Computed Tomography During Bronchoscopic Lung Splinting for Atelectasis.

A 64-year-old man experienced persistent atelectasis of the right lung after right upper lobectomy. To simultaneously visualize the airways and lung parenchyma in real time, chest computed tomography was performed while pneumatically splinting the lung open via insufflation through the working channel of a bronchoscope. The bronchi were patent but peripheral consolidations within the remaining right lung were visualized, representative of pneumonia. The patient fully recovered with antimicrobial therapy. Computed tomography during bronchoscopic pneumatic lung splinting is an advanced diagnostic for the investigation of persistent atelectasis.

Percutaneous tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients: The Miami model.

The surge in critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic has strained healthcare systems globally. With the increasing need for critical care resources, tracheostomy can facilitate weaning from mechanical ventilation and potentially increase availability of critical care resources. In this case series of three patients, we describe our technique for performing bedside percutaneous tracheostomy on patients with persistently positive SARS-CoV-2 real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We hope to provide proceduralists with a specific method for percutaneous tracheostomies that is both safe for the patient and provider.

Healthcare Utilization by Frail, Community-Dwelling Older Veterans: A 1-Year Follow-up Study.

OBJECTIVES: Frailty is a prevalent clinical syndrome associated with a high risk of adverse health outcomes, including disability, morbidity, and mortality, that has become a major challenge for the healthcare system. The aim of this prospective study was to determine the level of healthcare utilization in prefrail and frail community-dwelling older military veterans. METHODS: We studied a cohort of community-dwelling older veterans aged 65 years and older 1 year at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center to determine their levels of healthcare utilization. We administered the 5-item FRAIL (Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, & Loss of Weight) scale, from which patients were categorized into three groups: robust, prefrail, and frail. Chart reviews were conducted to confirm weight loss and number of illnesses. One year later, information regarding hospital admissions, emergency department (ED) visits, and primary care visits was obtained. RESULTS: We evaluated 291 participants, mean age 74 ± 8 years, 112 (38.5%) of whom were African American, 179 (61.5%) were white, and 40 (13.7%) were Hispanic. Overall, 49 (16.8%) participants were frail, and 161 (55.4%) prefrail. After adjusting for age and Charlson Comorbidity Index, frail status was associated with ED admission (odds ratio [OR] 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-6.1) and primary care visits (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.5-7.3); however, it was not significantly associated with hospital admission (OR 2.2, 95% CI 0.9-5.2). CONCLUSIONS: In a sample of community-dwelling older veterans, frailty was found to be significantly associated with an increased frequency of ED visits and primary care visits, but not with hospital admissions. Identifying patients with frailty may allow for targeted interventions that improve healthcare outcomes and may reduce healthcare utilization.

The Association of Graph Literacy With Use of and Skills Using an Online Personal Health Record in Outpatient Veterans.

Personal health records (PHRs) are intended to increase patients' access to and ownership over their health care information for self-management purposes. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of graph literacy with adoption of an online PHR and, among adopters with self-reported skills, the frequency of use and intent to return to use the PHR . We conducted a cross-sectional survey of veterans receiving outpatient care. We measured health literacy, numeracy, graph literacy, and Internet and PHR adoption and use. We compared subgroups of veterans using analyses of covariance. We used hierarchical logistic regression models to estimate the effects of the literacy variables on PHR use. A total of 600 veterans (age = 22-94) participated in the survey. After we adjusted for known covariates, we found that adopters of a PHR were more likely to demonstrate higher health and graph literacy than nonadopters. Among PHR adopters, self-reported frequent and skillful users were more likely to have higher graph literacy than lower frequency and less skillful users. Adopters with higher intentions to return to use the PHR were more likely to show lower graph literacy than those less likely to return to use the PHR. Inadequate graph literacy was associated with lower adoption of a PHR and, among users, with lower self-reported frequent use and skills . As PHR use becomes more widespread, stakeholders will need to consider patients' levels of graph literacy when implementing PHRs.