Citations

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) is an instrumental mechanism aimed at preserving patient autonomy. Numerous interventions have been proposed to facilitate the implementation of ACP; however, rates of completed advance directives (ADs) are universally low. Patient electronic portal messaging is a newer tool in patient–provider communication which has not been studied as a method to promote ACP. In this study, we hypothesized that the use of ACP-specific patient electronic messages would increase rates of AD completion in patients aged 65 years and older in an academic primary care practice. Methods: All primary care patients, aged 65+, who had previously enrolled in a patient electronic messaging system, within an academic primary care practice, were included for randomization. Two hundred patients were randomized to receive an electronic message. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients in each group who completed an AD, 3 months after intervention. Secondary outcomes included clinical utility of the completed ADs and proportion of patients who viewed their electronic messages. Results: The intervention group completed an AD 5.5% of the time when compared to 2% in the control group (odds ratio 3.2 [1.6-6.3]). Up to 74.5% of patients opened their electronic messages. Conclusion: Among primary care patients aged 65 years and older, use of AD-specific electronic messaging statistically significantly increased the rate of AD completion, but the absolute number of completed AD remained relatively low. These data suggest that this valuable communication tool holds opportunities for further improvement. Older, frailer adults were more likely to complete an AD, and prompted directives were more likely to include a written expression of the individual’s health-care values and preference.

AbstractBackgroundOutcomes of neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) are variable; reports are frequently limited to the experience of single tertiary care centres—a possible source of bias. Population‐based studies decrease survivor bias and provide additional insight into this high‐mortality condition. The objective of this study was to examine the incidence and outcomes of CDH in Croatia.MethodsAll cases of CDH in Croatia from 2001 through 2013 were ascertained from public health records. Overall and sex‐ and region‐specific incidence rates were calculated, and characteristics associated with 1‐year survival were assessed.ResultsWe identified 145 cases of CDH during the study period, for an incidence of 2.67 per 10 000 total births. The incidence did not differ by calendar year (P = 0.38) or geographic region (P = 0.67). There was a slightly higher incidence among males (rate ratio, 1.37, 95% CI 0.99, 1.91). The 1‐year survival rate was 33.1% for the entire cohort and 47.9% for liveborns who received any treatment at an intensive care unit. From multivariable analysis, survival was decreased in neonates with left CDH, liver up (odds ratio 0.1, 95% CI, 0.03, 0.4) and increased when treated in a centre with higher case volume (odds ratio 12.8, 95% CI, 2.2, 72.1).ConclusionsThe incidence of CDH in Croatia is within the range of previous reports. Survival was substantially higher in neonates treated in a centre with higher case volume, which suggests that centralisation of medical care for CDH may be warranted in Croatia.

Objective Relapse following remission is common in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis (AAV), particularly with ANCAs directed at proteinase 3 (PR3). This study was undertaken to evaluate the association of an increase in PR3‐ANCA level with subsequent relapse. Methods Data from the Rituximab versus Cyclophosphamide for ANCA‐Associated Vasculitis (RAVE) trial were used. Starting from the time of achieving complete remission, serial measurements by direct and capture enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were analyzed in 93 patients with PR3‐ANCA, using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results An increase in PR3‐ANCA level was identified in 58 of 93 subjects (62.4%) by direct ELISA and in 59 of 93 (63.4%) by capture ELISA. Relapses occurred in 55 of 93 subjects (59.1%), with 25 and 21 occurring within 1 year after an increase by direct ELISA and capture ELISA, respectively. An increase by direct ELISA was associated with subsequent severe relapses (hazard ratio [HR] 4.57; P < 0.001), particularly in patients presenting with renal involvement (HR 7.94; P < 0.001) and alveolar hemorrhage (HR 24.19; P < 0.001). Both assays identified increased risk for severe relapse in the rituximab group (HR 5.80; P = 0.002 for direct ELISA and HR 4.54; P = 0.007 for capture ELISA) but not the cyclophosphamide/azathioprine group ( P = 0.103 and P = 0.197, respectively). Conclusion The association of an increase in PR3‐ANCA level with the risk of subsequent relapse is partially affected by the PR3‐ANCA detection methodology, disease phenotype, and remission induction treatment. An increase in PR3‐ANCA level during complete remission conveys an increased risk of relapse, particularly severe relapse, among patients with renal involvement or alveolar hemorrhage and those treated with rituximab. Serial measurements of PR3‐ANCA may be informative in this subset of patients, but the risk of relapse must be weighed carefully against the risks associated with therapy.

AbstractAbstract In a series of 57,787 patients receiving arterial cannulation, 21 patients were identified as having experienced vascular complications or nerve injuries, resulting in a very low complication rate of 3.4/10,000. The rate of complications differed significantly (P < 0.001) across the three most common catheter sizes (2.7/10,000 for 20 gauge, 17.2/10,000 for 18 gauge, and 9.4/10,000 for 5 French). Given the low frequency of complications observed, the current study does not have sufficient statistical power to make definitive conclusions regarding the risk factors (listed in the appendix). Background Prior research has provided inconsistent data regarding the risk factors associated with complications from arterial cannulation. The goal of this study was to clearly define the incidence and risks factors associated with arterial cannulation complications. Methods After obtaining institutional review board approval, all patients requiring arterial line placement with documentation were included in this retrospective study between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2012. Leveraging two robust data warehouses, the Perioperative DataMart and the Mayo Clinic Life Silences System, the authors cross-matched arterial line cannulation with a documented vascular consult, neurologic consult, infection, or return to surgery within 30 days in order to identify the initial patient population. Results A total of 62,626 arterial lines were placed in 57,787 patients, and 90.1% of the catheters placed were 20-gauge catheters. The radial artery was cannulated in 94.5% of patients. A total of 21 patients were identified as having experienced vascular complications or nerve injuries, resulting in a complication rate of 3.4 per 10,000 (95% CI, 2.1 to 5.1). Cardiac surgery had the largest number of catheters placed (n = 15,419) with 12 complications (complication rate = 7.8 per 10,000; 95% CI, 4.0 to 13.6). The rate of complications differed significantly (P < 0.001) across the three most common catheter sizes (2.7 per 10,000 [95% CI, 1.5 to 4.4] for 20 gauge, 17.2 per 10,000 [95% CI, 4.7 to 43.9] for 18 gauge, and 9.4 per 10,000 [95% CI, 1.1 to 34.1] for 5 French). Conclusion In a large retrospective study, the authors document a very low rate of complications with arterial line placement.

AbstractObjectiveSmokers with fibromyalgia have greater pain intensity and function impairment compared to nonsmokers. Patients’ perceptions of interactions between smoking and fibromyalgia symptoms have not been described. The primary aim of this study was to report the perceptions of female smokers with fibromyalgia on how smoking affects symptoms.MethodsForty‐eight daily smokers with fibromyalgia enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Fibromyalgia Treatment Center completed the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, Patient Health Questionnaire‐9, General Anxiety Disorder‐7 and a Fibromyalgia Symptoms and Smoking Survey which queried how smoking directly affected fibromyalgia symptoms (eg, pain, tiredness/fatigue, stiffness, nervousness/anxiety, depression/blueness, irritability, concentration, and overall) or indirectly as a coping mechanism.ResultsThe majority of subjects reported smoking had no direct effect on fibromyalgia physical symptoms (pain [60% reported no effect], fatigue [56%], stiffness [81%]) but direct improvement of emotional symptoms (anxiety [62% reported improvement], irritability [64%]). The majority of subjects used smoking to cope with pain (69%) via distraction (83%) and relaxation (77%), lessening emotional distress by reducing a sense of frustration (83%) or sadness (54%) because of pain, and as a justification for resting vis‐à‐vis “smoke breaks” (69%). Thirty‐one smokers were mildly and 17 moderately/severely dependent on tobacco, and no difference in fibromyalgia impact score (P = 0.70), pain (P = 0.39), depression (P = 0.20), and anxiety (P = 0.64) scores were detected, but more moderately/severely dependent subjects reported smoking improved pain (50% vs. 17%, P = 0.04).DiscussionSmokers with fibromyalgia reported smoking helped to cope with fibromyalgia pain but generally did not directly ameliorate fibromyalgia physical symptoms.

BACKGROUNDPerioperative hemorrhage impacts patient outcomes and health care resource utilization, yet the risks of transfusion therapies are significant. In patients with preoperative thrombocytopenia, the effects of prophylactic preoperative platelet (PLT) transfusion on perioperative bleeding complications remain uncertain.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSThis is a retrospective cohort study of noncardiac surgical patients between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2011. Propensity‐adjusted analyses were used to evaluate associations between preoperative thrombocytopenia, preoperative PLT transfusion, and the outcomes of interest, with a primary outcome of perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion.RESULTSA total of 13,978 study participants were included; 860 (6.2%) had a PLT count of not more than 100 × 109/L with 71 (8.3%) receiving PLTs preoperatively. Administration of PLTs was associated with higher rates of perioperative RBC transfusion (66.2% vs. 49.1%, p = 0.0065); however, in propensity‐adjusted analysis there was no significant difference between groups (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval {95% CI}], 1.68 [0.95‐2.99]; p = 0.0764]. Patients receiving PLTs had higher rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (OR [95% CI], 1.95 [1.10‐3.46]; p = 0.0224) and longer hospital lengths of stay (estimate [95% bootstrap CI], 7.2 [0.8‐13.9] days; p = 0.0006) in propensity‐adjusted analyses.CONCLUSIONPreoperative PLT transfusion did not attenuate RBC requirements in patients with thrombocytopenia undergoing noncardiac surgery. Moreover, preoperative PLT transfusion was associated with increased ICU admission rates and hospital duration. These findings suggest that more conservative management of preoperative thrombocytopenia may be warranted.

BACKGROUND: Poliomyelitis is a viral infectious disease caused by 1 of the 3 strains of poliovirus. The World Health Organization launched an eradication campaign in 1988. Although the number of cases of poliomyelitis has drastically declined, eradication has not yet been achieved, and there are a substantial number of survivors of the disease. Survivors of poliomyelitis present a unique set of challenges to the anesthesiologist. The scientific literature regarding the anesthetic management of survivors of poliomyelitis, however, is limited and primarily experiential in nature. Using a retrospective, matched cohort study, we sought to more precisely characterize the anesthetic implications of poliomyelitis and to determine what risks, if any, may be present for patients with a history of the disease. METHODS: Using the Mayo Clinic Life Sciences System Data Discovery and Query Builder, study subjects were identified as those with a history of paralytic poliomyelitis who had undergone major surgery at Mayo Clinic Rochester between 2005 and 2009. For each case, 2 sex- and age-matched controls that underwent the same surgical procedure during the study period were randomly selected from a pool of possible controls. Medical records were manually interrogated with respect to demographic variables, comorbid conditions, operative and anesthetic course, and postoperative course. RESULTS: We analyzed 100 cases with 2:1 matched controls and found that the peri- and postoperative courses were very similar for both groups of patients. Pain scores, postanesthesia care unit admission, length of postanesthesia care unit stay, intensive care unit admission, length of intensive care unit stay, and initial extubation location were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Looking at pulmonary complications in our primary outcome, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups (17% vs 14% for polio versus control, respectively; conditional logistic regression odds ratio = 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.7–3.3; P = 0.33). In addition, no difference was noted in those requiring a code or rapid response team intervention (4% vs 3% for polio versus control; P = 0.46) and the 30-day mortality rate was also not significantly different, with 2% of polio patients dying compared with 3% of controls ( P = 0.79). The analysis of the primary outcome was repeated for the subset of patients with a history of poliomyelitis who had persistent neurologic deficits preoperatively ( n = 36) and their matched controls ( n = 72). In this subset analysis, there were 4 (11%) polio patients and 8 (11%) control patients who experienced pulmonary complications (conditional logistic regression odds ratio = 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.27–3.72; P = 1.00). The percentage of patients experiencing specific pulmonary complications of interest was similar between groups (postoperative mechanical ventilation: 6% vs 8% for polio and control patients, respectively; prolonged mechanical ventilation: 0% vs 1%; reintubation: 8% vs 4%; pulmonary infection: 6% vs 6%; and aspiration: 0% vs 1%). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that patients with a history of poliomyelitis do not seem to have an increased risk of pulmonary complications in the perioperative period. However, an odds ratio as great as 3.3-fold may be present.

AbstractAbstract In a nested, matched case-cohort design of 384 anesthesia residents who developed substance use disorder (SUD) and 768 controls who did not, receiving medical education in the United States, but not anesthesia knowledge early in residency, was associated with risk of developing SUD. By the end of follow-up, 54 anesthesiology residents (14.1%) with SUD and 10 controls (1.3%) were dead. Those with SUD were 15-, 10-, and 7-fold more likely to not complete residency, to not become board certified, or have adverse medical licensure actions, respectively. Background: The goal of this work is to evaluate selected risk factors and outcomes for substance use disorder (SUD) in physicians enrolled in anesthesiology residencies approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Methods: For each of 384 individuals with evidence of SUD while in primary residency training in anesthesiology from 1975 to 2009, two controls (n = 768) who did not develop SUD were identified and matched for sex, age, primary residency program, and program start date. Risk factors evaluated included location of medical school training (United States vs. other) and anesthesia knowledge as assessed by In-Training Examination performance. Outcomes (assessed to December 31, 2013, with a median follow-up time of 12.2 and 15.1 yr for cases and controls, respectively) included mortality and profession-related outcomes. Results: Receiving medical education within the United States, but not performance on the first in-training examination, was associated with an increased risk of developing SUD as a resident. Cases demonstrated a marked increase in the risk of death after training (hazard ratio, 7.9; 95% CI, 3.1 to 20.5), adverse training outcomes including failure to complete residency (odds ratio, 14.9; 95% CI, 9.0 to 24.6) or become board certified (odds ratio, 10.4; 95% CI, 7.0 to 15.5), and adverse medical licensure actions subsequent to residency (hazard ratio, 6.8; 95% CI, 3.8 to 12.2). As of the end of follow-up, 54 cases (14.1%) were deceased compared with 10 controls (1.3%); 28 cases and no controls died during residency. Conclusion: The attributable risk of SUD to several adverse outcomes during and after residency training, including death and adverse medical license actions, is substantial.

Background Despite the significant decline in smoking rates in the USA over the last 50 years, 42 million Americans continue to smoke. Although the combination of behavioural counselling with FDA-approved medications offers the best evidence-based treatment approach, 12-month relapse rates remain at >60%. Both healthcare providers and patients are searching for alternative treatment options. Most acupuncture trials have yielded poor results for smoking cessation; however, most trials have not used an intense treatment protocol and maintained treatment for at least 12 weeks. Methods We designed a pilot study to address these methodological problems. Twenty-eight smokers were recruited to attend two 1 h acupuncture sessions weekly for 12 weeks. Primary endpoints included completion rate, acceptability of the protocol and side effects. Secondary endpoints included carbon monoxide (CO)-confirmed, 7-day point prevalence quit rates at 12 weeks and 26 weeks. Results Sixteen of the 28 patients enrolled (57%) completed 12 weeks of treatment. Of the 17 patients who completed the end-of-study questionnaire, 94% (16/17) rated the programme as helpful, and 82% noted they would recommend it to friends for smoking cessation. Three of the 28 who initially enrolled in the study were confirmed abstinent at 12 weeks (10.7%); one of the 28 (3.6%) was abstinent at 26 weeks. Conclusions A larger study with a slightly less rigorous and more acceptable treatment protocol is feasible and should be considered.

BACKGROUNDPatients with polycythemia vera (PV) have historically been considered to be at high risk for perioperative hemorrhagic and thromboembolic complications. However, no recent studies have compared these outcomes between treated PV patients and patients without PV undergoing similar procedures.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSPatients with PV who underwent surgery with anesthesia from June 1, 2006, to May 31, 2011, were randomly matched (sex, age, type of surgical procedure, surgical year) at a ratio of 1:4 with control patients without PV. Conditional logistic regression analysis adjusting for surgical duration, preoperative hemoglobin, platelet count, and cardiovascular disease was used to assess the association between PV and blood product transfusions, thromboembolism, and other major cardiovascular and pulmonary complications.RESULTSFifty‐six PV patients who underwent 79 surgeries were matched with 312 controls. During hospitalization, 35 (44.3%) and 82 (25.9%) PV and control patients, respectively, were transfused with blood products. PV patients were at increased risk for transfusion intraoperatively (odds ratio [OR], 4.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.79‐10.57; p = 0.001) and during hospitalization (OR, 4.35; 95% CI, 1.84‐10.31; p < 0.001). The likelihood of thromboembolic complications and/or other major complications did not differ between the two study groups (thromboembolic—OR 1.53, 95% CI 0.39‐6.02, p = 0.540; other major complications—OR 2.15, 95% CI 0.93‐4.96, p = 0.073).CONCLUSIONSMedically managed PV patients had an increased likelihood of receiving blood products perioperatively. Given the low number of observed thromboembolic events, we cannot make definitive conclusions regarding the association between PV and thromboembolism.