Assessment of comorbid symptoms in pediatric autonomic dysfunction.

PURPOSE: Pediatric patients with autonomic dysfunction and orthostatic intolerance (OI) often present with co-existing symptoms and signs that might or might not directly relate to the autonomic nervous system. Our objective was to identify validated screening instruments to characterize these comorbidities and their impact on youth functioning. METHODS: The Pediatric Assembly of the American Autonomic Society reviewed the current state of practice for identifying symptom comorbidities in youth with OI. The assembly includes physicians, physician-scientists, scientists, advanced practice providers, psychologists, and a statistician with expertise in pediatric disorders of OI. A total of 26 representatives from the various specialties engaged in iterative meetings to: (1) identify and then develop consensus on the symptoms to be assessed, (2) establish committees to review the literature for screening measures by member expertise, and (3) delineate the specific criteria for systematically evaluating the measures and for making measure recommendations by symptom domains. RESULTS: We review the measures evaluated and recommend one measure per system/concern so that assessment results from unrelated clinical centers are comparable. We have created a repository to apprise investigators of validated, vetted assessment tools to enhance comparisons across cohorts of youth with autonomic dysfunction and OI. CONCLUSION: This effort can facilitate collaboration among clinical settings to advance the science and clinical treatment of these youth. This effort is essential to improving management of these vulnerable patients as well as to comparing research findings from different centers.

Creating a data dictionary for pediatric autonomic disorders.

PURPOSE: Whether evaluating patients clinically, documenting care in the electronic health record, performing research, or communicating with administrative agencies, the use of a common set of terms and definitions is vital to ensure appropriate use of language. At a 2017 meeting of the Pediatric Section of the American Autonomic Society, it was determined that an autonomic data dictionary comprising aspects of evaluation and management of pediatric patients with autonomic disorders would be an important resource for multiple stakeholders. METHODS: Our group created the list of terms for the dictionary. Definitions were prioritized to be obtained from established sources with which to harmonize. Some definitions needed mild modification from original sources. The next tier of sources included published consensus statements, followed by Internet sources. In the absence of appropriate sources, we created a definition. RESULTS: A total of 589 terms were listed and defined in the dictionary. Terms were organized by Signs/Symptoms, Triggers, Co-morbid Disorders, Family History, Medications, Medical Devices, Physical Examination Findings, Testing, and Diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Creation of this data dictionary becomes the foundation of future clinical care and investigative research in pediatric autonomic disorders, and can be used as a building block for a subsequent adult autonomic data dictionary.

Using Team Census Caps to Optimize Education, Patient Care, and Wellness: A Survey of Internal Medicine Residency Program Directors.

PURPOSE: To discover whether internal medicine (IM) residency program directors use lower-than-required caps on general medicine wards, critical care units, and inpatient subspecialty wards; describe justifications for lower-than-required general medicine ward caps and strategies for when caps have been exceeded or the number of patients is a detriment to critical thinking or education; and assess whether caps were associated with program characteristics. METHOD: From August to December 2016, the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine surveyed all member program directors about team caps and their effects on the learning environment. Responses were appended with publicly available or licensed third-party data. Programs were categorized by type, size, and region. RESULTS: Overall response rate was 65.7% (251/382 programs). Nearly all (244/248; 98.4%) reported caps for general medicine ward teams (mean = 17.0 [standard deviation (SD) = 4.2]). Fewer (171/247; 69.2%) had caps for critical care teams (mean = 13.8 [SD = 5.4]). Fewer still (131/225; 58.2%) had caps for inpatient subspecialty ward teams (mean = 14.8 [SD = 6.0]). Fewer first-quartile programs (0-28 residents) reported having caps on inpatient subspecialty teams (P < .001). Directors reported higher caps compromised education (109/130; 83.8%), patient care (89/130; 68.5%), and/or resident wellness (77/130; 59.2%). Nonteaching services (181/249; 72.7%), patient transfers (110/249; 44.2%), or "backup" residents (67/249; 26.9%) were used when caps are reached or the number of patients is detrimental to critical thinking or education. CONCLUSIONS: IM program directors frequently exercise discretion when setting caps. Accrediting bodies should explicitly encourage such adjustments and allow differentiation by setting.

Non-ICU hospital care of diabetes mellitus in the elderly population.

The concept of lower is better when considering the goal for glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus has recently been challenged due to recent studies, such as ACCORD, ADVANCE, and VADT, which have observed increased morbidity and mortality from intensive control, especially in older adults, and in those with long duration of diabetes disease and chronic complications. Although evidence in younger patients suggest that blood glucose levels should not be above 180 mg/dl (10.0 mmol/l), there are many unanswered questions and controversies regarding the benefits and risks, methods to achieve and maintain these levels while avoiding hypoglycemia (<70 mg% (3.9 mmol/l)) in the older population. Since the population is aging with a greater life expectancy, it is crucial that these questions be answered. Although several studies of inpatient non-ICU diabetes management have been published, few include older patients. This review will examine available recommendations and explore those controversies regarding non-ICU hospital management in this vulnerable patient population. Additional conditions that impact upon achieving glycemic control will also be discussed. Finally, the older individual has many special needs which may be more important to consider than in young or middle-aged individuals, when transitioning care from in-hospital to home in a patient-centered approach, as recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and European Society for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Pathways to quality inpatient management of hyperglycemia and diabetes: a call to action.

Currently patients with diabetes comprise up to 25-30% of the census of adult wards and critical care units in our hospitals. Although evidence suggests that avoidance of hyperglycemia (>180 mg/dL) and hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dL) is beneficial for positive outcomes in the hospitalized patient, much of this evidence remains controversial and at times somewhat contradictory. We have recently formed a consortium for Planning Research in Inpatient Diabetes (PRIDE) with the goal of promoting clinical research in the area of management of hyperglycemia and diabetes in the hospital. In this article, we outline eight aspects of inpatient glucose management in which randomized clinical trials are needed. We refer to four as system-based issues and four as patient-based issues. We urge further progress in the science of inpatient diabetes management. We hope this call to action is supported by the American Diabetes Association, The Endocrine Society, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American Heart Association, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, the International Diabetes Federation, and the Society of Hospital Medicine. Appropriate federal research funding in this area will help ensure high-quality investigations, the results of which will advance the field. Future clinical trials will allow practitioners to develop optimal approaches for the management of hyperglycemia in the hospitalized patient and lessen the economic and human burden of poor glycemic control and its associated complications and comorbidities in the inpatient setting.

Synchronous papillary thyroid carcinoma and primary hyperparathyroidism: diagnosis and management issues.

The occurrence of a papillary thyroid carcinoma in a patient with primary hyperparathyroidism is rare. Awareness of this condition will enable clinicians to evaluate for possible thyroid pathology in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Both of these endocrine conditions could then be managed with a single surgery involving concomitant resection of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. We report a case of a 53-year-old woman with a parathyroid adenoma and a unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma, and detail the clinical features, diagnosis, and management.