At-risk registers integrated into primary care to stop asthma crises in the UK (ARRISA-UK): study protocol for a pragmatic, cluster randomised trial with nested health economic and process evaluations.

BACKGROUND: Despite effective treatments and long-standing management guidelines, there are approximately 1400 hospital admissions for asthma weekly in the United Kingdom (UK), many of which could be avoided. In our previous research, a secondary analysis of the intervention (ARRISA) suggested an improvement in the management of at-risk asthma patients in primary care. ARRISA involved identifying individuals at risk of adverse asthma events, flagging their electronic health records, training practice staff to develop and implement practice-wide processes of care when alerted by the flag, plus motivational reminders. We now seek to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ARRISA in reducing asthma-related crisis events. METHODS: We are undertaking a pragmatic, two-arm, multicentre, cluster randomised controlled trial, plus health economic and process evaluation. We will randomise 270 primary care practices from throughout the UK covering over 10,000 registered patients with 'at-risk asthma' identified according to a validated algorithm. Staff in practices randomised to the intervention will complete two 45-min eLearning modules (an individually completed module giving background to ARRISA and a group-completed module to develop practice-wide pathways of care) plus a 30-min webinar with other practices. On completion of training at-risk patients' records will be coded so that a flag appears whenever their record is accessed. Practices will receive a phone call at 4 weeks and a reminder video at 6 weeks and 6 months. Control practices will continue to provide usual care. We will extract anonymised routine patient data from primary care records (with linkage to secondary care data) to determine the percentage of at-risk patients with an asthma-related crisis event (accident and emergency attendances, hospitalisations and deaths) after 12 months (primary outcome). We will also capture the time to crisis event, all-cause hospitalisations, asthma control and any changes in practice asthma management for at-risk and all patients with asthma. Cost-effectiveness analysis and mixed-methods process evaluations will also be conducted. DISCUSSION: This study is novel in terms of using a practice-wide intervention to target and engage with patients at risk from their asthma and is innovative in the use of routinely captured data with record linkage to obtain trial outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN95472706 . Registered on 5 December 2014.

Outcomes of invasive mechanical ventilation in children and adolescents hospitalized due to status asthmaticus in United States: a population based study.

OBJECTIVE: Current national estimates of and outcomes of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation (MV) in status asthmaticus (SA) are unclear. The objective of this study is to estimate the incidence and outcomes of MV in hospitalized SA children and adolescents. METHODS: We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS, 2009-2010), the largest all-payer hospital discharge database in United States. All hospitalizations (age ≤21 years) with a primary diagnosis of SA were selected. MV was identified using ICD-9-CM procedure codes. Multivariable regression analyses were used to examine the association between MV and outcomes (Length of Stay (LOS) and Hospital Charges (HC)). RESULTS: Over the study period, of the 250 718 SA hospitalizations, MV was needed for <96 h in 0.37% hospitalizations and 0.18% had MV for ≥96 h. Complications occurred in 12.4% (30 991) of all hospitalizations with pneumonia (10.8%) being the most common. A total of 65 patients died in hospitals (the overall in-hospital mortality [IHM] rate was 0.03%). About 55 of these deaths occurred among those who had MV (4% IHM rate for those receiving MV). The mean LOS and hospital HC included without MV (2.1 d, $11 921) MV < 96 h (4.8 d, $52 201); MV > 96 h (15.6 d, $200 336). After adjustment for patient/hospital level factors, the need for MV was associated with significantly higher LOS and HC (p < 0.0001). Those who had MV<96 h (OR = 2.58, 95% CI = 1.77-3.77) or MV ≥ 96 h (OR = 6.23, 95% CI = 3.87-10.03) had higher risk of developing pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: Although MV is infrequently needed in children and adolescents hospitalized for SA (0.55% incidence rate), it is associated with higher IHM rate and significant hospital resource utilization.

[Adult asthma exacerbations in questions]. / Les exacerbations de l'asthme de l'adulte en questions.

In this article a French working party critically review the international literature to revise the definition, pathophysiology, treatment and cost of exacerbations of adult asthma. The various guidelines do not always provide a consistent definition of exacerbations of asthma. An exacerbation can be defined as deterioration of clinical and/or functional parameters lasting more than 24 hours, without return to baseline, requiring a change of treatment. No single clinical or functional criterion can be used as an early marker of an exacerbation. Innate and acquired immune mechanisms, modified by contact with infectious, irritant or allergenic agents, participate in the pathogenesis of exacerbations, which are accompanied by bronchial inflammation. In 2010, mortality is related to progression of exacerbations, often occurring before the patient seeks medical attention. The objective of treatment is to control asthma and prevent exacerbations. However, many factors can trigger exacerbations and often cannot be controlled. The efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids has been demonstrated on reduction of the number of exacerbations and the number of asthma-related deaths. This treatment is cost-effective, especially in terms of reduction of exacerbations.

Trends in admissions for pediatric status asthmaticus in New Jersey over a 15-year period.

OBJECTIVE: Status asthmaticus accounts for a large portion of the morbidity and mortality associated with asthma, but we know little about its epidemiology. We describe here the hospitalization characteristics of children with status asthmaticus, how they changed over time, and how they differed between hospitals with and without PICUs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used administrative data from New Jersey that included all hospitalizations in the state from 1992, 1995, and 1999-2006. We identified children with status asthmaticus by using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, diagnosis codes that indicate status asthmaticus and the use of mechanical ventilation by using procedure codes. We designated hospitals with a PICU as "PICU hospitals" and those without as "adult hospitals." RESULTS: We identified 28 309 admissions of children with status asthmaticus (22.8% of all asthma hospitalizations). From 1992 to 2006, the rate of hospital admissions decreased by half (from 1.98 in 1000 to 0.93 in 1000 children), and there was a 70% decrease in the number of children admitted to adult hospitals. The rate of ICU care in PICU hospitals more than tripled. However, the rate of mechanical ventilation remained low, and the number of deaths was small and unchanged (n=14 total). Hospital costs climbed from $6.6 million to $9.5 million. CONCLUSIONS: Although fewer children are being admitted with status asthmaticus, the proportion of patients managed in PICUs is climbing. There has been no substantial change in rates of mechanical ventilation or death. Additional research is needed to better understand how patients and physicians decide on the appropriate site for hospital care and how that choice affects outcome.

The increased cost of complications in children with status asthmaticus.

Status asthmaticus is one of the most common causes of admission to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). There is little published data, however, examining the complications associated with the treatment of status asthmaticus in children in the PICU. Our hypothesis was that children experiencing a complication would have an increased duration of hospitalization for status asthmaticus. We performed a retrospective review of the complication profile and hospital course of all children admitted to a PICU with status asthmaticus over a 9 years period. Twenty-two (8%) of the 293 children admitted to the ICU with status asthmaticus experienced one or more complications during their treatment. The most common complications were aspiration pneumonia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and rhabdomyolysis. Intubated children were significantly more likely than non-intubated children to experience a complication (RR 15.3; 95% CI 6.7-35). Fifteen (42%) of the 36 intubated children experienced a complication. Intubated children experiencing a complication had significantly longer duration of mechanical ventilation (163 +/- 169 hr vs. 66 +/- 65 hr, P = 0.03), ICU length of stay (237 +/- 180 hr vs. 124 +/- 86 hr, P = 0.02) and hospital charges (US dollars 117,184 +/- 111,191 vs. US dollars 38,788 +/- 27,784; P = 0.001) than intubated children not experiencing a complication. In this review, complications were associated with increased morbidity and duration of hospitalization in children with status asthmaticus, particularly in those intubated as part of their therapy. This suggests that intubation and mechanical ventilation itself may increase the risk of developing a complication in this population.

[Acute asthma and its costs of care at an emergency service]. / Agudizaciones del asma y sus costos de atención en el servicio de urgencias.

BACKGROUND: The request in the urgency service for attention in acute asthma is determined by multiple factors as the medical handling, the constancy and the pursuance of the patient in the adequate follow up of the treatment, the climate, the food hygienic habits and the allergies. OBJECTIVE: To determine in one year period, the frequency, recurrence of medical attention for acute asthma and the cost in the hospital urgency service of second level in medical attention. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We made an analysis of a secondary study done in 1999 in pediatric patients younger than 16 years with diagnosis of acute asthma. RESULTS: From 6,912 consultations given in the pediatric emergency area, 2,586 were from acute asthma, the half was 5.2 years old patients, the minimal average time a patient had to stay in the hospital per month was of 7.36 hours in January and the maximum average time was of 22.10 hours in the month of September. Regarding the frequency of attendance in the service for a new event, the following distribution was found: from two to three 25.72%, from 4 to 6 10.1% and from 7 to 15 0.96%. The cost of the attention had a total cost of 5'787,494.82 pesos. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of acute asthma was 41.58% and this figure was considered high in comparison to similar studies. The clinic evolution and the treatment response are related to the age, and, in the study results, the patients younger than 3 years had a longer stay in the hospital, also, there was an increase of patients in the rainy months. The frequency of patients who assisted between 2 or 3 times and the cost was 387,123.00 pesos. That frequency may be due to patients did not receive a long-term treatment provision, or because of ignorance in the initial rescue treatment, ignorance in the factors that raise the sickness, as well as patients not taking their treatment the way it was asked by the doctors. These factors increase the cost, which is feasible to be modifyied, if the patients and their families get acknowledge on the importance of respecting the instructions on the proper way of treating the acute asthma, and all the triggering factors of it.

[Cost and management of asthma exacerbations in Spanish hospitals (COAX study in hospital services)]. / Coste y manejo de una crisis asmática en el ámbito hospitalario de nuestro medio (estudio COAX en servicios hospitalarios).

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence and associated health cost of asthma have been increasing in developed countries, and 70% of the overall disease cost is due to exacerbations. The primary objective of this study was to determine the hospital cost of an asthma exacerbation in Spain. The secondary objective was to determine what maintenance treatments patients were using to control asthma before the exacerbation and how the exacerbation was treated. The study formed part of a broader study (COAX II), with the same objectives in each of the 8 participating European countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective observational study that enrolled 126 patients with an asthma exacerbation treated in the usual way in 6 Spanish hospitals over a 3-month period (from January 1 to March 31, 2000). RESULTS: According to the criteria of the Global Initiative for Asthma, 33.3% of the exacerbations were mild, 38.9% moderate, 26.2% severe, and 1.6% were associated with risk of imminent respiratory arrest. Use of corticosteroids was widespread among patients with moderate and severe asthma, but only 68% of the patients with severe asthma used long-acting beta2 agonists. The mean cost was 1555.70 Euros (95% confidence interval [CI], 1237.60 Euros-1907.00 Euros), of which 93.8% (1460.60 Euros; 95% CI, 1152.50 Euros-1779.40 Euros) was due to direct costs, and 6.2% (95.10 Euros; 95% CI, 35.50 Euros-177.00 Euros) to indirect costs. Cost rose with increasing severity of the exacerbation--292.60 Euros for a mild exacerbation, 1230.50 Euros for a moderate exacerbation, and 3543.10 Euros for a severe exacerbation. CONCLUSIONS: The mean cost was 1555.70 Euros. The costs of moderate and severe exacerbations were 4 and 12 times that of a mild exacerbation, respectively. Long-acting beta2 agonists were less widely used than recommended by the guidelines for treatment of moderate and severe persistent asthma leading to asthma exacerbations.

[Cost and management of asthma attacks treated in primary care (COAX Study)]. / Coste y manejo de las crisis asmáticas atendidas en atención primaria (estudio COAX).

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the cost and characterize the management of asthma attacks in primary care. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study of 1 year's duration. Setting. 10 physician's offices at 9 primary care centers located in 5 provinces (Asturias, Barcelona, Cadiz, Madrid, and Valencia) of Spain. PARTICIPANTS: 10 family physicians who saw 133 consecutive patients with an asthma attack. METHOD: Prospective, observational study; no intervention was used. Direct and indirect costs arising from asthma attacks were calculated. Episodes were treated according to the physicians' habitually used procedures; the study protocol did not specify any predetermined intervention. RESULTS: The attacks were classified as mild in 43.6% of the cases, moderately severe in 43.6%, and severe in 12.8%. Of all severe attacks, 17.2% occurred in patients with intermittent asthma. The more severe the attack, the less preventive treatment patients had received previously. The mean cost of asthma attacks was 166.7 (95% CI, 146.5-192.3); 80% (132.4) (95% CI, 122.7-143.8) were direct costs and 20% (34.3) (95% CI, 17-56.2) were indirect costs. The most economical management option was to change treatment, perform diagnostic tests and have the patient attend 2 follow-up appointments with the physician. CONCLUSIONS: Mean cost of each asthma attack treated in primary care was 166.7 (95% CI, 146.5-192.3), of which 80% were direct costs and 20% indirect costs.

Costs of hospitalization for severe acute asthma of patients not treated according to guidelines and recommendations. French prospective study of 169 cases.

This prospective study of 169 adult patients hospitalized for severe acute asthma in four pneumology wards compared the incidence and costs of patients who were managed (group A) or not managed (group P) before hospitalization, according to the guidelines and international recommendations (11 criteria judged by experts). Ambulatory costs were calculated by questioning patients. Valuation of hospital costs was based DRGs weighted by length of stay. The incidence in group P patients was estimated at 70%; A patients were 14 years younger than those in group P and had less severe asthma. Their annual ambulatory care prior to hospitalization was less costly irrespective of age category or degree of severity (euro 685 vs. euro 1,145 in group A); their length of hospital stay was shorter (6.03 vs. 10.78 days), resulting in a lower cost of hospitalization (euro 2,820 vs. euro 4,843). In group P a specific education program based on increased understanding, compliance, self-management, and smoking cessation, particularly in young patients should lead to reductions in hospitalizations.

[Direct cost of care for acute asthmatic crisis at a pediatric emergency service]. / Costo directo de la atención por crisis aguda de asma en el servicio de urgencias pediátricas.

BACKGROUND: The acute asthma crisis in emergency services of second level hospitals represents one of the highest levels of intake, generating a high number of hospitalizations. OBJECTIVE: To determine, in emergency service medical attention, the frequency and direct cost related generated by the hospitalization of pediatric patients with acute asthma crisis in second level attention of Social Security Service (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS). MATERIALS AND METHOD: In 2000, a cohort study was done on pediatric patients with acute asthma crisis in a second level hospital. RESULTS: In the cohort of 2,277 patients, the response to treatment was adequate in 94% (2,141) of the cases, the consultation predominated in September (13.6%) and October (12%). The average patient was 3 years old and the patients were predominantly male (63.4%). The direct cost generated from attending these patients totaled to 342,989.80 USD, the monthly cost average was of 28,582.48 USD. DISCUSSION: The use of health services is an indirect indicator of morbidity, also referred to as the increase of hospitalization and rehospitalization in children between 0 and 4 years old. The knowledge of leading factors, the education on long term control, and the handling of initial rescue in asthmatic patients are modifiable factors that can help reduce the costs generated by the hospitalization of acute cases of this disease.

[Metered-dose inhalers with home-made spacers versus nebulizers to treat moderate wheezing attacks in children]. / Inalador dosimetrado com espaçador artesanal versus nebulizador no tratamento da crise de sibilância na criança.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of salbutamol administration by metered-dose inhaler with a home-made spacer versus jet nebulizer in children with moderate wheezing attacks. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A randomized, single-blinded trial was performed with a convenience sample of children presenting wheezing. The children were enrolled in an emergency room and randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: home-made spacer group or nebulizer group. Clinical scores and oxygen saturation were recorded at baseline and 15 minutes after salbutamol administration. Treatment with salbutamol (100 microg/3 kg in the spacer group, and 250 microg/3 kg in the nebulizer group) was repeated at 20-minute intervals, until the child was considered to have improved significantly, with no need of any further dose, or until three doses were delivered. Treatment cost, time spent to prepare and deliver the drug, and level of parental satisfaction with the treatment were recorded. RESULTS: Fifty-four children with age between 22 days and 11.7 years were enrolled--27 in each group. Baseline and demographic characteristics were similar for both groups. The spacer was as effective as the nebulizer in terms of clinical score and oxygen saturation. The different doses (100 microg/3 kg with the spacer, and 250 microg/3 kg with the nebulizer) were shown to be clinically equivalent. Treatment cost was significantly lower in the spacer group, as was the time to prepare and deliver the drug. Parental satisfaction was similar for both inhaler devices. CONCLUSION: The home-made spacer with a metered-dose inhaler is a cost-effective alternative to a jet nebulizer in the delivery of salbutamol to children with moderate wheezing attacks.

Socioeconomic variation in asthma hospitalization: excess utilization or greater need?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the hypothesis that higher incidence of severe acute asthma exacerbation, not lower severity threshold for admission, explains the difference between the asthma hospitalization rates of inner-city and suburban children. METHODS: All 2028 asthma hospitalizations between 1991 and 1995 for children (aged >1 month and <19 years) dwelling in Rochester, New York, were analyzed. ZIP codes defined residences as inner-city, other urban, or suburban. Based principally on the worst oxygen saturation (SaO2) during the first 24 hours of hospitalization, severity was examined by hospital record review (n = 443) of random samples of inner-city, other urban, and suburban asthma admissions. RESULTS: Large inner-city/suburban differences were noted in many sociodemographic attributes, and there was also a distinct, stepwise gradient in risk factors in moving from the suburbs to other urban areas and to the inner city. Racial and economic segregation was particularly striking. Black individuals accounted for 62% of inner-city births versus <3% in the suburbs. Medicaid covered 65% of inner-city births, whereas Medicaid covered only 6% of suburban births. The overall asthma hospitalization rate was 2.04 admissions/1000 child-years. Children <24 months old, those most commonly hospitalized for asthma, were fourfold more likely to be hospitalized (OR: 3.97, 95% CI: 3. 44-4.57) than children between the ages of 13 and 18 years. The hospitalization rate of asthma in boys was almost twice the rate of asthma in girls. The greatest gender difference was observed among children who were <24 months old. For these children, the rate for boys was 6.10/1000 child-years compared with 2.65/1000 child-years for girls (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.95-3.03). This gender difference diminished gradually in older age groups to the extent that there was no difference among girls and boys between the ages of 13 and 18 years (males, 1.12/1000 child-years vs females, 1.09/1000 child-years). Based on worst SaO2 values, mild (worst SaO2 >/=95%), moderate (90%-94%), and severe (<90%) admissions constituted 10.3%, 41.9%, and 47.7% of all hospitalizations, respectively. Although rates within the community followed a distinct geographic pattern of suburban (1.05/1000 child-years) < other urban (2.99/1000 child-years) < inner-city (5.21/1000 child-years), the proportions of admissions with low severity did not vary among areas. Likewise, the proportions of admissions that were severe (SaO2 <90%) were not significantly different (44.8, 45.7, and 52.1% for suburban, other urban, and inner-city areas, respectively). The distributions of asthma severity, measured by the duration of frequent nebulized bronchodilator treatments and the length of hospital stay, were also similar among children from different socioeconomic areas. CONCLUSION: The marked socioeconomic and racial disparity in Rochester's asthma hospitalization rates is largely attributable to higher incidence of severe acute asthma exacerbations among inner-city children; it signals greater need, not excess utilization. Both adverse environmental conditions and lower quality primary care might explain the higher incidence. Interventions directed at the environment offer the possibility of primary prevention, whereas primary care directed at asthma is focused on secondary prevention, principally on improved medication use. Higher hospitalization rates cannot be assumed to identify opportunities for cost reduction. The extent to which our observations about asthma hold true under other conditions and in other communities warrants systematic attention. Knowledge of when higher rates signal excess utilization and when, instead, they signify greater needs should guide equitable national health policy.

A cost-saving algorithm for children hospitalized for status asthmaticus.

OBJECTIVE: To test the ability of an assessment-driven algorithm for treatment of pediatric status asthmaticus to reduce length and cost of hospitalization. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, prospective, controlled trial. SETTING: Tertiary care children's hospital. PATIENTS: Children aged 1 to 18 years hospitalized for status asthmaticus; 104 were treated using the asthma care algorithm (intervention) and 97 using unstructured standard treatment (control). INTERVENTION: Patients were treated using either an assessment-based algorithm or standard care practices. The algorithm group was treated with standard medications (aerosolized albuterol, systemic corticosteroids, epinephrine, ipratropium) administered at a frequency driven by the patient's clinical condition. Specific criteria were outlined for decreasing or augmenting therapy, transferring to intensive care, and discharging to home. A unique patient record containing assessments, algorithm cues, and a treatment record was used. Intervention group patients were interviewed by telephone 1 week after discharge. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hospital length of stay, cost per hospitalization, relapse rate, protocol adherence. RESULTS: Average hospital stay for intervention patients was significantly shorter than for control patients (2.0 vs 2.9 days, P<.001). Although intervention patients received fewer aerosolized albuterol doses than controls, there was no difference in short-term relapse rate between groups. The intervention saved more than $700 per patient in hospital charges. Adherence to the protocol was excellent, with only 8 variances per patient stay out of more than 150 opportunities. CONCLUSION: An intensive, assessment-driven algorithm for pediatric status asthmaticus significantly reduces hospital length of stay and costs without increasing morbidity.