Prognostic Implications of a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Examination on Hospital Ward Admission.

OBJECTIVES: Few data exist regarding the use of ultrasound (US) to risk stratify ward admissions. Therefore, we evaluated associations between a cardiopulmonary limited ultrasound examination (CLUE) on admission and subsequent hospital outcomes. METHODS: Over a 22-month period in a 300-bed hospital, CLUE data reviewed from a series of nonelective ward admissions were correlated with the composite outcome of a hospital stay of longer than 2 days, disposition to hospice, or death. The CLUE included 5 quick-look signs of left ventricular dysfunction, left atrial enlargement, lung B-lines, pleural effusions, and inferior vena cava plethora and had been performed as warranted by 1 of 31 US-trained admitting residents and then repeated by a cardiologist as the reference standard. The admitting condition, medical history, results of routine admission testing, and CLUE were assessed for an association with the outcome in univariate and multivariable models. RESULTS: Of 547 patients, the mean age ± SD was 62.9 ± 15.5 years; 59% were male; and the mean stay was 5.6 ± 8.1 days, with 355 (65%) lasting longer than 2 days and 21 (4%) having hospice disposition or death. An abnormal CLUE exam was found in 368 (67%) of patients, was related to the outcome (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-2.68; P = .001) when obtained by a resident or cardiologist, and was included in a best-fit multivariable model with renal failure (OR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.44-4.14; P < .001), infection/sepsis (OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.17-4.32; P = .02), and chest pain (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.21-0.61; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: An abnormal admission point of care ultrasound exam was related to complex hospitalization, specifically a longer length of stay.

The association between health literacy and cancer-related attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge.

Using a multidimensional assessment of health literacy (the Cancer Message Literacy Test-Listening, the Cancer Message Literacy Test-Reading, and the Lipkus Numeracy Scale), the authors assessed a stratified random sample of 1013 insured adults (40-70 years of age). The authors explored whether low health literacy across all 3 domains (n =111) was associated with sets of variables likely to affect engagement in cancer prevention and screening activities: (a) attitudes and behaviors relating to health care encounters and providers, (b) attitudes toward cancer and health, (c) knowledge of cancer screening tests, and (d) attitudes toward health related media and actual media use. Adults with low health literacy were more likely to report avoiding doctor's visits, to have more fatalistic attitudes toward cancer, to be less accurate in identifying the purpose of cancer screening tests, and more likely to avoid information about diseases they did not have. Compared with other participants, those with lower health literacy were more likely to say that they would seek information about cancer prevention or screening from a health care professional and less likely to turn to the Internet first for such information. Those with lower health literacy reported reading on fewer days and using the computer on fewer days than did other participants. The authors assessed the association of low health literacy with colorectal cancer screening in an age-appropriate subgroup for which colorectal cancer screening is recommended. In these insured subjects receiving care in integrated health care delivery systems, those with low health literacy were less likely to be up to date on screening for colorectal cancer, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Evidence Basis for a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Examination to Refine Referral for Outpatient Echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Few data exist on the potential utility of a cardiac point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) examination in the outpatient setting to assist diagnosis of significant cardiac disease. Using a retrospective sequential cohort design, we sought to derive and then validate a POCUS examination for cardiac application and model its potential use for prognostication and cost-effective echo referral. METHODS: For POCUS examination derivation, we reviewed 233 consecutive outpatient echo studies for 4 specific POCUS "signs" contained therein representing left ventricular systolic dysfunction, left atrial enlargement, inferior vena cava plethora, and lung apical B-lines. The corresponding formal echo reports were then queried for any significant abnormality. The optimal POCUS examination for identifying an abnormal echo was determined. We then reviewed 244 consecutive outpatient echo studies from another institution for associations between the optimal POCUS examination, clinical variables, and referral source with major adverse cardiac events and all-cause mortality in univariate and multivariate models. Assuming a referral model where the absence of POCUS signs or variables would negate initial echo referral, theoretical cost savings were expressed as a percentage in reduction of echo studies. RESULTS: In the derivation cohort, the combination of two signs, denoting left atrial enlargement and inferior vena cava plethora resulted in the highest accuracy of 72% [95% CI: 65%, 78%] in detecting an abnormal echocardiogram. In the validation cohort, mortality at 5.5 years was 14.6% overall, 23% in patients with the left atrial enlargement sign (OR 3.5 [1.6, 7.6]), 25% with inferior vena cava plethora sign (OR 2.2 [0.8, 6.0]), and 8.0% (OR 0.3 [0.2, 0.7]) in those lacking both signs. After adjusting for age, both diabetes (OR 4.8 [2.0, 11.6]), and the left atrial enlargement sign (OR 2.4 [1.1, 5.4]) remained independently associated with mortality (p<0.05). In the referral model, patients younger than 65 years of age without diabetes and without the left atrial enlargement sign would not have received echo referral, resulting in a 33% reduction in total echo cost and would have constituted a low-risk group with a 1.2% 5.5-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A quick-look sign for left atrial enlargement is associated with 5-year mortality and could function as an easily obtained outpatient POCUS examination to help in identifying patients in need of echo referral.

Cyclic AMP elevates tubulin expression without increasing intrinsic axon growth capacity.

Exposing rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons to dibutyryl cAMP (db-cAMP) enables central branches to regenerate in the spinal cord by nullifying the ability of CNS myelin to inhibit elongation. A conditioning lesion (CL) promotes similar regeneration of central branches in the spinal cord by increasing neuronal cAMP levels. It is a matter of speculation whether any of the other effects of a CL are triggered by elevated cAMP. We found that like a CL, intraganglionic injection of db-cAMP increases the expression of growth-associated tubulin isotypes. However, unlike a CL, db-cAMP does not increase the velocity at which tubulin is delivered to the tips of growing axons by slow component b (SCb). db-cAMP also fails to increase intrinsic axon growth capacity enough to raise the rate of regeneration of peripheral branches in the sciatic nerve or enable central branches to elongate long distances in an environment free of all CNS inhibitors of elongation (i.e., a peripheral nerve graft transplanted into the spinal cord at the site of dorsal column transection). Thus, the increase in cAMP induced by a CL induces some, but not all, of the changes that may be necessary to increase intrinsic axon growth capacity.

Intraocular injection of dibutyryl cyclic AMP promotes axon regeneration in rat optic nerve.

The optic nerve is a CNS pathway containing molecules capable of inhibiting axon elongation. The growth program in embryonic retinal ganglion cell (RGC) neurons enables axons to regenerate in the optic nerve through at least two mechanisms. Namely, high cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels abrogate the ability of CNS molecules to inhibit elongation, and the pattern of gene expression enables axons to undergo rapid, sustained, and lengthy elongation. In adult mammals, recovery of visual function after optic nerve injury is limited by both the death of most RGC neurons and the inability of surviving axons to regenerate. We now report that a single intraocular injection of the membrane-permeable cAMP analogue dibutyryl cAMP (db cAMP) promotes the regeneration of RGC axons in the optic nerves of adult rats, but does not prevent the death of RGC neurons. This regeneration in optic nerves crushed within the orbit (2 mm from the eye) was equally effective either 1 day before or 1 day after db cAMP injection. The number of regenerating axons, which was maximal 14 days after crush, declined with increasing time after injury (i.e., 28, 56, and 112 days) and distance beyond the crush site (i.e., 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mm). Thus, db cAMP promotes optic nerve regeneration without increasing the survival of axotomized RGC neurons. Furthermore, since db cAMP does not enable axons to undergo rapid, sustained, and lengthy elongation, strategies that increase survival and promote these changes in elongation may critically complement the ability of db cAMP to promote regeneration.