Palmer, William C.

Background The impact of proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy on subsequent hemorrhage and mortality after variceal hemorrhage is unclear. Aim Evaluate the associations of PPI use with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and death within 30 days of undergoing esophageal variceal band ligation (EBL) separately in inpatient and outpatient settings. Methods Retrospective review of cirrhotic patients with variceal hemorrhage who underwent EBL between 2005 and 2018. Endoscopic findings, PPI use at admission (inpatients only), PPI use at discharge (inpatients and outpatients), and adverse outcomes data (liver transplant, UGIB, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and death within 30 days of discharge or death during hospitalization) were reviewed. Results A total of 446 patients (164 inpatients, 282 outpatients) were included. The most commonly observed outcomes were death within 30 days of discharge in inpatients (12.8%), UGIB within 30 days of discharge in inpatients (21.3%), and UGIB within 30 days of discharge in outpatients (8.5%). For inpatients, prescription of PPI at discharge was associated with a lower risk of bleeding within 30 days (odds ratio: 0.30, P = 0.025) and death within 30 days (odds ratio = 0.16, P = 0.002). No other significant associations of PPI with death or UGIB were reported. Conclusion Post-EBL PPI therapy is associated with reduced risk of bleeding and death within 30 days after variceal hemorrhage in hospitalized patients.

Abstract Introduction. Commonly prescribed medications are associated with various gastrointestinal (GI) side effects but few data are available on prescription medication use and polypharmacy in a gastroenterology outpatient practice. We aimed to examine the prevalence of polypharmacy, defined as the simultaneous use of 5 or more medications. Methods. A descriptive correlational study of consecutive outpatient consultations in 988 patients referred to a tertiary gastroenterology practice. Main outcome measurements were frequency of prescription medication use and polypharmacy. Results. The most common GI symptoms were abdominal pain (72%), nausea (57%), and constipation (53%). The frequency of polypharmacy was 10%. Eighty percent of patients took at least one medication and 60% took two or more. The most frequently used medication classes were proton pump inhibitors (43%), followed by benzodiazepines (30%), selective serotonin-reuptake or norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitors (28%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (27%), and opioids (21%). Conclusion. There was a higher use of prescription medicine including antidepressants, and a lower frequency of polypharmacy in our study cohort compared to the general population. The use of medications may have contributed to the symptoms leading to our study’s population GI consultation.

Object Spinal arthropathy is associated with hereditary hemochromatosis and has been linked to calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate crystal deposition (CPPD) which resembles ankylosing spondylitis on radiograph, yet lacks clinical findings of inflammatory spinal arthritis. The aim of our study was to assess the use of spinal surgery and its outcomes in the US inpatient population with hereditary hemochromatosis from 2012 to 2016 by using the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Methods The observational retrospective cohort study uses the NIS 2012 to 2016. All patients with hereditary hemochromatosis were included using International Classification of Diseases 9th and 10th revisions, Clinical Modification codes. The cohort was stratified according to having undergone spinal surgery and substratified by the type of surgery. The primary outcome was determining the use of spinal surgery in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis. Secondary outcomes were determining length of hospital stay and total hospital charges and costs. Results A total of 39 780 patients with hereditary hemochromatosis were identified and propensity matched to nonhereditary hemochromatosis controls. The mean patient age was 61 years, and 65% were females. For the primary outcome patients with hereditary hemochromatosis underwent significantly more spinal fusion surgery compared to patients without hereditary hemochromatosis odds of 2.13 (P = 0.05). While there was no difference in mean LOS, or costs, patients with hereditary hemochromatosis had higher hospital charges. Conclusion Hereditary hemochromatosis is associated with higher odds of spinal fusion. It is a major complication not improved by phlebotomy, and there are currently no therapies to prevent this joint disease.

Background/Objectives: Arthritis is a known manifestation of hereditary hemochromatosis. However, whether patients with hereditary hemochromatosis have an increased risk of having joint replacement surgery compared to the general population is still unknown. This meta-analysis was conducted to better characterize this risk. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilizing the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases through September 2019 to identify all cohort studies that compared prevalence or incidence of joint replacement surgery (hip, ankle, or knee) between patients with hereditary hemochromatosis and individuals without hereditary hemochromatosis. Effect estimates from each study were extracted and combined together using the random-effect, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird. Results: A total of five studies with 1 293 407 participants fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the risk of having joint replacement surgery was significantly increased in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis compared to individuals without hereditary hemochromatosis with the pooled relative risk (RR) of 3.32 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.60–6.86; I 2 88%]. Analysis by joint found a significantly increased risk of having hip and ankle replacement surgery among patients with hereditary hemochromatosis compared with the pooled RR of 2.62 (95% CI, 2.09–3.30; I 2 47%) and 8.94 (95% CI, 3.85–20.78; I 2 14%), respectively. The risk of having knee replacement surgery was also increased but was not statistically significant (pooled RR 1.57, 95% CI, 0.83–2.98; I 2 66%). Conclusions: A significantly increased risk of needed joint replacement surgery among patients with hereditary hemochromatosis compared to patients without hereditary hemochromatosis was demonstrated in this study. Further studies are required to determine whether this association is causal.

ABSTRACT Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) is an uncommon presentation of cholecystitis accounting for 10% of cases. AAC is caused by a localized ischemic event in the gallbladder usually in critically ill patients. Several cases of localized or systemic lymphoma have been described in the literature as causes of AAC. We present a patient with a rare case of AAC due to undiagnosed systemic Burkitt lymphoma. Pathology of the gallbladder revealed Burkitt lymphoma with analysis of his cerebral spinal fluid confirming Stage IV disease. This case report reviews acute acalculous cholecystitis, lymphomas of the gallbladder and extrahepatic duct, and adult Burkitt lymphoma.

Background/Aims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of fluid balance with outcomes in patients hospitalized with acute pancreatitis (AP).Methods. This was a retrospective study of patients hospitalized between May 2008 and June 2016 with AP and a clinical order for strict recording of intake and output. Data collected included various types of fluid intake and output at 24 and 48 hours after admission. The primary outcome was length of stay (LOS). Analysis was performed using single-variable and multivariable negative binomial regression models.Results. Of 1256 patients hospitalized for AP during the study period, only 71 patients (5.6%) had a clinical order for strict recording of intake and output. Increased urine output was associated with a decreased LOS at 24 and 48 hours in univariable analysis. An increasingly positive fluid balance (total intake minus urine output) at 24 hours was associated with a longer LOS in multivariable analysis.Conclusions. Few patients hospitalized for AP had a documented order for strict monitoring of fluid intake and output, despite the importance of monitoring fluid balance in these patients. Our study suggests an association between urine output and fluid balance with LOS in AP.

AbstractBackground/AimsInadequate bowel preparations can necessitate early repeat of colonoscopy and increased healthcare costs. Established risk factors for suboptimal bowel preparation are known, yet data are lacking in the specific subgroup of patients with decompensated cirrhosis. The primary aim of this study was to reduce inadequate bowel preparation rates in patients with decompensated cirrhosis undergoing evaluation for liver transplant via a quality improvement initiative targeting patient education.MethodsA total of 121 patients undergoing evaluation at our institution prior to implementation of the quality improvement initiative and 91 patients undergoing evaluation after implementation were included. The initiative was an educational intervention via a 6‐minute colonoscopy and split‐prep bowel preparation educational video during the initial liver transplantation evaluation visit for all patients with scheduled colonoscopy.ResultsInadequate bowel preparation was observed in 36 patients (29.8%) in the pre‐intervention period compared to 29 patients (31.9%) in the post‐intervention period. This corresponded to a lack of a significant difference in both single‐variable analysis and multivariable analysis. Of note, there was a significantly higher rate of inadequate bowel preparation as ascites worsened (P=.028).ConclusionPatient educational video failed to improve bowel preparations in patients undergoing colonoscopy with decompensated cirrhosis.

AbstractAimPatent foramen ovale (PFO) is a common atrial septal defect that is largely asymptomatic and often undiagnosed. The impact of aPFOin patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) is unknown.ObjectiveAssess the impact ofPFOand physiologic intrapulmonary shunt (IPS) on the perioperative outcomes of patients who underwentLT.MethodsWe performed a retrospective, intention‐to‐treat analysis of patients withPFOand controls withoutPFOwho underwentLTat Mayo Clinic in Florida between 2008 and 2013. Patients with physiologicIPSwere also analyzed. The cohorts were compared for baseline characteristics, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), postoperative oxygen requirements, 30‐d cerebrovascular accidents, and mortality.ResultsOf the 935 patients who underwentLT, 10.4% had provenPFOby pre‐LTechocardiogram. Control patients (n = 101) were statistically older thanPFOandIPS(n = 56) patients, but similar in sex,BMI, Model for End‐stage Liver Disease score, American Society of Anesthesiologist score, and left ventricular ejection fraction.PFOandIPSpatients had similar length of stay in theICU, mechanical ventilation times, post‐LToxygen requirements, and 30‐d mortality compared to controls. Subgroup analysis showed similar outcomes for largePFOandIPSpatients to controls.ConclusionsThe presence ofPFOdid not have a negative impact on perioperativeLToutcomes.