Association of a Positive Drug Screening for Cannabis With Mortality and Hospital Visits Among Veterans Affairs Enrollees Prescribed Opioids.

Importance: Cannabis has been proposed as a therapeutic with potential opioid-sparing properties in chronic pain, and its use could theoretically be associated with decreased amounts of opioids used and decreased risk of mortality among individuals prescribed opioids. Objective: To examine the risks associated with cannabis use among adults prescribed opioid analgesic medications. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was conducted among individuals aged 18 years and older who had urine drug screening in 2014 to 2019 and received any prescription opioid in the prior 90 days or long-term opioid therapy (LTOT), defined as more than 84 days of the prior 90 days, through the Veterans Affairs health system. Data were analyzed from November 2020 through March 2022. Exposures: Biologically verified cannabis use from a urine drug screen. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were 90-day and 180-day all-cause mortality. A composite outcome of all-cause emergency department (ED) visits, all-cause hospitalization, or all-cause mortality was a secondary outcome. Weights based on the propensity score were used to reduce confounding, and hazard ratios [HRs] were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Analyses were conducted among the overall sample of patients who received any prescription opioid in the prior 90 days and were repeated among those who received LTOT. Analyses were repeated among adults aged 65 years and older. Results: Among 297 620 adults treated with opioids, 30 514 individuals used cannabis (mean [SE] age, 57.8 [10.5] years; 28 784 [94.3%] men) and 267 106 adults did not (mean [SE] age, 62.3 [12.3] years; P < .001; 247 684 [92.7%] men; P < .001). Among all patients, cannabis use was not associated with increased all-cause mortality at 90 days (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.92-1.22) or 180 days (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.90-1.10) but was associated with an increased hazard of the composite outcome at 90 days (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07) and 180 days (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.06). Among 181 096 adults receiving LTOT, cannabis use was not associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality at 90 or 180 days but was associated with an increased hazard of the composite outcome at 90 days (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.09) and 180 days (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.09). Among 77 791 adults aged 65 years and older receiving LTOT, cannabis use was associated with increased 90-day mortality (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.17-2.04). Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that cannabis use among adults receiving opioid analgesic medications was not associated with any change in mortality risk but was associated with a small increased risk of adverse outcomes and that short-term risks were higher among older adults receiving LTOT.

Examining the association of social risk with heart failure readmission in the Veterans Health Administration.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has found that social risk factors are associated with an increased risk of 30-day readmission. We aimed to assess the association of 5 social risk factors (living alone, lack of social support, marginal housing, substance abuse, and low income) with 30-day Heart Failure (HF) hospital readmissions within the Veterans Health Affairs (VA) and the impact of their inclusion on hospital readmission model performance. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study using chart review and VA and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrative data from a random sample of 1,500 elderly (≥ 65 years) Veterans hospitalized for HF in 2012. Using logistic regression, we examined whether any of the social risk factors were associated with 30-day readmission after adjusting for age alone and clinical variables used by CMS in its 30-day risk stratified readmission model. The impact of these five social risk factors on readmission model performance was assessed by comparing c-statistics, likelihood ratio tests, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistic. RESULTS: The prevalence varied among the 5 risk factors; low income (47 % vs. 47 %), lives alone (18 % vs. 19 %), substance abuse (14 % vs. 16 %), lacks social support (2 % vs. <1 %), and marginal housing (< 1 % vs. 3 %) among readmitted and non-readmitted patients, respectively. Controlling for clinical factors contained in CMS readmission models, a lack of social support was found to be associated with an increased risk of 30-day readmission (OR 4.8, 95 %CI 1.35-17.88), while marginal housing was noted to decrease readmission risk (OR 0.21, 95 %CI 0.03-0.87). Living alone (OR: 0.9, 95 %CI 0.64-1.26), substance abuse (OR 0.91, 95 %CI 0.67-1.22), and having low income (OR 1.01, 95 %CI 0.77-1.31) had no association with HF readmissions. Adding the five social risk factors to a CMS-based model (age and comorbid conditions; c-statistic 0.62) did not improve model performance (c-statistic: 0.62). CONCLUSIONS: While a lack of social support was associated with 30-day readmission in the VA, its prevalence was low. Moreover, the inclusion of some social risk factors did not improve readmission model performance. In an integrated healthcare system like the VA, social risk factors may have a limited effect on 30-day readmission outcomes.

Effect of Electrophysiology Assessment on Mortality and Hospitalizations in Patients With New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation.

Few patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) receive care by cardiac electrophysiologists. Although previous work has highlighted differential care for patients with AF treated by electrophysiologists, it is unclear whether this is associated with improved clinical outcomes. This retrospective population-level propensity score-matched cohort study included patients aged 20 to 80 years with new-onset AF presenting to an emergency department (ED) in Ontario, Canada, between 2010 and 2012. Patients were followed until March 31, 2015. Patients who saw an electrophysiologist within 1 year of the index ED visit were matched to patients who did not see an electrophysiologist. Linked administrative databases were used for cohort construction and allow 1-year follow-up to assess for the clinical end points of all-cause mortality and hospitalization for AF, heart failure, bleeding, and stroke. A total of 5,221 unique pairs of patients were matched. One hundred seventeen patients (2.2%) in the electrophysiologist cohort underwent an AF ablation procedure during the 1-year follow-up period. All-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.1, p = 0.17) and stroke (HR = 1.4, p = 0.09) were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Hospitalization for AF (HR = 1.4, p <0.001), bleeding (HR = 1.5, p = 0.0001), and congestive heart failure (HR = 1.5, p <0.0001) was increased in the group that saw an electrophysiologist. In conclusion, electrophysiologist care was not associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients with new-onset AF.

Impact of the pravastatin or atorvastatin evaluation and infection therapy-thrombolysis in myocardial infarction 22/Reversal of Atherosclerosis with Aggressive Lipid Lowering trials on trends in intensive versus moderate statin therapy in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: In March 2004, the Reversal of Atherosclerosis with Aggressive Lipid Lowering (REVERSAL) trial demonstrated that intensive lipid-lowering therapy (atorvastatin 80 mg/d) reduced progression of coronary atherosclerosis compared with moderate lipid-lowering therapy (pravastatin 40 mg/d). The following month, the Pravastatin or Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Therapy-Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 22 (PROVE IT-TIMI 22) study demonstrated the superiority of intensive (atorvastatin 80 mg/d) versus moderate (pravastatin 40 mg/d) lipid-lowering therapy for reducing death or cardiovascular events in patients suffering from an acute coronary syndrome. We sought to determine the impact of these 2 trials on trends in intensive versus moderate statin therapy in Ontario, Canada. METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a retrospective time-series analysis of statin prescribing between June 1997 and September 2004 in Ontario, Canada, for all residents age 65 years and older. The publication of the PROVE IT-TIMI 22 and REVERSAL trials was associated with a sustained and statistically significant increase in the number of prescriptions dispensed for atorvastatin 80 mg (range, 272 to 635 additional prescriptions per month), whereas the number of prescriptions filled for pravastatin 40 mg did not change. Similarly, it resulted in a temporal increase in the relative market share of atorvastatin at a dose of 80 mg versus that of atorvastatin at a dose of 40 mg. However, the proportion of simvastatin prescriptions for 80 mg relative to 40 mg did not change over time, implying a drug-specific effect rather than a class effect in prescribing practice. CONCLUSIONS: The publication of the PROVE IT-TIMI 22 and REVERSAL trials resulted in a significant sustained increase in the use of intensive compared with moderate statin therapy. This shift was evident primarily in an increased use of high-dose atorvastatin and did not appear to be generalizable to other statins.

Socioeconomic status, service patterns, and perceptions of care among survivors of acute myocardial infarction in Canada.

CONTEXT: Some have argued that Canada's uniquely restrictive approach to private health insurance keeps the socioeconomic elite inside the public system so that their demands and influence elevate the standard of service for all Canadian citizens. The extent to which this theory is a valid representation of Canadian health care is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To explore how patients with acute myocardial infarction from different socioeconomic backgrounds perceive their care in Canada's universal health care system and to correlate patients' backgrounds and perceptions with actual care received. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Prospective observational cohort study with follow-up telephone interviews of 2256 patients 30 days following acute myocardial infarction discharged from 53 hospitals across Ontario, Canada, between December 1999 and June 2002. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postdischarge use of cardiac specialty services; satisfaction with care; willingness to pay directly for faster service or more choice; and mortality according to income and education, adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, clinical factors, onsite angiography capacity at the admitting hospital, and rural-urban residence. RESULTS: Compared with patients in lower socioeconomic strata, more affluent or better educated patients were more likely to undergo coronary angiography (67.8% vs 52.8%; P<.001), receive cardiac rehabilitation (43.9% vs 25.6%; P<.001), or be followed up by a cardiologist (56.7% vs 47.8%; P<.001). Socioeconomic differences in cardiac care persisted after adjustment for confounders. Despite receiving more specialized services, patients with higher socioeconomic status were more likely to be dissatisfied with their access to specialty care (adjusted RR, 2.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-3.32) and to favor out-of-pocket payments for quicker access to a wider selection of treatment options (30% vs 15% for patients with household incomes of Can 60 000 dollars or higher vs less than Can 30 000 dollars, respectively; P<.001). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, socioeconomic status was not significantly associated with mortality at 1 year following hospitalization for myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with those with lower incomes or less education, upper middle-class Canadians gain preferential access to services within the publicly funded health care system yet remain more likely to favor supplemental coverage or direct purchase of services.

Differences in operative mortality between high- and low-volume hospitals in Ontario for 5 major surgical procedures: estimating the number of lives potentially saved through regionalization.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that persons undergoing certain high-risk surgical procedures at high-volume hospitals (HVHs) have a lower risk of postoperative death than those undergoing surgery at low-volume hospitals (LVHs). We estimated the absolute number of operative deaths that could potentially be avoided if 5 major surgical procedures in Ontario were restricted to HVHs. METHODS: We collected data on all persons who underwent esophagectomy (613), colon or rectal resection for colorectal cancer (18 898), pancreaticoduodenectomy (686), pulmonary lobectomy or pneumonectomy for lung cancer (5156) or repair of an unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) (6279) in Ontario from Apr. 1, 1994, to Mar. 31, 1999. We calculated the excess number of operative deaths (defined as deaths in the period from the day of the operation to 30 days thereafter), adjusted for age, sex and comorbidity, among the 75% of persons treated in LVHs, as compared with the 25% treated in the highest-volume quartile of hospitals. Bootstrap methods were used to estimate 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Of the 31 632 persons undergoing any of the 5 procedures, 1341 (4.24%) died within 30 days of surgery. If the 75% of persons treated at the LVHs had instead been treated at the HVHs, the annual number of lives potentially saved would have been 4 (95% CI, 0 to 9) for esophagectomy, 6 (95% CI, 1 to 11) for pancreaticoduodenectomy, 1 (95% CI, -10 to 13) for major lung resection and 14 (95% CI, 1 to 25) for repair of unruptured AAA. For resection of colon or rectum, the regionalization strategy would not have saved any lives, and 17 lives (95% CI, 36 to -3) would potentially have been lost. INTERPRETATION: A small number of operative deaths are potentially avoidable by performing 4 of 5 complex surgical procedures only at HVHs in Ontario. In determining health policy, the most compelling argument for regionalizing complex surgical procedures at HVHs may not be the prevention of a large number of such deaths.