Traditional Chinese medicine attenuates hospitalization and mortality risks in diabetic patients with carcinoma in situ in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic patients are at high risk of developing cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has become increasingly popular as an adjuvant treatment for patients with chronic diseases, and some studies have identified its beneficial effect in diabetic patients with cancer. The purpoes of this study was to outline the potential of TCM to attenuate hospitalization and mortality rates in diabetic patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS). METHODS: A total of 6,987 diabetic subjects with CIS under TCM therapy were selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, along with 38,800 of 1:1 sex-, age-, and index year-matched controls without TCM therapy. Cox proportional hazard analysis was conducted to compare hospitalization and mortality rates during an average of 15 years of follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 3,999/1,393 enrolled-subjects (28.62%/9.97%) had hospitalization/mortality, including 1,777/661 in the TCM group (25.43%/9.46%) and 2,222/732 in the control group (31.80%/10.48%). Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed a lower rate of hospitalization and mortality for subjects in the TCM group (adjusted HR=0.536; 95% CI=0.367-0.780, P<0.001; adjusted HR=0.783; 95% CI=0.574-0.974, P = 0.022). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative risk of hospitalization and mortality in the case and control groups was significantly different (log rank, P<0.001 and P = 0.011, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic patients with CIS under TCM therapy were associated with lower hospitalization and mortality rates compared to those without TCM therapy. Thus, TCM application may reduce the burden of national medical resources.

Impact of Co-Morbidities on the Cost of Care in Primary Elective Joint Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model is the newest iteration of the bundled payment methodology introduced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model, while incentivizing providers to deliver care at a lower cost, does not incorporate any patient-level risk stratification. Our study evaluated the impact of specific medical co-morbidities on the cost of care in total joint arthroplasty (TJA) patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 1258 Medicare patients who underwent primary elective TJA between January 2015 and July 2016 at a single institution. There were 488 males, 552 hips, and the mean age was 71 years. Cost data were obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Co-morbidity information was obtained from a manual review of patient records. Fourteen co-morbidities were included in our final multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: The regression models significantly predicted cost variation (P < .001). For index hospital costs, a history of cardiac arrhythmias (P < .001), valvular heart disease (P = .014), and anemia (P = .020) significantly increased costs. For post-acute care costs, a history of neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease or seizures (P < .001), malignancy (P = .001), hypertension (P = .012), depression (P = .014), and hypothyroidism (P = .044) were associated with increases in cost. Similarly, for total episode cost, a history of neurological conditions (P < .001), hypertension (P = .012), malignancy (P = .023), and diabetes (P = .029) were predictors for increased costs. CONCLUSION: The cost of care in primary elective TJA increases with greater patient co-morbidity. Our data provide insight into the relative impact of specific medical conditions on cost of care and may be used in risk stratification in future reimbursement methodologies.

Thromboprophylaxis after minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty: a comparison of rivaroxaban and enoxaparin.

BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) carries a substantial rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The blood-saving of effect of tranexamic acid (TEA) in TKA using enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis has been well known. However, the routine use of chemoprophylaxis in TKA remains controversial because of postoperative bleeding complications. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare the incidence of VTE, and postoperative blood loss and wound-related complications in minimally invasive (MIS)-TKA patients who received rivaroxaban or enoxaparin prophylaxis. METHODS: A total of 113 patients who underwent primary unilateral MIS-TKA between 2009 and 2012 were studied. Of these, 61 patients (study group) received rivaroxaban prophylaxis between 2011 and 2012 and a control group of 52 patients received enoxaparin prophylaxis between 2009 and 2010. All patients received one intraoperative injection of TEA (10 mg/kg). We compared the changes in hemoglobin (Hb) level, postoperative drainage amount, total blood loss, transfusion rate, and incidence of postoperative wound complications and VTE between the two groups. RESULTS: No differences in postoperative Hb levels, blood drainage amount, total blood loss, and transfusion rate were observed between the two groups. No deep-vein thrombosis of the leg or pulmonary embolism was noted in both groups. There were no major wound complications including hematoma and infection requiring surgical intervention for open irrigation or debridement. CONCLUSIONS: Our retrospective study demonstrated a low rate of VTE in MIS-TKA patients who received rivaroxaban or enoxaparin when TEA was used for bleeding prophylaxis. No increased perioperative bleeding or postoperative wound-related complications were observed in the rivaroxaban group compared with the enoxaparin group.