Adverse events at the end of life of hospital patients with or without a condition relevant for palliative care: a nationwide retrospective record review study in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety is crucial for quality of care. Preventable adverse events (AEs) occur in 1 of 20 patients in the hospital, but it is unknown whether this is different for patients with a condition relevant for palliative care. The majority of the limited available research on this topic is only focused on patients already receiving palliative care, and do not make comparisons with other patients at the end-of-life. We identified and compared the prevalence, preventability, nature and causes of AEs in patients with and without a condition relevant for palliative care. METHODS: A nationwide retrospective record review study was performed in 20 Dutch hospitals. A total of 2,998 records of patients who died in hospital in 2019 was included. Records were reviewed for AEs. We identified two subgroups: patients with (n = 2,370) or without (n = 248) a condition relevant for palliative care through the selection method of Etkind (2017). Descriptive analyses were performed to calculate prevalence, nature, causes and prevention strategies. T-tests were performed to calculate differences between subgroups. RESULTS: We found no significant differences between subgroups regarding AE prevalence, this was 15.3% in patients with a condition relevant for palliative care, versus 12.0% in patients without a condition relevant for palliative care (p = 0.148). Potentially preventable AE prevalence was 4.3% versus 4.4% (p = 0.975). Potentially preventable death prevalence in both groups was 3.2% (p = 0.938). There were differences in the nature of AEs: in patients with a condition relevant for palliative care this was mostly related to medication (33.1%), and in patients without a condition relevant for palliative care to surgery (50.8%). In both subgroups in the majority of AEs a patient related cause was identified. For the potentially preventable AEs in both subgroups the two most important prevention strategies as suggested by the medical reviewers were reflection and evaluation and quality assurance. DISCUSSION: Patient safety risks appeared to be equally prevalent in both subgroups. The nature of AEs does differ between subgroups: medication- versus surgery-related, indicating that tailored safety measures are needed. Recommendations for practice are to focus on reflecting on AEs, complemented with case evaluations.

Telehealth requires expansion of physicians' communication competencies training.

We are in the midst of transformation of health systems where remote consulting (via video, telephone, email, and mobile messaging) is soon to become the dominant mode of consultation. Most of the literature on telehealth omits mentioning the need for telehealth communication competencies. Yet evidence base has been growing about how critical this training is - whether from clinical communication research or litigation claims analysis. In this article, we are calling for an urgent expansion of communication skills curricula to encompass these new telehealth domains from medical schools, specialty trainings to CMEs.

Changes in vital signs post discharge as a potential target for intervention to avoid readmission.

Readmissions are treated as adverse events in many healthcare systems. Causes can be physiological deterioration or breakdown of social support systems. We investigated data from a European multi-centre study of readmissions for changes in vital signs between index admission and readmission. Data sets were graded according to the National Early Warning Score (NEWS). Of 487 patients in whom NEWS could be calculated on discharge and again on re-admission, 39.6% had worse vital signs with a NEWS score difference ≥ 2 points while only 7.6% had improved by ≤ 2 points. Changes in individual vital signs of 20% or more were most common in respiratory rate and heart rate. Monitoring of respiratory rate and pulse rate post-discharge might predict some deteriorations.

Long-term health related quality of life in patients with sepsis after intensive care stay: A systematic review.

Sepsis is a major health care issue and sepsis survivors are often confronted with long-term complications after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) which may negatively influence their health related quality of life (HRQOL). This study aimed to systematically evaluate the outcome in terms of HRQOL in patients with sepsis after ICU discharge. A literature search was conducted in the bibliographic databases PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL, including reference lists of published guidelines, reviews and associated articles. Sixteen studies were included, thirteen (81.3%) reported that sepsis survivors suffer from impaired HRQOL in physical and mental domains which persist from months to years after a sepsis episode. More focus on improving long-term outcomes for patients surviving sepsis and the ICU is needed.

Shift in responsibilities in diabetes care: the Nurse-Driven Diabetes In-Hospital Treatment protocol (N-DIABIT).

AIMS: To investigate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of the Nurse-Driven Diabetes In-Hospital Treatment protocol (N-DIABIT), which consists of nurse-driven correctional therapy, in addition to physician-guided basal therapy, and is carried out by trained ward nurses. METHODS: Data on 210 patients with diabetes consecutively admitted in the 5-month period after the introduction of N-DIABIT (intervention group) were compared with the retrospectively collected data on 200 consecutive patients with diabetes admitted in the 5-month period before N-DIABIT was introduced (control group). Additional per-protocol analyses were performed in patients in whom mean patient-based protocol adherence was ≥ 70% (intervention subgroup, n = 173 vs. control subgroup, n = 196). RESULTS: There was no difference between the intervention and the control group in mean blood glucose levels (8.9 ± 0.1 and 9.1 ± 0.2 mmol/l, respectively; P = 0.38), consecutive hyperglycaemic (blood glucose ≥ 10.0 mmol/l) episodes; P = 0.15), admission duration (P = 0.79), mean number of blood glucose measurements (P = 0.21) and incidence of severe hypoglycaemia (P = 0.29). Per-protocol analyses showed significant reductions in mean blood glucose levels and consecutive hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia in the intervention compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of N-DIABIT by trained ward nurses in non-intensive care unit diabetes care is feasible, safe and non-inferior to physician-driven care alone. High protocol adherence was associated with improved glycaemic control.

Sleep assessment using EEG-based wearables - A systematic review.

Polysomnography (PSG) is the reference standard of sleep measurement, but is burdensome for the participant and labor intensive. Affordable electroencephalography (EEG)-based wearables are easy to use and are gaining popularity, yet selecting the most suitable device is a challenge for clinicians and researchers. In this systematic review, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of available EEG-based wearables to measure human sleep. For each wearable, an overview will be provided regarding validated population and reported measurement properties. A systematic search was conducted in the databases OVID MEDLINE, Embase.com and CINAHL. A machine learning algorithm (ASReview) was utilized to screen titles and abstracts for eligibility. In total, 60 papers were selected, covering 34 unique EEG-based wearables. Feasibility studies indicated good tolerance, high compliance, and success rates. The 42 included validation studies were conducted across diverse populations and showed consistently high accuracy in sleep staging detection. Therefore, the recent advancements in EEG-based wearables show great promise as alternative for PSG and for at-home sleep monitoring. Users should consider factors like user-friendliness, comfort, and costs, as these devices vary in features and pricing, impacting their suitability for individual needs.

Older patients with nonspecific complaints at the Emergency Department are at risk of adverse health outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Older adults at the Emergency Department (ED) often present with nonspecific complaints (NSC) such as 'weakness' or 'feeling unwell'. Health care workers may underestimate illness in patients with NSC, leading to adverse health outcomes. This study compares characteristics and outcomes of NSC-patients versus specific complaints (SC) patients. METHODS: Cohort study in patients ≥ 70 years in two Dutch EDs. NSC was classified according to the BANC-study-framework based on the medical history in the ED letter, before additional diagnostics took place. A second classification was performed at the end of the ED visit/hospital admission. Primary outcomes were functional decline, institutionalization, and mortality at 30 days. RESULTS: 26% (n = 228) of a total of 888 included patients presented with NSC. Compared with SC-patients, NSC-patients were older, more frail, and more frequently female. NSC-patients had a higher risk of functional decline and institutionalization at 30 days (adjusted ORs 1.84, 95% CI 1.27 - 2.72, and 2.46, 95% CI 1.51-4.00, respectively), but not mortality (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.58 - 2.73). Reclassification to a specific complaint after the ED visit or hospital admission occurred in 54% of NSC-patients. CONCLUSION: NSC occur especially in older, frail female patients and are associated with an increased risk of functional decline and institutionalization, even after adjustment for worse baseline status. In half of the patients, a specific complaint revealed during ED or hospital stay. Physicians at the ED should consider NSC as a red flag needing appropriate observation and evaluation of underlying serious conditions and needs of this vulnerable patient group.

Screening for asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis in COVID-19 patients admitted to the medical ward: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Patients with COVID-19 have an increased risk for venous thrombo-embolism (VTE), especially pulmonary embolism. The exact prevalence of asymptomatic DVT is not known, as is the usefulness of screening for DVT in patients admitted to ward with COVID-19. We have studied the prevalence of asymptomatic DVT. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional observational multi-center study at four university medical centers in The Netherlands. All adult patients admitted with COVID-19 to a medical ward were eligible for inclusion, including patients who were transferred back from the ICU to the ward. The study protocol consisted of weekly cross-sectional rounds of compression ultrasound. RESULTS: In total, 125 patients were included in the study. A significant proportion of patients (N = 34 (27%)) had developed a VTE during their admission for COVID-19 before the study ultrasound was performed. In most VTE cases (N = 27 (79%)) this concerned pulmonary embolism. A new asymptomatic DVT was found in 5 of 125 patients (4.0%; 95% CI 1.3-9.1%) (Table 2). Nine patients (7.2%; 95% CI 3.3-13.2%) developed a VTE (all PE) diagnosed within 28 days after the screening US was performed. CONCLUSION: We have shown a low prevalence (4%) of newly discovered asymptomatic DVT outside the ICU-setting in COVID-19 patients. Despite this low prevalence, nine patients developed PE (7%) within 28 days after ultrasound. This favors the hypothesis of local thrombus formation in the lungs. Based on our findings and literature, we do not recommend US-screening of asymptomatic patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ward.

Body packers: a plea for conservative treatment.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of smuggling and transporting of illegal drugs by internal concealment, also known as body packing, is increasing in the Western world. The objective of this study was to determine the outcome of conservative and surgical approaches in body packers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data on body packers admitted to our hospital from January 2004 until December 2009 were collected. The protocol for body packers required surgery when packets were present in the stomach for >48 h. Outcomes of the conservative and surgical group were assessed and analyzed. Morbidity and mortality were assessed in body packers with drug packets present in the stomach for <48 h and in those with gastric packets for >48 h. RESULTS: During the study period, more body packers were treated conservatively. Mortality was 2% in all patients and was due to intoxication. There were no significant differences of mortality, hospital admission time, and ICU admission time in the compared groups with drug packets in the stomach for less or >48 h. In 24% (4/17) of the patients with bad package material, a ruptured drug packet was found during surgery. This resulted in death in only one patient. CONCLUSION: Drug packets in the stomach for >48 h are not an indication for surgery. We recommend that surgery should only be performed in body packers with signs of intoxication or ileus and reserve conservative treatment for all other patients.

Measuring Platinum Levels in Hair in Women with Silicone Breast Implants and Systemic Symptoms.

It has been suggested that compounds present in silicone breast implants (eg, silicone particles or heavy metals such as platinum) migrate into the body and can cause systemic symptoms in susceptible women, causing what is known as breast implant illness. This pilot study investigates possible associations between hair platinum levels in patients with breast implants and breast implant illness, and evaluates its possible use for diagnostic purposes. Methods: Patients were included from the silicone outpatient clinic at Amsterdam University Medical Centre. Platinum concentration in hair samples of 10 women with breast implants and systemic symptoms (group A) was compared with that in 10 women with breast implants but no symptoms (group B), and a control group of 10 women without implants or symptoms (group C), using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Radiological imaging was used to assess implant ruptures or silicone leakage. Results: A median platinum concentration of 0.09 µg per kg [IQR 0.04-0.15] was found in group A, 0.08 µg per kg [IQR 0.04-0.12] in group B, and 0.04 µg per kg [IQR 0.02-0.13] in group C, with no statistical significant difference between the groups (Kruskal-Wallis test, P = 0.43). No correlation between radiologically proven implant leakage and platinum level was found. Conclusions: There was no statistically significant difference in hair platinum levels in women with or without silicone breast implants or breast implant illness. Therefore, based on this pilot study, we do not recommend this test for clinical use. Given the small sample size, more research is required to fully assess its possible use for diagnostic purposes.

Multi-organ point-of-care ultrasound for detection of pulmonary embolism in critically ill COVID-19 patients - A diagnostic accuracy study.

PURPOSE: Critically ill COVID-19 patients have an increased risk of developing pulmonary embolism (PE). Diagnosis of PE by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) might reduce the need for computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), while decreasing time-to-diagnosis. MATERIALS & METHODS: This prospective, observational study included adult ICU patients with COVID-19. Multi-organ (lungs, deep vein, cardiac) POCUS was performed within 24 h of CTPA, looking for subpleural consolidations, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and right ventricular strain (RVS). We reported the scan time, and calculated diagnostic accuracy measures for these signs separately and in combination. RESULTS: 70 consecutive patients were included. 23 patients (32.8%) had a PE. Median scan time was 14 min (IQR 11-17). Subpleural consolidations' diagnostic accuracy was: 42.9% (95%CI [34.1-52.0]). DVT's and RVS' diagnostic accuracy was: 75.6% (95%CI [67.1-82.9]) and 74.4% (95%CI [65.8-81.8]). Their sensitivity was: 24.0% (95%CI [9.4-45.1]), and 40.0% (95%CI [21.3-61.3]), while their specificity was: 88.8% (95%CI [80.8-94.3]), and: 83.0% (95%CI [74.2-89.8]), respectively. Multi-organ POCUS sensitivity was: 87.5% (95%CI [67.6-97.3]), and specificity was: 25% (95%CI [16.9-34.7]). CONCLUSIONS: Multi-organ rather than single-organ POCUS can be of aid in ruling out PE in critically ill COVID-19 and help select patients for CTPA. In addition, finding RVS can make PE more likely, while a DVT would preclude the need for a CTPA. REGISTRATION: www.trialregister.nl: NL8540.

Septic patients with cancer: Do prehospital antibiotics improve survival? A sub-analysis of the PHANTASi trial.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis in patients with cancer is increasingly common and associated with high mortality. To date, no studies have examined the effectiveness of prehospital antibiotics in septic patients with cancer. This study aimed without and to evaluate the effect of prehospital antibiotics in septic patients with cancer. METHODS: We conducted a post-hoc sub-analysis of the PHANTASi (PreHospital ANTibioitcs Against Sepsis) trial database: a randomised controlled trial which enrolled patients with suspected sepsis who were transported to the emergency department by ambulance. Patients in the intervention group were administered prehospital intravenous antibiotics while those in the control group received usual care. We compared patients who had cancer to those who did not. Primary outcome was 28-day mortality; among the secondary outcomes, we included in-hospital mortality and 90-day mortality. RESULTS: 357(13.4%) of the 2658 included patients had cancer in the past five years, of which, 209 (58.5%) were included in the intervention and 148 (41.5%) usual care groups; 28-day mortality was significantly higher in patients who were diagnosed with cancer in the past five years than those without cancer in the past five years: 15.2% vs. 7.1%, respectively (p < 0.001). Prehospital antibiotics in the group of patients with cancer in the last five years yielded no significant effect on survival. There were however, significantly fewer 30-day readmissions (p = 0.031) in the intervention group of cancer patients (12.2% vs 5.7%). CONCLUSION: Prehospital antibiotics did not improve overall survival. However, there was a significant reduction in 30-day readmissions.

Short Term Home Oxygen Therapy for COVID-19 patients: The COVID-HOT algorithm.

Innovative solutions are required to effectively address the unprecedented surge of demand on our healthcare systems created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Home treatment and monitoring of patients who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic can be readily implemented to ameliorate the health system burden while maintaining safety and effectiveness of care. Such endeavor requires careful triage and coordination, telemedicine and technology support, workforce and education, as well as robust infrastructure. In the understandable paucity of evidence-based, protocolized approaches toward HOT for COVID-19 patients, our group has created the current document based on the cumulative experience of members of the Joint ACAIM-WACEM COVID-19 Clinical Management Taskforce. Utilizing available evidence-based resources and extensive front-line experience, the authors have suggested a pragmatic pathway for providing safe and effective home oxygen therapy in the community setting.

Organisation of internal medicine in acute care in the Netherlands: a detailed overview.

BACKGROUND: Organisation of the emergency department (ED) is gaining attention due to an increased demand on emergency services, leading to crowding and influencing the quality of care. It is known that the organisation of acute care influences the performance of the ED. In the Netherlands, the organisation of EDs differs between hospitals. However, detailed information about the various organisational structures is lacking. This study aims to determine the organisational structures and the different roles and responsibilities of internists and emergency physicians (EPs) in the EDs. METHODS: We performed a nationwide observational study between January 2018 and February 2019. All hospitals with an ED in the Netherlands were identified, contacted, and surveyed. Requested information was retrieved from internists and complemented with local administrative hospital data. RESULTS: 76 out of 89 EDs responded to the questionnaire (84%); 93% of EDs were operational 24/7. A registered acute internist was present at 47 locations (62%) and an EP at 60 EDs (79%). At 10 locations (13.2%), internists reported not being physically present at the ED. Supervision and working agreements between EPs and internists differed between the hospitals. Collaboration between EPs and internists was graded satisfactory (7.4/10). CONCLUSION: This is the first study providing a detailed overview of the ED organisation in the Netherlands regarding internal medicine patients. This organisation differs in terms of staffing, presence of EPs and internists, and working agreements. The influence of the various organisational structures of EDs on quality of acute care should be the subject of future research.

Clinical applications of artificial intelligence in sepsis: A narrative review.

Many studies have been published on a variety of clinical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) for sepsis, while there is no overview of the literature. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the literature and thereby identify knowledge gaps and prioritize areas with high priority for further research. A literature search was conducted in PubMed from inception to February 2019. Search terms related to AI were combined with terms regarding sepsis. Articles were included when they reported an area under the receiver operator characteristics curve (AUROC) as outcome measure. Fifteen articles on diagnosis of sepsis with AI models were included. The best performing model reached an AUROC of 0.97. There were also seven articles on prognosis, predicting mortality over time with an AUROC of up to 0.895. Finally, there were three articles on assistance of treatment of sepsis, where the use of AI was associated with the lowest mortality rates. Of the articles, twenty-two were judged to be at high risk of bias or had major concerns regarding applicability. This was mostly because predictor variables in these models, such as blood pressure, were also part of the definition of sepsis, which led to overestimation of the performance. We conclude that AI models have great potential for improving early identification of patients who may benefit from administration of antibiotics. Current AI prediction models to diagnose sepsis are at major risks of bias when the diagnosis criteria are part of the predictor variables in the model. Furthermore, generalizability of these models is poor due to overfitting and a lack of standardized protocols for the construction and validation of the models. Until these problems have been resolved, a large gap remains between the creation of an AI algorithm and its implementation in clinical practice.

Health related quality of life in sepsis survivors from the Prehospital Antibiotics Against Sepsis (PHANTASi) trial.

BACKGROUND: Due to the rise in incidence, the long term effect of sepsis are becoming more evident. There is increasing evidence that sepsis may result in an impaired health related quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate whether health related quality of life is impaired in sepsis survivors and which clinical parameters are associated with the affected health related quality of life. METHODS: We analyzed 880 Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaires that were sent to sepsis survivors who participated in the Prehospital Antibiotics Against Sepsis (PHANTASi) trial. These questionnaires were sent by email, 28 days after discharge. Data entry and statistical analyses were performed in SPSS. The data from the general Dutch population, was obtained from the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI-AVL) and served as a control group. Subsequently, 567 sepsis survivors were matched to 567 controls. Non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to compare these two groups. Within the group, we sought to explain the diminished health related quality of life by factor analysis. RESULTS: We found that sepsis survivors have a worse health related quality of life compared to the general Dutch population. This negative effect was more evident for the physical component than the mental component of health related quality of life. We found that health related quality of life was significantly altered by advancing age and female sex. We also found that the total length of stay (in the hospital) and (previous) comorbidity negatively affect the physical component of health related quality of life. CONCLUSION: In our study we found that health related quality of life in sepsis survivors, 28 days after discharge, is severely diminished in comparison with the general Dutch population. The physical domain is severely affected, whereas the mental domain is less influenced. The length of stay, comorbidity, advancing age and female sex all have a negative effect on the Physical Component Scale of the health related quality of life.

Evaluation of blood culture epidemiology and efficiency in a large European teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Blood cultures remain the gold standard for detecting bacteremia despite their limitations. The current practice of blood culture collection is still inefficient with low yields. Limited focus has been given to the association between timing of specimen collection at different time points during admission and their yield. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective observational study by analyzing all 3,890 sets of cultures collected from the 1,962 admitted patients over the seven-month period of this study. We compared the blood culture yield between the early group (≤24 hours after admission) and the late group (> 24 hours of admission). We also investigated the effect of prehospital oral antibiotics and pre-analytical time on the first cultures in the emergency department. Epidemiology and efficiency of blood cultures were studied for each medical specialty. RESULTS: In total, 3,349(86.1%) blood cultures were negative and 541(13.9%) were positive for one or more microorganisms. After correcting for contamination, the overall yield was 290 (7.5%). The early group (n = 1,490) yielded significantly more true-positive cultures (10.1% versus 5.8%, P<0.001) than the late group (n = 2,400). The emergency department had a significantly higher yield than general wards, 11.2% versus 5.7% (p<0.001). Prehospital oral antibiotic use and pre-analytical time did not affect the yield of first cultures at the emergency department (p = 0.735 and 0.816 respectively). The number of tests needed to obtain one true-positive culture varied between departments, ranging from 7 to 45. CONCLUSION: This study showed that blood cultures are inefficient in detecting bacteremia. Cultures collected during 24 hours after admission yielded more positive results than those collected later. Significant variations in blood culture epidemiology and efficiency per specialty suggest that guidelines should be reevaluated. Future studies should aim at improving blood culture yield, implementing educational programs to reduce contamination and cost-effective application of modern molecular diagnostic technologies.

Perspectives on the preventability of emergency department visits by older patients.

BACKGROUND: Older people increasingly demand emergency department (ED) care. ED visits have a profound impact on older patients, including high risk of adverse outcomes and loss of independency. In this study, we evaluated the opinions of patients, caregivers, general practitioners, and ED physicians on the preventability of ED visits. METHODS: Prospective, mixed-method observational and qualitative study of 200 patients aged ≥ 70 years visiting a teaching hospital ED in the Netherlands. Semi-structured interviews were performed with patients, caregivers, and general practitioners. ED physicians were provided with written surveys. Patient data were extracted to determine vulnerability. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 79.6 years; 49.5% were male. Ninety-five percent lived independently before the ED visit. Most patients reported domiciliary care (23%), a caregiver (21.5%), or both (29.5%). Patients considered 12.2% of visits potentially preventable, caregivers 9%, general practitioners 20.7%, and ED physicians 31.2%. Consensus on preventability was poor, especially among patients and professionals. While patients most frequently blamed themselves, healthcare providers predominantly mentioned lack of communication and organisational issues as contributing factors. CONCLUSION: Patients and caregivers consider an ED visit preventable less frequently than professionals do. Little consensus was found among patients and healthcare providers, and the perspectives on contributing factors to a preventable visit differ between groups. To help improve geriatric emergency care, future studies should focus on why these perspectives are so different and aim to align them.

Mild-to-moderate renal impairment is associated with platelet activation: a cross-sectional study.

The high incidence of cardiovascular disease in patients with moderate renal impairment is not fully explained by traditional atherothrombotic risk factors. Independently from these factors, blood platelet activation may increase the cardiovascular disease risk of patients with mild-to-moderate renal impairment. Blood platelet activation has not been studied in nondiabetic patients with mild-to-moderate renal impairment. Therefore, we measured the extent of platelet activation by means of fluorescence cytometry in 93 nondiabetic patients with MDRD-estimated creatinine clearance ranging from 13 - 63 ml/min/1.73 m2. As platelet activation parameters we used the expression of CD62P (P-selectin), CD 63 (glycoprotein 53), PAC-1 (activated fibrinogen receptor), CD42b (von Willebrand factor receptor) and CD41 (fibrinogen receptor) on the platelet surface membrane. The expression of CD62p, CD63 and PAC-1 was statistically significantly inversely related to the estimated glomerular filtration rate in these patients (standardized b -0.28, -0.32 and -0.39, respectively). We conclude that nondiabetic mild-to-moderate renal impairment is associated with blood platelet activation. Whether this contributes to the increased cardiovascular risk in these patients needs further study.

5-Oxoproline as a cause of high anion gap metabolic acidosis: an uncommon cause with common risk factors.

High anion gap metabolic acidosis might be caused by 5-oxoproline (pyroglutamic acid). As it is very easy to treat, it might be worth drawing attention to this uncommon and probably often overlooked diagnosis. We present three cases of high anion gap metabolic acidosis due to 5-oxoproline seen within a period of six months.