Demographics and Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Opioid Use Disorder and Offered Medication-Assisted Treatment in the Emergency Department.

Background and objective The opioid use disorder (OUD) epidemic is a persistent public health crisis in the United States. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with opioid agonists, including buprenorphine, is an effective treatment and is commonly initiated in the emergency department (ED). This study describes the demographics and clinical characteristics of OUD patients presenting to the ED and evaluated for MAT. Methodology A retrospective, single-center descriptive study of 129 adult patients presenting to the ED between July 2018 and July 2020 with OUD and evaluated for MAT. Results A total of 129 patients were assessed for MAT. About half (53%) received MAT; the remaining received only a referral (35%) or declined any intervention (12%). The median age was 36 years interquartile range (IQR, 28-46 years) and predominantly male (73%), single (65%), white (73%), unemployed (57%) with public insurance (55%), and without a primary care physician (58%). Majority of the patients presented with opioid withdrawal (62%) or intoxication (15%), while 23% presented with other complaints. About half of the patients (51%) were discharged with a naloxone kit. The majority of the patients were induced with buprenorphine with 4 mg or less (54%) and only 6% of patients received repeat dosing. Conclusions Male, white patients who are unmarried and unemployed, lack primary care follow-up, and rely on public insurance are more likely to be candidates for MAT. Providers should always maintain a high suspicion of opioid misuse and optimize treatment for those in withdrawal. Understanding these characteristics in conjunction with recent health policy changes will hopefully guide and encourage ED-initiated interventions in combating the opioid crisis.

Distribution of Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis and Implications for Limited Compression Ultrasound Examinations.

BACKGROUND: Limited compression bedside ultrasonography (LCUS) including two-point, three-point, and extended compression examinations have become increasingly popular among emergency physicians to assess for lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT). OBJECTIVE: Our objective in this study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of lower extremity DVT in sites identified by complete duplex ultrasonography (CDUS) that may potentially be missed using limited compression ultrasonography techniques. METHODS: This was a retrospective, multicenter study conducted at 12 hospitals within the Northwell Health system over a span of 4 years. Study participants (emergency department patients) underwent CDUS to assess for possible DVT. Images were reviewed and interpreted by radiologists and vascular surgeons at each of the participating institutions. RESULTS: A total of 42,487 CDUS examinations were performed, of which 3383 were positive for DVT. DVTs were deemed to be acute in 2664 (79%) and chronic in the remaining 21% on the basis of comparison with previous studies and appearance of the vein. Of the acute DVTs, 136 (5.1%) were confined to the common femoral vein, 116 (4.4%) to the femoral vein, 8 (0.3%) to deep femoral vein, 213 (8.0%) to popliteal vein, and 934 (35.1) to calf veins alone. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, a significant number of DVTs were identified in sites that may have been potentially missed on LCUS examinations, thereby supporting the use of complete duplex ultrasonography when available.

Estimates of Total Burned Surface Area by Emergency Department Clinicians and Burn Specialists.

Introduction Correctly assessing burn size is extremely important since it is directly associated with a patient's subsequent management. Further, an accurate assessment of the total body surface area (TBSA) involved is crucial to decide if specialty care in a burn unit is necessary, whereby overestimation has the potential to lead to unnecessary patient transfers and undesirable burdens on the healthcare system and inconvenience to patients. The goal of this study was to identify whether burn injury estimates of TBSA percentage correlate between emergency department (ED) clinician and burn specialists. Methods This was a retrospective study conducted between February 1, 2018 and July 31, 2019 of patients with a burn injury who were evaluated by both an ED clinician and a burn specialist during the same ED visit. Charts were reviewed to identify the documentation of TBSA by pre-hospital personnel, ED nursing staff, ED mid-level providers (MLP), ED attending physicians, burn consultant MLPs, and burn consultant attending physicians. Results During the study period, 189 subjects with both an ED and burn consultant. The median age was 11 years [interquartile range (IQR) 1-49], and 103 (54%) were males. More than half of the subjects (n=106, 56%) were under the age of 18. There was a statistically significant correlation between estimates of TBSA between ED and burn consultants overall (p<0.0001). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant correlation between ED and burn MLPs (p<0.0001) as well as ED and burn attending physicians (p<0.0001). When adjusted for MLP and attending sex, there was still a correlation among all groups (p<0.0001). Conclusions In this study, there was a statistically significant correlation between estimates of TBSA between ED and burn consultants.

Demographics and clinical patterns of burns requiring emergency hospitalization at a regional north-eastern us burn center.

BACKGROUND: There are known demographic and clinical patterns related to burn injuries and care associated with national and global geography. Still, limited data sources exist to facilitate the study of trends in the regionalization of burn care. OBJECTIVES: The current study aims to investigate the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients that presented to the Emergency Department (ED) and were subsequently admitted for treatment to the inpatient unit of a regional burn center. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center study was conducted between 1 February 2018 and 31 July 2019, of ED patients who presented with a burn injury and were subsequently admitted to the hospital. RESULTS: We identified 329 patients with burn injuries requiring hospitalization. The median age was 22 years [IQR 2-53], and 195 (59%) subjects were males. Monthly and seasonal variations in admissions were identified. The majority of burns occurred at home (84%) and secondary to a scalding injury (59%). The lower extremity was the most common site of injury (29%). Most subjects received antibiotics (59%) and narcotic analgesia (56%) in the ED. The median hospital length of stay was four days [IQR 2-11]. Many subjects did not require surgical intervention (64%) and did not experience complications (79%). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we describe the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients that presented to the ED and were subsequently admitted to a regional burn center. Analyzing the epidemiological information and clinical management of burns may better prepare healthcare providers to offer care to patients with burn injuries.

Predictors of falls and mortality among elderly adults with traumatic brain injury: A nationwide, population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Elderly adults are at particular risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and tend to suffer worse outcomes compared to other age groups. Falls are the leading cause of TBI among the elderly. METHODS: We examined nationwide trends in TBI hospitalizations among elderly adults (ages 65 and older) between April 2006 and March 2011 using a population-based database that is mandatory for all hospitals in Canada. Trends in admission rates were analyzed using linear regression. Predictors of falls and in-hospital mortality were identified using logistic regression. RESULTS: Between 2006 and 2011, there were 43,823 TBI hospitalizations resulting in 6,939 deaths among elderly adults in Canada. Over the five-year study period, the overall rate of TBI admissions increased by an average of 6% per year from 173.2 to 214.7 per 100,000, while the rate of fall-related TBI increased by 7% annually from 138.6 to 179.2 per 100,000. There were significant trends towards increasing age and comorbidity level (p<0.001 and p = 0.002). Advanced age, comorbidity, and injury severity were independent predictors of both TBI-related falls and mortality on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Prevention efforts should be targeted towards vulnerable demographics including the "older old" (ages 85 and older) and those with multiple medical comorbidities. Additionally, hospitals and long-term care facilities should be prepared to manage the burgeoning population of older patients with more complex comorbidities.

The impact of psychosocial intervention on survival in cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The impact of psychosocial interventions on survival remains controversial in patients with cancer. A meta-analysis of the recent literature was conducted to evaluate the potential survival benefit associated with psychosocial interventions for cancer patients. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central were searched from January 2004 to May 2015 for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared survival outcomes between cancer patients receiving a psychosocial intervention and those receiving other, or no interventions. Endpoints included one-, two-, and four-year overall survival. Subgroup analyses were performed to compare group-versus individually-delivered interventions, and to assess breast cancer-only trials. RESULTS: Of 5,080 identified articles, thirteen trials were included for analysis. There was a significant survival benefit for the intervention group at one year [risk ratio (RR) =0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.67-1.00; P=0.04] and two years (RR =0.86; 95% CI, 0.78-0.95; P=0.003). However, no significant difference was detected at four years (RR =0.94; 95% CI, 0.85-1.04; P=0.24). Among patients with breast cancer, there was a significant survival benefit of psychosocial interventions at one year (RR =0.59; 95% CI, 0.42-0.82; P=0.002), but no difference at two years (RR =0.82; 95% CI, 0.67-1.02; P=0.07) or four years (RR =0.95; 95% CI, 0.73-1.23; P=0.68). Group-delivered interventions had a significant survival benefit favouring the intervention group at one year (RR =0.57; 95% CI, 0.41-0.79; P=0.0008), but no difference at two years (RR =0.84; 95% CI, 0.68-1.02; P=0.08) or four years (RR =0.94; 95% CI, 0.75-1.20; P=0.64). Individually-delivered interventions had no significant survival benefit at one year (RR =0.92; 95% CI, 0.79-1.08; P=0.32), two years (RR =0.87; 95% CI, 0.75-1.00; P=0.05), or four years (RR =0.93; 95% CI, 0.84-1.04; P=0.21). CONCLUSIONS: For the main analysis and group-delivered treatments, psychosocial interventions demonstrated only short-term improvements in survival. Individually-delivered interventions failed to show any survival benefit. Future studies with longer follow-up are warranted to investigate long-term survival outcomes.

The accuracy of clinicians' predictions of survival in advanced cancer: a review.

The process of formulating an accurate survival prediction is often difficult but important, as it influences the decisions of clinicians, patients, and their families. The current article aims to review the accuracy of clinicians' predictions of survival (CPS) in advanced cancer patients. A literature search of Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE, and MEDLINE was conducted to identify studies that reported clinicians' prediction of survival in advanced cancer patients. Studies were included if the subjects consisted of advanced cancer patients and the data reported on the ability of clinicians to predict survival, with both estimated and observed survival data present. Studies reporting on the ability of biological and molecular markers to predict survival were excluded. Fifteen studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. Clinicians in five studies underestimated patients' survival (estimated to observed survival ratio between 0.5 and 0.92). In contrast, 12 studies reported clinicians' overestimation of survival (ratio between 1.06 and 6). CPS in advanced cancer patients is often inaccurate and overestimated. Given these findings, clinicians should be aware of their tendency to be overoptimistic. Further investigation of predictive patient and clinician characteristics is warranted to improve clinicians' ability to predict survival.

Epidemiological Trends of Traumatic Brain Injury Identified in the Emergency Department in a Publicly-Insured Population, 2002-2010.

OBJECTIVES: To examine epidemiological trends of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) treated in the Emergency Department (ED), identify demographic groups at risk of TBI, and determine the factors associated with hospitalization following an ED visit for TBI. METHODS: A province-wide database was used to identify all ED visits for TBI in Ontario, Canada between April 2002 and March 2010. Trends were analyzed using linear regression, and predictors of hospital admission were evaluated using logistic regression. RESULTS: There were 986,194 ED visits for TBI over the eight-year study period, resulting in 49,290 hospitalizations and 1,072 deaths. The age- and sex-adjusted rate of TBI decreased by 3%, from 1,013.9 per 100,000 (95% CI 1,008.3-1,010.6) to 979.1 per 100,000 (95% CI 973.7-984.4; p = 0.11). We found trends towards increasing age, comorbidity level, length of stay, and ambulatory transport use. Children and young adults (ages 5-24) sustained peak rates of motor vehicle crash (MVC) and bicyclist-related TBI, but also experienced the greatest decline in these rates (p = 0.003 and p = 0.005). In contrast, peak rates of fall-related TBI occurred among the youngest (ages 0-4) and oldest (ages 85+) segments of the population, but rates remained stable over time (p = 0.52 and 0.54). The 5-24 age group also sustained the highest rates of sports-related TBI but rates remained stable (p = 0.80). On multivariate analysis, the odds of hospital admission decreased by 1% for each year over the study period (OR = 0.991, 95% CI = 0.987-0.995). Increasing age and comorbidity, male sex, and ambulatory transport were significant predictors of hospital admission. CONCLUSIONS: ED visits for TBI are involving older populations with increasingly complex comorbidities. While TBI rates are either stable or declining among vulnerable groups such as young drivers, youth athletes, and the elderly, these populations remain key targets for focused injury prevention and surveillance. Clinicians in the ED setting should be cognizant of factors associated with hospitalization following TBI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional.