Implementation and mixed-methods evaluation of "Walk with a Doc" program at Stony Brook.

CONTEXT: Walking groups run by trained individuals, lasting under an hour in a natural environment, may be a cost-effective way by which to encourage sustainable changes in physical activity as well as foster companionship and a shared experience of wellness among participants. Walk with a Doc (WWaD) is a national program that provides a platform for medical professionals, including physicians and medical students, to deliver a short talk on a health topic prior to walking side by side with patients and community members. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the WWaD Chapter at Stony Brook following implementation, a questionnaire was designed utilizing a mixed-methods approach (i.e., containing qualitative and quantitative items) and administered to all attendees monthly prior to the health discussion. The aim of the questionnaire was fourfold: first, to obtain participant demographics; second, to obtain information on attendees' own perceptions of their health status and the role exercise plays in their health; third, to gain data on physical activity levels, including lengths of exercise sessions and types of activities performed; and fourth, to learn more about attendees' motivations and goals for participating in the walks. METHODS: We received an IRB exemption. Physician and medical student volunteers were recruited from Stony Brook University Hospital, a suburban tertiary care center, to oversee program logistics. WWaD was scheduled to take place on the third Sunday of every month for 1 h at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai, New York. The event was advertised by volunteers to colleagues, peers, patients, and community members utilizing word of mouth, printed flyers, emails to listservs, and social media outlets. Each month, a physician volunteer oversaw a brief discussion (approximately 10 min in length). RESULTS: Over the course of the 5 month evaluation period, 91 individuals participated in the walks, including repeat attendees. After excluding duplicate or incomplete entries, data from 30 participants were included in this analysis. The majority of participants were female (n=24) with a mean age of 50 years (range, 23-98 years). Feedback on WWaD program elements was largely positive. Participants commended the monthly speakers for "informative talks" (n=6) on "interesting topics" (n=4), with plans to review the supplemental information in educational pamphlets following the walk (n=4). The brochures were also deemed "helpful." Overwhelmingly, patients referred to the community gathering and team building aspects of WWaD as the "most enjoyable" aspect of the program (n=8) and a key driver for participation. CONCLUSIONS: This mixed-methods study of the WWaD chapter at Stony Brook contributes to a growing body of evidence highlighting the value of walking groups as effective avenues for collaboration in producing accessible healthy behavior.

Timing and management of bleeding after bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: The timing of bleeding after bariatric surgery and subsequent management (characterized as surgical versus non-surgical (i.e., interventions including endoscopic or interventional radiology approaches)) has not been thoroughly studied. As such, we sought to describe the rates of reoperation or non-operative intervention after bleeding following sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). METHODS: The Metabolic and Bariatric Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) database was queried between 2015 and 2018 for any bleeding after SG or RYGB and subsequent reoperation or non-operative intervention. Multivariable Fine-Gray models were used to compare the hazard of reoperation/non-operative intervention. Multivariable generalized linear regression models were used to test the number of subsequent reoperations/non-operative interventions depending on initial management. RESULTS: 6251 patients with bleeding after SG or RYGB were identified, of which 2653 patients underwent subsequent procedures (n = 1375 [51.83%] RYGB index procedure, n = 1278 [48.17%] SG index procedure). 1892 (71.32%) and 761 (28.68%) patients had reoperation and non-operative intervention, respectively. For patients who developed bleeding, SG was associated with significantly higher reoperation risk, while RYGB was associated with significantly higher risk of non-operative intervention. Early bleeding was associated with significantly increased risk of reoperation and decreased risk of non-operative intervention, regardless of initial procedure. The total number of subsequent reoperations/non-operative interventions did not differ significantly depending on whether the patients had non-operative intervention or reoperation first [ratio 1.01, 95% CI (0.75, 1.36), p value 0.9418]. CONCLUSION: Patients after SG who experience bleeding are more likely to undergo reoperation than RYGB patients. On the other hand, patients with bleeding after RYGB are more likely to undergo non-operative intervention compared to SG patients. Early bleeding is associated with higher risk of reoperation and lower risk of non-operative intervention both after SG and RYGB. The initial approach did not play a role in the total number of subsequent reoperations/non-operative interventions.

Aggressive Anticoagulation May Decrease Mortality in Obese Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a widely accepted risk factor for the development of severe COVID-19. We sought to determine the survival benefit of early initiation of aggressive anticoagulation in obese critically ill COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 237 intubated patients at a single academic accredited bariatric center and stratified them based on their BMI into 2 groups, obese (BMI > 30) and non-obese (BMI ≤ 30). We used chi-square tests to compare categorical variables such as age and sex, and two-sample t-tests or Mann Whitney U-tests for continuous variables, including important laboratory values. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were utilized to determine whether obesity was an independent predictor of survival and multivariable analysis was performed to compare risk factors that were deemed significant in the univariable analysis. Survival with respect to BMI and its association with level of anticoagulation in the obese cohort was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier models. RESULTS: The overall mortality in the obese and non-obese groups was similar at 47% and 44%, respectively (p = 0.65). Further analysis based on the level of AC showed that obese patients placed on early aggressive AC protocol had improved survival compared to obese patients who did not receive protocol based aggressive AC (ON-aggressive AC protocol 26% versus OFF-aggressive AC protocol 61%, p = 0.0004). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of early aggressive anticoagulation may balance the negative effects of obesity on the overall mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Clinical utilization of four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate: a retrospective single center study.

OBJECTIVE: Four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2013 for management of severely bleeding patients on warfarin therapy. We describe use of 4F-PCC at a large, suburban academic center. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients receiving 4F-PCC from its introduction through 2016 at a large level 1 trauma center. Clinical and demographic data were obtained, including indications for anticoagulation and antiplatelet agents, comorbidities, concomitant medications, etiology and site of bleeding, as well as disposition, length of stay, mortality, and thrombotic events. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-four patients received 4F-PCC. Mean age was 72 years; 40.8% were female. Indications for 4F-PCC administration included: active bleeding (74%), reversal prior to a procedure (14%), and elevated international normalized ratio (12%). Warfarin was the most common concomitant medication (71.1%). Most patients were receiving anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation (63%). Concomitant treatments for bleeding included vitamin K (58.2%), packed red blood cells (50%), fresh frozen plasma (38%), and platelets (26.1%), amongst others. Median length of hospital stay was 8.4 days. Nine patients (4.9%) developed thrombosis within 90 days of 4F-PCC. Mortality was 24.5%, with notably higher rates amongst those who received 4F-PCC for off-label indications (19.1% on-label mortality vs. 37.7% off-label mortality on chi-square analysis, P=0.01). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that 4F-PCC is being utilized for indications other than the reversal of warfarin-induced coagulopathy. Further investigation is warranted to determine the efficacy and safety of 4F-PCC for these potential indications.

A Step in the Right Direction: Trends over Time in Bariatric Procedures for Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

INTRODUCTION: While laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has recently emerged as the predominant surgery type for the national bariatric cohort, the literature suggests that laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) may be more effective in normalizing gastroesophageal physiology for the subset of patients with GERD. This study explored practice patterns over time for patients with GERD or hiatal hernia, a related comorbidity, undergoing bariatric surgery. METHODS: Data for LSG and LRYGB were extracted from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) datasets for 2015-2018. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the effects of pre-existing GERD or concomitant hiatal hernia repair on surgery type. RESULTS: A total of 130,772 patients underwent LRYGB (30.5%) or LSG (69.5%) in 2015, which increased year-to-year to 161,275 patients in 2018 (74.61% LSG). A total of 38.4% LRYGB patients had pre-existing GERD vs. 27.55% LSG patients. Patients with pre-existing GERD were increasingly likely to undergo LRYGB vs. those without GERD (OR 1.205 [95% CI 1.17-1.24] in 2015 vs. OR 1.510 [95% CI 1.47-1.55] in 2018, p < 0.0001 across years). Concomitant hiatal hernia repair was less common among LRYGB patients across all years (OR 0.413 [95% CI 0.4-0.43] for 2015; OR 0.381 [95% CI 0.37-0.4] for 2016; OR 0.403 [95% CI 0.39-0.42] for 2017, OR 0.464 [95% CI 0.45-0.48] for 2018, p < 0.0001). DISCUSSION: Bariatric patients with pre-existing GERD are increasingly likely to undergo LRYGB, consistent with the literature. LSG is presently more common in the overall cohort and among those undergoing concomitant hiatal hernia repair. Despite the growing recognition of GERD in bariatric patients, a significant discrepancy persists in hiatal hernia management per bariatric procedure type.

Antiemetic Prophylaxis and Anesthetic Approaches to Reduce Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Bariatric Surgery Patients: a Systematic Review.

While guidelines exist for the management of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in the general surgical setting, there are no established guidelines for the prevention or treatment of PONV in bariatric patients, in whom PONV contributes significantly to perioperative morbidity and hospital resource utilization. This systematic review found that the multimodal pharmacological approach to PONV prevention recommended in current guidelines for high-risk surgical patients is appropriate for the bariatric subset. This includes multi-agent antiemetic prophylaxis with dexamethasone and one or more agents from other classes, and opioid-free total intravenous anesthesia, though the advantages of the latter need further evaluation. There remains a need for a standardized validated instrument to assess PONV in the bariatric setting.

Impact of Type and Number of Complications on Mortality in Admitted Elderly Blunt Trauma Patients.

BACKGROUND: Advanced age and comorbidities are recognized risk factors for adverse outcomes in elderly trauma patients. However, the contribution of the number and type of complications to in-hospital mortality in elderly blunt trauma admissions has not been extensively studied. METHODS: A retrospective review of the trauma registry at a level 1 trauma center for blunt trauma patients age ≥65 y hospitalized for at least 2 d between 2010 and 2015. RESULTS: There were 2467 admissions, with a median age of 81 y and median injury severity score of 9. The most common mechanism of injury was a low-level fall. Approximately 19.6% of admissions had a complication: 11.1% major complications, 8.6% other complications. The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly different (P < 0.001) among the three groups at 16.1% of major complications group, 7.1% of other, and 2.1% of no complications (P < 0.001). On multivariate logistic regression, each major complication increased the odds for in-hospital mortality by 1.59-fold. CONCLUSIONS: Complications are not infrequent in elderly blunt trauma admissions, despite a generally lower energy mechanism of injury. Each major complication is associated with increased odds of mortality. Multifaceted interventions for prevention and mitigation of complications are indicated.