Effect of a prioritization score on the inter-hospital transfer time management of severe COVID-19 patients: a quasi-experimental intervention study.

BACKGROUND: The overburdening of the healthcare system during the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is driving the need to create new tools to improve the management of inter-hospital transport for patients with a severe COVID-19 infection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the usefulness of the application of a prioritization score (IHTCOVID-19) for inter-hospital transfer of patients with COVID-19 infection. METHODS: The study has a quasi-experimental design and was conducted on the Medical Emergency System, the pre-hospital emergency department of the public company belonging to the Autonomous Government of Catalonia that manages urgent healthcare in the region. Patients with a severe COVID-19 infection requiring inter-hospital transport were consecutively included. The pre-intervention period was from 1 to 31 March 2020, and the intervention period with the IHTCOVID-19 score was from 1 to 30 April 2020 (from 8 am to 8 pm). The prioritization score comprises four priority categories, with Priority 0 being the highest and Priority 3 being the lowest. Inter-hospital transfer (IHT) management times (alert-assignment time, resource management time and total central management time) and their variability were evaluated according to whether or not the IHTCOVID-19 score was applied. RESULTS: A total of 344 IHTs were included: 189 (54.9%) in the pre-intervention period and 155 (45.1%) in the post-intervention period. The majority of patients were male and the most frequent age range was between 50 and 70 years. According to the IHTCOVID-19 score, 12 (3.5%) transfers were classified as Priority 0, 66 (19.4%) as Priority 1, 247 (71.8%) as Priority 2 and 19 (5.6%) as Priority 3. Overall, with the application of the IHTCOVID-19 score, there was a significant reduction in total central management time [from 112.4 (inter-quartile range (IQR) 281.3) to 89.8 min (IQR 154.9); P = 0.012]. This significant reduction was observed in Priority 0 patients [286.2 (IQR 218.5) to 42.0 min (IQR 58); P = 0.018] and Priority 1 patients [130.3 (IQR 297.3) to 75.4 min (IQR 91.1); P = 0.034]. After applying the IHTCOVID-19 score, the average time of the process decreased by 22.6 min, and variability was reduced from 618.1 to 324.0 min. CONCLUSION: The application of the IHTCOVID-19 score in patients with a severe COVID-19 infection reduces IHT management times and variability.

Characteristics and Prognosis of Patients Who Receive Noninvasive Ventilation and Present Limitation of Life Support Treatment: The LLST-NIVCat Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Patients who receive noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in the emergency department (ED) sometimes have a limitation of life support treatment (LLST). The characteristics and prognosis in these patients may be worse, however, few studies have been carried out in this respect. OBJECTIVE: Analyze the differences between patients receiving NIV in the ED with LLST (NIV-LLST) or without LLST (NIV-noLLST) and their impact on in-hospital mortality, as well as investigate in-hospital mortality in the NIV-LLST group. METHOD: We performed a secondary analysis of data from the NIVCat registry. This was a prospective, multicenter, analytical cohort study with consecutive inclusion of patients receiving NIV from February to March 2015 in 11 hospital EDs in Spain. Data on the baseline characteristics, the acute episode, and final patient destination were collected. The dependent variable was all-cause in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: We analyzed 152 cases receiving NIV, 66 (43.4%) of whom had NIV-LLTS. Age ≥ 75 years was associated with NIV-LLST. In-hospital mortality was higher in the NIV-LLST group, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.50 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-6.06). Patients with NIV-LLST presenting an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presented the lowest mortality, with an odds ratio of 0.27 (95% confidence interval 0.08-0.93), compared with the remaining patients. CONCLUSION: In our cohort of patients receiving NIV in the ED, the presence of LLST is frequent and is associated with high hospital mortality. The NIV-LLST patients with a COPD exacerbation have a better prognosis than NIV-LLST patients with other diseases.

[Noninvasive mechanical ventilation in emergency services in Catalonia: the VNICat registry cohort study]. / Estudio de cohortes de pacientes tratados con ventilación no invasiva en servicios de urgencias prehospitalarios y hospitalarios de Cataluña: registro VNICat.

OBJECTIVES: To study how noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is used in prehospital emergency services and hospital emergency departments. To explore associations between NIV use and hospital mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective analysis of a consecutive multicenter cohort of patients who were treated with NIV between February and March 2015. The study was undertaken in emergency medical services in Catalonia and 8 Catalan hospital emergency departments. We collected information during the acute episode and on discharge, as well as data describing the patients' condition when stable. The dependent variable was all-cause hospital mortality. RESULTS: We studied 184 acute episodes requiring NIV, in the prehospital setting in 25 cases (13.6%) and in the hospital in 159 (86.4%). The most common scenario was acute heart failure (AHF) (38.0%). The second most common was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (34.2%). In most cases, NIV was discontinued in the emergency department. Mortality was 7.5% during prehospital care and 21.4% in the hospital. Hospital mortality was associated with limiting the use of life support. We detected no significant differences in mortality between the groups of patients with AHF vs COPD. CONCLUSION: The use of NIV in prehospital and hospital emergency care follows current evidence-based recommendations and is required more often for AHF than for exacerbated COPD. Hospital mortality is high in this context and is associated with frequent limiting of life support.

OBJETIVO: Conocer las características de la ventilación no invasiva (VNI) en los servicios de urgencias prehospitalarios y hospitalarios. Comparar los resultados obtenidos en función de la mortalidad hospitalaria. METODO: Estudio de cohortes multicéntrico, analítico, prospectivo con inclusión consecutiva de pacientes en los que se realizó VNI durante febrero y marzo de 2015 en el ámbito prehospitalario por el Sistema d'Emergències Mèdiques (SEM) y en 8 servicios de urgencias (SU) hospitalarios de Cataluña. Se recogieron las características basales, del episodio agudo y de destino, y la variable dependiente fue la mortalidad hospitalaria por todas las causas. RESULTADOS: Se recogieron 184 episodios de VNI, 25 episodios (13,6%) prehospitalarios y 159 (86,4%) hospitalarios. El escenario más frecuente para su uso fue la insuficiencia cardiaca aguda (ICA) (38,0%) seguido de la agudización de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) (34,2%). En la mayoría de casos la VNI se retira en los SU. La mortalidad fue del 7,5% y del 21,4% en urgencias prehospitalarias y hospitalarias, respectivamente. La mortalidad hospitalaria se relacionó con más presencia de limitación del tratamiento de soporte vital (LTSV). No hubo diferencias de mortalidad entre los diferentes escenarios clínicos. CONCLUSIONES: La VNI en los SU prehospitalarios y hospitalarios sigue las recomendaciones de la evidencia científica actual y se realiza principalmente en la ICA y en la agudización de la EPOC. La mortalidad hospitalaria es elevada y se relaciona con la LTSV, que es muy frecuente.

Estudio de cohortes de pacientes tratados con ventilación no invasiva en servicios de urgencias prehospitalarios y hospitalarios de Cataluña: registro VNICat / Non invasive mechanical ventilation in emergency services in Catalonia: the VNICat registry cohort study

Objetivo: Conocer las características de la ventilación no invasiva (VNI) en los servicios de urgencias prehospitalarios y hospitalarios. Comparar los resultados obtenidos en función de la mortalidad hospitalaria. Método: Estudio de cohortes multicéntrico, analítico, prospectivo con inclusión consecutiva de pacientes en los que se realizó VNI durante febrero y marzo de 2015 en el ámbito prehospitalario por el Sistema d’Emergències Mèdiques (SEM) y en 8 servicios de urgencias (SU) hospitalarios de Cataluña. Se recogieron las características basales, del episodio agudo y de destino, y la variable dependiente fue la mortalidad hospitalaria por todas las causas. Resultados: Se recogieron 184 episodios de VNI, 25 episodios (13,6%) prehospitalarios y 159 (86,4%) hospitalarios. El escenario más frecuente para su uso fue la insuficiencia cardiaca aguda (ICA) (38,0%) seguido de la agudización de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) (34,2%). En la mayoría de casos la VNI se retira en los SU. La mortalidad fue del 7,5% y del 21,4% en urgencias prehospitalarias y hospitalarias, respectivamente. La mortalidad hospitalaria se relacionó con más presencia de limitación del tratamiento de soporte vital (LTSV). No hubo diferencias de mortalidad entre los diferentes escenarios clínicos. Conclusiones: La VNI en los SU prehospitalarios y hospitalarios sigue las recomendaciones de la evidencia científica actual y se realiza principalmente en la ICA y en la agudización de la EPOC. La mortalidad hospitalaria es elevada y se relaciona con la LTSV, que es muy frecuente (AU)

Objectives: To study how noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is used in prehospital emergency services and hospital emergency departments. To explore associations between NIV use and hospital mortality. Methods: Prospective analysis of a consecutive multicenter cohort of patients who were treated with NIV between February and March 2015. The study was undertaken in emergency medical services in Catalonia and 8 Catalan hospital emergency departments. We collected information during the acute episode and on discharge, as well as data describing the patients' condition when stable. The dependent variable was all-cause hospital mortality. Results: We studied 184 acute episodes requiring NIV, in the prehospital setting in 25 cases (13.6%) and in the hospital in 159 (86.4%). The most common scenario was acute heart failure (AHF) (38.0%). The second most common was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (34.2%). In most cases, NIV was discontinued in the emergency department. Mortality was 7.5% during prehospital care and 21.4% in the hospital. Hospital mortality was associated with limiting the use of life support. We detected no significant differences in mortality between the groups of patients with AHF vs COPD. Conclusions: The use of NIV in prehospital and hospital emergency care follows current evidence-based recommendations and is required more often for AHF than for exacerbated COPD. Hospital mortality is high in this context and is associated with frequent limiting of life support (AU)