Novel Note Templates to Enhance Signal and Reduce Noise in Medical Documentation: Prospective Improvement Study.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of electronic workflows has allowed for the flow of raw uncontextualized clinical data into medical documentation. As a result, many electronic notes have become replete of "noise" and deplete clinically significant "signals." There is an urgent need to develop and implement innovative approaches in electronic clinical documentation that improve note quality and reduce unnecessary bloating. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the development and impact of a novel set of templates designed to change the flow of information in medical documentation. METHODS: This is a multihospital nonrandomized prospective improvement study conducted on the inpatient general internal medicine service across 3 hospital campuses at the New York University Langone Health System. A group of physician leaders representing each campus met biweekly for 6 months. The output of these meetings included (1) a conceptualization of the note bloat problem as a dysfunction in information flow, (2) a set of guiding principles for organizational documentation improvement, (3) the design and build of novel electronic templates that reduced the flow of extraneous information into provider notes by providing link outs to best practice data visualizations, and (4) a documentation improvement curriculum for inpatient medicine providers. Prior to go-live, pragmatic usability testing was performed with the new progress note template, and the overall user experience was measured using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Primary outcome measures after go-live include template utilization rate and note length in characters. RESULTS: In usability testing among 22 medicine providers, the new progress note template averaged a usability score of 90.6 out of 100 on the SUS. A total of 77% (17/22) of providers strongly agreed that the new template was easy to use, and 64% (14/22) strongly agreed that they would like to use the template frequently. In the 3 months after template implementation, general internal medicine providers wrote 67% (51,431/76,647) of all inpatient notes with the new templates. During this period, the organization saw a 46% (2768/6191), 47% (3505/7819), and 32% (3427/11,226) reduction in note length for general medicine progress notes, consults, and history and physical notes, respectively, when compared to a baseline measurement period prior to interventions. CONCLUSIONS: A bundled intervention that included the deployment of novel templates for inpatient general medicine providers significantly reduced average note length on the clinical service. Templates designed to reduce the flow of extraneous information into provider notes performed well during usability testing, and these templates were rapidly adopted across all hospital campuses. Further research is needed to assess the impact of novel templates on note quality, provider efficiency, and patient outcomes.

The impact of COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies on clinical outcomes: A retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Despite progress in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), more clinical data to support the use of mAbs in outpatients with COVID-19 is needed. This study is designed to determine the impact of bamlanivimab, bamlanivimab/etesevimab, or casirivimab/imdevimab on clinical outcomes within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single academic medical center with 3 campuses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island, NY. Patients 12 years of age or older who tested positive for COVID-19 or were treated with a COVID-19-specific therapy, including COVID-19 mAb therapies, at the study site between November 24, 2020, and May 15, 2021, were included. The primary outcomes included rates of emergency department (ED) visit, inpatient admission, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, or death within 30 days from the date of COVID-19 diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 1,344 mAb-treated patients were propensity matched to 1,344 patients with COVID-19 patients who were not treated with mAb therapy. Within 30 days of diagnosis, among the patients who received mAb therapy, 101 (7.5%) presented to the ED and 79 (5.9%) were admitted. Among the patients who did not receive mAb therapy, 165 (12.3%) presented to the ED and 156 (11.6%) were admitted (relative risk [RR], 0.61 [95% CI, 0.50-0.75] and 0.51 [95% CI, 0.40-0.64], respectively). Four mAb patients (0.3%) and 2.64 control patients (0.2%) were admitted to the ICU (RR, 01.51; 95% CI, 0.45-5.09). Six mAb-treated patients (0.4%) and 3.37 controls (0.3%) died and/or were admitted to hospice (RR, 1.61; 95% CI, 0.54-4.83). mAb therapy in ambulatory patients with COVID-19 decreases the risk of ED presentation and hospital admission within 30 days of diagnosis.

Quality and Safety Outcomes of a Hospital Merger Following a Full Integration at a Safety Net Hospital.

Importance: Hospital consolidations have been shown not to improve quality on average. Objective: To assess a full-integration approach to hospital mergers based on quality metrics in a safety net hospital acquired by an urban academic health system. Design, Setting, and Participants: This quality improvement study analyzed outcomes for all nonpsychiatric, nonrehabilitation, non-newborn patients discharged between September 1, 2010, and August 31, 2019, at a US safety net hospital that was acquired by an urban academic health system in January 2016. Interrupted time series and statistical process control analyses were used to assess the main outcomes and measures. Data sources included the hospital's electronic health record, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare, and nursing quality reports. Exposures: A full-integration approach to the merger that included: (1) early administrative and clinical leadership integration with the academic health system; (2) rapid transition to the academic health system electronic health record; (3) local ownership of quality metrics; (4) system-level goals with real-time actionable analytics through combined dashboards; and (5) implementation of value-based and other analytic-driven interventions. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included 30-day readmission, patient experience, and hospital-acquired conditions. Results: The 122 348 patients in the premerger (September 2010 through August 2016) and the 58 904 patients in the postmerger (September 2016 through August 2019) periods had a mean (SD) age of 55.5 (22.0) years; the total sample of 181 252 patients included 112 191 women (61.9%), the payor mix was majority governmental (144 375 patients [79.7%]), and most admissions were emergent (121 469 patients [67.0%]). There was a 0.71% (95% CI, 0.57%-0.86%) absolute (27% relative) reduction in the crude mortality rate and 0.95% (95% CI, 0.83%-1.12%) absolute (33% relative) in the adjusted rate by the end of the 3-year intervention period. There was no significant improvement in readmission rates after accounting for baseline trends. There were fewer central line infections per 1000 catheter days, fewer catheter-associated urinary tract infections per 1000 discharges, and a higher likelihood of patients recommending the hospital or ranking it 9 or 10. Conclusions and Relevance: In this quality improvement study, a hospital merger with a full-integration approach to consolidation was found to be associated with improvement in quality outcomes.

Indications for the Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors for Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis and Peptic Ulcer Bleeding in Hospitalized Patients.

Proton pump inhibitors are widely used throughout the world for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders that are related to acid secretion, such as peptic ulcer disease and dyspepsia. Another common indication for proton pump inhibitors is stress ulcer prophylaxis. Proton pump inhibitors have proven efficacy for the treatment of acid-related gastrointestinal disorders, but there is concern that their use may be associated with the development of significant complications, such as fractures, Clostridium difficile infection, acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and hypomagnesemia. Proton pump inhibitors are overused in the hospital setting, both for stress ulcer prophylaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding, and then they are often inappropriately continued after discharge from the hospital. This narrative review article outlines the evidence surrounding appropriate proton pump inhibitor use for stress ulcer prophylaxis and peptic ulcer bleeding.

Reducing Overuse of Proton Pump Inhibitors for Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis and Nonvariceal Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the Hospital: A Narrative Review and Implementation Guide.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most commonly used medications in the world; however, these drugs carry the risk of patient harm, including acute and chronic kidney disease, Clostridium difficile infection, hypomagnesemia, and fractures. In the hospital setting, PPIs are overused for stress ulcer prophylaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding, and PPI use often continues after discharge. Numerous multifaceted interventions have demonstrated safe and effective reduction of PPI use in the inpatient setting. This narrative review and the resulting implementation guide summarize published interventions to reduce inappropriate PPI use and provide a strategy for quality improvement teams.

Assessment of Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Hospitalization and Mortality in Patients With COVID-19 in New York City.

Importance: Black and Hispanic populations have higher rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalization and mortality than White populations but lower in-hospital case-fatality rates. The extent to which neighborhood characteristics and comorbidity explain these disparities is unclear. Outcomes in Asian American populations have not been explored. Objective: To compare COVID-19 outcomes based on race and ethnicity and assess the association of any disparities with comorbidity and neighborhood characteristics. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study was conducted within the New York University Langone Health system, which includes over 260 outpatient practices and 4 acute care hospitals. All patients within the system's integrated health record who were tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 between March 1, 2020, and April 8, 2020, were identified and followed up through May 13, 2020. Data were analyzed in June 2020. Among 11 547 patients tested, outcomes were compared by race and ethnicity and examined against differences by age, sex, body mass index, comorbidity, insurance type, and neighborhood socioeconomic status. Exposures: Race and ethnicity categorized using self-reported electronic health record data (ie, non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial/other patients). Main Outcomes and Measures: The likelihood of receiving a positive test, hospitalization, and critical illness (defined as a composite of care in the intensive care unit, use of mechanical ventilation, discharge to hospice, or death). Results: Among 9722 patients (mean [SD] age, 50.7 [17.5] years; 58.8% women), 4843 (49.8%) were positive for COVID-19; 2623 (54.2%) of those were admitted for hospitalization (1047 [39.9%] White, 375 [14.3%] Black, 715 [27.3%] Hispanic, 180 [6.9%] Asian, 207 [7.9%] multiracial/other). In fully adjusted models, Black patients (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; 95% CI, 1.2-1.6) and Hispanic patients (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.3-1.7) were more likely than White patients to test positive. Among those who tested positive, odds of hospitalization were similar among White, Hispanic, and Black patients, but higher among Asian (OR, 1.6, 95% CI, 1.1-2.3) and multiracial patients (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-1.9) compared with White patients. Among those hospitalized, Black patients were less likely than White patients to have severe illness (OR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-0.8) and to die or be discharged to hospice (hazard ratio, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.6-0.9). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of patients in a large health system in New York City, Black and Hispanic patients were more likely, and Asian patients less likely, than White patients to test positive; once hospitalized, Black patients were less likely than White patients to have critical illness or die after adjustment for comorbidity and neighborhood characteristics. This supports the assertion that existing structural determinants pervasive in Black and Hispanic communities may explain the disproportionately higher out-of-hospital deaths due to COVID-19 infections in these populations.

SARS-CoV-2 and Stroke in a New York Healthcare System.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: With the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the current worldwide pandemic, there is mounting evidence that patients affected by the illness may develop clinically significant coagulopathy with thromboembolic complications including ischemic stroke. However, there is limited data on the clinical characteristics, stroke mechanism, and outcomes of patients who have a stroke and COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with ischemic stroke who were hospitalized between March 15, 2020, and April 19, 2020, within a major health system in New York, the current global epicenter of the pandemic. We compared the clinical characteristics of stroke patients with a concurrent diagnosis of COVID-19 to stroke patients without COVID-19 (contemporary controls). In addition, we compared patients to a historical cohort of patients with ischemic stroke discharged from our hospital system between March 15, 2019, and April 15, 2019 (historical controls). RESULTS: During the study period in 2020, out of 3556 hospitalized patients with diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, 32 patients (0.9%) had imaging proven ischemic stroke. Cryptogenic stroke was more common in patients with COVID-19 (65.6%) as compared to contemporary controls (30.4%, P=0.003) and historical controls (25.0%, P<0.001). When compared with contemporary controls, COVID-19 positive patients had higher admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score and higher peak D-dimer levels. When compared with historical controls, COVID-19 positive patients were more likely to be younger men with elevated troponin, higher admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, and higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Patients with COVID-19 and stroke had significantly higher mortality than historical and contemporary controls. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a low rate of imaging-confirmed ischemic stroke in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Most strokes were cryptogenic, possibly related to an acquired hypercoagulability, and mortality was increased. Studies are needed to determine the utility of therapeutic anticoagulation for stroke and other thrombotic event prevention in patients with COVID-19.

The Financial and Clinical Impact of an Electronic Health Record Integrated Pathway in Elective Colon Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) pathways have been shown to reduce length of stay, but there have been limited evaluations of novel electronic health record (EHR)-based pathways. Compliance with ERAS in real-world settings has been problematic. OBJECTIVE: This article evaluates a novel ERAS electronic pathway (E-Pathway) activity integrated with the EHR for patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of surgical patients age ≥ 18 years hospitalized from March 1, 2013 to August 31, 2016. The primary cohort consisted of patients admitted for elective colon surgery. We also studied a control group of patients undergoing other elective procedures. The E-Pathway was implemented on March 2, 2015. The primary outcome was variable costs per case. Secondary outcomes were observed to expected length of stay and 30-day readmissions. RESULTS: We included 823 (470 and 353 in the pre- and postintervention, respectively) colon surgery patients and 3,415 (1,819 and 1,596 in the pre- and postintervention) surgical control patients in the study. Among the colon surgery cohort, there was statistically significant (p = 0.040) decrease in costs of 1.28% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.06-2.48%) per surgical encounter per month over the 18-month postintervention period, amounting to a total savings of $2,730 per patient at the 1-year postintervention period. The surgical control group had a nonsignificant (p = 0.231) decrease in monthly costs of 0.57% (95% CI 1.51 to - 0.37%) postintervention. For the 30-day readmission rates, there were no statistically significant changes in either cohort. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first to report on the reduced costs after implementation of a novel sophisticated E-Pathway for ERAS. E-Pathways can be a powerful vehicle to support ERAS adoption.

Bending the cost curve: time series analysis of a value transformation programme at an academic medical centre.

BACKGROUND: Reducing costs while increasing or maintaining quality is crucial to delivering high value care. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a hospital value-based management programme on cost and quality. DESIGN: Time series analysis of non-psychiatric, non-rehabilitation, non-newborn patients discharged between 1 September 2011 and 31 December 2017 from a US urban, academic medical centre. INTERVENTION: NYU Langone Health instituted an institution-wide programme in April 2014 to increase value of healthcare, defined as health outcomes achieved per dollar spent. Key features included joint clinical and operational leadership; granular and transparent cost accounting; dedicated project support staff; information technology support; and a departmental shared savings programme. MEASUREMENTS: Change in variable direct costs; secondary outcomes included changes in length of stay, readmission and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: The programme chartered 74 projects targeting opportunities in supply chain management (eg, surgical trays), operational efficiency (eg, discharge optimisation), care of outlier patients (eg, those at end of life) and resource utilisation (eg, blood management). The study cohort included 160 434 hospitalisations. Adjusted variable costs decreased 7.7% over the study period. Admissions with medical diagnosis related groups (DRG) declined an average 0.20% per month relative to baseline. Admissions with surgical DRGs had an early increase in costs of 2.7% followed by 0.37% decrease in costs per month. Mean expense per hospitalisation improved from 13% above median for teaching hospitals to 2% above median. Length of stay decreased by 0.25% per month relative to prior trends (95% CI -0.34 to 0.17): approximately half a day by the end of the study period. There were no significant changes in 30-day same-hospital readmission or in-hospital mortality. Estimated institutional savings after intervention costs were approximately $53.9 million. LIMITATIONS: Observational analysis. CONCLUSION: A systematic programme to increase healthcare value by lowering the cost of care without compromising quality is achievable and sustainable over several years.

The Swiss Cheese Conference: Integrating and Aligning Quality Improvement Education With Hospital Patient Safety Initiatives.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires integration of quality improvement and patient safety education into graduate medical education (GME). The authors created a novel "Swiss Cheese Conference" to bridge the gap between GME and hospital patient safety initiatives. Residents investigate a specific patient safety event and lead a monthly multidisciplinary conference about the case. Resident presenters introduce the Swiss cheese model, present the case and their findings, and teach a patient safety topic. In groups, participants identify contributing factors and discuss how to prevent similar events. Presenters and stakeholders immediately huddle to identify next steps. The Swiss Cheese Conference has increased participants' comfort analyzing safety issues from a systems perspective, utilizing the electronic reporting system, and launching patient safety initiatives. The Swiss Cheese Conference is a successful multidisciplinary model that engages GME trainees by integrating resident-led, case-based quality improvement education with creation of patient safety initiatives.

Promoting High-Value Practice by Reducing Unnecessary Transfusions With a Patient Blood Management Program.

Although blood transfusion is a lifesaving therapy for some patients, transfusion has been named 1 of the top 5 overused procedures in US hospitals. As unnecessary transfusions only increase risk and cost without providing benefit, improving transfusion practice is an effective way of promoting high-value care. Most high-quality clinical trials supporting a restrictive transfusion strategy have been published in the past 5 to 10 years, so the value of a successful patient blood management program has only recently been recognized. We review the most recent transfusion practice guidelines and the evidence supporting these guidelines. We also discuss several medical societies' Choosing Wisely campaigns to reduce or eliminate overuse of transfusions. A blueprint is presented for developing a patient blood management program, which includes discussion of specific methods for optimizing transfusion practice.

Reducing liberal red blood cell transfusions at an academic medical center.

BACKGROUND: Educational and computerized interventions have been shown to reduce red blood cell (RBC) transfusion rates, yet controversy remains surrounding the optimal strategy needed to achieve sustained reductions in liberal transfusions. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of clinician decision support (CDS) along with targeted education on liberal RBC utilization to four high-utilizing service lines compared with no education to control service lines across an academic medical center. Clinical data along with associated hemoglobin levels at the time of all transfusion orders between April 2014 and December 2015 were obtained via retrospective chart review. The primary outcome was the change in the rate of liberal RBC transfusion orders (defined as any RBC transfusion when the hemoglobin level is >7.0 g/dL). Secondary outcomes included the annual projected reduction in the number of transfusions and the associated decrease in cost due to these changes as well as length of stay (LOS) and death index. These measures were compared between the 12 months prior to the initiative and the 9-month postintervention period. RESULTS: Liberal RBC utilization decreased from 13.4 to 10.0 units per 100 patient discharges (p = 0.002) across the institution, resulting in a projected 12-month savings of $720,360. The mean LOS and the death index did not differ significantly in the postintervention period. CONCLUSION: Targeted education combined with the incorporation of CDS at the time of order entry resulted in significant reductions in the incidence of liberal RBC utilization without adversely impacting inpatient care, whereas control service lines exposed only to CDS had no change in transfusion habits.

Optimize Your Electronic Medical Record to Increase Value: Reducing Laboratory Overutilization.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to decrease overutilization of laboratory testing by eliminating a feature of the electronic ordering system that allowed providers to order laboratory tests to occur daily without review. METHODS: We collected rates of utilization of a group of commonly ordered laboratory tests (number of tests per patient per day) throughout the entire hospital from June 10, 2013 through June 10, 2015. Our intervention, which eliminated the ability to order daily recurring tests, was implemented on June 11, 2014. We compared pre- and postintervention rates in order to assess the impact and surveyed providers about their experience with the intervention. RESULTS: We examined 1,296,742 laboratory tests performed on 92,799 unique patients over 434,059 patient days. Before the intervention, the target tests were ordered using this daily recurring mechanism 33% of the time. After the intervention we observed an 8.5% (P <.001) to 20.9% (P <.001) reduction in tests per patient per day. The reduction in rate for some of the target tests persisted during the study period, but not for the 2 most commonly ordered tests. We estimated an approximate reduction in hospital costs of $300,000 due to the intervention. CONCLUSION: A simple modification to the order entry system significantly and immediately altered provider practices throughout a large tertiary care academic center. This strategy is replicable by the many hospitals that use the same electronic health record system, and possibly, by users of other systems. Future areas of study include evaluating the additive effects of education and real-time decision support.

The PrOSTE: identifying key components of effective procedural teaching.

RATIONALE: Novel approaches for faculty development and assessment of procedural teaching skills are needed to improve the procedural education of trainees. The Objective Structured Teaching Exercise (OSTE) entails a simulated encounter in which faculty are observed teaching a standardized student and has been used to evaluate teaching skills. Use of an OSTE to assess the teaching of central venous catheterization has not been reported. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop a procedural OSTE for subclavian central venous catheter (CVC) insertion and to determine specific aspects of procedural teaching associated with improved skills in novices. METHODS: Critical care faculty/fellows taught a standardized student to insert a CVC in a simulator. We assessed the instructor's teaching skills using rating scales to generate a procedural teaching score. After this encounter, the instructor taught novice medical students to place CVCs in simulators. Novices then independently placed catheters in simulators and were evaluated by trained observers using a checklist. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the correlation between specific teaching behaviors and the novices' skills in CVC placement. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We recruited 10 participants to serve as teachers and 30 preclinical medical students to serve as novice learners. The overall mean procedural teaching score was 85.5 (±15.4). Improved student performance was directly related to the degree to which the teacher "provided positive feedback" (ß = 1.53, SE = 0.44, P = 0.001), "offered learner suggestions for improvement" (ß = 1.40, SE = 0.35, P < 0.001), and "demonstrated the procedure in a step-by-step manner" (ß = 2.50, SE = 0.45, P < 0.001). There was no significant correlation between total scores and student skills (ß = 0.06, SE = 0.46, P = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: The OSTE is a standardized method to assess procedural teaching skills. Our findings suggest that specific aspects of procedural teaching should be emphasized to ensure effective transfer of psychomotor skills to trainees.

Treatment of Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis in a Patient With Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

A 49-year-old woman with cholangiocarcinoma metastatic to the lungs presented with new-onset unrelenting headaches. A lumbar puncture revealed malignant cells consistent with leptomeningeal metastasis from her cholangiocarcinoma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed leptomeningeal enhancement. An intrathecal (IT) catheter was placed and IT chemotherapy was initiated with methotrexate. Her case is notable for the rarity of cholangiocarcinoma spread to the leptomeninges, the use of IT chemotherapy with cytologic and potentially symptomatic response, and a possible survival benefit in comparison to previously reported cases of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis secondary to cholangiocarcinoma.

Phosphatase-resistant gap junctions inhibit pathological remodeling and prevent arrhythmias.

RATIONALE: Posttranslational phosphorylation of connexin43 (Cx43) has been proposed as a key regulatory event in normal cardiac gap junction expression and pathological gap junction remodeling. Nonetheless, the role of Cx43 phosphorylation in the context of the intact organism is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To establish whether specific Cx43 phosphorylation events influence gap junction expression and pathological remodeling. METHODS AND RESULTS: We generated Cx43 germline knock-in mice in which serines 325/328/330 were replaced with phosphomimetic glutamic acids (S3E) or nonphosphorylatable alanines (S3A). The S3E mice were resistant to acute and chronic pathological gap junction remodeling and displayed diminished susceptibility to the induction of ventricular arrhythmias. Conversely, the S3A mice showed deleterious effects on cardiac gap junction formation and function, developed electric remodeling, and were highly susceptible to inducible arrhythmias. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate a mechanistic link between posttranslational phosphorylation of Cx43 and gap junction formation, remodeling, and arrhythmic susceptibility.

Gap junction remodeling and spironolactone-dependent reverse remodeling in the hypertrophied heart.

Pressure overload is a common pathological insult to the heart and the resulting hypertrophy is an independent risk factor for sudden cardiac death. Gap junction remodeling (GJR) has been described in hypertrophied hearts; however, a detailed understanding of the remodeling process and its effects on impulse propagation is lacking. Moreover, there has been little progress developing therapeutic strategies to diminish GJR. Accordingly, transverse aortic banding (TAC) was performed in mice to determine the effects of progressive pathological hypertrophy on connexin (Cx)43 expression, posttranslational phosphorylation, gap junction assembly, and impulse propagation. Within 2 weeks after TAC, total and phospho-Cx43 abundance was reduced and incorporation of Cx43 into gap junctional plaques was markedly diminished. These molecular changes were associated with progressive slowing of impulse propagation, as determined by optical mapping with voltage-sensitive dyes. Treatment with the aldosterone receptor antagonist spironolactone, which has been shown to diminish sudden arrhythmic death in clinical trials, was examined for its effects on GJR. We found that spironolactone blunted the development of GJR and also potently reversed established GJR, both at the molecular and functional levels, without diminishing the extent of hypertrophy. These data suggest a potential mechanism for some of the salutary electrophysiological and clinical effects of mineralocorticoid antagonists in myopathic hearts.

Correlation or causation: untangling the relationship between patent foramen ovale and migraine.

Observational evidence from the literature has shown an association between migraine headaches and patent foramen ovale (PFO). This observation has led to hypotheses that could explain the etiology of migraines in those with a PFO, including right-to-left shunting of venous agents such as serotonin that are normally broken down in the pulmonary circulation. Further evidence suggests that closure of a PFO may improve migraine symptoms and serve as an effective treatment modality for migraines. Several randomized controlled double-blinded studies are underway that will more definitively establish the role of specific devices in PFO closure in those suffering from migraines.