Management of acute coronary occlusion during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: experience of complications in a hospital without on site facilities for cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty may be safely performed in cardiology centres in the United Kingdom without immediate on site cardiac surgical cover for complications arising at angioplasty. DESIGN--Retrospective review of coronary angioplasties and complications in a hospital without on site cardiac surgical cover. SETTING--All angioplasties were performed in the catheterisation laboratory of the Belfast City Hospital. Revascularisation surgery for complicated coronary angioplasty was performed in the cardiac surgical unit of the Royal Victoria Hospital, 2.4 km away from the catheterisation laboratory. PATIENTS--540 Coronary angioplasties were performed on 512 patients between late 1982 and November 1988. Indications included stable angina, unstable rest angina, and suitable coronary disease at coronary arteriography after myocardial infarction. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--In hospital mortality after complicated coronary angioplasty and delay to surgical revascularisation after acute coronary occlusion at angioplasty. RESULTS--Coronary angioplasty was successful in 444 cases (82%). Acute coronary occlusion occurred in 35 cases (6.5%). Twelve patients required urgent revascularisation surgery and were transferred safely to the surgical unit; none of these patients died. A mean delay of 268 minutes (range 180-390 minutes) occurred before revascularisation compared with 273 minutes (range 108-420 minutes) in the Royal Victoria Hospital, where on site surgical cover was available. The principal cause of delay was the wait for a cardiac operating theatre to become available and not the transfer time between hospitals. Five deaths occurred after coronary angioplasty, a mortality of 0.9%. Three deaths were related to acute coronary occlusion. The absence of immediate surgical help did not influence the outcome in any patient. CONCLUSION--With careful selection of patients coronary angioplasty may be safely performed in a hospital without on site cardiac surgical facilities, provided that these are available at a nearby centre.     

Pseudo-aortic dissection after primary PCI

A 49-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of an acute anteroseptal wall myocardial infarction. The patient had no previous coronary artery or heart disease. Chest pain with radiation to the left shoulder associated with severe transpiration and nausea had been present since one hour before presentation. After transportation to the catheterisation laboratory she underwent a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedure of the left anterior descending coronary artery which was occluded after the first septal branch. A bare metal stent (Vision, Guidant) was implanted. The other coronary arteries showed no significant lesions.     

Prognosis for South Asian and white patients newly admitted to hospital with heart failure in the United Kingdom: historical cohort study

Objectives To compare patterns of admission to hospital and prognosis in white and South Asian patients newly admitted with heart failure, and to evaluate the effect of personal characteristics and comorbidity on outcome.Design Historical cohort study.Setting UK district health authority (population 960 000).Participants 5789 consecutive patients newly admitted with heart failure.Main outcome measures Population admission rates, incidence rates for first admission with heart failure, survival, and readmission rates.Results When compared with the white population, South Asian patients had significantly higher age adjusted admission rates (rate ratio 3.8 for men and 5.2 for women) and hospital incidence rates (2.2 and 2.9). Among 5789 incident cases of heart failure, South Asian patients were younger and more often male than white patients (70 (SD 0.6) v 78 (SD 0.1) years and 56.5% (190/336) v 49.3% (2494/5057)). South Asian patients were also more likely to have previous myocardial infarction (10.1% (n = 34) v 5.5% (n = 278)) or concomitant myocardial infarction (18.8% (n = 63) v 10.7% (n = 539)) or diabetes (45.8% (n = 154) v 16.2% (n = 817), all P < 0.001). A trend was shown to longer unadjusted survival for both sexes among South Asian patients. After adjustment for covariables, South Asian patients had a significantly lower risk of death (hazard ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.68 to 0.99) and a similar probability of death or readmission (0.96, 0.81 to 1.09) compared with white patients.Conclusions Population admission rates for heart failure are higher among South Asian patients than white patients in Leicestershire. At first admission South Asian patients were younger and more often had concomitant diabetes or acute ischaemic heart disease than white patients. Despite major differences in personal characteristics and risk factors between white and South Asian patients, outcome was similar, if not better, in South Asian patients.     

STEMI or non-STEMI: that is the question

Acute coronary syndromes are usually classified on the basis of the presence or absence of ST elevation on the ECG: ST-elevation myocardial infarction or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) need immediate therapy, without unnecessary delay and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) should preferably be performed within 90 min after first medical contact. However, in AMI patients without ST-segment elevation (pre) hospital triage for immediate transfer to the catheterisation laboratory may be difficult. Moreover, initial diagnosis and risk stratification take place at busy emergency departments and chest pain units with additional risk of ‘PPCI delay’. Optimal timing of angiography and revascularisation remains a challenge. We describe a patient with NSTEMI who was scheduled for early coronary angiography within 24 h but retrospectively should have been sent to the cath lab immediately because he had a significant amount of myocardium at risk, undetected by non-invasive parameters.     

Early In-Hospital Mortality following Trainee Doctors' First Day at Work

Background

There is a commonly held assumption that early August is an unsafe period to be admitted to hospital in England, as newly qualified doctors start work in NHS hospitals on the first Wednesday of August. We investigate whether in-hospital mortality is higher in the week following the first Wednesday in August than in the previous week.

Methodology

A retrospective study in England using administrative hospital admissions data. Two retrospective cohorts of all emergency patients admitted on the last Wednesday in July and the first Wednesday in August for 2000 to 2008, each followed up for one week.

Principal Findings

The odds of death for patients admitted on the first Wednesday in August was 6% higher (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.15, p = 0.05) after controlling for year, gender, age, socio-economic deprivation and co-morbidity. When subdivided into medical, surgical and neoplasm admissions, medical admissions admitted on the first Wednesday in August had an 8% (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.16, p = 0.03) higher odds of death. In 2007 and 2008, when the system for junior doctors'' job applications changed, patients admitted on Wednesday August 1^st had 8% higher adjusted odds of death than those admitted the previous Wednesday, but this was not statistically significant (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.23, p = 0.24).

Conclusions

We found evidence that patients admitted on the first Wednesday in August have a higher early death rate in English hospitals compared with patients admitted on the previous Wednesday. This was higher for patients admitted with a medical primary diagnosis.     

Fatal opioid overdoses during and shortly after hospital admissions in England: A case-crossover study

BackgroundHospital patients who use illicit opioids such as heroin may use drugs during an admission or leave the hospital in order to use drugs. There have been reports of patients found dead from drug poisoning on the hospital premises or shortly after leaving the hospital. This study examines whether hospital admission and discharge are associated with increased risk of opioid-related death.Methods and findingsWe conducted a case-crossover study of opioid-related deaths in England. Our study included 13,609 deaths between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019 among individuals aged 18 to 64. For each death, we sampled 5 control days from the period 730 to 28 days before death. We used data from the national Hospital Episode Statistics database to determine the time proximity of deaths and control days to hospital admissions. We estimated the association between hospital admission and opioid-related death using conditional logistic regression, with a reference category of time neither admitted to the hospital nor within 14 days of discharge. A total of 236/13,609 deaths (1.7%) occurred following drug use while admitted to the hospital. The risk during hospital admissions was similar or lower than periods neither admitted to the hospital nor recently discharged, with odds ratios 1.03 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.21; p = 0.75) for the first 14 days of an admission and 0.41 (95% CI 0.30 to 0.56; p < 0.001) for days 15 onwards. 1,088/13,609 deaths (8.0%) occurred in the 14 days after discharge. The risk of opioid-related death increased in this period, with odds ratios of 4.39 (95% CI 3.75 to 5.14; p < 0.001) on days 1 to 2 after discharge and 2.09 (95% CI 1.92 to 2.28; p < 0.001) on days 3 to 14. 11,629/13,609 deaths (85.5%) did not occur close to a hospital admission, and the remaining 656/13,609 deaths (4.8%) occurred in hospital following admission due to drug poisoning. Risk was greater for patients discharged from psychiatric admissions, those who left the hospital against medical advice, and those leaving the hospital after admissions of 7 days or more. The main limitation of the method is that it does not control for time-varying health or drug use within individuals; therefore, hospital admissions coinciding with high-risk periods may in part explain the results.ConclusionsDischarge from the hospital is associated with an acute increase in the risk of opioid-related death, and 1 in 14 opioid-related deaths in England happens in the 2 weeks after the hospital discharge. This supports interventions that prevent early discharge and improve linkage with community drug treatment and harm reduction services.

In a case-crossover study, Dan Lewer and coauthors investigate factors associated with fatal opioid overdoses during and shortly after hospital admissions in England.     

Inpatient deaths from acute myocardial infarction, 1982-92: analysis of data in the Nottingham heart attack register.

OBJECTIVE: To assess longitudinal trends in admissions, management, and inpatient mortality from acute myocardial infarction over 10 years. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis based on the Nottingham heart attack register. SETTING: Two district general hospitals serving a defined urban and rural population. SUBJECTS: All patients admitted with a confirmed acute myocardial infarction during 1982-4 and 1989-92 (excluding 1991, when data were not collected). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Numbers of patients, background characteristics, time from onset of symptoms to admission, ward of admission, treatment, and inpatient mortality. RESULTS: Admissions with acute myocardial infarction increased from 719 cases in 1982 to 960 in 1992. The mean age increased from 62.1 years to 66.6 years (P < 0.001), the duration of stay fell from 8.7 days to 7.2 days (P < 0.001), and the proportion of patients aged 75 years and over admitted to a coronary care unit increased significantly from 29.1% to 61.2%. A higher proportion of patients were admitted to hospital within 6 hours of onset of their symptoms in 1989-92 than in 1982-4, but 15% were still admitted after the time window for thrombolysis. Use of beta blockers increased threefold between 1982 and 1992, aspirin was used in over 70% of patients after 1989, and thrombolytic use increased 1.3-fold between 1989 and 1992. Age and sex adjusted odds ratios for inpatient mortality remained unchanged over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Despite an increasing uptake of the "proved" treatments, inpatient mortality from myocardial infarction did not change between 1982 and 1992.     

Standardised pre-hospital care of acute myocardial infarction patients: MISSION! guidelines applied in practice

Background. To improve acute myocardial infarction (AMI) care in the region ‘Hollands-Midden’ (the Netherlands), a standardised guideline-based care program was developed (MISSION!). This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of the pre-hospital part of the MISSION! program and to study potential differences in pre-hospital care between four areas of residency. Methods. Time-to-treatment delays, AMI risk profile, cardiac enzymes, hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, and pre-AMI medication was evaluated in consecutive AMI patients (n=863, 61±13years, 75% male) transferred to the Leiden University Medical Center for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Results. Median time interval between onset of symptoms and arrival at the catheterisation laboratory was 150 (interquartile range [IQR] 101-280) minutes. The alert of emergency services to arrival at the hospital time was 48 (IQR 40-60) minutes and the door-to-catheterisation laboratory time was 23 (IQR 13-42) minutes. Despite significant regional differences in ambulance transportation times no difference in total time from onset of symptoms to arrival at the catheterisation room was found. Peak troponin T was 3.33 (IQR 1.23-7.04) µg/l, hospital stay was 2 (IQR 2-3) days and in-hospital mortality was 2.3%. Twelve percent had 0 known risk factors, 30% had one risk factor, 45% two to three risk factors and 13% had four or more risk factors. No significant differences were observed for AMI risk profiles and medication pre-AMI. Conclusions. This study shows that a standardised regional AMI treatment protocol achieved optimal and uniformly distributed pre-hospital performance in the region ‘Hollands-Midden’, resulting in minimal time delays regardless of area of residence. Hospital stay was short and in-hospital mortality low. Of the patients, 88% had ≥1 modifiable risk factor. (Neth Heart J 2010;18:408-15.)     

Impact of Coronary Dominance on In-Hospital Outcomes after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Objective

This study evaluated the manner in which coronary dominance affects in-hospital outcomes of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background

Previous studies have shown that left dominant coronary anatomies are associated with worse prognoses in patients with coronary artery disease.

Methods

Data were analyzed from 4873 ACS patients undergoing PCI between September 2008 and April 2013 at 14 hospitals participating in the Japanese Cardiovascular Database Registry. The patients were grouped based on diagnostic coronary angiograms performed prior to PCI; those with right- or co-dominant anatomy (RD group) and those with left-dominant anatomy (LD group).

Results

The average patient age was 67.6±11.8 years and both patient groups had similar ages, coronary risk factors, comorbidities, and prior histories. The numbers of patients presenting with symptoms of heart failure, cardiogenic shock, or cardiopulmonary arrest were significantly higher in the LD group than in the RD group (heart failure: 650 RD patients [14.7%] vs. 87 LD patients [18.8%], P = 0.025; cardiogenic shock: 322 RD patients [7.3%] vs. 48 LD patients [10.3%], P = 0.021; and cardiopulmonary arrest: 197 RD patients [4.5%] vs. 36 LD patients [7.8%], P = 0.003). In-hospital mortality was significantly higher among LD patients than among RD patients (182 RD patients [4.1%] vs. 36 LD patients [7.8%], P = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that LD anatomy was an independent predictor for in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 1.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–2.89; P = 0.030).

Conclusion

Among ACS patients who underwent PCI, LD patients had significantly worse in-hospital outcomes compared with RD patients, and LD anatomy was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality.     

Variation in Risk-Standardized Mortality of Stroke among Hospitals in Japan

Despite recent advances in care, stroke remains a life-threatening disease. Little is known about current hospital mortality with stroke and how it varies by hospital in a national clinical setting in Japan. Using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database (a national inpatient database in Japan), we identified patients aged ≥20 years who were admitted to the hospital with a primary diagnosis of stroke within 3 days of stroke onset from April 2012 to March 2013. We constructed a multivariable logistic regression model to predict in-hospital death for each patient with patient-level factors, including age, sex, type of stroke, Japan Coma Scale, and modified Rankin Scale. We defined risk-standardized mortality ratio as the ratio of the actual number of in-hospital deaths to the expected number of such deaths for each hospital. A hospital-level multivariable linear regression was modeled to analyze the association between risk-standardized mortality ratio and hospital-level factors. We performed a patient-level Cox regression analysis to examine the association of in-hospital death with both patient-level and hospital-level factors. Of 176,753 eligible patients from 894 hospitals, overall in-hospital mortality was 10.8%. The risk-standardized mortality ratio for stroke varied widely among the hospitals; the proportions of hospitals with risk-standardized mortality ratio categories of ≤0.50, 0.51–1.00, 1.01–1.50, 1.51–2.00, and >2.00 were 3.9%, 47.9%, 41.4%, 5.2%, and 1.5%, respectively. Academic status, presence of a stroke care unit, higher hospital volume and availability of endovascular therapy had a significantly lower risk-standardized mortality ratio; distance from the patient’s residence to the hospital was not associated with the risk-standardized mortality ratio. Our results suggest that stroke-ready hospitals play an important role in improving stroke mortality in Japan.     

Increased Risk of Acute Pancreatitis in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: An Observational Study Using a Japanese Hospital Database

Background

Increased risks of acute pancreatitis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have been reported recently in several countries. We aimed to estimate the risks of acute pancreatitis in Japanese patients with diabetes mellitus.

Methods/Findings

We examined a large-scale hospital administrative database consisting of one million patients in 16 secondary medical care hospitals, from 2003 to 2010. The incidence rates of acute pancreatitis were estimated with cohort design; the odds ratios associated with diabetes mellitus and other comorbid risk factors were estimated with separate case-control analyses.In cohort analysis, the incidence of acute pancreatitis was higher in 14,707 diabetic patients than in 186,032 non-diabetic patients (4.75 vs. 1.65 per 1,000 patient-years) and increased in male patients and as age advanced. The adjusted odds ratio of acute pancreatitis in patients with diabetes mellitus was 1.86 (P<0.001) compared with non-diabetic patients in case-control analysis from 1,372 cases and 5,469 matched controls, which is consistent with the ones reported in previous studies. Alcoholism and gallstones were associated with a large increase in the risk of acute pancreatitis (adjusted odds ratio 13.40 and 14.29, respectively, P<0.001), although dyslipidemia was associated with significant risk reduction (adjusted odds ratio 0.62, P<0.001).

Conclusions

This observational study ascertained the elevated incidence rates and risk of acute pancreatitis in Japanese patients with diabetes. The risk estimates in Japanese patients with diabetes were in agreement with the ones reported in previous studies, and the elevated risk of acute pancreatitis in patients with diabetes would be generalized in different locations/populations.     

Paediatric Acute Kidney Injury in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria: Prevalence,Causes and Mortality Rate

Background

The modest decline in child mortality in Africa raises the question whether the pattern of diseases associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in children in Nigeria has changed.

Methods

A database of children, aged between one month and 16 years, with AKI (using modified pediatric RIFLE criteria) was reviewed. The cause of AKI was defined as the major underlying disease. The clinical and laboratory features of children with AKI who survived were compared to those who died.

Results

Of the 4 015 children admitted into Lagos University Teaching Hospital between July 2010 and July 2012, 70 episodes of AKI were recorded equalling 17.4 cases per 1000 children. The median age of the children with AKI was 4.8 (range 0.1–14.4) years and 68.6% were males. Acute kidney injury was present in 58 (82.9%) children at admission with 70% in ‘failure’ category. Primary kidney disease (38.6%), sepsis (25.7%) and malaria (11.4%) were the commonest causes. The primary kidney diseases were acute glomerulonephritis (11) and nephrotic syndrome (8). Nineteen (28.4%) children with AKI died. Need for dialysis [odds ratio: 10.04 (2.94–34.33)], white cell >15 000/mm³ [odds ratio: 5.72 (1.65–19.89)] and platelet <100 000/mm³ [odds ratio: 9.56 (2.63–34.77)] were associated with death.

Conclusion

Acute kidney injury is common in children admitted to hospitals. The common causes remain primary kidney diseases, sepsis and malaria but the contribution of sepsis is rising while malaria and gastroenteritis are declining. Acute kidney injury-related mortality remains high.     

Comparison of case fatality in south Asian and white patients after acute myocardial infarction: observational study.

OBJECTIVE--To compare mortality in south Asian (Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi) and white patients in the six months after hospital admission for acute myocardial infarction. DESIGN--Observational study. SETTING--District general hospital in east London. PATIENTS--149 south Asian and 313 white patients aged < 65 years admitted to the coronary care unit with acute myocardial infarction from 1 December 1988 to 31 December 1992. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--All cause mortality in the first six months after myocardial infarction. RESULTS--The admission rate in the south Asians was estimated to be 2.04 times that in the white patients. Most aspects of treatment were similar in the two groups, except that a higher proportion of the south Asians received thrombolytic drugs (81.2% v 73.8%). After adjustment for age, sex, previous myocardial infarction, and treatment with thrombolysis or aspirin, or both, the south Asians had a poorer survival over the six months from myocardial infarction (hazard ratio 2.02 (95% confidence interval 1.14 to 3.56), P = 0.018), but a substantially higher proportion were diabetic (38% v 11%, P < 0.001), and additional adjustment for diabetes removed much of their excess risk (adjusted hazard ratio 1.26 (0.68 to 2.33), P = 0.47). CONCLUSION--South Asian patients had a higher risk of admission with myocardial infarction and a higher risk of death over the ensuing six months than the white patients. The higher case fatality among the south Asians, largely attributable to diabetes, may contribute to the increased risk of death from coronary heart disease in south Asians living in Britain.     

Randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of a chest pain observation unit compared with routine care

Objectives To measure the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of providing care in a chest pain observation unit compared with routine care for patients with acute, undifferentiated chest pain.Design Cluster randomised controlled trial, with 442 days randomised to the chest pain observation unit or routine care, and cost effectiveness analysis from a health service costing perspective.Setting The emergency department at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, United Kingdom.Participants 972 patients with acute, undifferentiated chest pain (479 attending on days when care was delivered in the chest pain observation unit, 493 on days of routine care) followed up until six months after initial attendance.Main outcome measures The proportion of participants admitted to hospital, the proportion with acute coronary syndrome sent home inappropriately, major adverse cardiac events over six months, health utility, hospital reattendance and readmission, and costs per patient to the health service.Results Use of a chest pain observation unit reduced the proportion of patients admitted from 54% to 37% (difference 17%, odds ratio 0.50, 95% confidence interval 0.39 to 0.65, P < 0.001) and the proportion discharged with acute coronary syndrome from 14% to 6% (8%, -7% to 23%, P = 0.264). Rates of cardiac event were unchanged. Care in the chest pain observation unit was associated with improved health utility during follow up (0.0137 quality adjusted life years gained, 95% confidence interval 0.0030 to 0.0254, P = 0.022) and a saving of £78 per patient (-£56 to £210, P = 0.252).Conclusions Care in a chest pain observation unit can improve outcomes and may reduce costs to the health service. It seems to be more effective and more cost effective than routine care.     

The Effect of Hospital Volume on Mortality in Patients Admitted with Severe Sepsis

Importance

The association between hospital volume and inpatient mortality for severe sepsis is unclear.

Objective

To assess the effect of severe sepsis case volume and inpatient mortality.

Design Setting and Participants

Retrospective cohort study from 646,988 patient discharges with severe sepsis from 3,487 hospitals in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2002 to 2011.

Exposures

The exposure of interest was the mean yearly sepsis case volume per hospital divided into tertiles.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Inpatient mortality.

Results

Compared with the highest tertile of severe sepsis volume (>60 cases per year), the odds ratio for inpatient mortality among persons admitted to hospitals in the lowest tertile (≤10 severe sepsis cases per year) was 1.188 (95% CI: 1.074–1.315), while the odds ratio was 1.090 (95% CI: 1.031–1.152) for patients admitted to hospitals in the middle tertile. Similarly, improved survival was seen across the tertiles with an adjusted inpatient mortality incidence of 35.81 (95% CI: 33.64–38.03) for hospitals with the lowest volume of severe sepsis cases and a drop to 32.07 (95% CI: 31.51–32.64) for hospitals with the highest volume.

Conclusions and Relevance

We demonstrate an association between a higher severe sepsis case volume and decreased mortality. The need for a systems-based approach for improved outcomes may require a high volume of severely septic patients.     

Sex differences in case fatality before and after admission to hospital after acute cardiac events: analysis of community based coronary heart disease register.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the reported higher case fatality in hospital after an acute cardiac event in women can be explained by sex differences in mortality before admission and in baseline risk factors. DESIGN: Analyses of data from a community based coronary heart disease register. SETTING: Auckland region, New Zealand. SUBJECTS: 5106 patients aged 25-64 years with an acute cardiac event leading to coronary death or definite myocardial infarction within 28 days of onset, occurring between 1986 and 1992. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Case fatality before admission, 28 day case fatality for patients in hospital, and total case fatality after an acute cardiac event. RESULTS: Despite a more unfavourable risk profile women tended to have lower case fatality before admission than men (crude odds ratio 0.88; 95% confidence interval 0.77 to 1.02). Adjustment for age, living arrangements, smoking, medical history, and treatment increased the effect of sex (0.72; 0.60 to 0.86). After admission to hospital, women had a higher case fatality than men (1.76; 1.43 to 2.17), but after adjustment for confounders this was reduced to 1.18 (0.89 to 1.58). Total case fatality 28 days after an acute cardiac event showed no significant difference between men and women (0.85; 0.70 to 1.02) CONCLUSIONS: The higher case fatality after an acute cardiac event in women admitted to hospital is largely explained by differences in living status, history, and medical treatment and is balanced by a lower case fatality before admission.     

Effects of Gender on Severity,Management and Outcome in Acute Biliary Pancreatitis

Background

We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study to examine gender differences in severity, management, and outcome among patients with acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) because available data are insufficient and conflicting.

Methods

We analyzed 13,110 patients (50.6% male) with first-attack ABP from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2009. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included the development of severe ABP and the provision of treatment measures. Gender difference was assessed using multivariable analyses with generalized estimating equations models.

Results

The odds of gastrointestinal bleeding (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18–1.76) and local complication (aOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.05–1.82) were 44% and 38% higher in men than in women, respectively. Compared with women, men had 24% higher odds of receiving total parenteral nutrition (aOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.00–1.52), but had 18% and 41% lower odds of receiving cholecystectomy (aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.72–0.93) and hemodialysis (aOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.42–0.83), respectively. Hospital mortality was higher in men than in women (1.8% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.001). After adjustment for potential confounders, men had 81% higher odds of in-hospital death than women (aOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.15–2.86). Among patients with severe ABP, hospital mortality was 11.0% and 7.5% in men and women (p<0.001), respectively. The adjusted odds of death remained higher in men than in women with severe ABP (aOR 1.72, 95% CI 1.10–2.68).

Conclusions

Gender is an important determinant of outcome in patients with ABP and may affect their treatment measures.     

Racial Disparities in the Use of Cardiac Revascularization: Does Local Hospital Capacity Matter?

Objective

To assess the extent to which the observed racial disparities in cardiac revascularization use can be explained by the variation across counties where patients live, and how the within-county racial disparities is associated with the local hospital capacity.

Data Sources

Administrative data from Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) between 1995 and 2006.

Study Design

The study sample included 207,570 Medicare patients admitted to hospital for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We identified the use of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures within three months after the patient’s initial admission for AMI. Multi-level hierarchical models were used to determine the extent to which racial disparities in procedure use were attributable to the variation in local hospital capacity.

Principal Findings

Blacks were less likely than whites to receive CABG (9.1% vs. 5.8%; p<0.001) and PCI (15.7% vs. 14.2%; p<0.001). The state-level racial disparity in use rate decreases for CABG, and increases for PCI, with the county adjustment. Higher number of revascularization hospitals per 1,000 AMI patients was associated with smaller within-county racial differences in CABG and PCI rates. Meanwhile, very low capacity of catheterization suites and AMI hospitals contributed to significantly wider racial gap in PCI rate.

Conclusions

County variation in cardiac revascularization use rates helps explain the observed racial disparities. While smaller hospital capacity is associated with lower procedure rates for both racial groups, the impact is found to be larger on blacks. Therefore, consequences of fewer medical resources may be particularly pronounced for blacks, compared with whites.