Garrett, Aneesah

Background: Home telemetry has been shown to reduce 30-day readmissions in patients at high risk for readmission. It remains unclear whether this finding is due to the telemetry itself or the nurse contact that follows detection of an abnormal parameter. Purpose: This study was a subgroup analysis from a prior trial comparing patients on home telemetry for 30 days to usual care after discharge to determine if nurse contact affected readmission rates. Methods: Patients randomized to telemetry who had at least 1 nurse contact were compared to those who had none to see if the contact reduced the rate of readmissions. Results: Of 449 home telemetry patients, 292 (65.0%) received 1 or more nurse contacts. Single and multivariable logistic regression models exploring the association of contact with 30-day readmission did not find any statistically significant associations of nurse contact with readmission (all unadjusted P ≥ .13, all adjusted P ≥ .18). Conclusion: Our subset analysis did not show that the nurse contact was the factor that reduced readmission in patients on home telemetry.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare slow-growing skin cancer with a great capacity for local destruction. DFSP can manifest in a myriad of ways. This case report aims to contribute to the literature by increasing awareness of this condition, along with common diagnostic practices and treatment regimens. We present a 52-year-old Filipino woman who was evaluated for dyspnea with an incidental finding of an indeterminate nodule on imaging. A comprehensive diagnostic workup confirmed dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), which was ultimately treated with surgical resection. Clinically, about 52% of patients are misdiagnosed, leading to poor outcomes. Therefore, awareness, early detection, multidisciplinary treatment, and lifelong screening are essential for optimal outcomes.

18 Background: Studies have shown that African Americans (AA) are at increased risk for Colorectal Cancer (CRC) compared to other groups. Despite advancements in CRC screening modalities, few studies have investigated disparities in CRC screening among this vulnerable population. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients of age 45 or older who were seen in Family Medicine (FM), Internal Medicine (IM), or Gastroenterology (GI) between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2021 at the Mayo Clinic. Information was collected regarding patient characteristics (age, sex, Charlson comorbidity score, race), and outcomes (whether a Cologuard test was ordered on the same day as the initial appointment, and whether the patient underwent a colonoscopy within 1 year after the initial appointment). Categorical variables were summarized with number and percentage of patients. Outcomes were compared between race groups (Caucasian, AA, Asian, Other) using unadjusted and multivariable logistic regression models. Multivariable models were adjusted for age, sex, and Charlson comorbidity score. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. P-values <0.05 were considered as statistically significant, and all statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Overall, 558,078 were included for analysis and 14,607 (2.6%) were AA. Overall, AA patients for less likely to have Cologuard ordered compared to Caucasians (OR=0.62, p<0.001), notably driven by patient seen in the FM group (OR=0.54, p<0.001) and no statistically significant difference was observed in the IM and GI groups (p=0.055 and p=0.43, respectively). Notably, compared to Caucasian patients, Asian patients were overall more likely to have Cologuard ordered (OR=1.23, p=0.003). In multivariable analysis assessing the likelihood of having a colonoscopy performed within 1 year of the initial appointment, the likelihood of a colonoscopy within 1 year of initial clinic visit was significantly lower for AA compared to Caucasian patients (OR=0.50, p=0.028). This difference was strongest in FM patients (OR=0.26, p=0.022) and was not significant for IM (OR=0.67, p=0.37) or GI (OR=2.31, p=0.25). Conclusions: In this study, we found that AA ethnicity is associated with reduced likelihood of having Cologuard ordered compared to Caucasian patients. Furthermore, AA patients were less likely to have colonoscopy ordered within 1 year of initial visit clinic visit among the overall cohort, highlighting important disparities in CRC screening among this vulnerable patient population notably for those seen in the FM group. Future studies are needed to assess other barriers for CRC screening in this population.