Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes最新文献

Objective

To determine the risk difference and 95% prediction intervals (PIs) for postoperative infections (POIs) associated with preoperative epidural steroid injections (ESIs) in adults undergoing lumbar or cervical spine surgery.

Methods

Comprehensive database searches were conducted from inception dates through December 2023. Inclusion criteria included all study designs involving adults receiving a preoperative ESI before lumbar or cervical decompression or fusion spine surgery. Risk of bias was assessed using a modified tool developed for uncontrolled studies. The summary estimates of risk difference and the corresponding PIs were reported.

Results

A total of 12 studies were included in the systematic review, of which 9 were included in the meta-analysis. Preoperative ESIs within 1 month of lumbar spine decompression or fusion surgery were associated with a 0.6% and 2.31% greater risk of a POI, respectively. In adults ≥65 years of age, ESIs within 1 or 1-3 months of lumbar spine decompression or fusion surgery were associated with a 1.3% and 0.6% greater risk of a POI, respectively. Preoperative ESIs within 3 months of cervical spine fusion were not associated with an increased risk of a POI. The bounds of all corresponding 95% PIs were nonsignificant.

Conclusion

The observations of this study provide summary estimates of risk difference and 95% PIs, which could be used to support shared decision-making about the use of ESIs before cervical or lumbar spine surgery.

Objective

To determine associations between post-emergency department (ED) management pathways and downstream opioid prescriptions in patients seeking care for incident neck and/or back pain.

Patients and Methods

We identified patients seeking first-time ED care for neck and/or back pain from January 1, 2013, through November 6, 2017. We reported demographic characteristics and opioid prescriptions across management pathways using descriptive statistics and assessed the relative risk of any opioid prescription 12 months post-ED visit among 5 different post-ED management pathways using Poisson regression adjusted for patient demographic characteristics.

Results

Within 12 months after the index ED visit, 58.0% (n=10,949) were prescribed an opioid, with most patients prescribed an opioid within the first week (average daily morphine milligram equivalents of 6.8 mg (SD 9.6 mg). The morphine milligram equivalents decreased to 0.7 mg (SD 8.2 mg) by week 4 and remained consistently less than 1 mg between week 4 and 12 months. Compared with the ED to primary care provider pathway, the relative risk of opioid prescription between 7 days and 12 months after the index ED visit was similar for the ED to physical therapy pathway, higher for both the ED to hospital admission or repeat ED visit pathway (30% increase; relative risk (RR), 1.3; 95% CI, 1.17-1.44) and the ED to specialist pathway (19% increase; RR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.33), and lower in the ED with no follow-up visits pathway (41% decrease; RR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.54-0.65).

Conclusion

In general, more conservative care was associated with lower opioid prescription rates, and escalated care was associated with higher opioid prescription rates.

Daratumumab (DARA) is an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody approved as a combination therapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) and as monotherapy and combination therapy for relapsed or refractory MM cases. We assessed the length of DARA use across lines of therapy and the probabilities of treatment discontinuation in patients with MM in the real-world. We used the deidentified Clinformatics Data Mart database from Optum to identify patients with MM (n=2124) who received DARA-containing treatment between November 1, 2015 and March 31, 2021 in the United States. Patients were excluded if they had received a stem cell transplant. The duration of DARA use was defined as the time interval between the first initiation and discontinuation of DARA as a time-to-event outcome using the Kaplan-Meier method. A gap of more than 60 days between 2 consequent DARA claim dates was defined as DARA discontinuation. The median duration of continuous DARA use was 16.6 months. By 24 months, 33.1% of patients remained on DARA treatment. In a subgroup analysis of patients with 12 months or more continuous insurance coverage (n=1246), the median length of DARA use was 24.7 months; by 24 months, 51.8% remained on DARA treatment. The dose adherence ratios (observed DARA doses relative to the label) were close to 1.0, particularly among patients with longer follow-up, indicating that real-world DARA dosing frequency was similar to that on the approved label. In summary, this real-world analysis reported that the median duration of continuous DARA use is 16.6 months, with high dosing adherence in patients who have MM.

Objective

To determine risk factors for nonelective emergency department visits (NEDVs) and whether primary care visits incorporating risk mitigation tools prevented NEDVs among patients using long-term opioid therapy (LOT).

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively searched the electronic health records at Mayo Clinic primary care outpatient practices in Arizona and Florida in all of 2018 and 2019 for the records of individual adult patients using LOT. Patient and clinician demographic characteristics and patient risk factors were compared between patients with and without risk mitigation visits. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for NEDVs.

Results

Among 457 patients using LOT identified during the study period, most were women (n=266, 58.2%), and the median age was 69 years. Long-term opioid therapy risk mitigation visits were performed equally by family medicine and internal medicine clinicians and by a significantly higher proportion of Florida clinicians than Arizona clinicians (87.0% vs 70.5%; P<.001). Older age, falls, and mental health care utilization all increased the risk of NEDVs. Risk mitigation visits were protective against NEDVs (odds ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.35-0.89; P=.01) after adjustment for older age, falls, and mental health care utilization.

Conclusion

Risk mitigation visits are effective in preventing NEDVs, and all patients using LOT should have such visits when possible.

Objective

To evaluate the impact of age and COVID-19 variant time period on morbidity and mortality among those hospitalized with COVID-19.

Patients and Methods

Patients from the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines COVID-19 cardiovascular disease registry (January 20, 2020-February 14, 2022) were divided into groups based on whether they presented during periods of wild type/alpha, delta, or omicron predominance. They were further subdivided by age (young: 18-40 years; older: more than 40 years), and characteristics and outcomes were compared.

Results

The cohort consisted of 45,421 hospitalized COVID-19 patients (wild type/alpha period: 41,426, delta period: 3349, and omicron period: 646). Among young patients (18-40 years), presentation during delta was associated with increased odds of severe COVID-19 (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3-2.1), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.5), and in-hospital mortality (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.5-3.3) when compared with presentation during wild type/alpha. Among older patients (more than 40 years), presentation during delta was associated with increased odds of severe COVID-19 (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.3), MACE (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.4-1.7), and in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.3-1.6) when compared with wild type/alpha. Among older patients (more than 40 years), presentation during omicron associated with decreased odds of severe COVID-19 (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.5-0.9) and in-hospital mortality (OR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.5-0.9) when compared with wild type/alpha.

Conclusion

Among hospitalized adults with COVID-19, presentation during a time of delta predominance was associated with increased odds of severe COVID-19, MACE, and in-hospital mortality compared with presentation during wild type/alpha. Among older patients (aged more than 40 years), presentation during omicron was associated with decreased odds of severe COVID-19 and in-hospital mortality compared with wild type/alpha.

Objective

To evaluate the fulfillment and validity of the kidney health evaluation for people with diabetes (KED) Healthcare Effectiveness Data Information Set (HEDIS) measure.

Patients and Methods

Optum Labs Data Warehouse (OLDW) was used to identify the nationally distributed US population aged 18 years and older, with diabetes, between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017. The OLDW includes deidentified medical, pharmacy, laboratory, and electronic health record (EHR) data. The KED fulfillment was defined in 2017 as both estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio testing within the measurement year. The KED validity was assessed using bivariate analyses of KED fulfillment with diabetes care measures in 2017 and chronic kidney disease (CKD) diagnosis and evidence-based kidney protective interventions in 2018.

Results

Among eligible 5,635,619 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, 736,875 Medicare advantage (MA) beneficiaries, and 660,987 commercial patients, KED fulfillment was 32.2%, 38.7%, and 37.7%, respectively. Albuminuria testing limited KED fulfillment with urinary albumin-creatinine ratio testing (<40%) and eGFR testing (>90%). The KED fulfillment was positively associated with receipt of diabetes care in 2017, CKD diagnosis in 2018, and evidence-based kidney protective interventions in 2018. The KED fulfillment trended lower for Black race, Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibility status, low neighborhood income, and low education status.

Conclusion

Less than 40% of adults with diabetes received guideline-recommended testing for CKD in 2017. Routine KED was associated with diabetes care and evidence-based CKD interventions. Increasing guideline-recommended testing for CKD among people with diabetes should lead to timely and equitable CKD detection and treatment.

Objective

To examine in-hospital stroke onset metrics and outcomes, quality of care, and mortality compared with out-of-hospital stroke in a single community-based primary stroke center.

Patients and Methods

Medical records of in-hospital stroke onset were compared with out-of-hospital stroke onset alert data between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2019. Time-sensitive stroke process metric data were collected for each incident stroke alert. The primary focus of interest was the time-sensitive stroke quality metrics. Secondary focus pertained to thrombolysis treatment or complications, and mortality. Descriptive and univariable statistical analyses were applied. Kruskal-Wallis and χ² tests were used to compare median values and categorical data between prespecified groups. The statistical significance was set at α=0.05.

Results

The out-of-hospital group reported a more favorable response to time-sensitive stroke process metrics than the in-hospital group, as measured by median stroke team response time (15.0 vs 26.0 minutes; P≤.0001) and median head computed tomography scan completion time (12.0 vs 41.0 minutes; P=.0001). There was no difference in the stroke alert time between the 2 groups (14.0 vs 8.0 minutes; P=.089). Longer hospital length of stay (4 vs 3 days; P=.004) and increased hospital mortality (19.3% vs 7.4%; P=.0032) were observed for the in-hospital group.

Conclusions

The key findings in this study were that time-sensitive stroke process metrics and stroke outcome measures were superior for the out-of-hospital groups compared with the in-hospital groups. Focusing on improving time-sensitive stroke process metrics may improve outcomes in the in-hospital stroke cohort.

Home-based interventions are at the center stage of current health care demands. There is a clear need to translate pulmonary rehabilitation into a home-based setting. This 8-week pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility of a home-based physical activity program for participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Sweden. Patients with COPD, aged 40 years or older and clinically stable in the past 3 months, were recruited. The program used a fitness tracker to monitor step count, weekly health coaching calls using motivational interviewing, and video-guided mindful movements. The outcome measures were adherence to the 8-week program’s video-guided exercises (number of times videos were watched), adherence to health coaching calls (minimum 8), monthly and daily step count, and quality of life (QoL) using the chronic respiratory questionnaire. Thirteen participants were enrolled, and 12 participants adhered to health coaching calls and step monitoring. We had 643 video-exercise views, which exceeded the minimum standard (576 views). The mean difference comparing total monthly steps from baseline and the 8-week time point was 47,039 steps (95% CI, –113,625 to 1623.5; P=.06). The minimal clinical improvement of 500 daily steps was found for 8 of the patients. No significant improvement was found in the QoL measures and mental health. We found the home-based physical activity program to be a feasible intervention. Patients reported high adherence to tracking step counts, health coaching calls, and video-guided exercise. No improvements in QoL or monthly step count emerged; however, we found high adherence and a positive trend in the number of monthly step counts, and improvements of at least 500 daily step counts improved in most patients with this small sample size.

Supernumerary nipples develop on the chest and abdominopelvic regions along the embryonic milk line. Their anatomy varies from isolated accessory nipples to complete supernumerary nipples (accessory nipple, areola, and underlying glandular breast tissue). Patients with a pathogenic BReast CAncer (BRCA) sequence variation are at an increased cumulative risk of developing breast cancer, and it is the standard of care for them to be offered medical or surgical risk reduction. Given the relatively low prevalence of breast cancer within supernumerary nipples and ectopic glandular breast tissue, no current recommendations exist to guide multidisciplinary management of patients with BRCA sequence variations and ectopic breast tissue. Our case is of a 62-year-old female BRCA-1 carrier with a previous history of right breast cancer who developed a new primary breast cancer within a supernumerary nipple after undergoing surgical risk reduction. With no current consensus on the surgical management of supernumerary nipples in BRCA-1 carriers, our recommendation is to perform a thorough physical examination before risk-reducing operation. If supernumerary nipples or ectopic glandular breast tissue are present, wide-local excision of the tissue should be offered for more complete surgical risk reduction.

The incidence and prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) are increasing globally and have a marked economic burden in the United States. The American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines recommend exercise therapy as a Class 1A, but its utilization remains suboptimal. This state-of-the-art review aims to provide a comprehensive review of the most updated information available on PAD, along with its risk factors, management options, outcomes, economic burden, and the role of exercise therapy in managing PAD.