The association of psychiatric and neurological comorbidities with outcomes in traumatic injury patients.

INTRODUCTION: Mental illness is a well-known risk factor for injury and injury recidivism. The impact of pre-existing psychiatric illness on trauma outcomes, however, has received less attention. Our study examines the relationship of pre-existing psychiatric illness on trauma outcomes including length of stay, cost, and mortality. METHODS: Patient data were obtained from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's State Inpatient Database. All patients admitted for trauma in the Detroit metropolitan area from 1/1/2006 to 12/31/2014 were included. The relationship between individual psychiatric comorbidities (depression, psychosis, and other neurological disorders) and outcomes were evaluated with logistic regression (mortality) and generalized linear modeling (length of stay and cost). RESULTS: Over 260,000 records were reviewed. Approximately one-third (29.9%) of patients had one or more psychiatric diagnoses. Patients with depression had longer hospital stays (RR = 1.12, p < 0.001) and higher costs (RR = 1.07, p < 0.001), but also lower mortality (OR = 0.69, p < 0.001). Patients with psychosis had longer stays (RR = 1.18, p < 0.001), higher costs (RR = 1.02, p = 0.002), and lower mortality (OR = 0.61, p < 0.001). Patients with other neurological comorbidities had higher mortality (OR = 1.23, p < 0.001), longer stays (RR = 1.29, p < 0.001), and higher costs (RR = 1.10, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with a psychiatric disorder required longer care and incurred greater costs, whereas mortality was higher for only those with a neurological disorder. Identifying patients' psychiatric comorbidities at the time of admission for trauma may help optimize treatment. Addressing these conditions may help reduce the cost of trauma care.

Opioid prescribing trends: Changes after focused hospital resident education and after subsequent adoption of new state regulations.

OBJECTIVE: We examined changes in opioid prescriptions after outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) before and after (1) an educational intervention for surgical residents and (2) subsequent changes in state regulations for handling these prescriptions. DESIGN: A single-institution retrospective review evaluated opioids prescribed on discharge in morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) over three periods: Period 1, prior to educational intervention (October 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018); Period 2, after intervention and before regulation changes occurred (February 1, 2018 to May 31, 2018); and Period 3, after changes in regulations went into effect (June 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018). SETTING: A large urban teaching hospital in Detroit, Michigan. PATIENTS: All adults receiving outpatient LC during one of the study periods. Patients with a history of regular opioid use prior to surgery were excluded. There were 49 patients in Period 1, 57 in Period 2, and 51 in Period 3. INTERVENTIONS: All general surgery residents participated in an education session focusing on problems related to opioid addiction, prescribing trends, and multimodal pain control options in February 2018. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Mean MME per patient was compared between time periods. RESULTS: Average MME was reduced from 87.11 in Period 1 to 65.96 in Period 2 to 51.80 in Period 3. Analysis of variance showed MME differed significantly among the periods. Scheffe post hoc t-tests showed MME prescribed during Periods 2 and 3 were each significantly lower than Period 1, whereas Periods 2 and 3 did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: MME prescribed after outpatient LC significantly decreased after the educational intervention and remained low after state mandate went into effect.

Risk of delayed intracranial hemorrhage in patients on anticoagulation with negative initial imaging.

BACKGROUND: Many institutions obtain a delayed head CT in patients presenting after a ground level fall while on anticoagulation. This study evaluates their risk of delayed ICH. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of 635 patients on anticoagulation who sustained a ground level fall with a negative initial head CT and a GCS above eight. Patients underwent a repeat head CT within 48 h. The ISS was calculated for all patients. RESULTS: Five patients had a delayed ICH. All survived and none required neurosurgical intervention. Patient variables did not have any correlation with development of ICH. Patients with a delayed ICH had a significantly higher ISS. CONCLUSION: Patients on anticoagulation presenting to the hospital after a ground level fall, with a GCS above eight and an initial negative head CT, do not need to undergo repeat imaging. ISS could be used to stratify patients who are at higher risk of delayed ICH.

Associations between cardiovascular comorbidities and mortality, length of hospital stay, and total charges among traumatic injury patients.

PURPOSE: Cardiovascular conditions are highly prevalent and particularly common in subsets of the population at high risk for traumatic injury. This study evaluates the extent to which cardiovascular comorbidity may increase risks of negative outcomes in patients receiving trauma treatment. METHODS: Clinical data for all patients admitted for traumatic injury (defined by ICD-9 diagnosis codes) of all levels of severity between the years of 2006 and 2014 in the Detroit USA metropolitan area were obtained from the State Inpatient Database for Michigan. The association between four types of cardiovascular comorbidity (hypertension, congestive heart failure, pulmonary circulation disorders, and valvular heart disease), and three outcomes (mortality, length of hospital stay, and total charges), was assessed using generalized linear modeling, both alone and after controlling for injury severity, injury region, and demographic factors. RESULTS: All four comorbidities examined were related to worse outcomes on all three dimensions. The greatest magnitude of estimated effects with each outcome was associated with pulmonary circulation disorders (mortality OR = 2.99, length of stay IRR = 1.69, hospital charges IRR = 1.76), and the smallest magnitude of estimated effects was associated with hypertension (mortality OR = 1.20, length of stay IRR = 1.20, hospital charges IRR = 1.18). After adjustment for the presence of multiple comorbidities, injury severity and region, age, gender, and race, all effect estimates remained significant and in the same direction, except valvular heart disease which was unrelated to mortality, and hypertension was related to lower risk of mortality (OR = 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiovascular comorbidities are related to higher risk of negative outcomes among patients hospitalized due to traumatic injury. Screening for these comorbidities on admission may help to improve patient outcomes.

Malfunctioning temporary hemodialysis catheters in patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019.

OBJECTIVE: The hypercoagulability seen in patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) likely contributes to the high temporary hemodialysis catheter (THDC) malfunction rate. We aim to evaluate prophylactic measures and their association with THDC patency. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of our institutions COVID-19 positive patients who required placement of a THDC between February 1 to April 30, 2020, was performed. The association between heparin locking, increased dosing of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis and systemic anticoagulation on THDC patency was assessed. Proportional hazards modeling was used to perform a survival analysis to estimate the likelihood and timing of THDC malfunction with the three different prophylactic measures. We also determined the mortality, rate of THDC malfunction and its association with d-dimer levels. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients with a mortality rate of 71% were identified. THDC malfunction occurred in 31.3% of patients. Thirty-seven patients (77.1%) received heparin locking, 22 (45.8%) received systemic anticoagulation, and 38 (79.1%) received VTE prophylaxis. Overall, the rate of THDC malfunction was lower at a trend level of significance, with heparin vs saline locking (24.3% vs 54.6%; P = .058). The likelihood of THDC malfunction in the heparin locked group is lower than all other groups (hazard ratio [HR], 0.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.01-0.45]; P = .005). The rate of malfunction in patients with subcutaneous heparin (SQH) 7500 U three times daily is significantly lower than of the rate for patients receiving none (HR, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.001-0.74; P = .032). A trend level significant association was found for SQH 5000 U vs none (P = .417) and SQH 7500 vs 5000 U (P = .059). Systemic anticoagulation did not affect the THDC malfunction rate (P = .240). Higher d-dimer levels were related to greater mortality (HR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.16-9.28; P = .025), but were not significantly associated with THDC malfunction (HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 0.42, 7.71; P = .434). CONCLUSIONS: Locking THDCs with heparin is associated with a lower malfunction rate. Prospective randomized studies will be needed to confirm these findings to recommend locking THDC with heparin in patients with COVID-19. Increased VTE prophylaxis suggested a possible association with improved THDC patency, although the comparison lacked sufficient statistical power.

Associations of Alcohol and Drug Misuse with Hospital Outcomes in Traumatic Injury Patients.

Background: Traumatic injury is one of the most common causes of mortality worldwide. Previous research suggests that alcohol and drug misuse can increase the risk of experiencing these injuries. Method: Data on all hospital admissions due to traumatic injury in the Detroit metropolitan area between 2006 and 2014 were obtained from the Michigan State Inpatient Database. Patients with no recorded substance misuse comorbidity were compared with those who had (a) alcohol misuse comorbidity only, (b) drug misuse comorbidity only, and (c) both alcohol and drug misuse comorbidities. Outcomes examined included in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and total cost of care. Results: Generalized linear modeling was used to examine the relationship between substance misuse comorbidities and each of the three outcomes. Lower mortality was related to drug and drug/alcohol misuse. Longer length of stay was related to alcohol, drug, and alcohol/drug misuse. Total costs were higher for patients with comorbid alcohol misuse, but lower for those with comorbid drug misuse. These patterns of results were not changed after controlling for differences in background demographics and injury characteristics. Discussion: Alcohol and drug misuse were highly prevalent in trauma patients, in comparison to estimate for the US population as a whole. The relationship between substance misuse comorbidity and outcomes among trauma patient is not straightforward. Substance misuse of all types was related to longer hospitalization, but its association with cost and mortality was mixed. Assessment of substance misuse background at intake may help optimize care for trauma patients.

Obesity and hospital outcomes following traumatic injury: Associations in 9 years of patient data from a single metropolitan area.

Traumatic injury is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Obesity may put trauma patients at risk for complications leading to negative clinical outcomes. Data on all hospital admissions due to traumatic injury in the Detroit metropolitan area between 2006 and 2014 were obtained from the Michigan State Inpatient Database. Generalized linear modelling was used to compare patients with and without obesity on three outcomes: mortality, length of hospital stay and total charges for care. Adjusting for demographics, patients with obesity had 26% longer hospitalization. Adjusting for demographics and length of stay, charges were 8% higher. Obesity was unrelated to mortality. Obesity had greater impact on length of stay among younger adults; its relationship with charges emerged only among older adults. Obesity has significant clinical implications for trauma care. Demands for trauma care resources, and the charges associated with providing care, are likely to increase as obesity rates rise.

Between-hospital and between-neighbourhood variance in trauma outcomes: cross-sectional observational evidence from the Detroit metropolitan area.

OBJECTIVE: Disparities in treatment outcomes for traumatic injury are an important concern for care providers and policy makers. Factors that may influence these disparities include differences in risk exposure based on neighbourhood of residence and differences in quality of care between hospitals in different areas. This study examines geographical disparities within a single region: the Detroit metropolitan area. DESIGN: Data on all trauma admissions between 2006 and 2014 were obtained from the Michigan State Inpatient Database. Admissions were grouped by patient neighbourhood of residence and admitting hospital. Generalised linear mixed modelling procedures were used to determine the extent of shared variance based on these two levels of categorisation on three outcomes. Patients with trauma due to common mechanisms (falls, firearms and motor vehicle traffic) were examined as additional subgroups. SETTING: 66 hospitals admitting patients for traumatic injury in the Detroit metropolitan area during the period from 2006 to 2014. PARTICIPANTS: 404 675 adult patients admitted for treatment of traumatic injury. OUTCOME MEASURES: In-hospital mortality, length of stay and hospital charges. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated that there was substantial shared variance in outcomes based on hospital, but not based on neighbourhood of residence. Among all injury types, hospital-level differences accounted for 12.5% of variance in mortality risk, 28.5% of variance in length of stay and 32.2% of variance in hospital charges. Adjusting the results for patient age, injury severity, mechanism and comorbidities did not result in significant reduction in the estimated variance at the hospital level. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these data, geographical disparities in trauma treatment outcomes were more strongly attributable to differences in access to quality hospital care than to risk factors in the neighbourhood environment. Transfer of high-risk cases to hospitals with greater institutional experience in the relevant area may help address mortality disparities in particular.

Associations of race, mechanism of injury, and neighborhood poverty with in-hospital mortality from trauma: A population-based study in the Detroit metropolitan area.

Health disparities based on race and socioeconomic status are a serious problem in the US health care system, but disparities in outcomes related to traumatic injury have received relatively little attention in the research literature.This study uses data from the State Inpatient Database for Michigan including all trauma-related hospital admissions in the period from 2006 to 2014 in the Detroit metropolitan area (N = 407,553) to examine the relationship between race (White N = 232,109; African American N = 86,356, Hispanic N = 2709, Other N = 10,623), socioeconomic background, and in-hospital trauma mortality.Compared with other groups, there was a higher risk of mortality after trauma among African Americans (odds ratio [OR] = 1.20, P < .001), people living in high-poverty neighborhoods (OR = 1.01, P < .001), and those enrolled in public health insurance programs (OR = 1.53, P < .001). African American patients were more likely to have had traumatic injuries caused by certain mechanisms with higher risk of death (P < .001). After controlling for mechanism alone in multiple logistic regression, African American race remained a significant predictor of mortality risk (OR = 1.12, P < .001). After additionally controlling for the socioeconomic factors of insurance status and neighborhood poverty levels, there were no longer any significant differences between racial groups in terms of mortality (OR = 0.99, P = .746).These results suggest that in this population the racial inequalities in mortality outcomes were fully mediated by differences between groups in the pattern of injuries suffered and differences in risk based on socioeconomic factors.

Changes in trauma admission rates and mechanisms during recession and recovery: evidence from the Detroit metropolitan area.

OBJECTIVES: Although individual socioeconomic status has been linked with risk of traumatic injury, there has been relatively little research into the question of how economic changes may impact trauma admission rates in neighborhoods with different socioeconomic backgrounds. METHODS: This study pairs ZIP code-level data on trauma admissions with county-level data on unemployment to assess differences in the type of changes experienced in more and less affluent neighborhoods of the Detroit metropolitan area between 2006 and 2014. RESULTS: Conditional linear growth curve modeling results indicate that trauma admission rates decreased during the "great recession" of 2008-2010 in neighborhoods with the highest unemployment levels, but increased during the same period of time in neighborhoods with lower unemployment. Consequently, citywide disparities in trauma incidence decreased during the recession and widened again as the economy began to improve. CONCLUSION: Trauma risks and demand for trauma care may shift geographically in relation to broader economic changes. Health care policy and planning should consider these dynamics when anticipating changing demands and needs for efforts at prevention.

An effort to improve the accuracy of documented surgical wound classifications.

BACKGROUND: Discordance between circulating nurse- and surgeon diagnosis-based wound classifications may lead to erroneous risk-adjusted rates of surgical site infections with effects on inter-hospital rating, reimbursement, and public perceptions regarding quality of care. METHODS: After an initial two-month audit, we placed a wound class reference algorithm in each operating room and educated staff. An audit was repeated for a two-month period after this intervention. Statistical analysis of the whole and subgroup was performed. RESULTS: Pre-intervention, the wound classifications for 70 of 300 cases were discordant. In the post-intervention group, 79 of 483 cases were discordant (p = 0.016). Subgroup analysis of colectomy and appendectomy cases demonstrated dramatically improved concordance. For colectomies, discordance dropped from 84.6% to 15% post-intervention (p = <0.001). Appendectomy discordance went from 80% of cases to 30.4% post-intervention (p = 0.001). Wound class discordance increased for the cholecystectomy subgroup (20.4%-37%) but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.066). CONCLUSIONS: As we trend towards a pay-for-performance model, health care systems should review their internal controls on documenting surgical wound classes.

Radiation and depression associated with complications of tissue expander reconstruction.

PURPOSE: Rates of implant failure, wound healing delay, and infection are higher in patients having radiation therapy (RT) after tissue expander (TE) and permanent implant reconstruction. We investigated pretreatment risk factors for TE implant complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 127 breast cancer patients had TE reconstruction and radiation. For 85 cases of bilateral TE reconstruction, the non-irradiated breast provided an internal control. Comparison of differences in means for continuous variables used analysis of variance, then multiple pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni correction of p value. RESULTS: Mean age was 53 ± 10.1 years with 14.6% African-American. Twelve (9.4%) were BRCA positive (9 BRCA1, 4 BRCA2, 1 Both). Complications were: Grade 0 (no complication; 43.9%), Grade 1 (tightness and/or drifting of implant or Baker Grade II capsular contracture; 30.9%), Grade 2 (infection, hypertrophic scarring, or incisional necrosis; 9.8%), Grade 3 (Baker Grade III capsular contracture, wound dehiscence, or impending exposure of implant; 5.7%), Grade 4 (implant failure, exchange of implant, or Baker Grade IV capsular contracture; 9.8%). 15.3% (19 cases) experienced Grade 3 or 4 complication and 9.8% (12 cases) had Grade 4 complication. Considering non-irradiated breasts, there were two (1.6%) Grade 3-4 complications. For BMI, there was no significant difference by category as defined by the CDC (p = 0.91). Patients with depression were more likely to experience Grade 3 or 4 complication (29.4 vs 13.2%; p = 0.01). Using multiple logistic regression to predict the probability of a Grade 3 or 4 complications in patients with depression were found to be 4.2 times more likely to have a Grade 3 or 4 complication (OR = 4.2, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Higher rates of TE reconstruction complications are expected in patients receiving radiotherapy. An unexpected finding was that patients reporting medical history of depression showed statistically significant increase in complication rates.

Case cohort study of risk factors for post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage is a potentially life-threatening complication of thyroid surgery. The goal of our study was to determine potential risk factors for development of post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage. METHODS: A retrospective case cohort study of patients with post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage between December 2008 and August 2014 was performed. This group of patients was compared with a stratified randomized control group, and several parameters were assessed for association with post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were identified in this time period as developing post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage requiring reoperation. Postoperative hypertension, vomiting and/or straining, longer operative times, and extent of surgical dissection were found to be statistically significant risk factors. Postoperative hypertension was found to be the most significant risk factor, resulting in a 20.3 times increased likelihood of developing post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: A number of risk factors for post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage were identified. The most significant was postoperative hypertension. Early control of modifiable risk factors could improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.

The effect of timing of postmastectomy radiation on implant-based breast reconstruction: a retrospective comparison of complication outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The optimal timing of postmastectomy radiation for women undergoing delayed permanent implant exchange continues to remain controversial. The objective of our study is to compare complication rates when tissue expanders are exchanged for permanent implants pre- vs postradiation. METHODS: A retrospective review of 54 consecutive patients who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction and received postmastectomy radiation was conducted. Complications including infection, implant loss, and capsular contracture (measured in Baker score) were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Of the patients studied, 32 patients had radiation before placement of permanent implants, whereas 22 patients received radiation after implant placement. There was no difference in individual complication rates between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: In our study of 54 patients, the timing of radiation did not affect individual complication rates for patients who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction after immediate tissue expander placement.

Teaching surgical residents to evaluate scholarly articles: a constructivist approach.

BACKGROUND: The ability to critically appraise scholarly journals is an essential skill for surgical residents in their journey to being lifelong learners. Methods to teach evaluation of scholarly articles are scant in the educational literature. METHODS: Residents completed a pre-test on evaluation of surgical literature. Two lectures on methodology and statistics followed. A board-certified surgeon and residents evaluated 7 articles using a scoring form. A post-test followed. Four additional sessions on evaluating surgical articles were held without the rating form. Residents completed a second post-test. RESULTS: Residents showed improved knowledge and skills on evaluating surgical literature on the first and second post-tests when compared with the pretest ( P < 0.0005 for both tests). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical residents can be taught to evaluate literature using constructivist Educational theory. There was a significant improvement in knowledge and the skills of literature evaluation, which persisted after the educational aid was removed.

Should pregnancy be a sole criterion for trauma code activation: a review of the trauma registry.

BACKGROUND: Trauma complicates 5% to 7% of all pregnancies and the majority are noncatastrophic events. METHODS: All pregnant patients in the trauma registry from April 2004 to December 2008 were reviewed retrospectively for trauma code activation criteria: pregnancy as sole criterion versus anatomic/physiologic criteria. The incidence of emergent cesarean sections also was assessed. RESULTS: There were a total of 85 Level 2 Trauma activations. Fifty-seven of the 85 activations were for pregnancy only. There were 2 cesarean sections in the pregnancy-alone group and 5 cesarean sections in the anatomic/physiologic group. A Fisher exact test was used to compare the groups. The pregnancy-alone group had a significantly lower number of cesarean sections with a P value of .0364. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with pregnancy as the sole criterion for Level 2 activations had minor injuries and a lower incidence of cesarean sections.