Outcomes and Direct Cost of Isolated Nonemergent CABG in Patients With Low Ejection Fraction.

OBJECTIVE: Preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is one of the main predictors of outcomes in cardiac surgery. We present current era outcomes and associated direct cost in nonemergent isolated coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) patients with LVEF <20% over the past 6 years and compare it with higher EF subgroups. METHODS: Six-year data from 2016 to 2022 at hospitals sharing Society of Thoracic Surgeons and financial data with Biome Analytics were analyzed based on 3 EF subgroups (EF ≤20%, EF 21% to 35%, and EF >35%). Outcomes and costs were assessed. RESULTS: Overall 30-day mortality of 12,649 patients was 1.9%. The EF ≤20% (n = 248), EF 21% to 35% (n = 1,408), and EF >35 (n = 10,993) cohorts had mortality of 6.9%, 3.7%, and 1.6%, respectively. The EF ≤20% subgroup had higher use of cardiopulmonary bypass, blood products, and mechanical support. In addition, the EF ≤20% subgroup had higher complication rates in almost all measured categories. Also, the EF ≤20% cohort had significantly higher length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) hours, ICU and hospital readmissions, and lowest discharge to home rate. The strongest factors associated with mortality were postoperative cardiac arrest, renal failure requiring dialysis, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, sepsis, prolonged ventilation, and gastrointestinal event. The overall median direct cost of care was $37,387.79 ($27,605.18, $51,720.96), with a median direct cost of care in the EF ≤20%, EF 21% to 35%, and EF >35% subgroups of $52,500.17 ($34,103.52, $80,806.79), $44,108.32 ($31,597.58, $63,788.03), and $36,521.80 ($27,168.91, $50,019.31), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In nonemergent isolated CABG surgery, low EF continues to have higher surgical risks and higher direct cost of care despite advances in cardiovascular care.

Implementation of an Electronic Health Records-Based Safe Contrast Limit for Preventing Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) after percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with increased mortality. We assessed the effectiveness of an electronic health records safe contrast limit tool in predicting CA-AKI risk and reducing contrast use and CA-AKI. METHODS: We created an alert displaying the safe contrast limit to cardiac catheterization laboratory staff prior to percutaneous coronary intervention. The alert used risk factors automatically extracted from the electronic health records. We included procedures from June 1, 2020 to October 1, 2021; the intervention went live February 10, 2021. Using difference-in-differences analysis, we evaluated changes in contrast volume and CA-AKI rates after contrast limit tool implementation compared to control hospitals. Cardiologists were surveyed prior to and 9 months after alert implementation on beliefs, practice patterns, and safe contrast estimates for example patients. RESULTS: At the one intervention site, there were 508 percutaneous coronary interventions before and 531 after tool deployment. At 15 control sites, there were 3550 and 3979 percutaneous coronary interventions, respectively. The contrast limit predicted CA-AKI with an accuracy of 64.1%, negative predictive value of 93.3%, and positive predictive value of 18.7%. After implementation, in high/modifiable risk patients (defined as having a calculated contrast limit <500ml) there was a small but significant -4.60 mL/month (95% CI, -8.24 to -1.00) change in average contrast use but no change in CA-AKI rates (odds ratio, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.84-1.10]). Low-risk patients had no change in contrast use (-0.50 mL/month [95% CI, -7.49 to 6.49]) or CA-AKI (odds ratio, 1.24 [95% CI, 0.79-1.93]). In assessing CA-AKI risk, clinicians heavily weighted age and diabetes but often did not consider anemia, cardiogenic shock, and heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians often used a simplified assessment of CA-AKI risk that did not include important risk factors, leading to risk estimations inconsistent with established models. Despite clinician skepticism, an electronic health records-based contrast limit tool more accurately predicted CA-AKI risk and was associated with a small decrease in contrast use during percutaneous coronary intervention but no change in CA-AKI rates.

Trauma induces a hypercoagulable state that is resistant to hypothermia as measured by thrombelastogram.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that severely injured trauma patients would be hypercoagulable compared with controls measured by thromboelastography and that this hypercoagulability would persist over a broad range of temperatures. METHODS: A prospective study evaluating the effects of temperature on coagulation in trauma patients with Injury Severity Scores ≥ 15 and controls was completed. Thromboelastography was performed 24 hours after admission at 4 temperatures ranging from 32°C to 38°C. RESULTS: Ninety-two subjects (46 patients) were analyzed. Patients had a median Injury Severity Score of 20 (interquartile range, 16­26). Time to clot formation increased (P < .001) and fibrin cross-linking decreased (P < .01) in both groups as temperature decreased. Between groups, time to clot formation, fibrin cross-linking, and clot strength were significantly different at each temperature (P < .01), with patients being more hypercoagulable. Time to clot formation and fibrin cross-linking were more affected by temperature in controls compared with patients (P < .02). CONCLUSIONS: Severely injured patients are more hypercoagulable than controls throughout a broad range of temperature. Decreasing temperature has a greater effect on coagulation in controls compared with patients.