Sustained and cumulative impact of an electronic medical record-based alert on a hepatitis C birth cohort screening programme.

The study aimed to assess the effect of an electronic medical record-embedded best practice alert (BPA) on HCV age cohort screening in primary care clinics. HCV testing by primary care physicians was monitored prior and subsequent to the implantation of the BPA. Four intervals of 9 months duration were analysed in detail, including a pre-BPA baseline analysis and three annual post-BPA assessments. Pre- and post-BPA orders consistently followed a power law distribution, characterized by small groups of physicians placing the majority of test orders. Significant correlations were present between the numbers of tests orders by each physician, suggesting that 'high' and 'low' screening performances tended to be physician-specific. Testing rates increased markedly in response to the BPA, resulting in completion of screening in 56.8% (50,468 of 88,914%) of the entire age cohort within less than 3 years. In conclusion, HCV age cohort testing by primary care physicians follows a power-law distribution, with high-performing physicians contributing disproportionately to the overall effort. A simple BPA resulted in a sufficient increase in testing to allow testing of the entire target population within a reasonable time frame.

Ketogenic, Hypocaloric Diet Improves Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is strongly associated with obesity. A weight loss of ≥10% is necessary to improve NASH severity, but this goal has rarely been achieved in published studies using different diet protocols. The effect of a ketogenic, hypocaloric, commercial diet ("Ideal Protein," IP) on body weight, metabolic markers, and liver tests in a group of NASH patients is evaluated in this study. Daily calorie intake was tailored to achieve a weight loss of ≥10%. METHODS: We analyzed 38 patients with NASH who were placed on the IP diet between 2014 and 2018 and compared their outcomes with 6 control patients who declined the diet. All patients were evaluated by a trained health coach in weekly intervals throughout the study period. Clinical and laboratory data obtained before and at 6.5 months after intervention were compared using paired t-testing. RESULTS: The patients on the IP diet experienced a significant weight reduction (217 ± 8 lb vs. 194 ± 7 lb; mean ± S.E.M.), corresponding to an average weight loss of 9.7% ± 1.6%. Significant changes in systolic blood pressure (133 ± 3 mmHg vs. 123 ± 3 mmHg), triglycerides (200 ± 21 mmol/L vs. 132 ± 11 mmol/L), hemoglobin A1c (6.71% ± 0.29% vs. 5.74% ± 0.19%), SGPT (97.3 ± 11.1 IU/L vs. 44.2 ± 5.9 IU/L), SGOT (82.4 ± 10.5 IU/L vs. 32.8 ± 5.2 IU/L), and Fib-4 scores (2.25 ± 0.23 vs. 1.40 ± 0.13) were also observed (P<0.05 in all cases). In the IP group, 50.5% of patients lost ≥10% body weight. In contrast, no significant changes were observed in the control group. The IP diet was well tolerated, and no safety signals were noticed. CONCLUSIONS: A ketogenic, hypocaloric resulted in striking weight loss and significant improvements in metabolic parameters and liver tests, suggesting that this approach carries promise for the dietary management of patients with NASH.

Hepatitis C Screening in Commercially Insured U.S. Birth-cohort Patients: Factors Associated with Testing and Effect of an EMR-based Screening Alert.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing rates among U.S. birth-cohort patients have been studied extensively, limited data exists to differentiate birth-cohort screening from risk- or liver disease-based testing. This study aims to identify factors associated with HCV antibody (HCV-Ab) testing in a group of insured birth cohort patients, to determine true birth cohort testing rates, and to determine whether an electronic medical record (EMR)-driven Best Practice Alert (BPA) would improve birth cohort testing rates. METHODS: All birth-cohort outpatients between 2010 and 2015 were identified. HCV-Ab test results, clinical, and demographic variables were extracted from the EMR, and factors associated with testing were analyzed by logistic regression. True birth-cohort HCV screening rates were determined by detailed chart review for all outpatient visits during one calendar month. An automated Best Practice Alert was used to identify unscreened patients at the point of care, and to prompt HCV testing. Screening rates before and after system-wide implementation of the BPA were compared. RESULTS: The historic HCV-Ab testing rate was 11.2% (11,976/106,753). Younger age, female gender, and African American, Asian, or Hispanic ethnicity, and medical comorbidities such as chronic hemodialysis, HIV infection, and rheumatologic and psychiatric comorbidities were associated with higher testing rates. However, during the one-month sampling period, true age cohort-based testing was performed in only 69/10,089 patients (0.68%). Following the system-wide implementation of the HCV BPA, testing rates increased from 0.68% to 10.76% (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: We documented low HCV-Ab testing rates in our baby boomers population. HCV testing was typically performed in the presence of known risk factors or established liver disease. The implementation of an EMR-based HCV BPA resulted in a marked increase in testing rates. Our study highlights current HCV screening gaps, and the utility of the EMR to improve screening rates and population health.

Biliary disease after liver transplantation: the experience of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The biliary tract has been referred to as the "Achilles heel" of liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to document the frequency, clinical presentation and management of biliary complications after liver transplantation in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The liver transplant clinic at KFSH&RC has registered and followed 220 patients (150 male and 70 female patients; age 40.6 +/- 18.6 years; pediatric 33, adult 187) during the period from 1987 to June 2003. A total of 235 transplants were carried out on these patients. Cadaveric liver transplants had been carried out on 202 patients, non-heart beating liver transplant in three patients, live donor liver transplants in 11 and split transplant in four. Biliary reconstruction was duct-to-duct anastomosis in 147 patients and Roux-en-Y in 73. Biliary complications were suspected on clinical and biochemical parameters and confirmed using imaging techniques. RESULTS: Forty patients (18.2%) developed 53 biliary complications. These included bile leak in 16, strictures in 25, calculi in eight, and sphincter of Oddi dysfunction and possible recurrence of primary sclerosing cholangitis in the donor duct in two patients each. Bile leaks were observed in the early postoperative period (median period 30 days, range 1-150 days, 95% confidence interval [CI] 8-51). Leakage occurred at the anastomotic site in 13 patients. Patients presented with bilious drainage (n = 6), abdominal pain at T-tube removal (n = 3), fever (n = 2), sepsis (n = 1), dyspnea (n = 1) and abnormal liver tests (n = 3). Eleven patients had intra-abdominal bilious collections. Two patients were treated conservatively, eight patients had ultrasound-guided aspiration of biloma, five had biliary stenting at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and two patients needed surgery. There were four deaths, two of which were related to bile leak, one patient was left with permanent external biliary drainage and four patients had biliary strictures in the follow-up period. Biliary strictures occurred at a median period of 360 days (range 4-2900 days; 95% CI 50-670) after the transplant. Hepatic artery thrombosis caused biliary strictures in three, while 21 strictures were localized to the anastomotic site. Biliary strictures presented with elevated liver tests in five patients, progressive cholestasis in five, cholangitis (with septicemia in five) in 11, abdominal pain in two and acute pancreatitis in three patients. Repeat sessions of endoscopic or percutaneous dilatation and stenting (mean sessions 4.4/patient, range 3-7) were attempted in 20 patients to relieve strictures, with success in only nine patients. Seven patients had surgery. Four patients with biliary strictures died. Biliary calculi developed late in the follow-up period and had the appearance of biliary casts in five and sludge in three patients. Eleven (27.5%) patients with biliary disease died compared with 35 (19.4%) patients without biliary disease. CONCLUSIONS: Biliary complications occurred in 18.2% of patients after liver transplantation and included biliary leak and biliary strictures with or without calculi. Management involved a combination of endoscopic, radiologic and operative procedures. Biliary complications caused considerable morbidity and mortality in liver transplant patients.