Do hospitals that participate in COVID-19 research differ from non-trial hospitals? A cross-sectional study of US hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: To compare hospitals that did and did not participate in clinical trials evaluating potential inpatient COVID-19 therapeutics. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of hospitals participating in trials that were registered on clinicaltrials.gov between April and August 2020. Using the 2019 RAND Hospital Dataset and 2019 American Community Survey, we used logistic regression modeling to compare hospital-level traits including demographic features between trial and non-trial hospitals. RESULTS: We included 488 hospitals that were participating in 298 interventional trials and 4232 non-participating hospitals. After controlling for demographic and other hospital traits, we found that teaching status (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.52-2.95), higher patient acuity (OR 7.48, 4.39, 13.1), and location in the Northeast (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.18, 2.85) and in wealthier counties (OR: 1.32, 95% CI 1.16-1.51) were associated with increased odds of trial participation, while being in counties with more White residents was associated with reduced odds (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.98-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitals participating and not participating in COVID-19 inpatient treatment clinical trials differed in many ways, resulting in important implications for the generalizability of trial data.

Percutaneous thermal ablation of subcapsular hepatocellular carcinomas: influence of tumor-surface contact and protrusion on therapeutic efficacy and safety.

PURPOSE: To evaluate therapeutic efficacy and complication of percutaneous thermal ablation of subcapsular hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), and how these may be influenced by the degree of tumor to liver surface contact and tumor protrusion from liver surface. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our retrospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. Between January 2006 and December 2013, 290 patients (82 women, 208 men; mean age, 64.5 years; range, 33-89 years) with 474 subcapsular (within 1 cm to the liver surface) HCCs (mean size, 23.7 mm; range, 6-71 mm) underwent percutaneous thermal ablation. The HCCs were divided into surface contact group (n = 243) and non-surface contact group (n = 231). The former was further subdivided into exophytic and non-exophytic HCCs. Technical success, primary technique efficacy, local tumor progression (LTP), and secondary technique efficacy rates were analyzed and compared by the chi-square test or Fisher exact test. Prognostic factors for LTP and secondary technique efficacy were assessed using the Cox regression model. Major complications were also assessed. RESULTS: With median follow-up of 15 months (range, 1-87 months), technical success and primary technique efficacy were 98.7% and 95.7% % in the non-surface contact group; 96.4% and 94.0% in the non-exophytic group; and 100% and 94.7% in the exophytic group (p > 0.05). Tumor size > 3 cm was a significant predictor for LTP, but not for secondary efficacy. Overall major complication rate was 3.8% (24/624) and was not different among the three groups. CONCLUSION: Subcapsular HCCs can be effectively treated with thermal ablation techniques. Degree of tumor-surface contact including moderate protrusion does not appear to limit feasibility or procedure effectiveness. KEY POINTS: • Subcapsular HCCs can be effectively treated with thermal therapy when proper image-guided technique and assistive techniques are applied. • Degree of tumor surface contact including moderate protrusion does not appear to limit feasibility or procedure effectiveness. • Major complications after percutaneous thermal ablation of subcapsular HCCs such as tumor seeding can be minimized by avoiding breach of the tumor capsule exposed to the peritoneal surface and use of tract ablation.

Impact of Hypothyroidism and Heart Failure on Hospitalization Risk.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies suggest that the relationship between hypothyroidism and mortality is dependent on underlying cardiovascular risk. Little is known about the association of hypothyroidism with hospitalization risk, and how these associations are modified by cardiovascular status. METHODS: This study examined the association of thyroid status, defined by serum thyrotropin (TSH), with hospitalization risk among patients who received care at a large university-based tertiary care center between 1990 and 2015. Thyroid status was categorized as hypothyroidism versus euthyroidism (TSH >4.7 vs. 0.3-4.7 mIU/L, respectively). The relationship between thyroid status and hospitalization risk stratified by cardiovascular status was examined using multivariable Cox models. RESULTS: Among 52,856 patients who met eligibility criteria, 49,791 (94.2%) had euthyroidism and 3065 (5.8%) had hypothyroidism. In analyses stratified by congestive heart failure (CHF) status, compared to euthyroidism, hypothyroidism was associated with higher risk of hospitalization in those with CHF but slightly lower risk in those without CHF (adjusted hazard ratio [aHRs] = 1.86 [confidence interval (CI) 1.17-2.94] and HR = 0.95 [CI 0.92-0.99], respectively; p = 0.006). In sensitivity analyses accounting for death as a competing event, underlying coronary artery disease modified the hypothyroidism-hospitalization relationship, such that stronger associations were observed among those with versus without coronary artery disease. In competing risk analyses, hypothyroidism was associated with higher versus lower risk of hospitalization among those with versus without cerebrovascular disease, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Hypothyroidism is associated with higher hospitalization risk among patients with underlying cardiovascular disease. Future studies are needed to determine whether correction of thyroid status with replacement therapy ameliorates hospitalization risk in this population.

Factors Associated With Discordance Between Preoperative Parathyroid 4-Dimensional Computed Tomographic Scans and Intraoperative Findings During Parathyroidectomy.

IMPORTANCE: Parathyroid 4-dimensional computed tomographic scans (4D-CTs) have emerged as an accurate and cost-effective initial localization study for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. However, potential limitations and factors affecting the accuracy of preoperative 4D-CTs remain poorly defined. OBJECTIVES: To characterize factors associated with missed parathyroid lesions on preoperative 4D-CTs and to investigate patterns of commonly observed errors. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A prospectively accrued patient database was analyzed from September 1, 2011, through October 31, 2016. The study was performed in a tertiary referral center. Consecutive patients with primary hyperparathyroidism undergoing preoperative 4D-CTs and subsequent parathyroidectomy were included in the study. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Discordance between preoperative 4D-CTs and intraoperative findings in the number and location of abnormal parathyroid lesions. RESULTS: Of 411 patients studied (mean [SD] age, 59 [14] years; 325 [79.1%] female), 123 (29.9%) had discordance between preoperative 4D-CTs and intraoperative findings. Among the 411 patients, 75 (18.2%) had major discordance, including incorrectly localized adenoma on the contralateral side of the neck, missed double adenoma, and absence of any abnormal lesion detected on 4D-CTs. Compared with concordant cases, discordant cases had higher frequencies of multigland disease (66.7% [82 of 123] vs 24.3% [70 of 288], P < .001) and multinodular goiter or thyroid nodule (40.7% [50 of 123] vs 29.2% [84 of 288], P = .02). Missed parathyroid lesions were smaller (mean [SD], 0.86 [0.29] vs 1.24 [0.50] cm; P < .001) and were more likely to be in the inferior position (65.4% [87 of 133] vs 38.1% [177 of 465], P < .001). Parathyroid lesion size of 10 mm or less (odds ratio [OR], 4.37; 95% CI, 2.24-8.54), multigland disease (OR, 7.63; 95% CI, 3.49-16.69), multinodular goiter or thyroid nodule (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.01-3.28), and parathyroid lesion in the inferior position (OR, 6.82; 95% CI, 3.10-14.99) were independently associated with discordant 4D-CT results. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Multigland disease was most strongly associated with discordance between preoperative 4D-CTs and intraoperative findings, followed by parathyroid lesion in the inferior position and parathyroid lesion size of 10 mm or less. Awareness of these potential pitfalls may allow surgeons to better leverage this new localization technique in preoperative planning and intraoperative troubleshooting.