Evaluation of Potential Racial Disparities in CYP2C19-Guided P2Y12 Inhibitor Prescribing After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Black patients suffer worse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) than White patients. Inequities in antiplatelet prescribing may contribute to this health disparity. We compared P2Y12 inhibitor prescribing by race following CYP2C19 genotyping to guide antiplatelet therapy selection after PCI. Patients from 9 sites that performed clinical CYP2C19 genotyping after PCI were included. Alternative therapy (e.g., prasugrel or ticagrelor) was recommended for CYP2C19 no-function allele carriers, in whom clopidogrel is predicted to be less effective. The primary outcome was choice of P2Y12 inhibitor (clopidogrel vs. alternative therapy) based on genotype. Of 3,342 patients included, 2,448 (73%) were White, and 659 (20%) were Black. More Black than White patients had a no-function allele (34.3% vs. 29.7%, P = 0.024). At hospital discharge following PCI, 44.2% of Black and 44.0% of White no-function allele carriers were prescribed alternative therapy. At the time of the last follow-up within 12 months, numerically fewer Black (51.8%) than White (56.7%) no-function allele carriers were prescribed alternative therapy (P = 0.190). However, the difference was not significant after accounting for other factors associated with P2Y12 inhibitor selection (odds ratio 0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.58-1.08). Alternative therapy use did not differ between Black (14.3%) and White (16.7%) patients without a no-function allele (P = 0.232). Among real-world patients who received CYP2C19 testing after PCI, P2Y12 inhibitor prescribing rates did not differ between Black and White patients. Our data suggest an absence of racial disparity in genotype-guided antiplatelet prescribing among patients receiving CYP2C19 testing.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Developmental Service Delivery in Children With a History of Neonatal Seizures.

BACKGROUND: Children with a history of acute provoked neonatal seizures are at high risk for disability, often requiring developmental services. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to widespread changes in how health care is delivered. Our objective was to determine the magnitude of service interruption of among children born between October 2014 and December 2017 and enrolled in the Neonatal Seizure Registry (NSR), a nine-center collaborative of pediatric centers in the United States. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study of children with acute provoked seizures with onset ≤44 weeks' gestation and evaluated at age three to six years. Parents of children enrolled in the NSR completed a survey about their child's access to developmental services between June 2020 and April 2021. RESULTS: Among 144 children enrolled, 72 children (50%) were receiving developmental services at the time of assessment. Children receiving services were more likely to be male, born preterm, and have seizure etiology of infection or ischemic stroke. Of these children, 64 (89%) experienced a disruption in developmental services due to the pandemic, with the majority of families (n = 47, 73%) reporting that in-person services were no longer available. CONCLUSIONS: Half of children with acute provoked neonatal seizures were receiving developmental services at ages three to six years. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread changes in delivery of developmental services. Disruptions in services have the potential to impact long-term outcomes for children who rely on specialized care programs to optimize mobility and learning.

Cost of Unnecessary Testing in the Evaluation of Pediatric Syncope.

Syncope is a common and a typically benign clinical problem in children and adolescents. The majority of tests ordered in otherwise healthy pediatric patients presenting with syncope have low diagnostic yield. This study quantifies testing and corresponding patient charges in a group of pediatric patients presenting for outpatient evaluation for syncope. Patients seen between 3/2011 and 4/2013 in the multi-disciplinary Syncope Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center were enrolled in a registry which was reviewed for patient information. The electronic medical record was used to determine which syncope patients underwent cardiac (electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, or exercise testing) or neurologic (head CT/MRI or electroencephalogram) testing within the interval from 3 months before to 3 months after the Syncope Clinic visit. Testing charges were obtained through hospital billing records. 442 patients were included for analysis; 91% were Caucasian; 65.6% were female; median age was 15.1 years (8.1-21.2 years). Cardiac and neurologic testing was common in this population. While some testing was performed during the Syncope Clinic visit, 46% of the testing occurred before or after the visit. A total of $1.1 million was charged to payers for cardiac and neurological testing with an average total charge of $2488 per patient. Despite the typically benign etiology of pediatric syncope, patients often have expensive and unnecessary cardiac and/or neurologic testing. Reducing or eliminating this unnecessary testing could have a significant impact on healthcare costs, especially as the economics of healthcare shift to more capitated systems.