Clostridium difficile Infection Reservoirs Within an Acute Rehabilitation Environment.

OBJECTIVE: Clostridium difficile infection is a common hospital-associated infection spread via patient contact or contaminated environments. The risk for spread of C difficile may be greater in inpatient rehabilitation units than in some hospital units as patients are not confined to their rooms and often share equipment. Environmental disinfection is challenging in shared medical equipment, especially in equipment with complex designs. The study aimed to examine the presence of C difficile spores within an acute rehabilitation environment and to evaluate disinfection effectiveness. DESIGN: Cultures were performed on 28 rehabilitation rooms, 28 rehabilitation floor surfaces, and 80 shared devices and equipment. Two disinfection interventions were implemented, and environmental cultures then were repeated postintervention. RESULTS: Environmental cultures positive for CD spores were rehabilitation rooms (1/28), rehabilitation floors (13/28), and wheelchairs (3/20). After the implementation of new disinfection methods, repeat cultures were obtained and produced negative results. CONCLUSIONS: Nonsporicidal disinfectant was not effective on hospital floors. Sporicidal disinfection of the floor is important when rates of C difficile infection are increased. Wheelchairs are complex devices and difficult to properly clean. The hospital purchased an ultraviolent device for wheelchair cleaning with a subsequent reduction in spores on repeat cultures. TO CLAIM CME CREDITS: Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry.org/JournalCME. CME OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (1) Recognize the impact of Clostridium difficile infections on the healthcare system; (2) Describe potential reservoirs of Clostridium difficile in the inpatient rehabilitation environment; and (3) Discuss interventions that may be implemented to reduce the reservoirs of Clostridium difficile on the rehabilitation unit. LEVEL: Advanced. ACCREDITATION: The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this Journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Routine Venous Doppler Ultrasound for Diagnosis of Deep Venous Thrombosis at Admission to Inpatient Rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to identify whether timing of venous thromboembolism diagnosis is associated with differences in patient outcomes and to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of routine venous Doppler ultrasound at admission to inpatient rehabilitation, taking into account costs associated with prolonged inpatient rehabilitation length of stay, and development of pulmonary embolism. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study of 2312 consecutive patient discharges from a single inpatient rehabilitation facility for an 18-mo period. Cost-effectiveness model was built using TreeAge Healthcare Pro. The base case was constructed using probabilities and inpatient rehabilitation length of stay identified from retrospective analysis. Cost of Doppler ultrasound was obtained through the literature, and daily inpatient rehabilitation cost was obtained from the study institution. RESULTS: Venous thromboembolism was diagnosed in 6.6% of patients. Asymptomatic patients diagnosed with venous thromboembolism on screening Doppler ultrasound had shorter inpatient rehabilitation length of stay (P = 0.045) and lower rate of pulmonary embolism (P < 0.001) and acute hospital transfer (P = 0.002) than those diagnosed after clinical symptoms developed. Use of routine Doppler ultrasound at inpatient rehabilitation admission was found to be cost-effective, with a total cost of US $20,265 per admission compared with $20,269 per admission without use of Doppler ultrasound at inpatient rehabilitation admission. CONCLUSIONS: Routine Doppler ultrasound screening for venous thromboembolism at inpatient rehabilitation admission is associated with improved patient outcomes without added cost per admission.

Venous Thromboembolism as Predictor of Acute Care Hospital Transfer and Inpatient Rehabilitation Length of Stay.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of venous thromboembolism (VTE) on rate of acute care hospital transfer, inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) length of stay (LOS), and functional outcomes. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study of 2312 consecutive patient discharges from a single IPR facility over an 18-month period. RESULTS: When age, sex, reason for admission, and admission Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores were controlled for, those with VTE had nearly 2 times greater odds for transfer to acute care hospital than did those without a diagnosis of VTE. Inpatient rehabilitation LOS was 4.700 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.956-6.445 days) longer for those with a diagnosis of VTE prior to IPR admission and 2.287 days (95% CI, 1.026-3.547 days) longer for those with a diagnosis of VTE during IPR admission compared with those without a diagnosis of VTE. There was no difference in FIM change based on VTE diagnosis. Venous thromboembolism diagnosis during IPR was associated with a significant decrease in FIM efficiency (-0.358; 95% CI, -0.654 to -0.062) if diagnosed during IPR admission, but there was no difference in FIM efficiency if VTE was diagnosed prior to IPR. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a diagnosis of VTE were more likely to be transferred to the acute care hospital and have longer IPR LOS independent of admission FIM scores. It is important to prevent development of VTE. TO CLAIM CME CREDITS: Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry.org/JournalCME CME OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (1) understand the association of venous thromboembolism (VTE) diagnosis with acute hospital transfer and inpatient rehabilitation length of stay; (2) identify reasons for acute hospital transfer in patients diagnosed with VTE; and (3) understand the relationship between VTE diagnosis and functional outcomes during inpatient rehabilitation. LEVEL: Advanced ACCREDITATION: The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Persistent Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism in Men After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Temporal Hormone Profiles and Outcome Prediction.

OBJECTIVE: To (1) examine relationships between persistent hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (PHH) and long-term outcomes after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI); and (2) determine whether subacute testosterone levels can predict PHH. SETTING: Level 1 trauma center at a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive sample of men with severe TBI between 2004 and 2009. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. MAIN MEASURES: Post-TBI blood samples were collected during week 1, every 2 weeks until 26 weeks, and at 52 weeks. Serum hormone levels were measured, and individuals were designated as having PHH if 50% or more of samples met criteria for hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. At 6 and 12 months postinjury, we assessed global outcome, disability, functional cognition, depression, and quality of life. RESULTS: We recruited 78 men; median (interquartile range) age was 28.5 (22-42) years. Thirty-four patients (44%) had PHH during the first year postinjury. Multivariable regression, controlling for age, demonstrated PHH status predicted worse global outcome scores, more disability, and reduced functional cognition at 6 and 12 months post-TBI. Two-step testosterone screening for PHH at 12 to 16 weeks postinjury yielded a sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 100%. CONCLUSION: PHH status in men predicts poor outcome after severe TBI, and PHH can accurately be predicted at 12 to 16 weeks.

Dilantin therapy in an experimental model of traumatic brain injury: effects of limited versus daily treatment on neurological and behavioral recovery.

The mechanisms by which Dilantin confers anticonvulsant benefits may also be neuroprotective by attenuating the acute excitatory insult in cortical and subcortical structures when the drug is given in the acute phase after traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, when Dilantin is used for prolonged periods, we hypothesized that it may impede recovery, synaptic plasticity may be impaired, and neuroprotective benefits may be lost. As such, we assessed the effect of daily chronic administration (75 mg/kg day 0 followed by 50 mg/kg daily i.p.) and acute administration (75 mg/kg day 0 followed by 50 mg/kg i.p. day 1) of Dilantin in young adult male rats on motor performance, y-maze exploration, Morris Water Maze (MWM), hippocampal (HC) cell survival, contusion size, and regional expression of neuroplasticity markers after controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury. Chronic daily Dilantin administration resulted in beam walking impairments on day 6, whereas acute Dilantin administration resulted in beam walking impairments on days 3 and 4. Chronic Dilantin administration also resulted in worse MWM performance, more HC cell loss and no increases in neuroplasticity markers compared to rats with CCI receiving chronic vehicle. Conversely, rats receiving acute Dilantin administration exhibited more novel arm exploration in the y-maze, greater HC cell sparing, and greater growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) expression in the HC ipsilateral to the CCI, compared to injured rats receiving vehicle. MWM was not influenced by acute Dilantin administration. These results suggest that there are beneficial effects of limited acute Dilantin therapy after TBI, and that extended daily Dilantin therapy has deleterious effects on neural recovery. These findings support clinical guidelines for limited use of Dilantin in seizure prophylaxis after TBI.