Video Intervention and Goals-of-Care Documentation in Hospitalized Older Adults: The VIDEO-PCE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Despite the benefits of goals-of-care (GOC) communication, many hospitalized individuals never communicate their goals or preferences to clinicians. Objective: To assess whether a GOC video intervention delivered by palliative care educators (PCEs) increased the rate of GOC documentation. Design, Setting, and Participants: This pragmatic, stepped-wedge cluster randomized clinical trial included patients aged 65 years or older admitted to 1 of 14 units at 2 urban hospitals in New York and Boston from July 1, 2021, to October 31, 2022. Intervention: The intervention involved PCEs (social workers and nurses trained in GOC communication) facilitating GOC conversations with patients and/or their decision-makers using a library of brief, certified video decision aids available in 29 languages. Patients in the control period received usual care. Main Outcome and Measures: The primary outcome was GOC documentation, which included any documentation of a goals conversation, limitation of life-sustaining treatment, palliative care, hospice, or time-limited trials and was obtained by natural language processing. Results: A total of 10 802 patients (mean [SD] age, 78 [8] years; 51.6% male) were admitted to 1 of 14 hospital units. Goals-of-care documentation during the intervention phase occurred among 3744 of 6023 patients (62.2%) compared with 2396 of 4779 patients (50.1%) in the usual care phase (P < .001). Proportions of documented GOC discussions for Black or African American individuals (865 of 1376 [62.9%] vs 596 of 1125 [53.0%]), Hispanic or Latino individuals (311 of 548 [56.8%] vs 218 of 451 [48.3%]), non-English speakers (586 of 1059 [55.3%] vs 405 of 863 [46.9%]), and people living with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (520 of 681 [76.4%] vs 355 of 570 [62.3%]) were greater during the intervention phase compared with the usual care phase. Conclusions and Relevance: In this stepped-wedge cluster randomized clinical trial of older adults, a GOC video intervention delivered by PCEs resulted in higher rates of GOC documentation compared with usual care, including among Black or African American individuals, Hispanic or Latino individuals, non-English speakers, and people living with Alzheimer disease and related dementias. The findings suggest that this form of patient-centered care delivery may be a beneficial decision support tool. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04857060.

Association Between Early Speech-Language Pathology Consultation and Pneumonia After Cardiac Surgery.

PURPOSE: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are reported to be at higher risk for oropharyngeal dysphagia and aspiration, which may predispose them to respiratory complications such as pneumonia. Speech-language pathology consultation facilitates early identification of swallowing difficulties providing appropriate and timely interventions during the postoperative period. This study explores the association between pneumonia and timing of speech-language pathology order entry and evaluation following cardiac surgery. METHOD: A retrospective study was performed on adults who underwent cardiac surgery in a tertiary care center, from July 2016 through December 2019. Patients with preexisting tracheostomy upon admission for cardiac surgery were excluded. The medical records of patients who had speech-language pathology consultation orders for swallowing concerns were analyzed in order to compare the timing of speech-language pathology order entry, completion of speech-language pathology evaluation, and incidence of pneumonia during hospitalization following cardiac surgery. RESULTS: During the study period, 3,168 patients underwent cardiac surgery, of which 2,864 patients met the inclusion criteria. Speech-language pathology was ordered for 473 cases (16.5%), and clinical swallow evaluation (CSE) was completed by speech-language pathology in 419 patients (88.6%), of which 309 patients were suspected to have dysphagia (73.7%). Among the 2,391 patients without speech-language pathology consultation, pneumonia was reported in 34 patients (1.42%). Pneumonia was reported in 53 patients in the speech-language pathology cohort, of which 43 patients (13.9%) were suspected to have dysphagia. Patients with pneumonia had significantly longer median time (20.0 hr, range: 4.9-26.7) from speech-language pathology orders to completion of CSE, compared to those without pneumonia (13.2 hr, range: 3.2-22.4, p = .025). There was no significant difference in the median time from extubation to speech-language pathology consultation order time in patients with pneumonia versus those without pneumonia. Patients with pneumonia were observed to have prolonged, although not statistically significant, median time from extubation to CSE (70.4 hr, range: 21.2-215) compared to those without pneumonia (42.2 hr, range: 19.5-105.8, p = .066). CONCLUSIONS: Patients without pneumonia in the postoperative period were observed to have shorter median time from extubation to speech-language pathology evaluation. Future studies are needed to further understand the impact of early speech-language pathology consultation and incidence of pneumonia in this population.

Use of a Digital Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Respiratory Tracker in a Primary Care Setting: A Feasibility Study.

INTRODUCTION: Telemonitoring is a promising self-management strategy to improve health care outcomes. This study evaluated real-world adoption of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Co-Pilot daily symptom monitoring tool by patients and primary care providers (PCPs). METHODS: An open-label, 6-month, single-arm, multicenter, noninterventional feasibility study enrolled 97 patients aged ≥ 40 years with symptomatic or poorly controlled COPD and ≥ 10 pack-year smoking history. Patients received smartphones and training to use the COPD Co-Pilot application. During the study, patients tracked symptoms daily; an increase in symptom score of ≥ 1.0 point from baseline (symptom alert) prompted patients to contact their PCP via toll-free number. The primary endpoint was time to clinical recommendation (TTCR) from a symptom alert; adherence to completing daily symptom reports through the COPD Co-Pilot application and patient satisfaction were also measured. RESULTS: Overall, 87 of 96 patients (90.6%) received 2142 symptom alerts; 42 alerts (equivalent to 2% of all symptom alerts) resulted in 23 patients contacting their PCP. Median TTCR was 7.1 h (interquartile range [IQR]: 4.0-29.9). Among 15 patients using the toll-free number, median TTCR was 2.1 h (IQR 0.0-7.2) versus 19.6 h (IQR 4.5-45.2) for eight patients using other contact methods. Average COPD Co-Pilot adherence overall was 75.2% (95% CI 74.6-75.9). Patients responded favorably regarding the application's ease of use, functionality, and information provided. CONCLUSIONS: The COPD Co-Pilot tool was associated with relatively high levels of adherence, suggesting patients' willingness to monitor symptoms daily. Although a limited number of patients initiated PCP contact, patients who used the study-provided toll-free number had substantially shorter median TTCR, suggesting that this tool could help empower patients to better manage their COPD.

Standard versus Accelerated Speaking Valve Placement after Percutaneous Tracheostomy: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study.

Rationale: The feasibility of a large, multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing the risks and benefits of early-use speaking valve after tracheostomy is not clear. Objectives: To investigate the feasibility of accelerated (⩽24 h) versus standard (⩾48 h) one-way speaking valve ("speaking valve") placement after percutaneous tracheostomy. Methods: Twenty awake patients (Glasgow Coma Scale score ⩾9) were randomized to accelerated or standard timing of speaking valve placement. Outcomes included patient identification and recruitment, adherence to protocol-defined time windows for valve placement, experimental separation in time to first speaking valve placement between groups, effectiveness of speech and swallowing (Sentence Intelligibility Test score, patient-reported quality of life), and clinical outcomes (safety events, speaking valve tolerance, decannulation, length of stay, and mortality). Results: Of 161 patients undergoing percutaneous tracheostomy, 20 of 36 meeting eligibility criteria were randomized. The median time to speaking valve placement was 22 (interquartile range [IQR], 21-23) hours in the accelerated arm versus 45.5 (IQR, 43-50) hours for the standard arm. No aspiration, hypoxemia, or other safety events occurred in either arm as a result of the speaking valve. Sentence intelligibility test scores were not different between arms but correlated with quality of life. After three sessions, patients in the accelerated arm tolerated longer speaking valve trials than those in the standard arm [median, 65 (IQR, 45-720) min vs. median, 15 (IQR, 3-20) min]. Seven patients in the accelerated arm were decannulated before hospital discharge versus one patient in the standard arm. Conclusions: Speaking valve placement within 24 hours of percutaneous tracheostomy is feasible. A multicenter randomized controlled trial should be conducted to evaluate the safety of this strategy and compare important clinical outcomes, including time to speech and swallow recovery after tracheostomy.Clinical trial registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03008174).

The Impact of Budesonide/Formoterol pMDI Medication Reminders on Adherence in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patients: Results of a Randomized, Phase 4, Clinical Study.

PURPOSE: Among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), adherence to inhaled medication leads to fewer exacerbations and improved health status. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effects of medication reminders via the BreatheMate device on adherence in patients with COPD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 6-month, phase 4, randomized, multicenter, open-label US study (NCT02864342) enrolled 138 patients aged ≥40 years with moderate to very severe COPD and ≥10 pack-year smoking history. Patients in the intervention (n = 68) and control (n = 70) groups received the BreatheMate device, smartphone application, and vouchers to redeem pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) for the prescribed 2 puffs of budesonide/formoterol 160/4.5 µg twice daily. The intervention group also received twice-daily electronic reminders to take budesonide/formoterol. The primary endpoint was the mean number of sets of adherent puffs/day (4 puffs: 2 puffs within 60 minutes, twice daily) over 6 months. Secondary endpoints included adherence by three 60-day intervals, usage days, prescription refills, and Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) score. Study enrollment terminated early due to issues with inconsistent syncing. RESULTS: A higher mean proportion of adherent days (77.6% vs 60.2%; P <0.001) and sets of adherent puffs/day (1.61 vs 1.33; P <0.001) were recorded for the intervention group versus the control group. Intervention group adherence was higher than that of the control group for each 60-day interval (P <0.001); the intervention group was 3.07 (95% confidence interval: 1.49-6.52) times more likely than the control group to be adherent for ≥80% of study days. Overuse (>2 sets of 2 puffs/day), underuse (<2 sets of 2 puffs/day), and no use days were lower in the intervention group versus control (P <0.05). Patients aged ≥65 years had higher adherence (P <0.001). CONCLUSION: Medication reminders through the BreatheMate device and application produced greater adherence to inhaled therapy in patients with COPD.

Voice-Related Quality of Life Increases With a Talking Tracheostomy Tube: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of our study was to determine the quality of life (QOL) using a talking tracheostomy tube. METHODS: Randomized clinical trial (NCT2018562). Adult intensive care unit patients who were mechanically ventilated, awake, alert, attempting to communicate, English-speaking, and could not tolerate one-way speaking valve were included. Intervention comprised a Blue Line Ultra Suctionaid (BLUSA) talking tracheostomy tube (Smiths Medical, Dublin, OH, US). Outcome measures included QOL scores measured using Quality of Life in Mechanically Ventilated Patients (QOL-MV) and Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL), Speech Intelligibility Test (SIT) scores, independence, and satisfaction. RESULTS: The change in V-RQOL scores from pre- to postintervention was higher among patients using a BLUSA (Smiths Medical) compared to those who did not (P = 0.001). The QOL-MV scores from pre- to postintervention were significantly higher among patients who used a BLUSA (Smiths Medical) compared to patients who did not use BLUSA (Smiths Medical) or a one-way speaking valve (P = 0.04). SIT scores decreased by 6.4 points for each 1-point increase in their Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores (P = 0.04). The overall QOL-MV scores correlated moderately with the overall V-RQOL scores (correlation coefficient = 0.59). Cronbach alpha score for overall QOL-MV was 0.71. Seventy-three percent of the 22 intervention patients reported the ability to use the BLUSA (Smiths Medical) with some level of independence, whereas 41% reported some level of satisfaction with the use of BLUSA (Smiths Medical). The lengths of stay was longer in the intervention group. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that BLUSA (Smiths Medical) talking tracheostomy tube improves patient-reported QOL in mechanically ventilated patients with a tracheostomy who cannot tolerate cuff deflation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I Laryngoscope, 130:1249-1255, 2020.

Are Fenestrated Tracheostomy Tubes Still Valuable?

Purpose The purpose of this clinical focus article is to describe the frequency, indications, and outcomes of fenestrated tracheostomy tube use in a large academic institution. Method A retrospective chart review was conducted to evaluate the use of fenestrated tracheostomy tubes between 2007 and 2017. Patients were included in the study if they were ≥ 18 years of age and received a fenestrated tracheostomy tube in the recent 10-year period. Results Of 2,000 patients who received a tracheostomy, 15 patients had a fenestrated tracheostomy tube; however, only 5 patients received a fenestrated tracheostomy tube at the study institution. The primary reason why the 15 patients received a tracheostomy was chronic respiratory failure (73%); other reasons included airway obstruction (20%) and airway protection (7%). Thirteen (87%) patients received a fenestrated tracheostomy tube for phonation purposes. The remaining 2 patients received it as a step to weaning. Of the 13 patients who received a fenestrated tracheostomy tube for phonation, only 1 patient was not able to phonate. Nine (60%) patients developed some type of complications: granulation only, 2 (13.3%); granulation and tracheomalacia, 2 (13.3%); granulation and stenosis, 4 (26.7%); and granulation, tracheomalacia, and stenosis, 1 (6.7%). Conclusions Fenestrated tracheostomy tubes may assist with phonation in patients who cannot tolerate a 1-way speaking valve; however, the risk of developing granulation tissue, tracheomalacia, and tracheal stenosis exists. Health care providers should be educated on the safe use of a fenestrated tracheostomy tube and other options available to improve phonation while ensuring patient safety.

A pilot study of eye-tracking devices in intensive care.

BACKGROUND: Eye-tracking devices have been suggested as a means of improving communication and psychosocial status among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study was undertaken to explore the psychosocial impact and communication effects of eye-tracking devices in the ICU. METHODS: A convenience sample of patients in the medical ICU, surgical ICU, and neurosciences critical care unit were enrolled prospectively. Patients participated in 5 guided sessions of 45 minutes each with the eye-tracking computer. After completion of the sessions, the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS) was used to evaluate the device from the patient's perspective. RESULTS: All patients who participated in the study were able to communicate basic needs to nursing staff and family. Delirium as assessed by the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit was present in 4 patients at recruitment and none after training. The device's overall psychosocial impact ranged from neutral (-0.29) to strongly positive (2.76). Compared with the absence of intervention (0 = no change), patients exposed to eye-tracking computers demonstrated a positive mean overall impact score (PIADS = 1.30; P = .004). This finding was present in mean scores for each PIADS domain: competence = 1.26, adaptability = 1.60, and self-esteem = 1.02 (all P < .01). CONCLUSION: There is a population of patients in the ICU whose psychosocial status, delirium, and communication ability may be enhanced by eye-tracking devices. These 3 outcomes are intertwined with ICU patient outcomes and indirectly suggest that eye-tracking devices might improve outcomes. A more in-depth exploration of the population to be targeted, the device's limitations, and the benefits of eye-tracking devices in the ICU is warranted.

Optimizing Communication in Mechanically Ventilated Patients.

PURPOSE: To describe the types of talking tracheostomy tubes available, present four case studies of critically ill patients who used a specialized tracheostomy tube to improve speech, discuss their advantages and disadvantages, propose patient selection criteria, and provide practical recommendations for medical care providers. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients who underwent tracheostomy in 2010. RESULTS: Of the 220 patients who received a tracheostomy in 2010, 164 (74.55%) received a percutaneous tracheostomy and 56 (25.45%) received an open tracheostomy. Among the percutaneous tracheostomy patients, speech-language pathologists were consulted on 113 patients, 74 of whom were on a ventilator. Four of these 74 patients received a talking tracheostomy tube, and all four were able to speak successfully while on the mechanical ventilator even though they were unable to tolerate cuff deflation. CONCLUSIONS: Talking tracheostomy tubes allow patients who are unable to tolerate-cuff deflation to achieve phonation. Our experience with talking tracheostomy tubes suggests that clinicians should consider their use for patients who cannot tolerate cuff deflation.