Closer to Home: A Quality Improvement Initiative to Optimize Satellite Site Bed Capacity.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic resulted in the underutilization of inpatient beds at our satellite location. A lack of clarity and standardized admission criteria for the satellite led to frequent transfers to the main campus, resulting in patients traveling larger distances to receive inpatient care. We sought to optimize inpatient resource use at the satellite campus and keep patients "closer to home" by admitting eligible patients to that inpatient unit (LA4). Our aim was to increase bed capacity use at the satellite from 45% to 70% within 10 months. Our process measure was to increase the proportion of patients needing hospitalization who presented to the satellite emergency department (ED) and were then admitted to LA4 from 76% to 85%. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team used quality improvement methods to optimize bed capacity use. Interventions included (1) the revision and dissemination of satellite admission guidelines, (2) steps to create shared understanding of appropriate satellite admissions between ED and inpatient providers, (3) directed provider feedback on preventable main campus admissions, and (4) consistent patient and family messaging about the potential for transfer. Data were collected via chart review. Annotated run charts were used to assess the impact of interventions over time. RESULTS: Average LA4 bed capacity use increased from 45% to 69%, which was sustained for 1 year. The average percentage of patients admitted from the satellite ED to LA4 increased from 76% to 84%. CONCLUSIONS: We improved bed capacity use at our satellite campus through transparent admission criteria and shared mental models of patient care needs between ED and inpatient providers.

Using Administrative Billing Codes to Identify Acute Musculoskeletal Infections in Children.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Acute hematogenous musculoskeletal infections (MSKI) are medical emergencies with the potential for life-altering complications in afflicted children. Leveraging administrative data to study pediatric MSKI is difficult as many infections are chronic, nonhematogenous, or occur in children with significant comorbidities. The objective of this study was to validate a case-finding algorithm to accurately identify children hospitalized with acute hematogenous MSKI using administrative billing codes. METHODS: This was a multicenter validation study using the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database. Hospital admissions for MSKI were identified from 6 PHIS hospitals using discharge diagnosis codes. A random subset of admissions underwent manual chart review at each site using predefined criteria to categorize each admission as either "acute hematogenous MSKI" (AH-MSKI) or "not acute hematogenous MSKI." Ten unique coding algorithms were developed using billing data. The sensitivity and specificity of each algorithm to identify AH-MSKI were calculated using chart review categorizations as the reference standard. RESULTS: Of the 492 admissions randomly selected for manual review, 244 (49.6%) were classified as AH-MSKI and 248 (50.4%) as not acute hematogenous MSKI. Individual algorithm performance varied widely (sensitivity 31% to 91%; specificity 52% to 98%). Four algorithms demonstrated potential for future use with receiver operating characteristic area under the curve greater than 80%. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying children with acute hematogenous MSKI based on discharge diagnosis alone is challenging as half have chronic or nonhematogenous infections. We validated several case-finding algorithms using administrative billing codes and detail them here for future use in pediatric MSKI outcomes.

Implementation of Postoperative Respiratory Care for Pediatric Orthopedic Patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: At our institution, one-fifth of pediatric patients undergoing hip and spine surgery require prolonged oxygen supplementation, most likely due to postoperative atelectasis. Using quality improvement methodology, we aimed to implement an innovative postoperative respiratory care algorithm for hip and spine surgery patients, with a global aim of improving respiratory outcomes. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team developed a care algorithm that relied on an activated respiratory therapist (RT) and engagement of patients and families. The algorithm was implemented via multiple rapid tests of change. Process measures representing the beginning and end of the care algorithm were plotted on standard run charts. We evaluated the association of algorithm implementation with a primary outcome of prolonged (>10 hours) oxygen supplementation via a quasi-experimental design using Fisher's exact and t tests. RESULTS: The team successfully implemented the algorithm, with a reliability to process of 80%. Key interventions included education of RTs, a daily huddle, and implementation of automated orders. Among all hip and spine patients, algorithm implementation was associated with a small, non-statistically significant decrease in prolonged oxygen use (21% to 16%). Among patients with underlying chronic conditions, there was a significant decrease in prolonged oxygen use from 22% to 6% after algorithm implementation (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: We implemented an innovative respiratory care algorithm in hip and spine surgery patients by empowering RTs and engaging families to participate in care. We found that this approach was associated with decreased prolonged oxygen use in patients with chronic underlying conditions.

pH regulating transporters in neurons from various chemosensitive brainstem regions in neonatal rats.

We studied the membrane transporters that mediate intracellular pH (pH(i)) recovery from acidification in brainstem neurons from chemosensitive regions of neonatal rats. Individual neurons within brainstem slices from the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS), and the locus coeruleus (LC) were studied using a pH-sensitive fluorescent dye and fluorescence imaging microscopy. The rate of pH(i) recovery from an NH(4)Cl-induced acidification was measured, and the effects of inhibitors of various pH-regulating transporters determined. Hypercapnia (15% CO(2)) resulted in a maintained acidification in neurons from all three regions. Recovery in RTN neurons was nearly entirely eliminated by amiloride, an inhibitor of Na(+)/H(+) exchange (NHE). Recovery in RTN neurons was blocked approximately 50% by inhibitors of isoform 1 of NHE (NHE-1) but very little by an inhibitor of NHE-3 or by DIDS (an inhibitor of HCO(3)-dependent transport). In NTS neurons, amiloride blocked over 80% of the recovery, which was also blocked approximately 65% by inhibitors of NHE-1 and 26% blocked by an inhibitor of NHE-3. Recovery in LC neurons, in contrast, was unaffected by amiloride or blockers of NHE isoforms but was dependent on Na(+) and increased by external HCO(3)(-). On the basis of these findings, pH(i) recovery from acidification appears to be largely mediated by NHE-1 in RTN neurons, by NHE-1 and NHE-3 in NTS neurons, and by a Na- and HCO(3)-dependent transporter in LC neurons. Thus, pH(i) recovery is mediated by different pH-regulating transporters in neurons from different chemosensitive regions, but recovery is suppressed by hypercapnia in all of the neurons.