Impact of ambient air pollution and socio-environmental factors on the health of children younger than 5 years in India: a population-based analysis.

Background: Ambient air pollution and household environmental factors affect child health, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. This study aimed to investigate the association between ambient air pollution (PM2·5) levels, socio-environmental factors (including household wealth, housing quality measures, smoking status), and the occurrence of respiratory illness in Indian children. Methods: In this retrospective and observational study, we analysed data from India's National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-2021) combined with NASA's Global Annual PM2·5 Grids database. Bivariate and multivariable generalized additive models were employed to examine associations between key social-environmental factors and respiratory illness in children younger than 5 years. Findings: We analysed data from 224,214 children younger than 5 years, representing 165,561 families from 29,757 geographic clusters. Our results showed extremely high annual PM2·5 levels throughout India (median 63·4·g/m3, IQR 41·9-81·6), with higher exposure for rural and impoverished families. In bivariate analyses, PM2·5 was significantly associated with reported respiratory illness (p < 0·001). Using generalized additive models and after accounting for key social and environmental factors, a monotonic increasing and non-linear relationship was observed between PM2·5 and respiratory illness (p < 0·001), with increased likelihood of illness observed even at values near and below India's National Ambient Air Quality Standards of 40 µg/m3. Interpretation: The study highlights the significant association of social-environmental conditions with health outcomes among young children in India. Efforts specifically targeting ambient air pollution and child health during monsoon season could have significant health benefits among this population and help achieve the goal of ending preventable deaths of children younger than 5 years. Funding: National Institutes of Health (NIH T-32-HL139443-3).

Bridging the Divide: Unintended Consequences of the Shift to Home-Based Telemedicine.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact on health care access of the change in telemedicine delivery from a clinic-based model, in which patients connect with their healthcare provider from local telemedicine clinics, to a home-based model, in which patients independently connect from their homes. STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective analysis, we compared relative uptake in telemedicine services in Period 1 (01/01/2019 to 03/15/2020, prepandemic, clinic-based model) vs Period 2 (03/16/2020 to 06/30/2022, home-based model) within a tertiary pediatric hospital system. Using multivariable logistic regression, we investigated the influence of telemedicine delivery model on patient sociodemographic characteristics of completed telemedicine visits. RESULTS: We analyzed 400 539 patients with 1 406 961 completed outpatient encounters (52% White, 35% Black), of which 62 920 (4.5%) were telemedicine. In the clinic-based model (Period 1), underserved populations had greater likelihoods of accessing telemedicine: Hispanic ethnicity (OR = 1.41, P = .028) vs reference group non-Hispanic, Medicaid (OR = 2.62, P < .001) vs private insurance, and low-income neighborhood (OR = 3.40, P < .001) vs medium-income. In aggregate, telemedicine utilization rapidly increased from Period 1 (1.5 encounters/day) to Period 2 (107.9 encounters/day). However, underserved populations saw less relative increase (Medicaid [OR = 0.28, P < .001], Hispanic [OR = 0.53, P < .001], low-income [OR = 0.23, P < .001]). CONCLUSIONS: We observe that the clinic-based model offers more equitable access, while the home-based model offers more absolute access, suggesting that a hybrid model that offers both home-based and clinic-based services may result in more absolute and equitable access to telemedicine.

Multiphase preclinical assessment of a novel device to locate unintentionally retained surgical sharps: a proof-of-concept study.

BACKGROUND: Retained surgical sharps (RSS) is a "never event" that is preventable but may still occur despite of correct count and negative X-ray. This study assesses the feasibility of a novel device ("Melzi Sharps Finder®" or MSF) in effective detection of RSS. METHODS: The first study consisted of determination of the presence of RSS or identification of RSS in an ex-vivo model (a container with hay in a laparoscopic trainer box). The second study consisted of determining presence of RSS in an in-vivo model (laparoscopy in live adult Yorkshire pigs) with 3 groups: C-arm, C-arm with MSF and MSF. The third study used similar apparatus though with laparotomy and included 2 groups: manual search and MSF. RESULTS: In the first study, the MSF group had a higher rate of identification of a needle and decreased time to locate a needle versus control (98.1% vs. 22.0%, p < 0.001; 1.64 min ± 1.12vs. 3.34 min ± 1.28, p < 0.001). It also had increased accuracy of determining the presence of a needle and decreased time to reach this decision (100% vs. 58.8%, p < 0.001; 1.69 min ± 1.43 vs. 4.89 min ± 0.63, p < 0.001). In-the second study, the accuracy of determining the presence of a needle and time to reach this decision were comparable in each group (88.9% vs. 100% vs. 84.5%, p < 0.49; 2.2 min ± 2.2 vs. 2.7 min ± 2.1vs. 2.8 min ± 1.7, p = 0.68). In the third study, MSF group had higher accuracy in determining the presence of a needle and decreased time to reach this decision than the control (97.0% vs. 46.7%, p < 0.001; 2.0 min ± 1.5 vs. 3.9 min ± 1.4; p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that MSF use was independently associated with an accurate determination of the presence of a needle (OR 12.1, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of MSF in this study's RSS models facilitated the determination of presence and localization of RSS as shown by the increased rate of identification of a needle, decreased time to identification and higher accuracy in determining the presence of a needle. This device may be used in conjunction with radiography as it gives live visual and auditory feedback for users during the search for RSS.

Disparities in access to health care in adults with sinusitis in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Sinusitis can significantly decrease quality of life, is costly in both health care expenditure and lost productivity, and can lead to complications if treatment is delayed. Our objective was to explore disparities in health care access among adults with sinusitis based on sociodemographic factors. METHODS: A total of 32,994 participants (representing 244,838,261 US adults) who completed the 2016 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were analyzed, of whom 12.17% were diagnosed with sinusitis at least once in the prior 12 months. Multivariate regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: In regression analyses, female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.00 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.79-2.24]; p < 0.001) and older age groups were associated with increased odds of having sinusitis. Within the sinusitis cohort, Asian race (OR, 5.97 [95% CI, 1.61-22.12]; p = 0.008) and Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 6.97 [95% CI, 3.22-15.06]; p < 0.001) were associated with increased odds of obtaining foreign medications. Individuals with Medicaid had decreased odds of delaying care (OR, 0.37 [95% CI, 0.25-0.56]; p < 0.001) or not receiving care due to cost (OR, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.24-0.65]; p < 0.001), but increased odds of delaying care due to transportation barriers (OR, 4.64 [95% CI, 2.52-8.55]; p < 0.001). Uninsured individuals had higher odds for delaying care (OR, 4.97 [95% CI, 3.35-7.38]; p < 0.001) and not receiving care (OR, 5.46 [95% CI, 3.56-8.38]; p < 0.001) due to cost. Income >$100,000 was associated with a nearly 90% reduction in inability to obtain care due to cost (OR, 0.11 [95% CI, 0.05-0.21]; p < 0.001) and an over 99% reduction in inability to obtain care due to transportation issues compared with income < $35,000 (OR, 0.01 [95% CI, 0.00-0.04]; p< 0.001). CONCLUSION: Significant disparities in health care access based on race, health insurance status, and income exist among adults with sinusitis in the United States.

AIM (Angular Indication Measurement)- Visual Acuity: An adaptive, self-administered, and generalizable vision assessment method used to measure visual acuity.

This proof-of-concept study introduces Angular Indication Measurement and applies it to VA (AIM-VA). First, we compared the ability of AIM-VA and ETDRS to detect defocus and astigmatic blur in 22 normally-sighted adults. Spherical and cylindrical lenses (±0.00D, +0.25D, +0.50D, +0.75D, +1.00D, +2.00D and +0.50D, +1.00D, +2.00D each at 0°, 90°, 135°, respectively) in the dominant eye induced blur. Second, we compared repeatability over two tests of AIM-VA and ETDRS. A 2-way-ANOVA showed a main effect for defocus-blur and test with no interaction. A 3-way-ANOVA for the astigmatism experiment revealed main effects for test type, blur, and direction and with no interactions. Planned multiple comparisons showed AIM had greater astigmatic-induced VA loss than ETDRS. Bland-Altman plots showed small bias and no systematic learning effect for either test type and improved repeatability with >2 adaptive steps for AIM-VA. AIM-VA's ability to detect defocus was comparable with that of an ETDRS letter chart and showed greater sensitivity to astigmatic blur, and AIM-VA's repeatability is comparable with ETDRS when using 2 or more adaptive steps. AIM's self-administered orientation judgment approach is generalizable to interrogate other visual functions, e.g., contrast, color, motion, stereo-vision.

Pathophysiology, emerging techniques for the assessment and novel treatment of aortic stenosis.

Our perspectives on aortic stenosis (AS) are changing. Evolving from the traditional thought of a passive degenerative disease, developing a greater understanding of the condition's mechanistic underpinning has shifted the paradigm to an active disease process. This advancement from the 'wear and tear' model is a result of the growing economic and health burden of AS, particularly within industrialised countries, prompting further research. The pathophysiology of calcific AS (CAS) is complex, yet can be characterised similarly to that of atherosclerosis. Progressive remodelling involves lipid-protein complexes, with lipoprotein(a) being of particular interest for diagnostics and potential future treatment options.There is an unmet clinical need for asymptomatic patient management; no pharmacotherapies are proven to slow progression and intervention timing varies. Novel approaches are developing to address this through: (1) screening with circulating biomarkers; (2) development of drugs to slow disease progression and (3) early valve intervention guided by medical imaging. Existing biomarkers (troponin and brain natriuretic peptide) are non-specific, but cost-effective predictors of ventricular dysfunction. In addition, their integration with cardiovascular MRI can provide accurate risk stratification, aiding aortic valve replacement decision making. Currently, invasive intervention is the only treatment for AS. In comparison, the development of lipoprotein(a) lowering therapies could provide an alternative; slowing progression of CAS, preventing left ventricular dysfunction and reducing reliance on surgical intervention.The landscape of AS management is rapidly evolving. This review outlines current understanding of the pathophysiology of AS, its management and future perspectives for the condition's assessment and treatment.

Reimbursement Trends in Pediatric Otolaryngology From 2000 to 2020: A CMS Physician Fee Schedule Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the financial trends in Medicare reimbursement rates for the most billed procedures at a single institution from 2000 to 2020 within pediatric otolaryngology. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective data analysis. SETTING: United States. METHODS: The most billed surgical and in-office procedures in pediatric otolaryngology at our institution were identified in the Physician Fee Schedule Look-up Tool from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to extract reimbursement data for each CPT code (Current Procedural Terminology). Monetary data were adjusted for inflation to 2020 US dollars per the changes to the consumer price index. Mean annual and total percentage changes in reimbursement were calculated by the adjusted values for all included procedures (N = 25). RESULTS: From 2000 to 2020, without adjusting for inflation, reimbursement for the most billed procedures increased by 10.9%, while the allocated relative value unit per procedure increased by 15.4%. However, when adjusted for inflation, reimbursement for these procedures decreased by 27.5% over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings identify a downward trend in reimbursement for the most billed procedures in pediatric otolaryngology at our institution. Given the low predominance of pediatric otolaryngology codes within Medicare reimbursement, these codes are rarely reviewed for accurate revaluation. It is imperative that our professional society remain active and engaged within this process to ensure quality delivery of care to our patients.

Anterior cruciate ligament foot plate anatomy: 3-dimensional and 2-dimensional MRI evaluation with arthroscopy assessment in a subset of patients.

OBJECTIVES: ACL reconstruction tunnel location is an important predictor for outcomes after surgery. The aim was to establish 3D and 2D MRI radiological measurements for native ACL tibial footprint that can provide information to facilitate pre-operative planning for anatomical graft placement. The measurements were also correlated in a subset of patients on arthroscopy. METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of a consecutive series of knee MRIs with both 2D and 3D MR imaging was performed in 101 patients with 43 men and 66 women and ages 39.5 ± 11.9 years. Two measurements were obtained, tibial to ACL and intermeniscal ligament to ACL (T-ACL) and (IM-ACL), respectively. In a cohort of 18 patients who underwent knee arthroscopy, the T-ACL and IML-ACL distances were also determined by an orthopedic surgeon using a standard scale. ICC, Pearson correlation, and Bland-Altman plot were generated. RESULTS: For readers 1 and 2, the mean differences between 2D and 3D measurements of T-ACL and IM-ACL were 1.17 and 1.03 mm and 0.65 and 0.65 mm, respectively. The 2D measurements of T-ACL and IM-ACL were larger than the 3D measurements for both readers. The inter-reader reliability was excellent on 2D (0.81-0.96) and fair to excellent on 3D MRI (0.59-0.90). The mean arthroscopic IML-ACL was closer to that of 3D MRI compared to 2D MRI. The mean arthroscopic T-ACL was closer to 2D MRI than 3D MRI. CONCLUSIONS: Both 2D and 3D MRI show inter-reader reliability with small inter-modality mean differences in the measurements from the tibial or inter-meniscal ligament margins. KEY POINTS: • The mean differences between 2D and 3D measurements of tibia-ACL and intermeniscal ligament-ACL are small (< 1.2 mm). • As compared to arthroscopy, the mean T-ACL and IML-ACL were closer to measurements from 2D and 3D MRI, respectively. • Both 2D and 3D MRI can be reliably used to delineate ACL foot plate anatomy.

Nationwide disparities in transportation related delays to care experienced by children with frequent ear infections.

BACKGROUND: Acute otitis media (AOM), or ear infection, is the most common reason for pediatric medical visits in the United States [1]. Additionally, transportation barriers are a significant driver of missed and delayed care across medical specialties [2,3]. Yet, the role of transportation barriers in impeding access for children with frequent ear infections (FEI) has not been investigated. Assessing the prevalence of transportation barriers across sociodemographic groups may help clinicians improve outcomes for children with FEI. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the U.S. National Health Interview Survey was completed to examine associations between sociodemographic characteristics among children with FEI and transportations barriers to seeking care between 2011 and 2018. RESULTS: Multivariable logistic regression found that income level, insurance status, and health status were linked to disparities in transportation barriers among children with FEI. Those in the middle (aOR 3.00, 95% CI 1.77-5.08, p < 0.001) and lowest income brackets (aOR 6.33, 95% CI 3.80, p < 0.001), who were publicly insured (aOR 3.24, 95% CI 2.00-5.23, p < 0.001) or uninsured (aOR 3.46, 95% CI 1.84-6.51, p < 0.001), and with Poor to Fair health status were more likely to face transportation delays than patients who were in the highest income bracket, privately insured, or had Good to Excellent health status. CONCLUSION: Children with FEI from families that were lower-income, less insured, and less healthy faced more transportation barriers when accessing care than their counterparts. Future interventions to improve health-related transportation should be targeted toward these patient subgroups to reduce gaps in outcomes.

Assessment of systemic and gastrointestinal tissue damage biomarkers for GVHD risk stratification.

We used a rigorous PRoBE (prospective-specimen collection, retrospective-blinded-evaluation) study design to compare the ability of biomarkers of systemic inflammation and biomarkers of gastrointestinal (GI) tissue damage to predict response to corticosteroid treatment, the incidence of clinically severe disease, 6-month nonrelapse mortality (NRM), and overall survival in patients with acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We prospectively collected serum samples of newly diagnosed GVHD patients (n = 730) from 19 centers, divided them into training (n = 352) and validation (n = 378) cohorts, and measured TNFR1, TIM3, IL6, ST2, and REG3α via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Performances of the 4 strongest algorithms from the training cohort (TNFR1 + TIM3, TNFR1 + ST2, TNFR1 + REG3α, and ST2 + REG3α) were evaluated in the validation cohort. The algorithm that included only biomarkers of systemic inflammation (TNFR1 + TIM3) had a significantly smaller area under the curve (AUC; 0.57) than the AUCs of algorithms that contained ≥1 GI damage biomarker (TNFR1 + ST2, 0.70; TNFR1 + REG3α, 0.73; ST2 + REG3α, 0.79; all P < .001). All 4 algorithms were able to predict short-term outcomes such as response to systemic corticosteroids and severe GVHD, but the inclusion of a GI damage biomarker was needed to predict long-term outcomes such as 6-month NRM and survival. The algorithm that included 2 GI damage biomarkers was the most accurate of the 4 algorithms for all endpoints.

The Cost of Return to Play Protocols in Collegiate Athletes Recovering from Coronavirus Disease 2019.

INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) can result in myocarditis. Protocols were developed to allow competitive athletes to safely return to play (RTP) after a COVID-19 infection, but the financial impact of these protocols is unknown. Our objective was to determine the differential cost of post-COVID-19 RTP protocols for competitive collegiate athletes. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study of clinical evaluation of 295 athletes after COVID-19 infection was performed at four institutions with three RTP protocols. Costs were calculated using adjusted Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services pricing. All athletes underwent electrocardiogram and clinical evaluation. A tiered approach performed cardiac imaging and biomarker analysis for major symptoms. A universal transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) approach performed TTE and biomarkers for all athletes. A universal exercise stress echocardiogram (ESE) approach performed ESE and biomarkers for all athletes. RESULTS: The cost per athlete was $632.51 ± 651.80 ($44,908 total) in tiered group (n = 71), $1,072.30 ± 517.93 ($87,928 total) in the universal TTE group (n = 82), and $1357.38 ± 757.05 ($192,748 total) in the universal ESE group (n = 142) (P < 0.001). Extrapolated national costs for collegiate athletes would be $39 to 64 million higher for universal imaging approaches versus a tiered approach. Only seven athletes had probable/possible myocarditis with no significant difference between approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac screening in collegiate athletes after COVID-19 infection resulted in significant cost to the health care system. A tiered-based approach was more economical, and a universal exercise echocardiogram group detected slightly more myocardial abnormalities by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The clinical consequences of these approaches are unknown.

Frequency, Trends, and Outcomes of Cerebrovascular Events Associated With Atrial Fibrillation Hospitalizations.

The main objective is to estimate the frequency, temporal trends, and outcomes of cerebrovascular events associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) hospitalization in the United States. The national inpatient sample data was utilized to identify hospitalizations with a primary or secondary diagnosis of AF from January 1, 2005 through September 31, 2015 for the present analysis. Jonckheere-Terpstra Trend was utilized to analyze trends from 2005 to 2015. Global Wald score was used to assess relative contributions of various covariates towards stroke among AF hospitalizations. Between the years 2005 and 2015, there were 36,457,323 (95.2%) AF hospitalizations without cerebrovascular events and 1,824,608 (4.8%) with cerebrovascular events included in the final analysis. There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of overall stroke, AIS, and AHS (ptrend value <0.001) per 1,000 AF hospitalizations. The frequency of stroke per 1,000 AF hospitalizations was highest among patients with CHA2DS2VASc score ≥3 and Charlson's comorbidity index ≥3. The trend of in-hospital mortality decreased during the study period, however, it remained higher in those with cerebrovascular events compared to those without. Lastly, hypertension, advancing age, and chronic lung disease were major stroke predicting factors among AF hospitalizations. These cerebrovascular events were associated with longer length of stay and higher costs. In conclusion, the incidence of cerebrovascular events associated with AF hospitalizations remained significantly high and the trend continues to ascend despite technological advancements. Strategies should improve to reduce the risk of AF-related stroke in the United States.

Utilizing time-driven activity-based costing to determine open radical cystectomy and ileal conduit surgical episode cost drivers.

OBJECTIVES: Patients undergoing radical cystectomy represent a particularly resource-intensive patient population. Time-driven activity based costing (TDABC) assigns time to events and then costs are based on the people involved in providing care for specific events. To determine the major cost drivers of radical cystectomy care we used a TDABC analysis for the cystectomy care pathway. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a random sample of 100 patients out of 717 eligible patients undergoing open radical cystectomy and ileal conduit for bladder cancer at our institution between 2012 and 2015. We defined the cycle of care as beginning at the preoperative clinic visit and ending with the 90-day postoperative clinic visit. TDABC was carried out with construction of detailed process maps. Capacity cost rates were calculated and the care cycle was divided into 3 phases: surgical, inpatient, and readmissions. Costs were normalized to the lowest cost driver within the cohort. RESULTS: The mean length of stay was 6.9 days. Total inpatient care was the main driver of cost for radical cystectomy making up 32% of the total costs. Inpatient costs were mainly driven by inpatient staff care (76%). Readmissions were responsible for 29% of costs. Surgery was 31% of the costs, with the majority derived from operating room staff costs (65%). CONCLUSION: The major driver of cost in a radical cystectomy pathway is the inpatient stay, closely followed by operating room costs. Surgical costs, inpatient care and readmissions all remain significant sources of expense for cystectomy and efforts to reduce cystectomy costs should be focused in these areas.

The cost-effectiveness of antibiotic-loaded bone cement versus plain bone cement following total and partial knee and hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative infection is one of the most prevalent complications following total joint arthroplasty (TJA). As such procedures become more prevalent, it is imperative that we develop new prophylactic methods to prevent the need for revision procedures. In recent years, surgeons have opted to use antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) rather than plain bone cement (PBC) in primary hip and knee replacements due to its theoretical potential of lowering infection rates. However, the cost-effectiveness of this intervention remains in question.Questions/Purposes: To determine the rate of infection and cost-effectiveness of antibiotic-loaded bone cement as compared to plain bone cement in hip and knee arthroplasty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed 4116 primary hip and knee arthroplasty cases performed between 2016 and 2018 at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. Data regarding demographics, complications, and any readmissions due to deep infection were collected retrospectively. During that time period there were a total of 4016 knee cases (423 ALBC, 3593 PBC) and 123 hip cases (63 ALBC, 60 PBC). The average cost for one bag of antibiotic-loaded bone cement and plain bone cement for hip and knee arthroplasty was $336.42 and $72.14, respectively. A statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test; the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surgical site infection guidelines were used to distinguish between superficial and deep infections. RESULTS: Ten patients were readmitted due to deep infection, all of whom had undergone total knee arthroplasty. Of those cases, plain bone cement was used for the index procedure in seven instances and antibiotic-loaded cement was used in three. This resulted in an infection rate of 0.19% and 0.62%, respectively, p = 0.103. There was no statistically significant difference in infection rates between the two groups. A total of 778 bags of ALBC were used in 423 knee surgeries, and 98 bags of ALBC were used in 63 hip cases. The total cost for ALBC in TKA and THA procedures was $261,734.76 (778*336.42) and $32,969.16 (98*336.42), respectively. If PBC had been used during all index procedures, it would have resulted in a total savings of $231,509.28. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic-loaded cement did not significantly reduce the rate of infection for either knee or hip arthroplasty. Thus, the routine use of antibiotic-loaded cement in primary hip and knee arthroplasty may be an unnecessary financial burden to the healthcare system. A larger sample size and a randomized controlled trial would help confirm our findings and would provide further information on the cost-effectiveness of ALBC cement versus PBC.Significance/Clinical Relevance: In this review of cases performed from 2016 to 2018 there was no statistically significant difference between the rate of infection and the need for revision surgeries for patients treated with ALBC versus PBC. As hospital systems continue to transition towards a bundled payment model, it becomes imperative for providers to reduce any unnecessary costs in order to increase quality and efficiency. We estimate that our hospital system could save nearly $120,000/year by using plain bone cement instead of antibiotic-loaded cement.

Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and financial burden in younger adults hospitalized with atrial fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: Atrial fibrillation is the most frequently occurring and studied arrhythmia. There is a limited data on young patients presenting with atrial fibrillation. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research article was to assess the trend of hospitalization, epidemiological characteristics and economic burden in the young adult, aged 18-45 years, presenting with atrial fibrillation. METHODS: Hospitalization data from the National Inpatient Sample between 2005 and 2015 were used to analyze prevalence of risk factors and financial burden in young adults with atrial fibrillation. RESULTS: From 2005 to 2015, a total of 260,080 admissions were included in the study. From 2005 to 2015, there was a decreasing trend of total admissions with atrial fibrillation among the age group of 18-45 years compared to total admissions due to atrial fibrillation and total population. However, there was an increasing trend of admission observed in young females, white and black population. The frequency of hypertension, diabetes and obesity among young adults admitted with atrial fibrillation nearly doubled from 2005 to 2015. There was also a marked increase in the frequency of obstructive sleep apnea, alcohol abuse and drug abuse among patients admitted with atrial fibrillation. Furthermore, there was an increase in the mean cost of hospitalization from $7363 in 2005 to $7924 in 2015, Ptrend < 0.001. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, increased cardiovascular risk factors among young adult with admissions for atrial fibrillation warrants controlling of the risk factors to further curtail hospitalizations.

Burden of arrhythmia in hospitalizations with opioid overdose.

BACKGROUND: Opioid overdose-related hospitalizations continue to rise in the United States. These hospitalizations are frequently associated with arrhythmia which can increase in-hospital mortality and resource utilization. We describe temporal trends in the hospitalizations for opioid overdose, associated arrhythmias, and their impact on in-hospital mortality, length of stay and cost of hospitalizations. The purpose of this study was to identify incidence of arrhythmia and their impact on in-hospital outcomes with opioid overdose hospitalizations. METHODS: The study utilized data from the National Inpatient Sample from January 2005 to September 2015. Previously employed International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes were utilized to identify opioid overdose and associated arrhythmias. The analysis was performed using SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Temporal trends were measured using Jonckheere-Terpstra Trend test. RESULTS: A total of 430,460 adult hospitalizations with opioid overdose were included in this study. Atrial fibrillation (N = 17,695, 4.1%) was the most frequent arrhythmia associated with opioid overdose, the trend of which increased significantly during the study period. All-cause in-hospital mortality increased substantially with arrhythmias, highest with ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. The incidence of arrhythmias was associated with longer length of stay and higher cost of hospitalizations as well. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of new-onset arrhythmia with opioid overdose lead to higher in-hospital mortality which can further increase the length of hospitalization and cost of care.

Comparison of Outcomes and Cost of Endovascular Management Versus Surgical Bypass for the Management of Lower Extremities Peripheral Arterial Disease.

The management of lower extremities peripheral arterial disease (LE-PAD) has always been debatable. We sought to explore in-hospital outcomes in hospitalizations that underwent endovascular or bypass surgery for LE-PAD from nation's largest, publicly available database. The National Inpatient Sample from 2012 to 2014 was queried to identify adult hospitalizations underwent endovascular management and bypass surgery for LE-PAD. Appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic and procedural codes were utilized to identify hospitalizations. A total of 89,256 hospitalizations were identified having endovascular management or bypass surgery for LE-PAD. More hospitalizations underwent endovascular intervention as compared with bypass surgery. Overall, hospitalizations for endovascular management had higher baseline co-morbidities and older age. A propensity score matched analysis was performed to compare in-hospital outcomes. After matching, 28,791 hospitalizations were included in each group. In-hospital mortality was significantly lower with endovascular intervention procedure as compared with surgical bypass group (1.5% vs 2.5%, p ≤0.001). All other secondary outcomes were noted lower with endovascular management except stroke and postprocedural infection. Taken together, these may account for higher discharges to home, lower length of stay, and less cost of hospitalizations associated with endovascular management. In conclusion, endovascular management is associated with lower in-hospital morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and cost when compared with bypass surgery in this study.

Comparison of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair Versus Surgical Mitral Valve Repair in Patients With Advanced Kidney Disease (from the National Inpatient Sample).

Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) is an emerging treatment modality that has been reserved for high-risk patients with multiple co-morbidities. We hypothesize that TMVR is a safe and effective procedure for patients with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation who are not surgical candidates. The National Inpatient Sample (2012 to 2014) using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification procedure codes 35.97 for TMVR and 35.12 for surgical mitral valve repair (SMVR) were used. Patients with chronic kidney disease stage IV, Stage V, and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were considered as patients with advanced kidney disease. A total of 2,123 patients were treated with SMVR and 74 patients were treated with TMVR. There were notably fewer patients treated with TMVR compared with patients treated with SMVR. The mean age was higher with the TMVR group (72.4 vs 61.7 years, p = <0.001). After performing multivariate regression analysis, the primary outcome of in-hospital mortality (13.8% vs 1.3%, adjusted p = 0.003) and all secondary outcomes, excluding dialysis requirement, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest, were significantly lower with the TMVR approach. The average length of stay was lower with TMVR compared with SMVR (22.8 vs 12.6 days, adjusted p = <0.001), with reduced in-hospital costs ($98,165 vs $52,646, adjusted p = <0.001). This large, national study suggests TMVR is associated with significantly lower in-patient morbidity and mortality, with significant cost savings in patients with advanced kidney disease compared with SMVR. Hence, TMVR could be a safe and effective alternative for patients with advanced kidney disease who are not surgical candidates.

Impact of sex on short term in-hospital outcomes with transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair with the mitraclip device for treatment of severe mitral regurgitation has been shown to be an effective treatment. However, the impact of sex on in-hospital outcomes has not been studied on a large scale with "real-world" patients. The aim of this study was to assess for disparities of sex in patients treated with mitraclip. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) (2012 through 2014) using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) procedure code 35.97 for transcatheter mitral valve repair was analyzed for this study. SAS 9.4 (SAS institute, Cary, NC) was used for univariate and multivariate analysis. Multivariate analysis was used to adjust for various confounders. RESULTS: A total of 521 patients were identified that were treated with MitraClip, with 57.97% males (n=302) and 42.03% females (n=219). There was no significant difference in the primary outcome, in-hospital mortality between two sex [2.6% vs. 3.6%, p=0.43, Odds Ratio 1.62 (95% Confidence Interval, 0.50-5.28)]. After performing multivariate analysis, no difference in any secondary outcomes existed. Additionally, length of stay and median hospitalization cost was similar regardless of sex. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of this large database of patients undergoing treatment with MitraClip suggests that MitraClip in females is not associated with increased in-hospital mortality, morbidity, length of stay or cost. A prospective registry with excluded patients from the clinical trials needed to be fully access if sex disparities in patients being treated with MitraClip exist.