Predictors of length of stay in an acute psychiatric inpatient facility in a general hospital: a prospective study

Objective: There have been significant reductions in numbers of psychiatric beds and length of stay (LOS) worldwide, making LOS in psychiatric beds an interesting outcome. The objective of this study was to find factors measurable on admission that would predict LOS in the acute psychiatric setting. Methods: This was a prospective, observational study. Results: Overall, 385 subjects were included. The median LOS was 25 days. In the final model, six variables explained 14.6% of the variation in LOS: not having own income, psychiatric admissions in the preceding 2 years, high Clinical Global Impression and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores, diagnosis of schizophrenia, and history of attempted suicide. All variables were associated with longer LOS, apart from history of attempted suicide. Conclusions: Identifying patients who will need to stay longer in psychiatric beds remains a challenge. Improving knowledge about determinants of LOS could lead to improvements in the quality of care in hospital psychiatry.

Cognition and functioning in bipolar depression

Objectives: Depressive symptoms are associated with worse outcomes in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). However, scarce data are available regarding neurocognitive profiles across different areas of functioning among BD patients with moderate and severe depression. Our objective was to assess cognition and global functioning in a group of patients with bipolar depression. Methods: Data were available for 100 patients with bipolar depression (78% female) and 70 controls (64% female) paired by age and education level. Cognitive function was assessed with a neuropsychological test battery. Functioning was assessed with the Functioning Assessment Short Test. Results: In patients, severe depression was associated with poorer cognitive performance on measures of executive function. Patients with severe depression showed worse global functioning than those with moderate depression (z = 2.54, p = 0.011). In patients with severe depression, lower global functioning was associated with lower scores in working memory (r = -0.200, p = 0.010), and executive function (r = -0.210, p = 0.007; and r = 0.293, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings suggest cognitive impairment and global functioning impairment are associated with the severity of depressive symptoms in bipolar depression. Intensive treatment of depressive symptoms in patients with BD is crucial to improve cognitive functioning and, consequently, functional outcomes.

Attentional bias modification based on visual probe task: methodological issues, results and clinical relevance / Modificação de viés atencional com base em tarefa de atenção visual: questões metodológicas, resultados e relevância clínica

Introduction: Attentional bias, the tendency that a person has to drive or maintain attention to a specific class of stimuli, may play an important role in the etiology and persistence of mental disorders. Attentional bias modification has been studied as a form of additional treatment related to automatic processing. Objectives: This systematic literature review compared and discussed methods, evidence of success and potential clinical applications of studies about attentional bias modification (ABM) using a visual probe task. Methods: The Web of Knowledge, PubMed and PsycInfo were searched using the keywords attentional bias modification, attentional bias manipulation and attentional bias training. We selected empirical studies about ABM training using a visual probe task written in English and published between 2002 and 2014. Results: Fifty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. Most (78%) succeeded in training attention in the predicted direction, and in 71% results were generalized to other measures correlated with the symptoms. Conclusions: ABM has potential clinical utility, but to standardize methods and maximize applicability, future studies should include clinical samples and be based on findings of studies about its effectiveness.

Introdução: O viés atencional, definido como a tendência a direcionar ou manter a atenção focada em uma classe específica de estímulos, pode ter um papel importante na etiologia e manutenção dos transtornos mentais. A modificação do viés atencional tem sido estudada como forma adicional de tratamento dirigida ao processamento automático. Objetivos: Esta revisão sistemática da literatura compara e discute questões metodológicas, evidências de resultados positivos e potenciais aplicações clínicas dos estudos sobre a modificação do viés atencional (MVA) baseados em uma tarefa de atenção visual. Métodos: As bases de dados Web of Knowledge, PubMed e PsycInfo foram pesquisadas usando os descritores attentional bias modification, attentional bias manipulation e attentional bias training. Foram selecionados estudos empíricos sobre treinamento para MVA baseados em tarefa de atenção visual escritos em inglês e publicados entre 2002 e 2014. Resultados: Cinquenta e sete estudos atenderam aos critérios de inclusão. A maioria (78%) obteve sucesso no treinamento da atenção na direção prevista, e 71% tiveram seus resultados generalizados a outras medidas correlacionadas com os sintomas. Conclusões: A MVA tem utilidade clínica potencial, mas, para atingir a padronização de métodos e a maximização de sua aplicabilidade, estudos futuros deverão incluir amostras clínicas e ser baseados nos resultados dos estudos sobre sua eficácia.

Prediction of Poor Outcome in Coma Patients Resuscitated from Cardiac Arrest due to Submersion

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to predict poor outcomes in coma patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest due to submersion. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 27 submersion victims who were comatose for more than 6 hours after cardiac arrest. Vegetative state and death (GOS 1-2) were classified as poor outcomes whereas all other outcomes (GOS 3-5) were classified as good outcomes. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiologic, eletrophysiologic, and treatment variables were evaluated for their usefulness in predicting outcome. RESULTS: Of the 27 patients, 9 (33%) presented with good outcomes. Among the many variables, a GCS score of 3-5 in the first 24 hours, absence of pupillary reactions in the first 24 hours or on day 3, motor response to pain flexion or less (M1 - 3) or no motor response to pain (M1) in the first 24 hours or on day 3, bilateral absence of N20 on SEP showed significant differences between the two outcome groups (p<0.05). Prognostic factors with 100% specificity for prediction of poor outcome included absence of pupillary reactions in the first 24 hours or on day 3, no motor response to pain (M1) on day 3, and bilateral absence of N20 on SEP. CONCLUSION: The factors including chest radiography, body temperature, and laboratory findings which were associated with submersion showed no significant differences between the good and the poor outcome groups. Absence of pupillary reactions in the first 24 hours or on day 3, no motor response to pain (M1) on day 3, and bilateral absence of N20 on SEP helped predict poor outcome in submersion patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest.

The Outcome of Percutaneous Intervention of the Superficial Femoral Artery and the Predictors of its Patency

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Percutaneous intervention has become an established technique in the treatment of peripheral arterial obstructive disease. This study was performed to evaluate the procedural success and long-term outcome of percutaneous intervention of the superficial femoral artery (SFA), and to determine the factors that influence the long-term outcome. SUBJECTS AND MEHTODS: Eighty-eight consecutive lesions, in 76 subjects (mean age 65) with chronic lower limb ischemia and SFA obstruction, diagnosed with angiography were included in this study. The angiographic success was defined as residual stenosis <30% and the clinical success as an improvement by at least one clinical category. The clinical patency was defined as an absence of symptom recurrence and target lesion revascularization during the follow up period. The predictors of the outcome were also determined. RESULTS: Balloon angioplasty only was performed in 39 lesions and thrombolysis only in 2, whereas stenting was performed in 47 lesions. Seventy four of the 88 attempts (84%) at recanalization were angiographically successful, while 73 (83%) experienced clinical improvement. The twelve month patency was 67%. Critical ischemia (versus intermittent claudication)(relative risk 4.2, p=0.020) and renal failure (relative risk 4.1, p=0.016) were independent negative predictors of the patency. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous intervention of the SFA yielded a high procedural success rate, with an acceptable long-term outcome. Symptoms of critical ischemia and renal failure were predictive of a low long-term patency.