Safety of prehospital intravenous bolus dose nitroglycerin in patients with acute pulmonary edema: A 4-year review.

Background: Intravenous nitrates are a primary therapy for hypertensive congestive heart failure (CHF) with acute pulmonary edema (APE) in the hospital setting. Historically, sublingual nitrates are the mainstay of emergency medical services (EMS) pharmacologic therapy for these patients. We aimed to evaluate the safety of prehospital bolus dose intravenous nitroglycerin in patients with APE. Methods: This is a retrospective evaluation of EMS data between March 15, 2018, and March 15, 2022, where CHF with APE was suspected and bolus-dose intravenous nitroglycerin was administered. Protocol inclusion criteria were hypertension (systolic blood pressure [SBP] >160 mmHg) and acute respiratory distress, with a presumption of decompensated CHF with APE. These patients received 1 mg intravenous nitroglycerin, with the option to repeat once for ongoing distress if the SBP remained >160 mmHg. The primary outcomes were adverse events, defined as hypotension (SBP <90 mmHg), syncope, vomiting, or dysrhythmia. Results: The final analysis included 235 patients. In patients receiving intravenous bolus nitroglycerin, the median (interquartile range [IQR]) initial and final EMS SBP values decreased from 198 mmHg (180-218) to 168 (148-187), respectively. The median (IQR) pulse decreased from 108 (92-125) to 103 (86-119), and the median oxygen saturation increased from 89% (82-95) to 98% (96-99). Three episodes (1.3%) of asymptomatic hypotension occurred, and none required intervention. Conclusion: This study supports a favorable safety profile for prehospital bolus-dose intravenous nitroglycerin for decompensated CHF with APE. Blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation improvements are also demonstrated. Further, prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Achieving Equity in Emergency Medicine Quality Measures Requires a Sex and Gender Lens.

BACKGROUND: Quality measures within Emergency Medicine (EM) were developed to standardize and improve care. Their development has been limited by lack of consideration of sex- and gender-based differences. Research has suggested that sex and gender can impact clinical care and treatment. Inclusion of sex and gender differences is needed to create EM quality measures that are equitable to all. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the review is to provide a brief history of EM quality measures and the value of considering sex- and gender-based evidence in their development to ensure equity, using acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as an example. DISCUSSION: Current quality measures related to AMI, such as time-to-electrocardiogram and door-to-balloon time in percutaneous coronary intervention, may have important and modifiable disparities when stratified by sex. Even when presenting with signs and symptoms of AMI, women experience delayed time to diagnosis and treatment. Few studies have considered interventions to mitigate these differences. However, the data available suggest that sex-based disparities can be minimized by implementation of strategies such as a quality control checklist. CONCLUSIONS: Quality measures were created to deliver high-quality, evidence-based, and standardized care, but without the inclusion of sex and gender metrics, they may not advance care to an equitable level.

Prognostic and predictive impact of MGMT promoter methylation in grade 3 gliomas.

BACKGROUND: Grade 3 gliomas are aggressive primary brain tumors. Promoter methylation of methyl guanine methyl transferase (MGMT) has been associated with a favorable prognosis in patients with glioblastoma, but the impact of MGMT promoter methylation in patients with grade 3 gliomas is less clear. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the utilization of MGMT testing in patients with Grade 3 glioma, as well its prognostic and predictive value. METHODS: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried (2004-2016) for patients with newly diagnosed grade 3 glioma without 1p19q codeletion. Statistics included Kaplan-Meier overall survival (OS) analysis, along with Cox proportional hazards modeling. RESULTS: Of 20,488 total patients, 1,209 (5.0%) had MGMT testing. Of these patients, 561 (46.4%) were MGMT methylated (mMGMT), and 648 (53.6%) were MGMT unmethylated (uMGMT). mMGMT patients experienced greater median overall survival (OS) than both uMGMT patients as well as patients with no MGMT status reported (p < 0.05 for both). mMGMT was associated with improved OS for patients receiving adjuvant chemoradiation or adjuvant radiation, but not for patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or no adjuvant treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest study to date describing the utilization of and outcomes for mMGMT patients with grade 3 glioma. The present results demonstrate that mMGMT is a prognostic factor and possibly a predictive biomarker, and is currently under-utilized within the US. MGMT methylation status could be used to risk-stratify and select patients for treatment intensification. IMPORTANCE OF STUDY: The present study is the largest of its kind to examine the prognostic and predictive impact of MGMT methylation (mMGMT) amongst patients with Grade 3 Glioma. The results suggest that mMGMT is prognostic, as amongst all patients, mMGMT was associated with improved overall survival. These results also suggest that mMGMT is predictive, as patients treated with adjuvant chemoradiation or adjuvant radiation therapy did have improved overall survival with mMGMT, though there was no difference in overall survival observes amongst patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or those patients receiving no adjuvant treatment. The study also found that only 5% of patients nationwide with Grade 3 Glioma are tested for MGMT.

Multi-Community Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Education by Medical Students.

Introduction One purpose of the hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (HOCPR) program is to simplify CPR instruction to encourage more bystanders to take action during cardiac arrest. Although the program has been successfully implemented in traditional classroom settings, the utility of large-scale training events has not been well-explored. We hypothesized that CPR knowledge and comfort levels would increase through a large-scale, multi-community HOCPR training event. We also explored what effect this training event had on perceived barriers to bystander-performed CPR. Methods A convenience sample participated in HOCPR training on a single day across 10 Texas cities. A sub-sample completed training questionnaires, including a five-item CPR pre- and post-test. A follow-up questionnaire was conducted two years after the event. The primary outcome of interest was the difference in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge and comfort level between pre- and post-event questionnaires. Demographic contributions were also assessed. Results A total of 4,253 participants were trained, 1,416 were enrolled upon submitting matching pre- and post-event questionnaires, and 101 (14%) submitted follow-up questionnaires. Mean knowledge scores increased from pre-training (2.7 ± 1.6 standard deviation (SD)) to post-training (4.7 ± 0.76 SD) (p < 0.001). Follow-up test scores (3.8 ± 1.1 SD) remained higher than pre-test scores (p < 0.001). Comfort with HOCPR increased from 59% (95% confidence interval (CI) 56 - 61) to 96% (95% CI 95 - 97). Pre- and post-knowledge scores differed significantly by education level (p < 0.001), ethnicity (p < 0.001), and income (p < 0.001). Education contributed significantly to comfort at both pre- (p = 0.015) and post-training (p = 0.026), but ethnicity and income did not. Before training, the most common barrier to performing CPR was lack of knowledge 59% (95% CI 55 - 62); after training, the most common barrier was fear of causing harm 34% (95% CI 29 - 40). Conclusions This study demonstrated that medical students were successfully able to conduct large-scale HOCPR training that improved CPR knowledge and comfort levels among participants across multiple metropolitan areas. Knowledge retention remained higher at two-years for participants of a follow-up questionnaire. Medical students can use the experiences from this training event as a template to organize similar large-scale training events in the future.

Efficacy of quality improvement and patient safety workshops for students: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: While the Association of American Medical Colleges encourages medical schools to incorporate quality improvement and patient safety (QI/PS) into their curriculum, medical students continue to have limited QI/PS exposure. To prepare medical students for careers that involve QI/PS, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement chapter at an allopathic medical school and school of allied health professions initiated self-directed learning by offering student-led workshops to equip learners with skills to improve the quality and safety of healthcare processes. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, workshops were hosted for medical students between 2015 and 2018 on five QI/PS topics: Process Mapping, Root-Cause Analysis (RCA), Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycles, Evidence Based Medicine (EBM), and Patient Handoffs. Each workshop included a hands-on component to engage learners in practical applications of QI/PS skills in their careers. Change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors was assessed via pre- and post-surveys using 5-point Likert scales, and analyzed using either the McNemar test or non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Surveys also gathered qualitative feedback regarding strengths, future areas for improvement, and reasons for attending the workshops. RESULTS: Data was collected from 88.5% of learners (n = 185/209); 19.5% of learners reported prior formal instruction in these topics. Statistically significant improvements in learners' confidence were observed for each workshop. Additionally, after attending workshops, learners felt comfortable teaching the learned QI/PS skill to colleagues (mean pre/post difference 1.96, p < 0.0001, n = 139) and were more likely to pursue QI/PS projects in their careers (mean pre/post difference 0.45, p < 0.0001, n = 139). Lastly, learners demonstrated a statistically significant increase in knowledge in four out of five skills workshop topics. CONCLUSION: Few medical students have formal instruction in QI/PS tools. This pilot study highlights advantages of incorporating an innovative, student-directed modified 'flipped classroom' methodology, with a focus on active experiential learning and minimal didactic instruction.

New Drugs of Abuse and Withdrawal Syndromes.

New drugs of abuse continue to emerge, including synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, and hallucinogens. It is important to recognize their individual psychopharmacologic properties, symptoms of intoxication, and symptoms of withdrawal. Providers must be vigilant of acute medical or psychiatric complications that may arise from use of these substances. Treatment of the patient also includes recognition of any substance use disorders as well as comorbid psychiatric disorders. Although pharmacologic treatments for substance use disorder (of the drugs included in this article) are limited, there are a variety of psychotherapeutic modalities that may be of some benefit.

Quantifying the PBAC in a pediatric and adolescent gynecology population.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of the pictorial blood assessment chart (PBAC) for use as a valid screening tool for menorrhagia in adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: To conduct a prospective survey paired with retrospective chart review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To determine mean PBAC scores among adolescents presenting with menorrhagia versus normal or infrequent cycles. To determine the PBAC scores among adolescents self-identifying as having heavy, normal, or light menses. RESULTS: Seventy-three subjects met criteria. Teens self-identified as having "light," "medium," or "heavy" cycles. Groups were then subdivided: Group 1 "heavy menses," Group 2 "normal menses," and Group 3 "light menses." The mean age of menarche was similar in all groups: 11.59 ± 1.56 years, 11.41 ± 1.51 years, 11.78 ± .83 years in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The mean PBAC score for the cohort was 195, while the mean PBAC in Group 1 was 362, compared to 136 and 44 for Groups 2 and 3, respectively ( p < .002). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to address the use of the PBAC in an adolescent population. In addition, this study evaluates mean PBAC scores among teens who self-identify as having heavy, normal, or light periods. The incidence of bleeding disorders among those with menorrhagia was 20%, consistent with previously published studies.

SMAD4 mutation segregating in a family with juvenile polyposis, aortopathy, and mitral valve dysfunction.

Juvenile polyposis syndrome (JPS) is caused by heterozygous mutations in either SMAD4 or BMPR1A. Individuals with JPS due to mutations in SMAD4 are at greater risk to manifest signs of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). HHT is caused by either mutations in SMAD4 or other genes that modulate transforming growth factor-beta (TGFß) signaling. Additional genes in the TGFß network include FBN1, TGFBR1, and TGFBR2, mutations of which cause either Marfan syndrome (MFS) or Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS), respectively. As SMAD4, FBN1, and TGFBR1/2 map to different regions of the genome, disorders associated with mutations in these genes are not expected to co-segregate in a family. We report an individual whose family history was positive for aortopathy, mitral valve dysfunction, and JPS. Mutation analysis of SMAD4 implicates this gene for these phenotypes in this family. Although SMAD4 is among several genes in the TGFß network, and although prior single case reports have described large vessel aneurysms in HHT, this is the first description of aortic and mitral disease presenting with JPS. This observation suggests that, in addition to HHT, individuals with SMAD4 mutations may be at risk for aortic dilation and mitral valve dysfunction. We emphasize the importance of comprehensive review of the medical history prior to molecular testing, especially in an asymptomatic patient.

Impaired photoreceptor protein transport and synaptic transmission in a mouse model of Bardet-Biedl syndrome.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an oligogenic syndrome whose manifestations include retinal degeneration, renal abnormalities, obesity and polydactylia. Evidence suggests that the main etiopathophysiology of this syndrome is impaired intraflagellar transport (IFT). In this study, we study the Bbs4-null mouse and investigate photoreceptor structure and function after loss of this gene. We find that Bbs4-null mice have defects in the transport of phototransduction proteins from the inner segments to the outer segments, before signs of cell death. Additionally, we show defects in synaptic transmission from the photoreceptors to secondary neurons of the visual system, demonstrating multiple functions for BBS4 in photoreceptors.