Patient Participation in Multidisciplinary High-Risk Surgery Discussions: A Pilot Study.

Objective: Our medical center implemented a multidisciplinary team to improve surgical decision making for high-risk older adults. To make this a patient-centric process, a pilot program included the patient and their family/caregiver(s) in these conversations. Our hypothesis is that multidisciplinary team discussions can improve difficult surgical decision making. Methods: From January to June 2022, we offered patients and their family participation in multidisciplinary discussions at a Veterans Affairs medical center. Semistructured interviews were conducted 1-6 days after the meeting. Interview transcripts were analyzed with qualitative mixed-methods approach. Results: Six patients and caregivers participated in the interviews. They found the discussion helpful for improving their understanding of the surgical decision. Out of these, 50% (3 of 6) of the patients changed their decision regarding the planned operation based on the discussion. Conclusion: Including patients and caregiver(s) in multidisciplinary surgical decision-making discussions resulted in half of the patients changing their surgical plans. This pilot study demonstrated both acceptance and feasibility for all participants.

Preoperative Risk Factors for Discharge to Facility After Surgery in Geriatric Patients.

BACKGROUND: The Geriatric Surgery Verification Program (GSV) was developed to address perioperative care for patients ≥75 years, with a goal of improving outcomes and functional abilities after surgery. We sought to evaluate preoperative factors that place patients at risk for inability to return home (ie, discharge to a facility). METHODS: Retrospective review of patients ≥75 years old who underwent inpatient surgery from January 2018 to December 2022 at a referral Veterans Administration Medical Center enrolled in the GSV program. Preoperative factors included fall history, mobility aids, housing status, function, cognition, and nutritional status. Postoperative outcomes were discharge designations as home and home with services compared to a facility (skilled nursing facility and acute rehab). Exclusion criteria included preoperative facility residence, cardiac surgery, hospital transfer, postoperative complications, hospice discharge, or in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: 605 patients met inclusion criteria and 173 (29%) excluded as above. Of the remaining 432 patients, mean age was 79 ± 5 and the majority were male, 426 (99%). The majority of patients were discharged home, 388 (90%), compared to a facility, 44 (10%). Patients with a fall history (OR: 2.95, 95% CI: 1.56, 5.57), utilizing a mobility aid (OR: 6.0, 95% CI: 2.8, 12.83), were partial or totally dependent (OR: 4.83, 95% CI: 2.29, 10.17), or who lived alone (OR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.08, 6.07) had higher rates of discharge to a facility. DISCUSSION: Preoperative mobility compromise and functional dependence are associated with higher rates of discharge to a facility. These preoperative factors are possibly modifiable with multidisciplinary care teams to decrease risks of facility placement.

A Multidisciplinary High-Risk Surgery Committee May Improve Perioperative Decision Making for Patients and Physicians.

Background: Surgeons must evaluate and communicate the risk associated with operative procedures for patients at high risk of poor postoperative outcomes. Multidisciplinary approaches to complex decision making are needed. Objective: To improve physician decision making for high-risk surgical patients. Design: This is a retrospective review of patients presented to a multidisciplinary committee for three years. Setting/Subjects: Evaluation of patients was done in a single-center U.S. veterans affairs (VA) hospital. All patients who were considered for surgery had a VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) risk calculator 30-day mortality >5%. Measurements: Thirty-day and one-year mortality were measured. Results: Seventy-six patients were reviewed with an average expected 30-day mortality of 14.2%. Forty-two patients (57%) had a recommended change in the care plan before surgery. Fifty-four patients (71%) proceeded with surgery and experienced a 30-day mortality of 7.4%. Conclusions and Relevance: Multidisciplinary discussion of high-risk surgical patients may help surgeons make perioperative recommendations for patients. Implementation of a multidisciplinary high-risk committee should be considered at facilities that manage high-risk surgical patients.

Preliminary data demonstrate the Geriatric Surgery Verification program reduces postoperative length of stay.

OBJECTIVES/BACKGROUND: The Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Program promotes clinical standards aimed to optimize the quality of surgical care delivered to older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine if preliminary implementation of the GSV Program standards improves surgical outcomes. DESIGN: Prospective study with cohort matching. SETTING: Data from a single institution compared with a national data set cohort. PARTICIPANTS: All patients aged ≥75 years undergoing inpatient operations between January 2018 and December 2019 were included. Cohort matching by age and procedure code was performed using a national data set. MEASUREMENTS: Baseline pre- and intraoperative characteristics prospectively recorded using Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) variable definitions. Postoperative outcomes were recorded including complications as defined by VASQIP, 30-day mortality, and length of stay. RESULTS: A total of 162 patients participated in the GSV program, and 308 patients comprised the matched comparison group. There was no difference in postoperative occurrence of one or more complications (p = 0.81) or 30-day mortality (p = 0.61). Patients cared for by the GSV Program had a reduced postoperative length of stay (median 4 days [range 1,31] vs. 5 days [range 1,86]; p < 0.01; and mean 5.4 ± 4.8 vs. 8.8 ± 11.8 days; p < 0.01) compared with the matched cohort. In a multivariable regression model, the GSV Program's reduced length of stay was independent of other associated covariates including age, operative time, and comorbidities (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Preliminary implementation of the GSV Program standards reduces length of stay in older adults undergoing inpatient operations. This finding demonstrates both the clinical and financial value of the GSV Program.

Factors Associated With Early Readmission Among Patients Discharged to Post-Acute Care Facilities.

BACKGROUND: Over a quarter of Medicare patients admitted to the hospital are discharged to post-acute care (PAC) facilities, but face high rates of readmission. Timing of readmission may be an important factor in identifying both risk for and preventability of future readmissions. This study aims to define factors associated with readmission within the first week of discharge to PAC facilities following hospitalization. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS: This was a secondary analysis of the 2011 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases (SID) for California, Massachusetts, and Florida. The primary outcome was all-cause readmission within 7 days after hospital discharge, compared to readmission on days 8-30, for patients aged 65 and older who were discharged from the hospital to a PAC facility. Predictor variables included patient, index hospitalization, and hospital characteristics; multivariable logistic regression was used to identify significant predictors of readmission within 7 days. RESULTS: There were 81,173 hospital readmissions from PAC facilities in the first 30 days after hospital discharge. Patients readmitted within the first week were older, white, urban, had fewer comorbid illnesses, had a higher number of previous hospital admissions, and less commonly had Medicare as a payer. Longer index hospital length of stay (LOS) was associated with decreased risk of early readmission (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.70-0.74 for LOS 4-7 days and 0.60; 95% CI 0.56-0.64 for LOS ≥8 days). CONCLUSIONS: Shorter length of index hospital stay is associated with earlier readmission and suggests that for this comorbid, older population, a shorter hospital stay may be detrimental. Readmission after 1 week is associated with increased chronic disease burden, suggesting they may be associated with factors that are less modifiable.

A randomized trial of heart failure disease management in skilled nursing facilities (SNF Connect): Lessons learned.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Conducting clinical trials in skilled nursing facilities is particularly challenging. This manuscript describes facility and patient recruitment challenges and solutions for clinical research in skilled nursing facilities. METHODS: Lessons learned from the SNF Connect Trial, a randomized trial of a heart failure disease management versus usual care for patients with heart failure receiving post-acute care in skilled nursing facilities, are discussed. Description of the trial design and barriers to facility and patient recruitment along with regulatory issues are presented. RESULTS: The recruitment of Denver-metro skilled nursing facilities was facilitated by key stakeholders of the skilled nursing facilities community. However, there were still a number of barriers to facility recruitment including leadership turnover, varying policies regarding research, fear of litigation and of an increased workload. Engagement of facilities was facilitated by their strong interest in reducing hospital readmissions, marketing potential to hospitals, and heart failure management education for their staff. Recruitment of patients proved difficult and there were few facilitators. Identified patient recruitment challenges included patients being unaware of their heart failure diagnosis, patients overwhelmed with their illness and care, and frequently there was no available proxy for cognitively impaired patients. Flexibility in changing the recruitment approach and targeting skilled nursing facilities with higher rates of admissions helped to overcome some barriers. CONCLUSION: Recruitment of skilled nursing facilities and patients in skilled nursing facilities for clinical trials is challenging. Strategies to attract both facilities and patients are warranted. These include aligning study goals with facility incentives and flexible recruitment protocols to work with patients in "transition crisis."

Availability of Heart Failure Medications in Hospice Care.

BACKGROUND: Availability of cardiac medications in hospice for acute symptom management of heart failure is unknown. This study explored hospice approaches to cardiac medications for patients with heart failure. METHODS: Descriptive study using a quantitative survey of 46 US hospice agencies and clinician interviews. RESULTS: Of 31 hospices that provided standard home medication kits for acute symptom management, only 1 provided medication with cardiac indications (oral furosemide). Only 22% of the hospice agencies had a specific cardiac medication kit. Just over half (57%) of the agencies could provide intravenous inotropic therapy, often in multiple hospice settings. Clinicians described an individualized approach to cardiac medications for patients with heart failure. CONCLUSION: This study highlights opportunities for practice guidelines that inform medical therapy for hospice patients with heart failure.

Using the past to predict the future: latent class analysis of patterns of health service use of older adults in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: To classify older adults in the emergency department (ED) according to healthcare use and to examine associations between group membership and future ED visits and hospital admissions. DESIGN: Secondary analysis. SETTING: Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 65 and older with at least one treat-and-release ED visit between January 1, 2000, and September 30, 2007 (N = 4,964). MEASUREMENTS: Measures of health service use included primary care visits, treat-and-release ED visits, and hospital days in the 12 months preceding the index ED visit. RESULTS: Five groups of individuals in the ED with distinct patterns of health service use were identified. "Primary Carederly" (39%) had low rates of ED and hospital use and a high mean number of primary care visits. "Wellderly" (34%) had fewer visits of all types than other groups. "Chronically Illderly" (14%) had the highest mean number of primary care visits and hospital days. "Acute Carederly" (9.8%) had lowest mean number of primary care visits but higher ED visits and hospital days than all other groups except the "Sickest Elderly." Sickest Elderly (3.2%) had the highest number of ED visits; mean number of hospital days was more than four times that of any other group. Primary Carederly and Wellderly had a lower risk of hospital admission within 30 days of the index ED visit than the other groups. CONCLUSION: In older adults released from an ED, group membership was associated with future health services use. Classification of individuals using readily available previous visit data may improve targeting of interventions to improve outcomes.

Health care utilization before and after an outpatient ED visit in older people.

BACKGROUND: Older adults in the United States receive a significant amount of care in the emergency department (ED), yet the associations between ED and other types of health care utilization have not been adequately studied in this population. OBJECTIVES: The goals of this study were to examine the relationships between health care use before and after an ED visit among older adults. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study examined health care use among 308 patients 65 years or older discharged from a university-affiliated ED. Proportional-hazards models were used to assess the relationship between pre-ED health care use (primary care physician [PCP], specialist, ED, and hospital) and risk of return ED visits. RESULTS: Older ED patients in this study had visited other types of providers frequently in the previous year (median number of PCP and specialist visits, 4). Patients who used the ED on 2 or more occasions in the previous year were found to have visited their PCP more often than those without frequent ED use (median number of visits, 7.0 vs 4.0; P < .001). Despite more PCP use in this population, frequent ED use was associated with increased risk of a repeat ED visit (hazard ratio, 2.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-4.21), in models adjusted for demographics and health status. CONCLUSION: Older adults who use the ED are also receiving significant amounts of care from other sources; simply providing additional access to care may not improve outcomes for these vulnerable individuals.

Exploring patterns of health service use in older emergency department patients.

OBJECTIVES: Study objectives were to identify groups of older patients with similar patterns of health care use in the 12 months preceding an index outpatient emergency department (ED) visit and to identify patient-level predictors of group membership. METHODS: Subjects were adults ≥ 65 years of age treated and released from an academic medical center ED. Latent cluster analysis (LCA) models were estimated to identify groups with similar numbers of primary care (PC), specialist, and outpatient ED visits and hospital days within 12 months preceding the index ED visit. RESULTS: In this sample (n = 308), five groups with distinct patterns of health service use emerged. Low Users (35%) had fewer visits of all types and fewer hospital days compared to sample means. Low Users were more likely to be female and had fewer chronic health conditions relative to the overall sample (p < 0.05). The ED to Supplement Primary Care Provider (PCP) (23%) group had more PCP visits, but also significantly more ED visits. Specialist Heavy (22%) group members had twice as many specialist visits, but no difference in PCP visits. Members of this class were more likely to be white and male (p < 0.05). High Users (15%) received more care in all categories and had more chronic baseline health conditions (p < 0.05) but no differences in demographic characteristics relative to the whole sample. The ED and Hospital as Substitution Care (6%) group had fewer PC and specialist visits, but more ED visits and hospital days. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of older ED patients, five groups with distinct patterns of health service use were identified. Further study is needed to determine whether identification of these patient groups can add important information to existing risk-assessment methods.

Efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism of tetrahydroquinoline inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum protein farnesyltransferase.

New antimalarials are urgently needed. We have shown that tetrahydroquinoline (THQ) protein farnesyltransferase (PFT) inhibitors (PFTIs) are effective against the Plasmodium falciparum PFT and are effective at killing P. falciparum in vitro. Previously described THQ PFTIs had limitations of poor oral bioavailability and rapid clearance from the circulation of rodents. In this paper, we validate both the Caco-2 cell permeability model for predicting THQ intestinal absorption and the in vitro liver microsome model for predicting THQ clearance in vivo. Incremental improvements in efficacy, oral absorption, and clearance rate were monitored by in vitro tests; and these tests were followed up with in vivo absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion studies. One compound, PB-93, achieved cure when it was given orally to P. berghei-infected rats every 8 h for a total of 72 h. However, PB-93 was rapidly cleared, and dosing every 12 h failed to cure the rats. Thus, the in vivo results corroborate the in vitro pharmacodynamics and demonstrate that 72 h of continuous high-level exposure to PFTIs is necessary to kill plasmodia. The metabolism of PB-93 was demonstrated by a novel technique that relied on double labeling with a radiolabel and heavy isotopes combined with radiometric liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The major liver microsome metabolite of PB-93 has the PFT Zn-binding N-methyl-imidazole removed; this metabolite is inactive in blocking PFT function. By solving the X-ray crystal structure of PB-93 bound to rat PFT, a model of PB-93 bound to malarial PFT was constructed. This model suggests areas of the THQ PFTIs that can be modified to retain efficacy and protect the Zn-binding N-methyl-imidazole from dealkylation.

Protein farnesyltransferase inhibitors exhibit potent antimalarial activity.

New therapeutics to combat malaria are desperately needed. Here we show that the enzyme protein farnesyltransferase (PFT) from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) is an ideal drug target. PFT inhibitors (PFTIs) are well tolerated in man, but are highly cytotoxic to P. falciparum. Because of their anticancer properties, PFTIs comprise a highly developed class of compounds. PFTIs are ideal for the rapid development of antimalarials, allowing "piggy-backing" on previously garnered information. Low nanomolar concentrations of tetrahydroquinoline (THQ)-based PFTIs inhibit P. falciparum PFT and are cytotoxic to cultured parasites. Biochemical studies suggest inhibition of parasite PFT as the mode of THQ cytotoxicity. Studies with malaria-infected mice show that THQ PFTIs dramatically reduce parasitemia and lead to parasite eradication in the majority of animals. These studies validate P. falciparum PFT as a target for the development of antimalarials and describe a potent new class of THQ PFTIs with antimalaria activity.