Association between neighborhood household income and inpatient atrial fibrillation outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The impact of socioeconomic status on the clinical outcomes of patients admitted to the hospital for atrial fibrillation (AF) is not well described. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between median neighborhood household income (mNHI) and clinical outcomes among patients admitted to the hospital for AF. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed primary AF hospitalizations from the United States National Inpatient Sample between 2016 and 2020. The analyzed sample was divided into quartiles based on the mNHI in the zip code of the patient's residence. The lowest quartile was used as the reference category. Study outcomes included inpatient procedure utilization (ablation, cardioversion, percutaneous left atrial appendage closure), length of stay, cost, mortality, and disposition. Weighted multivariable logistic and linear regression, adjusting for multiple patient and hospital-level characteristics, was performed. RESULTS: Patients in the highest mNHI quartile had lower comorbidity burden, lower in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7-0.87; P <.001), lower discharges to care facility (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.83-0.9; P <.001), shorter length of stay (adjusted mean difference -0.26; 95% CI -0.30 to -0.22; P <.001), higher procedure utilization, and higher health care costs ($12,124 vs $10,018) compared to the lowest mNHI quartile patients. CONCLUSION: We identified significantly higher in-hospital mortality and lower procedural/resource utilization in patients living in lower-income neighborhoods compared to higher-income neighborhoods. Further research is needed to better understand the drivers of these disparities and the strategies to improve health care disparities between socioeconomic groups.

Stealing from the Heart: A Rare Case of Chest Pain Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

A 70-year-old veteran with prior triple vessel coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) presented with exertional chest pain. His work-up revealed > 40 mm Hg bilateral upper extremity blood pressure difference. Chest computed tomography and invasive angiography revealed severe stenosis at the ostium of the left subclavian artery, proximal to the origin of the left internal mammary artery to left anterior descending artery graft (LIMA-LAD). A diagnosis of coronary subclavian steal syndrome (CSSS) was made, and carotid-subclavian bypass was performed. This case outlines when to suspect CSSS, an approach to its diagnosis, and the importance of its timely management.

Foundation doctors' perspectives on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons for the future.

The foundation programme is a 2-year training programme for newly qualified doctors and aims to bridge the gap between medical school and specialty training. The pandemic led to some major disruptions to foundation training. As foundation trainees, we encountered new challenges: there were reduced learning opportunities and our future paths became uncertain with changes to specialty training applications and membership exams. However, it is said that every crisis creates new opportunities and is a test of our resilience and innovativeness. There was the adoption of novel teaching methods, new research opportunities, increased importance given to teamwork and support for our wellbeing and mental health. We learnt lessons from this crisis that we should take forward to improve foundation training for the future.

Incentive Spirometry for Prevention of Postoperative Pulmonary Complications After Thoracic Surgery.

Incentive spirometry is frequently used after thoracic surgery as an adjunct to physiotherapy. Despite its widespread use, it has remained challenging to demonstrate a clinical benefit in terms of either incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications or hospital stay. In this literature review, we have observed that, although there is no study supporting clinical benefit in the thoracic surgical patient population generally, there is now emerging evidence of benefit in higher-risk patient populations such as those with COPD. There is an indication that incentive spirometry can lead to a reduction in the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in these patients. The problem with studies published to date is that there are many limitations, not least of which is the challenge of achieving patient adherence with performing incentive spirometry as prescribed. Despite the lack of evidence, there remains an appetite for persevering with incentive spirometry in the postoperative thoracic surgical patient because it is a relatively inexpensive intervention that motivates many patients to perform regular breathing exercises long after the therapist has moved on to the next patient.

The Effect of Frailty on Long Term Outcomes in Vascular Surgical Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Frailty is a multidimensional vulnerability due to age associated decline. The impact of frailty on long term outcomes was assessed in a cohort of vascular surgical patients. METHODS: Patients aged over 65 years with a length of stay greater than two days admitted to a tertiary vascular unit over a single calendar year were included. Demographics, mode of admission, and diagnosis were recorded alongside a variety of frailty specific characteristics. Using the previously developed Addenbrookes Vascular Frailty Score (AVFS - 6 point score: anaemia on admission, lack of independent mobility, polypharmacy, Waterlow score > 13, depression, and emergency admission) the effect of frailty on five year mortality and re-admission rates was assessed using multivariable regression techniques. The AVFS was further refined to assess longer term outcomes. RESULTS: In total, 410 patients (median age 77 years) were included and followed up until death or five years from the index admission. One hundred and thirty-four were treated for aortic aneurysm, 75 and 96 for acute and chronic limb ischaemia respectively, 52 for carotid disease, and 53 for other pathologies. The in hospital mortality rate was 3.6%. The one, three, and five year survival rates were 83%, 70% and 59%; and the one, three, and five year re-admission free survival rates were 47%, 29%, and 22% respectively. Independent predictors of five year mortality were age, lack of independent mobility, high Charlson score, polypharmacy, evidence of malnutrition, and emergency admission (p < .010 for all). Patients with AVFS 0 or 1 had restricted mean survival times which were one year longer than those with AVFS 2 or 3 (p < .001), who in turn had restricted mean survival times over one year longer than those with AVFS of 4 or more (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Frailty factors are strong predictors of long term outcomes in vascular surgery. Further prospective studies are warranted to investigate its utility in clinical decision making.