Chlorthalidone vs Hydrochlorothiazide for Hypertension Treatment After Myocardial Infarction or Stroke: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke have a greater risk of recurrent cardiovascular (CV) events. Objective: To evaluate the association of chlorthalidone (CTD) vs hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) with CV outcomes and noncancer deaths in participants with and without prior MI or stroke. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a prespecified secondary analysis of the Diuretic Comparison Project (DCP), a pragmatic randomized clinical trial conducted within 72 participating Veterans Affairs health care systems from June 2016 to June 2021, in which patients aged 65 years or older with hypertension taking HCTZ at baseline were randomized to continue HCTZ or switch to CTD at pharmacologically comparable doses. This secondary analysis was performed from January 3, 2023, to February 29, 2024. Exposures: Pharmacologically comparable daily dose of HCTZ or CTD and history of MI or stroke. Main Outcomes and Measures: Outcome ascertainment was performed from randomization to the end of the study. The primary outcome consisted of a composite of stroke, MI, urgent coronary revascularization because of unstable angina, acute heart failure hospitalization, or noncancer death. Additional outcomes included achieved blood pressure and hypokalemia (potassium level <3.1 mEq/L; to convert to mmol/L, multiply by 1.0). Results: The DCP randomized 13 523 participants to CTD or HCTZ, with a mean (SD) study duration of 2.4 (1.4) years. At baseline, median age was 72 years (IQR, 69-75 years), and 96.8% were male. Treatment effect was evaluated in subgroups of participants with (n = 1455) and without (n = 12 068) prior MI or stroke at baseline. There was a significant adjusted interaction between treatment group and history of MI or stroke. Participants with prior MI or stroke randomized to CTD had a lower risk of the primary outcome than those receiving HCTZ (105 of 733 [14.3%] vs 140 of 722 [19.4%]; hazard ratio [HR], 0.73; 95% CI, 0.57-0.94; P = .01) compared with participants without prior MI or stroke, among whom incidence of the primary outcome was slightly higher in the CTD arm compared with the HCTZ arm (597 of 6023 [9.9%] vs 535 of 6045 [8.9%]; HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.00-1.26; P = .054) (P = .01 for interaction). The incidence of a nadir potassium level less than 3.1 mEq/L and hospitalization for hypokalemia differed among those with and without prior MI or stroke when comparing those randomized to CTD vs HCTZ, with a difference only among those without prior MI or stroke (potassium level <3.1 mEq/L: prior MI or stroke, 43 of 733 [5.9%] vs 37 of 722 [5.1%] [P = .57]; no prior MI or stroke, 292 of 6023 [4.9%] vs 206 of 6045 [3.4%] [P < .001]; hospitalization for hypokalemia: prior MI or stroke, 14 of 733 [1.9%] vs 16 of 722 [2.2%] [P = .72]; no prior MI or stroke: 84 of 6023 [1.4%] vs 57 of 6045 [0.9%] [P = .02]). Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this secondary analysis of the DCP trial suggest that CTD may be associated with reduced major adverse CV events and noncancer deaths in patients with prior MI or stroke compared with HCTZ. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02185417.

Strategies for secondary use of real-world clinical and administrative data for outcome ascertainment in pragmatic clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Pragmatic trials are gaining popularity as a cost-effective way to examine treatment effectiveness and generate timely comparative evidence. Incorporating supplementary real-world data is recommended for robust outcome monitoring. However, detailed operational guidelines are needed to inform effective use and integration of heterogeneous databases. OBJECTIVE: Lessons learned from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Diuretic Comparison Project (DCP) are reviewed, providing adaptable recommendations to capture clinical outcomes from real-world data. METHODS: Non-cancer deaths and major cardiovascular (CV) outcomes were determined using VA, Medicare, and National Death Index (NDI) data. Multiple ascertainment strategies were applied, including claims-based algorithms, natural language processing, and systematic chart review. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 2.4 (SD = 1.4) years, 907 CV events were identified within the VA healthcare system. Slight delays (∼1 year) were expected in obtaining Medicare data. An additional 298 patients were found having a CV event outside of the VA in 2016 - 2021, increasing the CV event rate from 3.5 % to 5.7 % (770 of 13,523 randomized). NDI data required âˆ¼2 years waiting period. Such inclusion did not increase the number of deaths identified (all 894 deaths were captured by VA data) but enhanced the accuracy in determining cause of death. CONCLUSION: Our experience supports the recommendation of integrating multiple data sources to improve clinical outcome ascertainment. While this approach is promising, hierarchical data aggregation is required when facing different acquisition timelines, information availability/completeness, coding practice, and system configurations. It may not be feasible to implement comparable applications and solutions to studies conducted under different constraints and practice. The recommendations provide guidance and possible action plans for researchers who are interested in applying cross-source data to ascertain all study outcomes.

Brain tumors in United States military veterans.

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive analysis of brain tumor incidence and survival in the Veteran population has been lacking. METHODS: Veteran data were obtained from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Medical Centers via VHA Corporate Data Warehouse. Brain tumor statistics on the overall US population were generated from the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the US data. Cases were individuals (≥18 years) with a primary brain tumor, diagnosed between 2004 and 2018. The average annual age-adjusted incidence rates (AAIR) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated per 100 000 population and Kaplan-Meier survival curves evaluated overall survival outcomes among Veterans. RESULTS: The Veteran population was primarily white (78%), male (93%), and between 60 and 64 years old (18%). Individuals with a primary brain tumor in the general US population were mainly female (59%) and between 18 and 49 years old (28%). The overall AAIR of primary brain tumors from 2004 to 2018 within the Veterans Affairs cancer registry was 11.6. Nonmalignant tumors were more common than malignant tumors (AAIR:7.19 vs 4.42). The most diagnosed tumors in Veterans were nonmalignant pituitary tumors (AAIR:2.96), nonmalignant meningioma (AAIR:2.62), and glioblastoma (AAIR:1.96). In the Veteran population, survival outcomes became worse with age and were lowest among individuals diagnosed with glioblastoma. CONCLUSIONS: Differences between Veteran and US populations can be broadly attributed to demographic composition differences of these groups. Prior to this, there have been no reports on national-level incidence rates and survival outcomes for Veterans. These data provide vital information that can drive efforts to understand disease burden and improve outcomes for individuals with primary brain tumors.

Determinants of Achieving Serum Urate Goal with Treat-to-Target Urate-Lowering Therapy in Gout.

OBJECTIVE: Using trial data comparing treat-to-target allopurinol and febuxostat in gout, we examined participant characteristics associated with serum urate (SU) goal achievement. METHODS: Participants with gout and SU ≥6.8 mg/dL were randomized to allopurinol or febuxostat, titrated during weeks 0 to 24, and maintained weeks 25 to 48. Participants were considered to achieve SU goal if the mean SU from weeks 36, 42, and 48 was <6.0 mg/dL or <5 mg/dL if tophi were present. Possible determinants of treatment response were preselected and included sociodemographics, comorbidities, diuretic use, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), body mass index, and gout measures. Determinants of SU response were assessed using multivariable logistic regression with additional analyses to account for treatment adherence. RESULTS: Of 764 study participants completing week 48, 618 (81%) achieved SU goal. After multivariable adjustment, factors associated with a greater likelihood of SU goal achievement included older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.40 per 10 years), higher education (aOR 2.02), and better HRQoL (aOR 1.17 per 0.1 unit). Factors associated with a lower odds of SU goal achievement included non-White race (aORs 0.32-0.47), higher baseline SU (aOR 0.83 per 1 mg/dL), presence of tophi (aOR 0.29), and the use of diuretics (aOR 0.52). Comorbidities including chronic kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease were not associated with SU goal achievement. Results were not meaningfully changed in analyses accounting for adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Several patient-level factors were predictive of SU goal achievement among patients with gout who received treat-to-target urate-lowering therapy (ULT). Approaches that accurately predict individual responses to treat-to-target ULT hold promise in facilitating personalized management and improving outcomes in patients with gout.

A Centralized EHR-Based Model for the Recruitment of Rural and Lower Socioeconomic Participants in Pragmatic Trials: A Secondary Analysis of the Diuretic Comparison Project.

Importance: Participant diversity is important for reducing study bias and increasing generalizability of comparative effectiveness research. Objective: Demonstrate the operational efficiency of a centralized electronic health record (EHR)-based model for recruiting difficult-to-reach participants in a pragmatic trial. Design, Setting, and Participants: This comparative effectiveness study was a secondary analysis of Diuretic Comparison Project, a randomized clinical trial conducted between 2016 and 2022 (mean [SD] follow-up, 2.4 [1.4] years) comparing 2 commonly prescribed antihypertensives, which used an EHR-based recruitment model. Electronic study workflows, in tandem with routine clinical practice, were adapted by 72 Veteran Affairs (VA) primary care networks. Data were analyzed from August to December 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Measures reflecting recruitment capacity (monthly rate), operational efficiency (median time for completion of electronic procedures), and geographic reach (percentage of patients recruited from rural areas) were examined. Results: A total of 13 523 patients with hypertension (mean [SD] age, 72 [5.4] years; 13 092 male [96.8%]) were recruited from 537 outpatient clinics. Approximately 205 patients were randomized per month and a median of 35 days (Q1-Q3, 23-80 days) was needed to complete electronic recruitment. The annual income was below the national median for 69% of the cohort. Patients from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia were included and 45% resided in rural areas. Conclusions and Relevance: In this secondary analysis of a multicenter pragmatic trial, a centralized EHR-based recruitment model was associated with improved participation from underrepresented groups. These participants often are difficult to reach, with their exclusion potentially biasing trial results; eliminating in-person study visits and local site involvement can minimize barriers for the recruitment of patients from rural and lower socioeconomic areas. Trial Registration: The Diuretic Comparison Project (DCP) was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02185417.

Temperature Changes During Electrophysiology Ablation in Veterans and 1-Year Success Rates: A Retrospective Pilot Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The authors hypothesized that body core temperature during cardiac arrhythmia procedures in the electrophysiology laboratory declines, and examined the association of changes with the patient or procedural factors. They hypothesized that a greater degree of change negatively affects 1-year ablation success. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Veteran's Administration Boston Healthcare System. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive records of veterans undergoing ablation procedures under general anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: Retrospective data collection and analysis from the electronic medical record. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patient and procedural characteristics were collected from the electronic medical record. Core temperature data included baseline (BT) (following entry to the care process on the day of the procedure), the start (ST) and end of the procedure temperatures (ET), and their differences. The 1-year ablation success was assessed as described elsewhere in the literature. The authors used the paired t-test, linear, and logistic regression for hypothesis testing. Among 107 veterans, core temperatures were significantly lower between BT and ST, BT and ET, and ST and ET (p < 0.001 for all). One-year ablation success was 74.8% (n = 80). In multivariate logistic regression adjusted for age, body mass index and BTs showed a greater degree of change from BT to ET, and the ST-to-ET temperature was significantly associated with lower odds of success (odds ratios of 0.57 and 0.42, respectively; p < 0.05 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Core temperature declines during ablation. Greater temperature decline during general anesthesia was associated with lower 1-year ablation success rates.

Telephone informed consent in a pragmatic point-of-care clinical trial embedded in primary care.

BACKGROUND: One benefit of pragmatic clinical trials is reduction of the burden on patients and clinical staff while facilitating a learning healthcare system. One way to decrease the work of clinical staff is through decentralized telephone consent. METHODS: The Diuretic Comparison Project (DCP) was a nationwide Point of Care pragmatic clinical trial conducted by the VA Cooperative Studies Program. The purpose of the trial was to compare the clinical effectiveness on major CV outcomes of two commonly used diuretics, hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone, in an elderly patient population. Telephone consent was allowed for this study because of its minimal risk designation. Telephone consent was more difficult than initially anticipated and the study team constantly adjusted methods to find timely solutions. RESULTS: The major challenges can be categorized as call center-related, telecommunications, operational, and study population based. In particular, the possible technical and operational pitfalls are rarely discussed. By presenting hurdles here, future studies may avoid these challenges and start studies with a more effective system in place. CONCLUSIONS: DCP is a novel study designed to answer an important clinical question. The lessons learned from implementing a centralized call center for the Diuretic Comparison Project helped the study reach enrollment goals and develop a centralized telephone consent system that can be utilized for future pragmatic and explanatory clinical trials. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT02185417 [https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02185417]. The contents do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

Judging others makes me forget: Assessing the cognitive, behavioural, and emotional consequences of other-evaluations on self-evaluations for social anxiety.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: People with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) evaluate themselves negatively before, during, and after anxiety-provoking social situations, which leads to negative consequences (e.g., performance deficits, memory impairments, and post-event processing). Despite decades of research, little is known regarding whether these evaluations generalize to how they view others. Social projection theory-the belief that others are similar to oneself-might further extend the basic Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) model. Our aim was to understand whether the degree to which people negatively evaluate a visibly anxious person causes them to negatively evaluate themselves. METHODS: 172 unselected participants completed several baseline questionnaires. We then randomly assigned participants to provide high-, medium-, or no-evaluation of a videotaped anxious person (i.e., other-evaluations) while we assessed their state anxiety. After, they evaluated the anxious person on multiple criteria. Participants then participated in an impromptu conversation task and subsequently evaluated their own performance. RESULTS: Although our manipulation was effective, we found no emotional or behavioural differences between conditions. However, people in the high-evaluation condition recalled significantly fewer facts about their conversation partner than did people in the medium- and no-evaluation conditions. LIMITATIONS: After data cleaning, the sample size was slightly smaller than planned; most analyses were nonetheless appropriately powered. Our findings may not generalize beyond unselected undergraduate students; replication in a clinical sample is warranted. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the cognitive consequences (i.e., memory impairments) of other-evaluations, which cognitive behavioural therapists should consider when treating individuals with SAD.

Ascertainment of stroke from administrative data to support a pragmatic embedded clinical trial.

The goal of this observational study was to identify stroke hospitalizations using International Classification of Disease (ICD)-10 codes and use these codes to develop an ascertainment algorithm for use in pragmatic clinical trials, reducing or eliminating the need for manual chart adjudication in future. Using VA (Veterans Affairs) electronic medical records, 9959 patient charts with ICD-10 codes indicating stroke were screened and a sample of 304 were adjudicated by three clinical reviewers. Hospitalizations were categorized as stroke or non-stroke and positive predictive value (PPV) was calculated for each ICD-10 code that was sampled. The adjudicated codes were categorized for use in a decision tool for identifying stroke in a clinical trial. Of the 304 hospitalizations adjudicated, 192 met the definition of stroke. Of the ICD-10 codes evaluated, I61 yielded the highest PPV (100%) while I63.x yielded the 2nd highest PPV (90%) with a false discovery rate of 10%. A relatively high PPV of ≥80% was associated with codes I60.1-7, I61, I62.9 and I63, which accounted for nearly half of all cases reviewed. Hospitalizations associated with these codes were categorized at positive stroke cases. The incorporation of large administrative datasets, and elimination of trial specific data collection, increases efficiencies, while reducing costs. Accurate algorithms must be developed to allow for identification of clinical endpoints from administrative databases to offer a reliable alternative to study-specific case report form completion. This study demonstrates an example of how to apply medical record data to a decision tool for clinical trial outcomes. CSP597 or clinicaltrials.gov NCT02185417.

The impact of COVID-19 on a large pragmatic clinical trial embedded in primary care.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic had significant impact on clinical care and clinical trial operations, but the impact on decentralized pragmatic trials is unclear. The Diuretic Comparison Project (DCP) is a Point-of Care (POC) pragmatic trial testing whether chlorthalidone is superior to hydrochlorothiazide in preventing major cardiovascular (CV) events and non-cancer death. DCP utilized telephone consent, data collection from the electronic health record and Medicare, forwent study visits, and limited provider commitment beyond usual care. We assessed the impact of COVID-19 on recruitment, follow-up, data collection, and outcome ascertainment in DCP. METHODS: We compared data from two 8-month periods: Pre-Pandemic (July 2019-February 2020) and Mid-Pandemic (July 2020-February 2021). Consent and randomization rates, diuretic adherence, blood pressure (BP) and electrolyte follow-up rates, records of CV events, hospitalization, and death rates were compared. RESULTS: Providers participated at a lower rate mid-pandemic (65%) than pre-pandemic (71%), but more patients were contacted (7622 vs. 5363) and consented (3718 vs. 3048) mid-pandemic than pre-pandemic. Patients refilled medications and remained on their randomized diuretic equally (90%) in both periods. Overall, rates of BP, electrolyte measurements, and hospitalizations decreased mid-pandemic while deaths increased. CONCLUSIONS: While recruitment, enrollment, and adherence did not suffer during the pandemic, documented blood pressure checks and laboratory evaluations decreased, likely due to fewer in-person visits. VA hospitalizations decreased, despite a considerable number of COVID-related hospitalizations. This suggests changes in clinical care during the pandemic, but the limited impact on DCP's operations during a global pandemic is an important strength of POC trials. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02185417.

Estimating the per-protocol effect of lithium on suicidality in a randomized trial of individuals with depression or bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: The CSP590 randomized trial was designed to estimate the effect of lithium on suicidality. After a third of the intended number of participants were enrolled, the hazard ratio of suicidality was 1.10 (95% CI: 0.77, 1.55). Based on this, the trial was stopped for futility. However, only 17% of patients adhered to the specified protocol. AIMS: The objective was to estimate the per-protocol effect of lithium on suicidality, that is, the effect of adhering to the treatment strategies as specified in the protocol. METHODS: We stopped individuals' follow-up if/when they showed evidence of nonadherence. We then conducted the analysis in the restricted sample, adjusting for prognostic factors that predict adherence via inverse probability weighting. The primary outcome was the 12-month risk of suicidality (including death from suicide, suicide attempt, interrupted attempt, hospitalization specifically to prevent suicide). RESULTS: The estimated 12-month risk of suicidality was 18.8% for lithium, and 24.3% for placebo. The risk ratio was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.43, 1.37) and the risk difference -5.5 percentage points (95% CI: -17.5, 5.5). Results were consistent across sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: With one-third of the targeted sample size, lithium effects (compared with placebo) ranging between a 17.5% reduction and a 5.5% increase in the risk of suicidality were highly compatible with the data. Thus, a protective effect of lithium on suicidality among patients with bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder cannot be ruled out. Trials should incorporate adequate per-protocol analyses into the decision-making processes for stopping trials for futility.

Practical issues in pragmatic trials: the implementation of the Diuretic Comparison Project.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The US Department of Veterans Affairs Point of Care Clinical Trial Program conducts studies that utilize informatics infrastructure to integrate clinical trial protocols into routine care delivery. The Diuretic Comparison Project compared hydrochlorothiazide to chlorthalidone in reduction of major cardiovascular events in subjects with hypertension. Here we describe the cultural, technical, regulatory, and logistical challenges and solutions that enabled successful implementation of this large pragmatic comparative effectiveness Point of Care clinical trial. METHODS: Patients were recruited from 72 Veterans Affairs Healthcare Systems using centralized processes for subject identification, obtaining informed consent, data collection, safety monitoring, site communication, and endpoint identification with minimal perturbation of the local clinical care ecosystem. Patients continued to be managed exclusively by their clinical care providers without protocol specified study visits, treatment recommendations, or data collection extraneous to routine care. Centralized study processes were operationalized through the application layer of the electronic health record via a data coordinating center staffed by clinical nurses, data scientists, and statisticians without site-based research coordinators. Study data was collected from the Veterans Affairs electronic health record supplemented by Medicare and National Death Index data. RESULTS: The study exceeded its enrolled goal (13,523 subjects) and followed subjects for the 5-year study duration. The key determinant of program success was collaboration between researchers, regulators, clinicians, and administrative staff at the site level to customize study procedures to align with local clinical practice. This flexibility was enabled by designation of the study as minimal risk and determination that clinical care providers were not engaged in research by the Veterans Affairs Central Institutional Review Board. Cultural, regulatory, technical, and logistical problems were identified and solved through iterative collaboration between clinical and research entities. Paramount among these problems was customization of the Veterans Affairs electronic health record and data systems to accommodate study procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Leveraging clinical care for large-scale clinical trials is feasible but requires a rethinking of traditional clinical trial design (and regulation) to better meet requirements of clinical care ecosystems. Study designs must accommodate site-specific practice variation to reduce the impact on clinical care. A tradeoff thus exists between designing trial processes tailored to expedite local study implementation versus those to produce a more refined response to the research question. The availability of a uniform and flexible electronic health record in the Department of Veterans Affairs played a major role in the success of the trial. Conducting Point of Care research in other healthcare systems without such research-friendly infrastructure presents a more formidable challenge.

Can multisite clinical trial results change clinical practice? Use of long-acting injectable risperidone nationally in the Veterans Health Administration.

BACKGROUND: Multisite practical clinical trials evaluate treatments in real-world practice. A multisite randomized Veterans Health Administration (VHA) cooperative study (CSP#555) published in 2011 compared the first long-acting injectable (LAI) second-generation antipsychotic (SGA), Risperidone Consta®, in veterans with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, to oral antipsychotics, with unexpected null results for effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Whether null results of this type could change VHA practice has not been studied. METHODS: A longitudinal observational analysis was used to evaluate the impact of the trial findings on VHA clinical practices. National administrative data compared new starts on LAI risperidone during the 4 years before the publication of CSP#555 in 2011 to new starts on LAI risperidone during the 4 years after. RESULTS: Among 119,565 Veterans with the indicated diagnoses treated with antipsychotics from 2007 to 2015, the number and proportion of new starts on LAI risperidone declined significantly following the study publication, as did the total number of annual users and drug expenditures. However, data from 2007 to 2010 showed the decline in new starts actually preceded the publication of CSP#555. This change was likely explained by the increase in new starts, total use, and expenditures on a newer medicine, LAI paliperidone, a 4-week LAI treatment, in the 2 years prior to the publication of CSP#555. CONCLUSIONS: The declining use of LAI risperidone likely primarily reflects the substitution of a longer-acting LAI SGA, paliperidone, that came to market 2 years before the study publication, a substitution that may have been reinforced by null CSP#555 study results for LAI risperidone.

Measuring social isolation in older adults: A rapid review informing evidence-based research and practice.

OBJECTIVES: Older adults account for 18.5% of the Canadian population and are at risk of experiencing social isolation, compared to other age groups. Researchers define social isolation as a lack of social contact and relationships, but many social isolation measures do not reflect this definition. The aim of our study is to review the existing measures of social isolation with older adults to recommend evidence-based measures to researchers and practitioners. METHODS: We conducted a rapid review on PsycInfo and PsycTests. We included articles that were written in English or French, were peer-reviewed, used an older adult sample, included a self-report social isolation measure, and reported psychometric information. RESULTS: Following exclusion of ineligible articles, 12 measures were available for analysis. We further categorized the measures into: five most recommended measures, five measures that require further research, and two measures not recommended for use with older adults. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a range of measures with varying suitability to be used with older adults; some were empirically driven but did not have strong psychometric properties, or vice-versa. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: It is imperative that interventions aimed to address social isolation in older adults use evidence-based measures to assess progress and report treatment effectiveness.

Patient- reported reasons for non-participation in a COVID-19 therapeutics clinical trial: Findings from a multi-center investigation.

BACKGROUND: Early in the pandemic, there were no evidence-based treatments for SARS-CoV-2, creating an urgent need to identify effective therapeutics. However, public participation in medical research is low; trial enrollment in the US is typically 10-20%. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify common themes underpinning patient reasons to decline participation and evaluate the impact of specific contextual factors. METHODS: This sub-study was conducted in five VISN-1 Clinical Trials Network participating facilities from 4/10/2020-2/3/2021. The trial evaluated the addition of the IL-6-inhibitor, Sarilumab, to the current standard of care for inpatients with moderate-to-severe SARS-CoV-2. Consent procedures varied by site and included fully in-person and fully remote processes. Reasons for declining enrollment were collected among eligible patients who declined to participate but agreed to answer a short follow-up question. Qualitative data were analyzed using directed content analysis. Enrollment rates were assessed using simple, descriptive statistics. RESULTS: N = 417 COVID-19 positive inpatients were screened and 53/162 eligible patients enrolled. Enrollment varied across study sites and by study period. Prior to identification of effective treatment, the enrollment rate was 10/11 (91%) versus 43/144 (30%) during the later period of the study. N = 85/102 patients who did not enroll answered the follow-up question. The most commonly reported responses were: concerns about the study drug and participation in clinical research in general, comorbidity concerns, competing priorities, external factors, and external advice and influence from family members and clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying reasons behind declining to enroll may help investigators develop strategies to increase research participation.

Impact of multi-site clinical trial results on clinical practice: Use of risperidone to treat PTSD nationally in the veterans health administration.

Multi-site randomized effectiveness trials evaluate treatments under real-world conditions. Whether results change practice is under-studied. A 6-month 26-site Veterans Health Administration (VHA) cooperative study published in 2011 compared an oral second-generation antipsychotic, risperidone, to placebo for refractory PTSD with null results. National VHA administrative data compared new starts on risperidone during the 5 years before and after the year of publication. Among the 450,000-841,000 Veterans diagnosed with PTSD annually from 2006 to 2016 the proportion with new starts on risperidone declined every year before and after publication. No evidence of an effect of null study results on VHA clinical practice was observed.

Chlorthalidone vs. Hydrochlorothiazide for Hypertension-Cardiovascular Events.

BACKGROUND: Whether chlorthalidone is superior to hydrochlorothiazide for preventing major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with hypertension is unclear. METHODS: In a pragmatic trial, we randomly assigned adults 65 years of age or older who were patients in the Department of Veterans Affairs health system and had been receiving hydrochlorothiazide at a daily dose of 25 or 50 mg to continue therapy with hydrochlorothiazide or to switch to chlorthalidone at a daily dose of 12.5 or 25 mg. The primary outcome was a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure resulting in hospitalization, urgent coronary revascularization for unstable angina, and non-cancer-related death. Safety was also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 13,523 patients underwent randomization. The mean age was 72 years. At baseline, hydrochlorothiazide at a dose of 25 mg per day had been prescribed in 12,781 patients (94.5%). The mean baseline systolic blood pressure in each group was 139 mm Hg. At a median follow-up of 2.4 years, there was little difference in the occurrence of primary-outcome events between the chlorthalidone group (702 patients [10.4%]) and the hydrochlorothiazide group (675 patients [10.0%]) (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.94 to 1.16; P = 0.45). There were no between-group differences in the occurrence of any of the components of the primary outcome. The incidence of hypokalemia was higher in the chlorthalidone group than in the hydrochlorothiazide group (6.0% vs. 4.4%, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this large pragmatic trial of thiazide diuretics at doses commonly used in clinical practice, patients who received chlorthalidone did not have a lower occurrence of major cardiovascular outcome events or non-cancer-related deaths than patients who received hydrochlorothiazide. (Funded by the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02185417.).

Increased residual cardiovascular risk in U.S. veterans with moderately-elevated baseline triglycerides and well-controlled LDL-C levels on statins.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated a causal role for elevated triglycerides (TG) in incident cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD) and those with CV risk factors alone, particularly diabetes. Objective: Using a large cohort of U.S. veterans with statin-controlled LDL-C levels (40-100 mg/dL), we explored residual CV risk among patients with elevated baseline TG levels (150-499 mg/dL) vs. those with normal TG levels (<150 mg/dL). Methods: We identified veterans receiving a statin but not a TG-lowering agent from the VA electronic health records database, from 2010 to 2015. We compared composite CV event rates (MI, stroke, unstable angina, coronary revascularization, and CV death) between the elevated TG and normal TG groups. We stratified the study cohort according to 3 CV risk groups: (1) no diabetes and no prior CV event, (2) diabetes and no prior CV event, and (3) prior CV event. We calculated crude event rates, rate ratios, and event rate ratios adjusted for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and weight. Results: The cohort included 396,189 veterans (predominantly male and white) of whom 109,195 (28%) had elevated TG levels. Those with elevated TG were younger (age 73 vs. 77 years) and had a higher body mass index (31.3 vs. 28.3 Kg/M2). The overall composite crude and adjusted rate ratios comparing the elevated and normal TG groups were 1.10 (1.09, 1.12) and 1.05 (1.03, 1.06), respectively. For CV risk groups 1, 2 and 3, the adjusted rate ratios comparing the elevated and normal TG groups were 0.99 (0.96, 1.02), 1.05 (1.02, 1.08), and 1.07 (1.04, 1.10), respectively. An association of increased rate ratios did not hold for fatal events. Conclusion: Those with elevated TG levels and well-controlled LDL-C on statins showed a modest increase in CV events compared to those with normal TG. Elevated TG levels were associated with increased CV events in patients with established CV disease and with diabetes only, suggesting that elevated TG levels are associated with a similar degree of residual risk in high-risk primary prevention and secondary prevention settings.

The Relationship between Rate and Volume of Intravenous Fluid Administration and Kidney Outcomes after Angiography.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Contrast-associated AKI may result in higher morbidity and mortality. Intravenous fluid administration remains the mainstay for prevention. There is a lack of consensus on the optimal administration strategy. We studied the association of periprocedure fluid administration with contrast-associated AKI, defined as an increase in serum creatinine of at least 25% or 0.5 mg/dl from baseline at 3-5 days after angiography, and 90-day need for dialysis, death, or a 50% increase in serum creatinine. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We conducted a secondary analysis of 4671 PRESERVE participants who underwent angiographic procedures. Although fluid type was randomized, strategy of administration was at the discretion of the clinician. We divided the study cohort into quartiles by total fluid volume. We performed multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for clinically important covariates. We tested for the interaction between fluid volume and duration of fluid administration, categorized as <6 or ≥6 hours. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age was 70 (8) years, 94% of participants were male, and median (interquartile range) eGFR was 60 (41-60) ml/min per 1.73 m2. The range of fluid administered was 89-882 ml in quartile 1 and 1258-2790 ml in quartile 4. Compared with the highest quartile (quartile 4) of fluid volume, we found a significantly higher risk of the primary outcome in quartile 1 (adjusted odds ratio, 1.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 2.38) but not in quartiles 2 and 3 compared with quartile 4. There was no difference in the incidence of contrast-associated AKI across the quartiles. The interaction between volume and duration was not significant for any of the outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: We found that administration of a total volume of 1000 ml, starting at least 1 hour before contrast injection and continuing postcontrast for a total of 6 hours, is associated with a similar risk of adverse outcomes as larger volumes of intravenous fluids administered for periods >6 hours. Mean fluid volumes <964 ml may be associated with a higher risk for the primary outcome, although residual confounding cannot be excluded.

Comparative Effectiveness of Allopurinol and Febuxostat in Gout Management.

BACKGROUND: The relative efficacy and safety of allopurinol and febuxostat when used according to current guidelines for the treatment of hyperuricemia are unknown. This double-blind noninferiority trial examined these issues. METHODS: Participants with gout and hyperuricemia (with at least 33% having stage 3 chronic kidney disease) were randomly assigned to allopurinol or febuxostat in this 72-week trial, with doses titrated to target serum urate. The trial had three phases: titration (weeks 0 to 24), maintenance (weeks 25 to 48), and observation (weeks 49 to 72). Allopurinol and febuxostat were initiated at daily doses of 100 and 40 mg, with maximum titration to 800 and 120 mg, respectively. Antiinflammatory prophylaxis was given during phases 1 and 2. The primary end point was the proportion of patients experiencing one or more flares during phase 3, with a prespecified noninferiority margin of less than 8 percentage points between allopurinol and febuxostat. Secondary end points included efficacy in patients with chronic kidney disease, proportion achieving target serum urate levels, and serious adverse events. RESULTS: This study included 940 participants; 20.1% withdrew, with similar proportions in treatment arms. During phase 3, 36.5% of allopurinol-treated participants had one flare or more compared with 43.5% of febuxostat-treated participants (P<0.001 for noninferiority). Overall, 80% of participants achieved mean target urates during phase 2 with no differences by treatment. There were no treatment differences (including cardiovascular events) in serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Allopurinol and febuxostat achieved serum urate goals in patients with gout; allopurinol was noninferior to febuxostat in controlling flares. Similar outcomes were noted in participants with stage 3 chronic kidney disease. (Funded by the Cooperative Studies Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02579096.).