Spaulding, Aaron

Purpose To examine changes in obesity prevalence among US adults after the COVID-19 pandemic by level of stay-at-home order and sociodemographic characteristics. Design Quasi-experimental study using repeated cross-sectional data. Setting Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Sample Pooled data for US adults ages ≥26 years (n = 1,107,673) from BRFSS (2018-2021). Measures States/territories were classified into three levels of stay-at-home order: none, advisory/only for persons at risk, or mandatory for all. Individual-level sociodemographic characteristics were self-reported. Analysis The difference-in-differences method was conducted with weighted multiple logistic regression analysis to examine obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 ) prevalence by stay-at-home order level and sociodemographic characteristics before/after the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2018-February 2020 vs March 2020-February 2022). Results After adjusting for a secular trend and multiple covariates, adults in states/territories with mandatory stay-at-home orders experienced a larger increase in obesity prevalence (adjusted odds ratio: 1.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.11) than adults in states/territories with no stay-at-home order. Younger adults (vs ≥65 years) and individuals with <high school education (vs ≥4-year college) experienced larger increases in obesity prevalence. Conclusion Increases in obesity prevalence were perpetuated 2 years after implementation of stay-at-home orders, indicating that longer-term health implications are co-occurring during the pandemic recovery period. Future research should focus on successful methods for staying active and healthy during social distancing and beyond.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism occurs in approximately 2% of patients undergoing abdominal and pelvic surgery for cancers of the colon, rectum, and anus and is considered preventable. The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons recommends extended prophylaxis in high-risk patients, but there is low adherence to the guidelines. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the impact of venous thromboembolism risk-guided prophylaxis in patients undergoing elective abdominal and pelvic surgeries for colorectal and anal cancers from 2016 to 2021. DESIGN: This was a retrospective analysis. SETTING: The study was conducted at a multisite tertiary referral academic health care system. PATIENTS: Patients who underwent elective abdominal or pelvic surgery for colon, rectal, or anal cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Receipt of Caprini-guided venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, 90-day postoperative rate of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, venous thromboembolism, and bleeding events. RESULTS: A total of 3504 patients underwent elective operations, of whom 2224 (63%) received appropriate thromboprophylaxis in the inpatient setting. In the postdischarged cohort of 2769 patients, only 2% received appropriate thromboprophylaxis and no thromboembolic events were observed. In the group receiving inappropriate thromboprophylaxis, at 90 days postdischarge, the deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and venous thromboembolism rates were 0.60%, 0.40%, and 0.88%, respectively. Postoperative bleeding was not different between the 2 groups. LIMITATIONS: Limitations to our study include its retrospective nature, use of aggregated electronic medical records, and single health care system experience. CONCLUSION: Most patients in our health care system undergoing abdominal or pelvic surgery for cancers of the colon, rectum, and anus were discharged without appropriate Caprini-guided venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. Risk-guided prophylaxis was associated with decreased rates of inhospital and postdischarge venous thromboembolism without increased bleeding complications. See Video Abstract. MARGEN DE MEJORA: EL IMPACTO DE LA TROMBOPROFILAXIS RECOMENDADA POR LAS DIRECTRICES EN PACIENTES SOMETIDOS A CIRUGÍA ABDOMINAL POR CÁNCER COLORRECTAL Y ANAL EN UN CENTRO DE REFERENCIA TERCIARIO ANTECEDENTES: El tromboembolismo venoso ocurre en aproximadamente el 2% de los pacientes sometidos a cirugía abdominal y pélvica por cánceres de colon, recto y ano, y se considera prevenible. La Sociedad Estadounidense de Cirujanos de Colon y Recto recomienda una profilaxis prolongada en pacientes de alto riesgo, pero el cumplimiento de las directrices es bajo. OBJETIVO: Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar el impacto de la profilaxis guiada por el riesgo de tromboembolismo venoso (TEV) en pacientes sometidos a cirugías abdominales y pélvicas electivas por cáncer colorrectal y anal entre 2016 y 2021. DISEÑO: Este fue un análisis retrospectivo. AJUSTE: El estudio se llevó a cabo en un sistema de salud académico de referencia terciaria de múltiples sitios. PACIENTES: Pacientes sometidos a cirugía abdominal o pélvica electiva por cáncer de colon, recto o ano. PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO: Recepción de profilaxis de tromboembolismo venoso guiada por Caprini, tasa postoperatoria de 90 días de trombosis venosa profunda, embolia pulmonar, tromboembolismo venoso y eventos de sangrado. RESULTADOS: Un total de 3.504 pacientes se sometieron a operaciones electivas, de los cuales 2.224 (63%) recibieron tromboprofilaxis adecuada en el ámbito hospitalario. En el cohorte de 2.769 pacientes después del alta, solo el 2% recibió tromboprofilaxis adecuada en la que no se observaron eventos tromboembólicos. En el grupo que recibió tromboprofilaxis inadecuada, a los 90 días después del alta, las tasas de trombosis venosa profunda, embolia pulmonar y tromboembolia venosa fueron del 0,60%, 0,40% y 0,88%, respectivamente. El sangrado posoperatorio no fue diferente entre los dos grupos. LIMITACIONES: Las limitaciones de nuestro estudio incluyen su naturaleza retrospectiva, el uso de registros médicos electrónicos agregados y la experiencia de un solo sistema de atención médica. CONCLUSIÓN: La mayoría de los pacientes en nuestro sistema de salud sometidos a cirugía abdominal o pélvica por cánceres de colon, recto y ano fueron dados de alta sin una profilaxis adecuada de TEV guiada por Caprini. La profilaxis guiada por el riesgo se asoció con menores tasas de tromboembolismo venoso hospitalario y dado de alta sin un aumento de las complicaciones de sangrado. (Traducción—Dr. Aurian Garcia Gonzalez)

Abstract The scarcity of organ donors relative to the number of patients with End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) has led to prolonged waiting times for kidney transplants, contributing to elevated cardiovascular mortality risk. Transplant professionals are tasked with the complex allocation of limited organs to a vulnerable patient group facing heightened morbidity and mortality risk. The need for continuous re-evaluation of waitlisted patients is evident due to the significant number who perish while awaiting transplantation. Among individuals with ESKD, vascular calcification, particularly Abdominal Arterial Calcifications (AAC), holds predictive value for cardiovascular events and mortality. However, a standardized method to quantify AAC's prognostic potential remains lacking, especially for kidney transplant evaluations. This study presents an ensemble machine learning (ML) approach to study the relationship between AAC score and mortality in patients on the waitlist and triage patients needing transplantation. Using the AAC score, the proposed ML model can predict kidney transplant waitlist morality with an accuracy of 78% while its accuracy is 68% without using this score. This study leverages explainable ML to explore the relationship between predictors and mortality in waitlisted patients, aiming to improve patient triage accuracy.

ObjectiveThe aim was to determine the utilization of Caprini guideline‐indicated venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis and impact on VTE and bleeding outcomes in otolaryngology (ORL) surgery patients.MethodsElective ORL surgeries performed between 2016 and 2021 were retrospectively identified. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between patient characteristics and receiving appropriate prophylaxis, inpatient, 30‐ and 90‐day VTE and bleeding events.ResultsA total of 4955 elective ORL surgeries were analyzed. Thirty percent of the inpatient cohort and 2% of the discharged cohort received appropriate risk‐stratified VTE prophylaxis. In those who did not receive appropriate prophylaxis, overall inpatient VTE was 3.5‐fold higher (0.73% vs. 0.20%, p = 0.015), and all PE occurred in this cohort (0.47% vs. 0.00%, p = 0.005). All 30‐ and 90‐day discharged VTE events occurred in those not receiving appropriate prophylaxis. Inpatient, 30‐ and 90‐day discharged bleeding rates were 2.10%, 0.13%, and 0.33%, respectively. Although inpatient bleeding was significantly higher in those receiving appropriate prophylaxis, all 30‐ and 90‐day post‐discharge bleeding events occurred in patients not receiving appropriate prophylaxis. On regression analysis, Caprini score was significantly positively associated with likelihood of receiving appropriate inpatient prophylaxis (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.07) but was negatively associated in the discharge cohort (OR 0.43, CI 0.36–0.51). Receipt of appropriate prophylaxis was associated with reduced odds of inpatient VTE (OR 0.24, CI 0.06–0.69), but not with risk of bleeding.ConclusionAlthough Caprini VTE risk‐stratified prophylaxis has a positive impact in reducing inpatient and post‐discharge VTE, it must be balanced against the risk of inpatient postoperative bleeding.Level of Evidence3 Laryngoscope, 134:1169–1182, 2024

AbstractIntroductionTranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic drug that has been shown to reduce blood loss following surgery. The use of TXA during orthopedic procedures has gained widespread acceptance, with multiple clinical studies demonstrating no increase in thrombotic complications. While TXA has been shown to be safe and effective for several orthopedic procedures, its use in orthopedic sarcoma surgery is not well established. Cancer‐associated thrombosis remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with sarcoma. It is unknown if intraoperative TXA use will increase the risk of developing a postoperative thrombotic complication in this population. This study aimed to compare the risk of postoperative thrombotic complications in patients who received TXA during sarcoma resection to patients who did not receive TXA.MethodsA retrospective review was performed of 1099 patients who underwent resection of a soft tissue or bone sarcoma at our institution between 2010 and 2021. Baseline demographics and postoperative outcomes were compared between patients who did and did not receive intraoperative TXA. We evaluated 90‐day complication rates, including: deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), myocardial infarction (MI), cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and mortality.ResultsTXA was used more commonly for bone tumors (p < 0.001), tumors located in the pelvis (p = 0.004), and larger tumors (p < 0.001). Patients who received intraoperative TXA were associated with a significant increase in developing a postoperative DVT (odds ratio [OR]: 2.22, p = 0.036) and PE (OR: 4.62, p < 0.001), but had no increase in CVA, MI, or mortality (all p > 0.05) within 90 days of surgery, following univariate analysis. Multivariable analysis confirmed that TXA was independently associated with developing a postoperative PE (OR: 10.64, 95% confidence interval: 2.23–50.86, p = 0.003). We found no association with DVT, MI, CVA, or mortality within 90 days postoperatively, following intraoperative TXA use.ConclusionOur results demonstrate a higher associated risk of PE following TXA use in sarcoma surgery and caution is warranted with TXA use in this patient population.

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Caldera et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17454 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17490

Summary Background Recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) is recommended for all adults ≥19 years of age who are at increased risk for HZ, including patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods A Markov model was constructed to compare the RZV cost‐effectiveness with no vaccination in patients with Crohn's Disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). A simulated cohort of 1 million patients was used for each IBD group at ages 18, 30, 40, and 50. The primary objective of this analysis was to compare RZV cost‐effectiveness in patients with CD and UC, comparing vaccination to no vaccination. Results Overall, vaccination is cost‐effective for both CD and UC, with the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICERs) below $100,000/quality‐adjusted life years (QALY) for all age cohorts. For patients with CD, 30 years of age and older, and those with UC 40 years and older, vaccination was both more effective and less expensive than the non‐vaccinated strategy (CD ≥30: ICERs $6183–$24,878 and UC ≥40: ICERs $9163–$19,655). However, for CD patients under 30 (CD 18: ICER $2098) and UC patients under 40 (UC = 18: ICER $11,609, and UC = 30: $1343), costs were greater for vaccinated patients, but there was an increase in QALY. One‐way sensitivity analysis of age indicates that cost break‐even occurs at age 21.8 for the CD group and 31.5 for the UC group. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, 92% of both CD and UC simulations indicated that vaccination was preferred. Conclusion In our model, vaccination with RZV was cost‐effective for all adult patients with IBD.

Hospitals and health systems are forming partnerships to develop an integrated social network of services that better address the needs of their surrounding communities and their social determinants of health (SDOH). There is little research on the association of these partnered services with hospital outcomes. This study examined the association between hospital social need partnerships and activities to improve hospital and community outcomes. A secondary cross-sectional design to analyze 2021 census data of nonfederal short-term acute care hospitals in the United States was utilized. Data were obtained from the American Hospital Association. Four multilevel logistic regression models were used to analyze data from 1005 hospitals. The authors found that hospital partnership type differed in association to social need outcomes. They found that hospitals with a partnership with health insurance providers were more likely to have better health outcomes. Hospitals partnered with health insurance providers, local organizations addressing housing insecurity, local businesses, or chambers of commerce were more likely to have decreased health care costs. Hospitals partnered with health care providers, health insurance providers, local organizations providing legal assistance, or law enforcement/safety forces were more likely to have decreased utilization of hospital services. However, hospitals partnered with other local or state government or social service organizations were less likely to indicate decreased utilization of services. Many hospitals and health systems across the United States are screening for SDOH and are advancing health care delivery and improving the community's overall health and well-being by identifying unmet social needs and partnering with the community to address them.

Background Demographic characteristics are known to influence the treatment and outcomes of patients with invasive melanoma. Whether these characteristics influence treatment costs is unknown. We aimed to analyze whether patient demographics and tumor characteristics influence treatment costs for patients with invasive cutaneous melanoma in Florida. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which the Florida Inpatient and Outpatient Dataset of the Agency for Health Care Administration was analyzed for patients with a diagnosis of invasive melanoma between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2018. Categorical variables were assessed using Pearson χ2 tests, and continuous variables were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the association between patient demographics and total costs. All analyses were done using SAS 9.4 statistical software (SAS Institute, Inc). Results Multivariate analysis showed that sex (P < 0.001), hospital setting (P < 0.001), race/ethnicity (P < 0.01), patient region (P < 0.01), Elixhauser Comorbidity Index score (P < 0.001), presence of metastasis (P < 0.01), total number of procedures (P < 0.001), and length of stay (P < 0.001) were correlated with the cost of treatment of invasive cutaneous melanoma. After stratification, the association between cost and race/ethnicity disappeared for inpatients but remained for Black patients in the outpatient setting (P < 0.001). The association between cost and patient residence regions also differed when the cohort was stratified. Conclusions Strategies addressing disparities in treatment cost of invasive melanoma should differ, depending on the hospital setting where the patient is being treated.