ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Perclose ProGlide (PPG) Suture-Mediated Closure System™ is safe and can reduce time to hemostasis following procedures requiring arterial access. AIMS: We aimed to compare PPG to figure of 8 suture in patients who underwent interventional catheter procedures requiring large bore venous access (LBVA) (≥13 French). METHODS: In this physician-initiated, randomized, single-center study [clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT04632641], single-stick venous access was obtained under ultrasound guidance. Eligible patients were randomized 1:1, and 100 subjects received allocated treatment to either PPG (n = 47) or figure of 8 suture (n = 53). No femoral arterial access was used in any patient. Primary outcomes were time to achieve hemostasis (TTH) and time to ambulation (TTA). Secondary outcomes were time to discharge (TTD) and vascular-related complications and mortality. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare TTH, TTA, and TTD. RESULTS: TTH (minutes) was significantly lower in PPG versus figure of 8 suture [median, (Q1, Q3)] [7 (2,10) vs. 11 (10,15) respectively, p < 0.001]. TTA (minutes) was significantly lower in PPG compared to figure of 8 suture [322 (246,452) vs. 403 (353, 633) respectively, p = 0.005]. TTD (minutes) was not significantly different between the PPG and figure of 8 suture arms [1257 (1081, 1544) vs. 1338 (1171,1435), p = 0.650]. There was no difference in minor bleeding or access site hematomas between both arms. No other vascular complications or mortality were reported. CONCLUSION: PPG use had lower TTH and TTA than figure of 8 suture in a population of patients receiving LBVA procedures. This may encourage same-day discharge in these patients.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Coronary artery calcium computed tomography (CAC) is an important tool for identifying subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk stratification. Despite robust evidence and inclusion in current guidelines, CAC is considered investigational by some US insurance carriers and requires out-of-pocket expenses. CAC can be obtained via self-referral (SR) or physician referral (PR). We aimed to examine differences in patient, socioeconomic, and CAC characteristics between referral groups. METHODS: We evaluated demographic, medical history, and CAC results of consecutive patients with a CAC completed at one of multiple Wisconsin sites from March 1, 2019, to June 30, 2021. We separated patients into SR and PR groups. Through census data, we analyzed socioeconomic variables at the block level including race and ethnicity, median income, average household size, and high school completion in the areas where patients resided at the time of CAC. RESULTS: The final analysis included 19â 726 patients: 13â 835 (70.1%) PR and 5891 (29.9%) SR. Most patients in both groups were White (95.2% versus 95.1%), with the Black/African American population representing 2.7% (SR) and 2.3% (PR). The PR group had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. SR patients were more likely to have a score of 0 (41.2% versus 38.1%; P<0.001); PR patients had a higher prevalence of CAC >300 (16.8% versus 14.8%; P<0.001). SR patients were more likely to be women (55.1% versus 48.9%; P<0.001) and were found to live in higher income areas (19.5% versus 16.4%; P<0.001). Patients from low-income areas comprised the smallest proportion in both groups (7.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who obtain out-of-pocket CAC live predominantly in medium- and high-income areas, and patients from lower income locations are less likely to obtain CAC despite having more cardiovascular disease risk factors. Consideration should be made from a policy perspective to promote health equity and improve utilization of CAC testing among underrepresented groups.
Subject(s)
Coronary Artery Disease , Vascular Calcification , Humans , Female , Male , Coronary Artery Disease/diagnostic imaging , Coronary Artery Disease/epidemiology , Calcium , Coronary Vessels/diagnostic imaging , Health Promotion , Risk Factors , Vascular Calcification/diagnostic imaging , Vascular Calcification/epidemiology , Risk AssessmentABSTRACT
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented demands on health care. This study aimed to characterize COVID-19 inpatients and examine trends and risk factors associated with hospitalization duration, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and in-hospital mortality. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalized at an integrated health system between February 2, 2020, and December 12, 2020. Patient characteristics and clinical outcomes were obtained from medical records. Backward stepwise logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors of ICU admission and in-hospital mortality. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate relationships between ICU admission and in-hospital mortality. Results: Overall, 9647 patients were analyzed. Mean age was 64.6 ± 18 years. A linear decrease was observed for hospitalization duration (0.13 days/week, R2=0.71; P<0.0001), ICU admissions (0.35%/week, R2=0.44; P<0.001), and hospital mortality (0.16%/week, R2=0.31; P<0.01). Bacterial co-infections, male sex, history of chronic lung and heart disease, diabetes, and Hispanic ethnicity were identified as independent predictors of ICU admission (P<0.001). ICU admission and age of ≥65 years were the strongest independent risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality (P<0.001). The in-hospital mortality rate was 8.3% (27.4% in ICU patients, 2.6% in non-ICU patients; P<0.001). Conclusions: Results indicate that, over the pandemic's first 10 months, COVID-19 carried a heavy burden of morbidity and mortality in older patients (>65 years), males, Hispanics, and those with bacterial co-infections and chronic comorbidities. Although disease severity has steadily declined following administration of COVID-19 vaccines along with improved understanding of effective COVID-19 interventions, these study findings reflect a "natural history" for this novel infectious disease in the U.S. Midwest.