Temporal trends and racial/ethnic- and sex-differences in LDL cholesterol control among US adults with self-reported atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Objective: Current guidelines for secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) recommend targeting a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of < 70 mg/dL. However, temporal trends and racial/ethnic- and sex-differences in achievement of LDL-C targets are not well described. We assessed trends and racial/ethnic- and sex-differences in achievement of LDL-C < 70 mg/dL using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2008 to 2017-March 2020. Methods: We combined NHANES cycles into 4 periods: 2005-2008, 2009-2012, 2013-2016, and 2017-March 2020 and included participants ≥ 40 years with self-reported ASCVD. We estimated LDL-C < 70 mg/dL prevalence over time and further stratified by sex and race/ethnicity. We used multivariable logistic regression adjusted for social determinants of health and clinical covariates to model LDL-C target attainment. Results: Among 1,826 NHANES participants representing 7,161,221 US adults with self-reported ASCVD (59.6% ≥ 65 years, 56.4% male, 74.8% White), LDL-C target attainment increased from 19.0% (95% CI, 15.3%-23.3%) in 2005-2008 to 26.3% (95% CI, 20.4%-33.1%) in 2017-March 2020 (P = 0.012 for trend). Achievement of LDL-C < 70 mg/dL significantly rose among men from19.5% (95% CI, 15.1%-24.8%) to 29.4% (95% CI, 20.7%-29.9%) without significant change in women (from 18.3% [95% CI, 13.6%-24.2%] to 22.5% [95% CI, 13.0%-35.9%]; P = 0.241 for trend). Improvement in LDL-C target attainment was similar among White, Black, and Hispanic individuals (∼5-7% increase) and was greatest among individuals of other (non-White, Hispanic, or Black) race/ethnicity (23.1% increase). In our multivariable analysis, comorbid diabetes and ages 65-75 and > 75 years were associated with LDL-C target attainment. Conclusion: LDL-C control modestly improved between 2005 and 2008 and 2017-March 2020; however, only ∼1/4 of individuals met guideline-directed LDL-C treatment targets by 2017-March 2020. Women had lower LDL-C control and lesser magnitude of improvement in LDL-C control than men, highlighting a need for targeted interventions to improve lipid-lowering therapy utilization in this population.

Recurrent pericardial effusion and tamponade after epicardial pacemaker lead placement: a case report.

Background: Epicardial pacemaker placement is often necessary in pacemaker-dependent patients with ongoing device pocket infection or lack of venous access. Pericardial effusion and tamponade are rare but serious complications of this procedure. Case summary: A 38-year-old woman presented with nausea, diaphoresis, and hypotension 7 days after epicardial lead placement. Echocardiography revealed a large pericardial effusion with signs of tamponade. Despite initial improvement after pericardiocentesis, she continued to develop symptomatic pericardial effusions. The patient ultimately underwent pleuro-pericardial window surgery, which resulted in sustained resolution of effusion recurrence. Discussion: Cases of recurrent pericardial effusion and tamponade following epicardial lead placement have been reported in the literature, although they are rare. While extensive partial pericardiectomy or total pericardiectomy was required to achieve adequate control of fluid accumulation in prior case reports, our patient was successfully managed with a pleuro-pericardial window.

Prior Frequent Emergency Department Use as a Predictor of Emergency Department Visits After a New Cancer Diagnosis.

PURPOSE: To determine whether emergency department (ED) visit history prior to cancer diagnosis is associated with ED visit volume after cancer diagnosis. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of adults (≥ 18 years) with an incident cancer diagnosis (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers or leukemia) at an academic medical center between 2008 and 2018 and a safety-net hospital between 2012 and 2016. Our primary outcome was the number of ED visits in the first 6 months after cancer diagnosis, modeled using a multivariable negative binomial regression accounting for ED visit history in the 6-12 months preceding cancer diagnosis, electronic health record proxy social determinants of health, and clinical cancer-related characteristics. RESULTS: Among 35,090 patients with cancer (49% female and 50% non-White), 57% had ≥ 1 ED visit in the 6 months immediately following cancer diagnosis and 20% had ≥ 1 ED visit in the 6-12 months prior to cancer diagnosis. The strongest predictor of postdiagnosis ED visits was frequent (≥ 4) prediagnosis ED visits (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR]: 3.68; 95% CI, 3.36 to 4.02). Other covariates associated with greater postdiagnosis ED use included having 1-3 prediagnosis ED visits (aIRR: 1.32; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.36), Hispanic (aIRR: 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.17) and Black (aIRR: 1.21; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.25) race, homelessness (aIRR: 1.95; 95% CI, 1.73 to 2.20), advanced-stage cancer (aIRR: 1.30; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.35), and treatment regimens including chemotherapy (aIRR: 1.44; 95% CI, 1.40 to 1.48). CONCLUSION: The strongest independent predictor for ED use after a new cancer diagnosis was frequent ED visits before cancer diagnosis. Efforts to reduce potentially avoidable ED visits among patients with cancer should consider educational initiatives that target heavy prior ED users and offer them alternative ways to seek urgent medical care.

Factors Associated with Duration of Rehabilitation Among Older Adults with Prolonged Hospitalization.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Older adults are prone to functional decline during prolonged hospitalization. Although rehabilitation therapy is critical to preserving function, little is known about rehabilitation duration (RD) in this population. We sought to determine the extent of rehabilitation therapy provided to older adults during prolonged hospitalization, and whether this differs by sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Single-site safety-net hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults (≥65 years) hospitalized for ≥14 days between 2016 and 2017. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was RD, defined as the average number of minutes of physical and occupational therapy per week. We used a multivariable generalized linear model to assess for differences in RD by sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. For a sub-cohort of hospitalizations with a baseline mobility assessment, we repeated analyses including mobility limitation as a covariate. RESULTS: Among 1,031 hospitalizations by 925 unique patients (median age 72, 49% female, 79% non-white, 40% non-English speaking), the median RD was 61.3 minutes/week (interquartile range = 16.5-127.3). Covariates associated with lesser RD included black (57.2 fewer minutes/week; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 22.9-91.4) and Hispanic (75.6 fewer minutes/week; 95% CI = 33.8-117.4) race/ethnicity, speaking a language other than English or Spanish (51.7 fewer minutes/week; 95% CI = 21.3-82.0), prolonged mechanical ventilation (30.0 fewer minutes/week; 95% CI = 6.6-53.3), and do-not-resuscitate code status (36.0 fewer minutes/week; 95% CI = 17.1-54.8). The inclusion of mobility limitation among the sub-cohort (n = 350) did not meaningfully change the associations. CONCLUSION: We found large disparities in RD for racial/ethnic and language minorities and clinically vulnerable older adults (mechanical ventilation and do-not-resuscitate code status), independent of clinical severity and functional and cognitive impairment. Greater RD for these groups may improve functional outcomes and narrow the disparity gap.