Impact of comorbid opioid use disorder and major depressive disorder on healthcare utilization outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease: A National Readmission Database analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has demonstrated that individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD) often have comorbid opioid use disorder (OUD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), with limited data regarding their impact on readmission outcomes, length of stay, and cost. This study aimed to investigate these healthcare utilization outcomes in patients with PAD who have comorbid OUD and MDD. METHODS: Data were obtained from the National Readmission Database from 2011 through 2018. The study population included all hospitalizations with PAD as the primary or secondary diagnosis, from which hospitalizations with OUD and MDD were extracted using appropriate ICD-9/10 diagnosis codes. Primary outcomes were 30-day and 90-day readmission, total cost, and total length of stay within the calendar year. We created hierarchical multivariable logistic regression models examining OUD with and without MDD, with a random effect for healthcare facility location. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2018, 13,265,817 weighted admissions with PAD were identified. These admissions were segmented into four categories: No OUD/No MDD (12,056,466), OUD/No MDD (323,762), No OUD/MDD (867,641), and OUD/MDD (17,948). The group with No OUD/No MDD was used as the reference group for all subsequent comparisons. Regarding 30-day and 90-day readmissions, patients with OUD/MDD had odds of 1.14 (95% CI 1.10, 1.18) and 1.09 (95% CI 1.06, 1.13), respectively. Patients with OUD/No MDD bore the highest median cost of $64,354 (IQR $30,797-137,074), and patients with OUD/MDD marked the lengthiest median stay of 6.01 days (IQR 2.01-13.30). CONCLUSION: This study found a significant association between these comorbidities and outcomes and therefore calls for targeted interventions and pain management strategies.

Risk profiles, access to care, and outcomes in Hispanics hospitalized for lower extremity peripheral artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown that Hispanics have worse clinical outcomes for lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) than non-Hispanic White (NHWs). Using a national database, this study aimed to document the contemporary burden of PAD in Hispanics by evaluating their risk profiles, access to care, and outcomes compared with NHWs. METHODS: Hospitalizations of Hispanics and NHWs with a primary diagnosis of PAD were identified using 2011-2017 National Inpatient Sample data. Patient sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, whether the admission was through the emergency department (ED) or elective, length of stay, and costs accrued were compared by ethnicity. Temporal trends in revascularizations, amputations, and ED admissions by year were evaluated with the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test and stratified by ethnicity. Data were combined across years and multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of ethnicity with inpatient revascularization, amputation, and mortality, adjusting for sociodemographic and cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2017, there were a total of 1,018,220 PAD hospitalizations among Hispanics (13.9%) and NHWs (86.1%) between 2011 and 2017. Hispanics were more often low income and uninsured and presented with higher burden of comorbidities including diabetes, renal failure, prior amputations, and chronic limb-threatening ischemia compared with NHWs. Most Hispanics were admitted via the ED compared with NHWs (58.0% vs 36.7%; d = 0.48), and median length of stay was almost a day longer (4.5 days vs 3.7 days). Hispanic ethnicity was associated with lower odds of surgical (odds ratio [OR], 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57-0.67) and endovascular revascularization (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.89-0.996) and mortality (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.75-0.93), but higher odds of minor (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.20-1.31) and major (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.14) amputation. CONCLUSIONS: Two tiers of health care consumption for inpatient PAD care and outcomes manifested among Hispanics and NHWs. First, Hispanics with PAD had a more vulnerable socioeconomic profile and presented with more severe PAD than NHWs. Second, they sought care more disproportionately through the ED and underwent more amputations than NHWs. To eradicate these inequities in PAD care and risk, strategies that improve access to outpatient care and expand health care coverage, as well as targeted management of risk factors in these vulnerable minority groups are needed.

The Impact of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Proton Pump Inhibitor Use on the Risk of Repeat Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been associated with increased incidence/recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the impact of GERD and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy on outcomes of AF catheter ablation remains unclear. We aimed to assess the association between the presence of GERD and risk of repeat AF ablation, stratified by PPI therapy. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with paroxysmal/persistent AF undergoing initial ablation in January 2011-September 2015. GERD was defined by endoscopic findings, objective reflux testing, or clinical symptoms. The association between GERD/PPI use and time to repeat ablation was evaluated by time-to-event analysis with censoring at the last clinic follow-up within 1 year. RESULTS: Three hundred eighty-one subjects were included. Patients with GERD (n = 80) had a higher 1-year repeat ablation rate compared with those with no GERD (25% vs 11.3%, P = 0.0034). Stratifying by PPI use, patients with untreated GERD (37.5%) more likely needed repeat ablation compared with reflux-free (11.3%, P = 0.0003) and treated GERD (16.7%, P = 0.035) subjects. On multivariable Cox regression analyses, GERD was an independent risk factor of repeat ablation (hazard ratio [HR] 3.30, confidence interval [CI] 1.79-6.08, P = 0.0001). Specifically, untreated GERD was associated with earlier repeat ablation compared with no GERD (HR 4.02, CI 1.62-12.05, P = 0.0013). However, no significant difference in repeat ablation risk was noted between reflux-free and PPI-treated GERD groups. DISCUSSION: GERD was an independent predictor for risk of repeat AF ablation within 1 year, even after controlling for major cardiovascular comorbidities and confounders. PPI therapy modulated this risk, as repeat ablation-free survival for PPI-treated GERD was noninferior to reflux-free patients.

Examining Outcomes in Patients Admitted With Comorbid Peripheral Artery Disease and Microvascular Disease.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) and microvascular disease (MVD) are highly prevalent conditions that share common risk factors. This observational study aimed to characterize patients with both conditions and determine the impact of comorbid PAD/MVD on outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients admitted across 31 states January 2011 through December 2018 with a primary or secondary diagnosis of PAD or MVD were included from the National Readmissions Database and weighted to approximate a national sample. Those age <18 years or with nonatherosclerotic leg injuries were excluded. Patients were divided into 3 groups: PAD-only, MVD-only, or comorbid PAD/MVD. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate associations with major and minor amputations, major adverse cardiac events, and in-hospital mortality. Cox regression was used to evaluate associations with readmission within 1 year. The PAD group was used as reference. The final cohort included 33 972 772 admissions: 9.1 million with PAD, 21.3 million with MVD, and 3.6 million with both. Annual admissions for PAD/MVD increased to >500 000 in 2018. Major and minor amputations increased ≈50% for PAD/MVD between 2011 and 2018. Compared with PAD-only, PAD/MVD was associated with a higher risk for major amputation (odds ratio [OR], 1.30 [95% CI, 1.28-1.32]), minor amputation (OR, 2.15 [95% CI, 2.12-2.18]), major adverse cardiac events (OR, 1.04 [95% CI, 1.03-1.04]), in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.07 [95% CI, 1.05-1.09]), and readmission (hazard ratio, 1.02 [95% CI, 1.02-1.02]) after adjustment for baseline factors. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbid MVD is present in a large and growing number of patients with PAD and is associated with augmented risk for adverse outcomes. Further prospective research is merited to understand this vulnerable population.

Representativeness of Peripheral Artery Disease Randomized Clinical Trials Supporting Current Guidelines.

Women, older adults, and racial/ethnic minorities are differentially affected by lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD), yet their representation in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on which current PAD guidelines are based is not known. We therefore evaluated whether RCTs supporting most recent American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology lower extremity PAD guidelines proportionately represent the spectrum of demographic groups affected by PAD. All PAD-specific RCTs cited in the guidelines were included. From 409 references, 78 RCTs were included, representing 101,359 patients. Pooled proportion of women enrolled was 33% (95% confidence interval 29% to 37%) versus 57.5% in US PAD epidemiologic studies. Pooled mean age of all trial participants was 67.4 ± 0.8 years, in comparison with global estimates of PAD, in which 29.4% of the global population with PAD is >70 years old. Race/ethnicity distribution was reported in 27% of studies (21 of 78). In conclusion, in trials supporting current PAD guidelines, women and older adults patients are underrepresented, and different race and ethnic groups are underreported across the spectrum of studies. Underrepresentation of these groups differentially affected by PAD may limit the generalizability of the evidence supporting PAD guidelines.