUSION: Core actions resulting from this survey focused on formalizing physician roles, increasing interdisciplinary nutrition support expertise, utilizing cost-effective screening for malnutrition, and implementing intervention protocols. Additional actions included increasing funding for clinical practice, education, and research, all within an expanded portfolio of pragmatic nutrition support care models.

Modern Challenges to Gastrointestinal Nutrition Physicians and the Nutrition Support Team: Cautionary Tales and Call to Action.

The current climate of healthcare economics in the United States has imposed unprecedented market stressors on health institutions traditionally providing tertiary care to those with the most challenging healthcare needs. In such a stressed financial atmosphere, administrators look to streamline costs and cut margins as tightly as possible. This often results in restructuring, consolidating, or closing service lines that are perceived as unprofitable or unsupportable. Nutrition support often falls into this category because of few sources of direct revenue-generating activities and poor reimbursement from third-party payers. This article discusses the challenges to modern nutrition support teams, particularly those with gastroenterologists as physician leaders, and delineates market forces that need shifting to continue to make this a viable part of the healthcare system.

Reduction in Hospitalizations for Esophageal Reflux in a Decade with Minimal Increases in Other Functional and Motor Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Functional and motility disorders (FMDs) are common conditions that cause significant morbidity and economic loss. A comprehensive analysis of these disorders and their impact has not been done in an inpatient setting. AIMS: We seek to evaluate adult hospitalization trends for FMDs in the USA. METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample between 2005 and 2014 was analyzed. Poisson regression was used to assess hospitalization trends for FMDs referenced to non-FMD hospitalizations. Linear regression was used to assess cost per hospitalization and length of stay (LOS). All models were adjusted for age, sex, primary insurance, and Charlson comorbidity index. RESULTS: Hospitalizations with FMDs as the primary diagnosis fell by an adjusted 2.46%/year over the study period (p < 0.001). The entirety of this reduction was explained by falling admissions for gastroesophageal reflux (adjusted reduction of 7.04%/year, p < 0.001). The hospitalization rate for all other FMDs (excluding gastroesophageal reflux) minimally increased by 0.75%/year (p = 0.001). Total cost of care for FMD hospitalizations remained relatively stable ($3.17 billion in 2014), while increasing for all other hospitalizations. Mean LOS for FMD hospitalization increased by an adjusted 0.025 days/year, but decreased by 0.038 days/year for all other hospitalizations (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The hospitalization rate for gastroesophageal reflux fell between 2005 and 2014, but remained relatively stable to increase for all other FMDs. These trends may be due to increased proton pump inhibitor use, better patient/provider education, emphasis on outpatient management, and/or coding bias.

Depression and Health Care Use in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

BACKGROUND: Depression frequently co-occurs in patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] and is a driver in health care costs and use. AIM: This study examined the associations between depression and total health care costs, emergency department [ED] visits, computed tomography [CT] during ED/inpatient visits, and IBD-related surgery among IBD patients. METHODS: Our sample included 331772 IBD patients from a national administrative claims database [Truven Health MarketScan® Database]. Gamma and Poisson regression analyses assessed differences related to depression, controlling for key variables. RESULTS: Approximately 16% of the IBD cohort was classified as having depression. Depression was associated with a $17,706 (95% confidence interval [CI] [$16,892, 18,521]) increase in mean annual IBD-related health care costs and an increased incidence of ED visits (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] of 1.5; 95% CI [1.5, 1.6]). Among patients who had one or more ED/inpatient visits, depression was associated with an increased probability of receiving repeated CT [one to four scans, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] of 1.6; 95% CI [1.5, 1.7]; five or more scans, aOR of 4.6; 95% CI [2.9, 7.3]) and increased odds of undergoing an IBD-related surgery (aOR of 1.2; 95% CI [1.1, 1.2]). Secondary analysis with a paediatric subsample revealed that approximately 12% of this cohort was classified as having depression, and depression was associated with increased costs and incidence rates of ED visits and CT, but not of IBD-related surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Quantifiable differences in health care costs and patterns of use exist among patients with IBD and depression. Integration of mental health services within IBD care may improve overall health outcomes and costs of care.

Message in a bottle: decoding medication injury patterns in the gastrointestinal tract.

Medication injury in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is a rapidly evolving topic. Increasing endoscopy together with an ageing population, polypharmacy, and a burgeoning drug industry offer heightened opportunities to observe the unintended side effects of therapeutic ingestants. In this review, we emphasise the most commonly encountered medication injuries involving the GIT, as well as emerging agents and mimics. While topics are organised by organ system, the reader should keep in mind that injury patterns are generally not site-specific. As such, awareness of these major morphologic patterns can be translated to multiple tissue sites to more broadly facilitate the diagnostic process.