Risk factors and effect of dyspnea inappropriate treatment in adults' emergency department: a retrospective cohort study.

Dyspnea is a frequent symptom in adults' emergency departments (EDs). Misdiagnosis at initial clinical examination is common, leading to early inappropriate treatment and increased in-hospital mortality. Risk factors of inappropriate treatment assessable at early examination remain undescribed herein. The objective of this study was to identify clinical risk factors of dyspnea and inappropriate treatment in patients admitted to ED. This is an observational retrospective cohort study. Patients over the age of 15 who were admitted to adult EDs of the University Hospital of Toulouse (France) with dyspnea were included from 1 July to 31 December 2019. The primary end-point was dyspnea and inappropriate treatment was initiated at ED. Inappropriate treatment was defined by looking at the final diagnosis of dyspnea at hospital discharge and early treatment provided. Afterward, this early treatment at ED was compared to the recommended treatment defined by the International Guidelines for Acute Heart Failure, bacterial pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma or pulmonary embolism. A total of 2123 patients were analyzed. Of these, 809 (38%) had inappropriate treatment in ED. Independent risk factors of inappropriate treatment were: age over 75 years (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.18-1.81), history of heart disease (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.07-1.62) and lung disease (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.21-1.78), SpO2 <90% (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.37-2.02), bilateral rale (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.01-1.66), focal cracklings (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.05-1.66) and wheezing (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.31-2.03). In multivariate analysis, under-treatment significantly increased in-hospital mortality (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.29-3.52) compared to appropriate treatment. Over-treatment nonsignificantly increased in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 0.99-2.06). Inappropriate treatment is frequent in patients admitted to ED for dyspnea. Patients older than 75 years, with comorbidities (heart or lung disease), hypoxemia (SpO2 <90%) or abnormal pulmonary auscultation (especially wheezing) are at risk of inappropriate treatment.

Impact of emergency department length of stay on in-hospital mortality: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Emergency Department (ED) workload may lead to ED crowding and increased ED length of stay (LOS). ED crowding has been shown to be associated with adverse events and increasing mortality. We hypothesised that ED-LOS is associated with mortality. OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between ED-LOS and in-hospital mortality. DESIGN: Observational retrospective cohort study. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: From 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2018, all visits by patients aged 15 or older to one of the two ED at Toulouse University Hospital were screened. Patients admitted to the hospital after ED visits were included. Visits followed by ED discharge, in-ED death or transfer to ICU or another hospital were not included. OUTCOME MEASURE AND ANALYSIS: The primary outcome was 30-day in-hospital mortality. ED-LOS was defined as time from ED registration to inpatient admission. ED-LOS was categorised according to quartiles [<303 min (Q1), between 303 and 433 minutes (Q2), between 434 and 612 minutes (Q3) and >612 min (Q4)]. A multivariable logistic regression tested the association between ED-LOS and in-hospital mortality. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 49 913 patients were admitted to our hospital after ED visits and included in the study. ED-LOS was not independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Compared to ED-LOS < 303 min (Q1, reference), odd-ratios (OR) [95% CI] of in-hospital mortality for Q2, Q3, and Q4 were respectively 0.872 [0.747-1.017], 0.906 [0.777-1.056], and 1.137 [0.985-1.312]. Factors associated to in-hospital mortality were: aged over 75 years (OR [95% CI] = 4.3 [3.8-4.9]), Charlson Comorbidity Index score > 1 (OR [95% CI] = 1.3 [1.1-1.5], and 2.2 [1.9-2.5] for scores 2 and ≥ 3 respectively), high acuity at triage (OR [95% CI] = 3.9 [3.5-4.4]), ED visit at Hospital 1 (OR [95% CI] = 1.6 [1.4-1.7]), and illness diagnosis compared to trauma (OR [95% CI] = 2.1 [1.7-2.6]). Night-time arrival was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality (OR [95% CI] = 0.852 [0.767-0.947]). CONCLUSION: In this retrospective cohort study, there was no independent association between ED-LOS before admission to general non-ICU wards and in-patient mortality.

Performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T in predicting major cardiovascular events in patients admitted to the emergency department for syncope with normal ECG: An observational prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: History of syncope, clinical examination and electrocardiographic (ECG) findings are fundamental to assess the risk of major cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients attending the emergency department (ED) for syncope. However, in the absence of abnormal clinical examination findings or an abnormal ECG in the ED, transient rhythm or conduction disorders may not be safely excluded, hence predicting MACE remains challenging. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) may be a useful tool in this context. AIM: The primary objective was to evaluate the performance of hs-cTnT in the diagnosis of MACE at 30 days in patients attending the ED for syncope with a normal initial ECG. METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study that took place in the ED of a French university hospital between June 2018 and June 2019. Patients≥18 years admitted to the ED for syncope with a normal ECG were eligible. After receiving verbal consent from patients, the ED physician collected clinical and ECG data and all patients had a blood sample taken that included hs-cTnT measurement. The primary outcome was MACE within 30 days after the ED visit. MACE were evaluated by consulting the patient's medical records and telephoning patients or their general practitioners. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) for different hs-cTnT thresholds. RESULTS: Data from 246 patients were analysed, including 21 (9%) with MACE. Hs-cTnT had an area under the curve of 0.917 (CI: 0.872-0.962). Hs-cTnT with a threshold of 19ng/L had a sensitivity of 86% (CI: 64-97) and a specificity of 86% (CI: 81-90) for predicting MACE. CONCLUSION: Hs-cTnT may be a relevant tool for assessing MACE risk in patients with syncope and normal ECG results.

Predictive factors for early requirement of respiratory support through phone call to Emergency Medical Call Centre for dyspnoea: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Acute dyspnoea is a common symptom in Emergency Medicine, and severity assessment is difficult during the first time the patient calls the Emergency Medical Call Centre. OBJECTIVE: To identify predictive factors regarding the need for early respiratory support in patients who call the Emergency Medical Call Centre for dyspnoea. DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study carried out in the Emergency Medical Call Centre of the University Hospital of Toulouse from 1 July to 31 December 2019. Patients over the age of 15 who call the Emergency Medical Call Centre regarding dyspnoea and who were registered at the University Hospital or died before admission were included in our study. OUTCOME MEASURE AND ANALYSIS: The primary end-point was early requirement of respiratory support [including high-flow oxygen, non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or mechanical ventilation after intubation] that was initiated by the physicians staffed ambulance before admission to the hospital or within 3 h after being admitted. Associations with patients' characteristics identified during Emergency Medical Call Centre calls were assessed with a backward stepwise logistic regression after multiple imputations for missing values. MAIN RESULTS: During the 6-month inclusion period, 1425 patients called the Emergency Medical Call Centre for respiratory issues. After excluding 38 calls, 1387 were analyzed, including 208 (15%) patients requiring respiratory support. The most frequent respiratory support used was NIV (75%). Six independent predictive factors of requirement of respiratory support were identified: chronic ß2-mimetics medication [odds ratio (OR) = 2.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61-3.44], polypnea (OR = 5.78, 95% CI 2.74-12.22), altered ability to speak (OR = 2.35, 95% CI 1.55-3.55), cyanosis (OR = 2.79, 95% CI 1.81-4.32), sweats (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.25-3) and altered consciousness (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.08). CONCLUSION: During first calls for dyspnoea, six predictive factors are independently associated with the risk of early requirement of respiratory support.

Validation of the cutaneous impact location to predict intracranial lesion among elderly admitted to the Emergency Department after a ground-level fall.

INTRODUCTION: In the Emergency Departments, almost one out of two head CT scans are carried out for traumatic brain injuries among elderly victims of ground level-falls. Recently, a new predictive factor for intracranial lesions in this population has been suggested: presence and location of cutaneous impact. The aim of this study was to establish determinants of intracranial lesion among older patients admitted to EDs due to ground-level falls with traumatic brain injury using the head cutaneous impact location. METHODS: A retrospective, observational and monocentric study of patients admitted to Emergency Department for ground-level falls with traumatic brain injury was carried out between 01 January 2017 and 31 July 2017. The primary outcome was identification of an acute intracranial lesion. A bootstrap procedure was employed to evaluate performance and internal validity of the final model. RESULTS: Among the 1036 patients included, the mean age was 85.6 (SD 7.6) years and 94/1036 (9.1%, 95% CI 7.4-10.9) patients presented with an acute intracranial lesion. Multivariable analysis adjusted by bootstrap shrinkage showed that compared with temporal-parietal or occipital impact, Odds Ratio of intracranial lesions were 0.61 (95% CI 0.39-0.95, p = 0.03) in patients with frontal impact, 0.27 (95% CI 0.12-0.59, p = 0.001) in patients with facial impact and 0.21 (95% CI 0.06-0.77, p = 0.018) in patients without cutaneous impact. Subcutaneous hematoma (OR 1.97, p = 0.007), loss of consciousness (OR 4.66, p<0.001), fall-related amnesia (OR 2.58, p = 2.6), vomiting (OR 2.62, p = 0.002) and altered Glasgow Score (OR 6.79, p<0.001) were as well associated with high risk of intracranial lesion. Taking antiplatelets or anticoagulants were not associated with an increased risk of intracranial lesions. The model discrimination was adequate (C-statistic 0.79; 95% CI 0.73 - 0.85). CONCLUSION: Our results establish specific determinants of intracranial lesions among elderly after ground level-falls. The cutaneous impact location may identify patients with high risk of intracranial lesion. Further researches are needed to propose a specific score based on these determinants so as to better target Head CT scan use.

Assessment of atrial fibrillation in European emergency departments: insights from a prospective observational multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation (AF) in emergency departments (EDs) have not been well described in France, with limited EU research. This study aimed to describe the diagnosis, management, and prognosis of AF patients in French EDs. METHODS: A prospective, observational 2-month study in adults diagnosed with AF was conducted at 32 French EDs. Data regarding patient characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment at EDs were collected, with 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: The study included a total of 1369 patients diagnosed with AF at an ED: 279 patients (20.4%) with idiopathic AF (no identified cause of the AF) and 1090 (79.6%) with secondary AF (with a principal diagnosis identified as the cause of AF). Patients were aged 84 years (median) and 51.3% were female. Significantly more idiopathic AF patients than secondary AF patients underwent CHA2DS2-VASc assessment (67.8% vs. 52.1%,) or echocardiography (21.2% vs. 8.3%), or received an oral anticoagulant and/or antiarrhythmic (62.0% vs. 12.9%). Idiopathic AF patients also had significantly higher rates of discharge to home (36.4% vs. 20.4%) and 3-month cardiologist follow-up (67.0% vs. 41.1%). At 12 months, 96% of patients with follow-up achieved sinus rhythm. The estimated Kaplan-Meier 12-month mortality rate was significantly lower with idiopathic AF than secondary AF (11.9% vs. 34.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients diagnosed with idiopathic or secondary AF at the ED presented heterogeneous characteristics and prognoses, with those with secondary AF having worse outcomes. Further studies are warranted to optimize patients' initial evaluation in EDs and provide appropriate follow-up.

Diagnostic Strategy for Suspected Pulmonary Embolism in Emergency Departments Based on the 4-Level Pulmonary Embolism Clinical Probability Score: Study Protocol of SPEED&PEPS Trial.

Introduction: Several strategies have been devised to safely limit the use of thoracic imaging in patients suspected of pulmonary embolism (PE). However, they are based on different rules for clinical probability (CP) assessment, rendering their combination difficult. The four-level pulmonary embolism probability score (4PEPS) allows the combination of all other strategies using a single CP assessment. Methods and analysis: Pragmatic cluster-randomized trial in 20 EDs. Patients with suspected PE will be included and followed for 90 days (number of patients to be included: 2560, 1280 in each arm). Ten centers will be allocated to the control group where physicians will be free to do as they see fit but they will be given the recommendation to apply a validated strategy. Ten centers will be allocated to the interventional group where the physicians will be given the recommendation to apply the 4PEPS strategy. The primary objective will be to demonstrate that the application of the 4PEPS strategy by the emergency physicians, in comparison to current practices, (i) does not increase the risk of serious events related to diagnostic strategies and (ii) significantly reduces the use of thoracic imaging. Ethics and dissemination: The study will be submitted for approval to an institutional ethics review board for all participating centers. If successful, the SPEED&PEPS trial will have an important impact for patients suspected of PE limiting their irradiation and for public health in substantial savings in terms of the direct cost of diagnostic investigations and the indirect cost of hospitalizations due to waiting times or delayed harmful effects. Funding: This work is funded by a French Public Health grant (PREPS-N 2019). The funding source plays no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation or the writing of the manuscript. Trial registration: ongoing. Trial status: not started.

Is it valid to assess an individual's performance in team training simulation when the supporting team are confederates? A controlled and randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: During simulation training, the confederate is a member of the pedagogical team. Its role is to facilitate the interaction between participants and the environment, and is thought to increase realism and immersion. Its influence on participants' performance in full-scale simulation remains however unknown. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of the presence of confederates on the participants' performance during full-scale simulation of crisis medical situations. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized study comparing 2 parallel groups. Participants were emergency medicine residents engaging in a simulation session, with or without confederates. Participants were then evaluated on their Crisis Resource Management performance (CRM). The overall performance score on the Ottawa Global Rating Scale was assessed as primary outcome and the 5 non-technical CRM skills as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 63 simulation sessions, including 63 residents, were included for statistical analysis (n = 32 for Control group and 31 for Confederate group). The mean Overall Performance score was 3.9 ± 0.8 in the Control group and 4.0 ± 1.1 in the Confederate group, 95% confidence interval of the difference [-0.6; 0.4], p = 0.60. No significant differences between the two groups were observed on each CRM items (leadership, situational awareness, communication, problem solving, resource utilization) CONCLUSION: In this randomized and controlled study, the presence of confederates during full-scale simulated practice of crisis medical situations does not seem to influence the CRM skills performance of Emergency medicine residents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study does not need to be registered on Clintrial as it does not report a health care intervention on human participants.

Risk factors for the presence of important fractures in ED patients with shoulder dislocation: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Prereduction shoulder X-rays are frequently done to rule out an important fracture that might preclude reduction of a shoulder dislocation in the ED. Our objective was to determine the risk factors for an important fracture in patients admitted to the ED with shoulder dislocation. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Toulouse University Hospital from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2018. All patients admitted to the ED with clinical presentation of shoulder dislocation were included. The primary end point was the presence of an important fracture (excluding Bankart and Hill-Sachs fractures). Logistic regression was used to determine independent risk factors for the presence of an important fracture. RESULTS: Six hundred and two patients were included in the study and 81 (13%) had an important fracture. Three risk factors were associated with important fracture: age over 40 years (adjusted OR (aOR)=2.7; 95% CI 1.5 to 4.8), first incident (aOR=4.3; 95% CI 1.7 to 10.8) and the circumstances in which the trauma occurred (fall from a height or direct impact, fall of over 1 m, road accident or epilepsy) (aOR=5.5; 95% CI 2.6 to 30). One hundred sixty-six patients (28%) had no risk factors in our cohort. In the absence of these risk factors, the risk of an important fracture was found to be 0.6% (95% CI 0 to 3.3). CONCLUSION: We describe 3 independent clinical risk factors associated with an important fracture in ED patients with shoulder dislocation: age >40 years, first incident and a traumatic circumstance. Prereduction radiography may be safely avoided when these factors are absent.

Securing a diagnosis in patients presenting with suspected paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the most commonly ingested drug in self-poisoning. The correlation between an ingested self-reported dose of paracetamol and plasma paracetamol concentration is moderate. The usefulness of this correlation to rule out paracetamol ingestion has to be investigated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of medical history in diagnosis of paracetamol ingestion in patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) for deliberate self-poisoning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was carried out in two EDs at an urban university hospital in Toulouse, France, from January 1 to June 30, 2018. All patients older than 15 years of age attending the ED for suspected deliberate self-poisonings who underwent blood testing were included. Medical history was considered positive for paracetamol intoxication if patients directly reported the use of paracetamol for deliberate self-poisoning during their ED admission or if paramedics reported the presence of paracetamol packages at the patient's home. We defined paracetamol ingestion as any concentration of paracetamol > 5 mg/L measured on presentation. RESULTS: We included 709 patients. 151 (21%) patients had a positive plasma paracetamol concentration. 165 (23%) patients revealed a positive medical history in terms of paracetamol ingestion. 29 (4%) patients had a false-negative medical history, and 45 (6%) patients had a false-positive history. The sensitivity of the medical history (95% confidence interval) was 79% (72 - 87), and its specificity was 92% (89 - 94). CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of self-poisoning involving paracetamol cannot be made using patient's medical history alone. Screening for paracetamol intoxication is proposed.

Efficacy of HEAR and HEART score to rule out major adverse cardiac events in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain: study protocol of the eCARE stepped-wedge randomised control trial.

INTRODUCTION: Current guidelines for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain without ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) on ECG are based on serial troponin measurements. A clinical tool able to identify very low-risk patients who could forgo a troponin test and low-risk patients requiring only one troponin measurement would be of great interest. To do so, the HEAR and HEART score, standing for history, ECG, age, risk factors±troponin were prospectively assessed, but not combined and implemented in clinical practice. The objective of the eCARE study is to assess the impact of implementing a diagnostic strategy based on a HEAR score <2 or a HEART score <4 (HEAR-T strategy) to rule out non-STEMI without or with a single troponin measurement in patients presenting to the ED with chest pain without obvious diagnosis after physical examination and an ECG. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Stepped-wedge cluster-randomised control trial in 10 EDs. Patients with non-traumatic chest pain and no formal diagnosis were included and followed for 30 days. In the interventional phase, the doctor will be asked not to perform a troponin test to look for an acute coronary if the HEAR score is <2 and not to perform an additional troponin test if the HEAR score is ≥2 and HEART score is <4. The main endpoint is the non-inferiority of the rates of major adverse cardiac events occurring between a patient's discharge and the 30-day follow-up against current recommended guidelines. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by an institutional review board for all participating centres. If successful, the eCARE study will cover a gap in the evidence, proving that it is safe and efficient to rule out the hypothesis of an acute myocardial infarction in some selected very low-risk patients or based on a single troponin measurement in some low-risk patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04157790.

Factors associated with Emergency Medical Dispatcher request and residents' inappropriate transfers from Nursing Homes to Emergency Department.

PURPOSE: In the last decades, the amount of emergency department (ED) transfers of nursing home (NH) residents has disproportionally increased in western countries. The main role of emergency medical dispatcher (EMD) among this population is to refer residents to EDs in the most appropriate way. The aim of this study was to assess risk factors of inappropriate transfers from NH to ED after EMD request. METHODS: This research was a secondary analysis of a prospective observational multicenter study carried out in 17 EDs entitled FINE aimed to assess potentially inappropriate transfer prevalence among this population. Inappropriate transfers were determined in the FINE study threw a standardized approach by a unique expert team. RESULTS: Overall, 572/1037 (55.2%) of residents were transferred to the ED after an EMD's decision. Among them, 92/572 (16.1%) transfers was defined as inappropriate. The average age was 87.3 years old (SD = 0.3). The main reason for ED transfer were falls (217/572, 37.9%). In multivariate analysis, the presence of a Special Care Unit in NH was significantly associated with a high rate of inappropriate transfer (OR 1.78; 95 CI [1.07-2.93]; p = 0.02) whereas a medical examination by a general practitioner before the transfer (OR 0.55; 95 CI [0.33-0.83]; p = 0.02) and a prompt access to psychiatric advice (OR 0.54; 95 CI [0.33-0.84]; p = 0.007) were associated with a low rate of potentially inappropriate transfer. CONCLUSION: Promoting onsite medical assessment and partnership thanks to available geriatrician's advice may help the emergency medical dispatcher to improve the appropriateness of residents' transfer from Nursing Home to the emergency department.

A national population-based study of patients, bystanders and contextual factors associated with resuscitation in witnessed cardiac arrest: insight from the french RéAC registry.

BACKGROUND: In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), bystander initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) increases the chance of return of spontaneous circulation and survival with a favourable neurological status. Socioeconomic disparities have been highlighted in OHCA field. In areas with the lowest average socioeconomic status, OHCA incidence increased, and bystander CPR decreased. Evaluations were performed on restricted geographical area, and European evaluation is lacking. We aimed to analyse, at a national level, the impact of area-level social deprivation on the initiation of CPR in case of a witnessed OHCA. METHODS: We included all witnessed OHCA cases with age over 18 years from July 2011 to July 2018 form the OHCA French national registry. We excluded OHCA occurred in front of rescue teams or in nursing home, and patients with incomplete address or partial geocoding. We collected data from context, bystander and patient. The area-level social deprivation was estimated by the French version of the European Deprivation Index (in quintile) associated with the place where OHCA occurred. We assessed the associations between Utstein variables and social deprivation level using a mixed-effect logit model with bystander-initiated CPR. RESULTS: We included 23,979 witnessed OHCA of which 12,299 (51%) had a bystander-initiated CPR. More than one third of the OHCA (8,326 (35%)) occurred in an area from the highest quintile of social deprivation. The higher the area-level deprivation, the less the proportion of bystander-initiated CPR (56% in Quintile 1 versus 48% in Quintile 5). The In the multivariable analysis, bystander less often began CPR in areas with the highest deprivation level, compared to those with the lowest deprivation level (OR=0.69, IC95%: 0.63-0.75). CONCLUSIONS: The level of social deprivation of the area where OHCA occurred was associated with bystander-initiated CPR. It decreased in the more deprived areas although these areas also concentrate more younger patients.

Evaluation of HEAR score to rule-out major adverse cardiac events without troponin test in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Current guidelines for patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain without ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (non-STEMI) on electrocardiogram are based on troponin measurement. The HEART score is reportedly a reliable work-up strategy that combines clinical evaluation with troponin value. A clinical rule that could select very low-risk patients without the need for a blood test (HEAR score, being the HEART score without the troponin item) would be of great interest. OBJECTIVES: To prospectively assess the safety of a HEAR score <2 to rule-out non-STEMI without troponin measurement. Secondary objective was to assess the safety of a sequential strategy that combines HEAR score and HEART (defined as two-step HEART strategy). DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective observational study in six emergency departments. Patients with nontraumatic chest pain and no alternative diagnosis were included and followed up for 45 day. Patients were considered at low-risk if the HEAR score was <2 or, for the two-step HEART strategy, if the HEART score was <4. OUTCOMES MEASURE AND ANALYSIS: The primary endpoint was the 45-day rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with a HEAR score <2. A HEAR score based strategy was consider safe if the rate of the primary endpoint was below 1%, with an upper margin of the 95% confidence interval (CI) below 3%. RESULTS: Among 1452 patients included, 1402 were analyzed and 97 (7%) had a MACE during the follow-up period. The HEAR score was <2 in 279 (20%) patients and one presented a MACE [0.4% (95% CI: 0.01-1.98)]. The two-step HEART strategy classified low-risk an additional 476 patients (34%) and one of these 476 patients had a MACE [0.3% (95% CI: 0.03-0.95)]. The two-step HEART strategy would have theoretically avoided 360 troponin measurements (19%). CONCLUSIONS: In our prospective multicenter study, a HEAR based work-up strategy was safe, with a very low risk of MACE at 45 day. We also report that a two-step HEART-based strategy may safely allow significant reduction of troponin measurements in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain.

First-Line Afatinib plus Cetuximab for EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Results from the Randomized Phase II IFCT-1503 ACE-Lung Study.

PURPOSE: Double inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) using a tyrosine kinase inhibitor plus a monoclonal antibody may be a novel treatment strategy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We assessed the efficacy and toxicity of afatinib + cetuximab versus afatinib alone in the first-line treatment of advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this phase II, randomized, open-label study, patients with stage III/IV EGFR-positive NSCLC were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive afatinib (group A) or afatinib + cetuximab (group A + C). Oral afatinib 40 mg was given once daily; cetuximab 250 mg/m² was administered intravenously on day 15 of cycle 1, then every 2 weeks at 500 mg/m² for 6 months. The primary endpoint was time to treatment failure (TTF) rate at 9 months. Exploratory analysis of EGFR circulating tumor DNA in plasma was performed. RESULTS: Between June 2016 and November 2018, 59 patients were included in group A and 58 in group A + C. The study was ended early after a futility analysis was performed. The percentage of patients without treatment failure at 9 months was similar for both groups (59.3% for group A vs. 64.9% for group A + C), and median TTF was 11.1 (95% CI, 8.5-14.1) and 12.9 (9.2-14.5) months, respectively. Other endpoints, including progression-free survival and overall survival, also showed no improvement with the combination versus afatinib alone. There was a slight numerical increase in grade ≥3 adverse events in group A + C. Allele frequency of the EGFR gene mutation in circulating tumor DNA at baseline was associated with shorter PFS, regardless of the treatment received. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that addition of cetuximab to afatinib does not warrant further investigation in treatment-naïve advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC.

Factors Associated with Potentially Inappropriate Transfer to the Emergency Department among Nursing Home Residents.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors associated with the potentially inappropriate transfer of nursing home (NH) residents to emergency departments (EDs) and to compare hospitalization costs before and after transfer of individuals addressed inappropriately vs those addressed appropriately. DESIGN: Multicenter, observational, case-control study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 17 hospitals in France, 1037 NH residents. MEASURES: All NH residents transferred to the 17 public hospitals' EDs in southern France were systematically included for 1 week per season. An expert panel composed of family physicians, emergency physicians, geriatricians, and pharmacists defined whether the transfer was potentially inappropriate or appropriate. Residents' and NHs' characteristics and contextual factors were entered into a mixed logistic regression to determine factors associated independently with potentially inappropriate transfers. Hospital costs were collected in the national health insurance claims database for the 6 months before and after the transfer. RESULTS: A total of 1037 NH residents (mean age 87.2 ± 7.1, 68% female) were transferred to the ED; 220 (21%) transfers were considered potentially inappropriate. After adjustment, anorexia [odds ratio (OR) 2.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.57-3.71], high level of disability (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.81-0.99), and inability to receive prompt medical advice (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.20-2.32) were significantly associated with increased likelihood of potentially inappropriate transfers. The existence of an Alzheimer's disease special care unit in the NH (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.48-0.92), NH staff trained on advance directives (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.41-0.89), and calling the SAMU (mobile emergency medical unit) (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.34-0.66) were significantly associated with a lower probability of potentially inappropriate transfer. Although the 6-month hospitalization costs prior to transfer were higher among potentially inappropriate transfers compared with appropriate transfers (€6694 and €4894, respectively), transfer appropriateness was not significantly associated with hospital costs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Transfers from NHs to hospital EDs were frequently appropriate. Transfer appropriateness was conditioned by NH staff training, access to specialists' medical advice, and calling the SAMU before making transfer decisions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02677272.

Impact of previous exposure to systemic corticosteroids on unfavorable outcome in patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The impact of prior exposure to systemic corticosteroids on COVID-19 severity in patients hospitalized for a SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia is not known. The present study was designed to answer to this question. METHODS: The population study was the Covid-Clinic-Toul cohort which records data about all hospitalized patients with a positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for a SARS-CoV-2 infection at Toulouse University hospital, France. Exposure to systemic corticosteroids was assessed at hospital admission. A propensity score (PS) according to corticosteroid exposure was calculated including comorbidities, clinical, radiological and biological variables that impact COVID-19 severity. The primary outcome was composite, including admission to intensive care unit, need of mechanical ventilation and death occurring during the 14 days after hospital admission. Logistic regression models adjusted for the PS (overlap weighting) provided odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). RESULTS: Overall, 253 patients were included in the study. Median age was 64 years, 140 patients (59.6%) were men and 218 (86.2%) had at least one comorbidity. Seventeen patients (6.7%) were exposed to corticosteroids before hospital admission. Chronic inflammatory disease (n = 8) was the most frequent indication. One hundred and twenty patients (47.4%) met the composite outcome. In the crude model, the OR of previous exposure to systemic corticosteroids was 1.64; 95% CI: 0.60-4.44. In the adjusted model, it was 1.09 (95% CI: 0.65-1.83). CONCLUSION: Overall, this study provide some evidences for an absence of an increased risk of unfavorable outcome with previous exposure to corticosteroids in the general setting of patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

Outcome of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and exposure to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers in France: results of the ACE-CoV study.

Data are lacking on the impact of ACEI/ARB exposure on unfavorable outcome in the population of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 with hypertension/cardiovascular disease, particularly in Europe. The ACE-CoV study was designed to assess this question. The study was conducted in the Covid-Clinic-Toul cohort, which contains data about all patients hospitalized at Toulouse University hospital, France with a SARS-CoV-2 infection since March, 2020. We selected the patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (heart failure or coronary disease) and/or arterial hypertension. We conducted a subgroup analysis in patients with arterial hypertension. ACEI/ARB exposures at admission were assessed. The outcome was composite: admission to intensive care unit, need of mechanical ventilation or death during the 14 days after admission to hospital. We used logistic regression models with propensity scores (PS) weighted by overlap weighting (OW) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Between March 2020 and April 20, 2020, the Covid-Clinic-Toul included 263 patients. Among them, 111 were included in the ACE-CoV study population. In OW-PS-adjusted analyses, the association of exposure to ACEIs or ARBs with outcome occurrence was OR: 1.56 (95% CI: 0.73-3.33). It was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.68-1.45) for ACEIs and 1.64 (95% CI: 0.77-3.50) for ARBs. Analyses with weighting by the IPTW-PS method gave similar results. Results were similar when considering the subgroup of patients with arterial hypertension. The ACE-CoV study found no association between exposure to ACEIs or ARBs and unfavorable outcome in hospitalized patients for COVID-19 with a history of cardiovascular disease/arterial hypertension.