The Liverpool alcohol-related liver disease algorithm identifies twice as many emergency admissions compared to standard methods when applied to Hospital Episode Statistics for England.

BACKGROUND: Emergency admissions in England for alcohol-related liver disease (ArLD) have increased steadily for decades. Statistics based on administrative data typically focus on the ArLD-specific code as the primary diagnosis and are therefore at risk of excluding ArLD admissions defined by other coding combinations. AIM: To deploy the Liverpool ArLD Algorithm (LAA), which accounts for alternative coding patterns (e.g., ArLD secondary diagnosis with alcohol/liver-related primary diagnosis), to national and local datasets in the context of studying trends in ArLD admissions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We applied the standard approach and LAA to Hospital Episode Statistics for England (2013-21). The algorithm was also deployed at 28 hospitals to discharge coding for emergency admissions during a common 7-day period in 2019 and 2020, in which eligible patient records were reviewed manually to verify the diagnosis and extract data. RESULTS: Nationally, LAA identified approximately 100% more monthly emergency admissions from 2013 to 2021 than the standard method. The annual number of ArLD-specific admissions increased by 30.4%. Of 39,667 admissions in 2020/21, only 19,949 were identified with standard approach, an estimated admission cost of £70 million in under-recorded cases. Within 28 local hospital datasets, 233 admissions were identified using the standard approach and a further 250 locally verified cases using the LAA (107% uplift). There was an 18% absolute increase in ArLD admissions in the seven-day evaluation period in 2020 versus 2019. There were no differences in disease severity or mortality, or in the proportion of admissions with decompensation of cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis. CONCLUSIONS: The LAA can be applied successfully to local and national datasets. It consistently identifies approximately 100% more cases than the standard coding approach. The algorithm has revealed the true extent of ArLD admissions. The pandemic has compounded a long-term rise in ArLD admissions and mortality.

Pulmonary Vein Thrombosis in the Setting of COVID-19 Infection: A Case Report.

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) affects all three branches of Virchow's triad. It increases the risk of thrombosis and thromboembolic events. Pulmonary embolism and stroke are most commonly reported. However, there is an increasing number of cases demonstrating thrombosis in otherwise uncommon anatomical areas. In this presentation, we will explore the potential causes of pulmonary vein thrombosis secondary to COVID-19.

NCEPOD – alcohol related liver disease care: ‘measuring the units’ 10 years on

The 2013 NCEPOD report ‘Measuring the Units’ reviewed the care of patients who died with alcohol-related liver disease (ArLD) in 2011. It highlighted that the care of patients who died of ArLD was less than good in more than 50% of cases reviewed. Given the ongoing concerns about the variation in outcomes of patients with ArLD, a Survey of the care of patients admitted to hospital with ArLD was commissioned by NCEPOD.All Acute Trusts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were sent the Survey, which required completion based on Trust data and Lead Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist input. The questions covered numbers of admissions and mortality, alcohol screening and withdrawal management, the presence and constitution of an Alcohol Care Team (ACT), triage of decompensated ArLD patients to Gastroenterology/Hepatology and use of the BSG/BASL chronic liver disease care bundle, as well as escalation of care. In view of the impact of COVID-19, the Survey was sent round to Acute Trusts in January 2021 interrogating information from 2019.ResultsNCEPOD received responses from 145 Acute Trusts including District General Hospitals, regional Liver Units as well as Liver Transplant Units. This included 20,876 ArLD admissions and 2481 deaths in hospital, constituting 11.9% of admissions), with a wide variation in the numbers of reported admissions and deaths between Trusts. The use of symptom-triggered alcohol withdrawal scale (CIWA-Ar) was only 9.9% in the original report, but was employed on specific wards in 88.2% of Trusts in this Survey. The presence of a multidisciplinary ACT increased from 23.2% of Trusts in 2011 to 51.9%, although only 20% of Trusts responding had a Consultant Lead with dedicated sessions. 78% of Trusts stated that they triage patients with decompensated cirrhosis to a Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist and 70% of responding Trusts stated that they used BSG/BASL decompensated chronic liver disease care bundle. The responding clinician reported that it was subjectively more difficult to get patients with decompensated ArLD rather than other forms of cirrhosis into Critical Care in 28.3% of Trusts. Only 23% of ArLD patients who died had coded evidence of palliative care input.ConclusionsThis Survey compares specific aspects of care in patients with ArLD between 2011 and 2019 and indicates that there have been noteworthy improvements in certain areas of care provision, but also points to where attention is required in order to achieve consistent, high-quality care for this patient group, who have a high in-patient mortality.

A coordinated national response maintained a safe and effective UK liver transplant program during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

P091 Figure 1Number of livers from UK deceased doners offered, retrieved and transplanted, 4 February 2020 to 5 April 2021[Figure omitted. See PDF]DiscussionA sophisticated national response has maintained a safe and effective UK LT program throughout the first year of COVID. We adapted our resources, implementing phased donor restrictions and a new category for recipient prioritisation. Patients benefitted from collaborative working, enabling those in most need to be transferred and transplanted in protected centres. Consequently, we mitigated against a significant fall in LT activity. Our collaborative response serves as an as exemplar for other specialist healthcare services.

Increasing burden of alcohol-related liver disease in the UK associated with the coronavirus pandemic

During the first UK national coronavirus pandemic lockdown (Mar-Jul 2020), alcohol sales increased 30% in supermarkets. Surveys reported that 20% of people increased their alcohol consumption and numbers of high-risk drinkers increased by 13%. Post-lockdown, clinicians noted high numbers of alcohol-related liver disease (ArLD)-related admissions. We hypothesised that greater alcohol consumption in high-risk drinkers contributed to this increase. We conducted a national service evaluation to document the number and severity of unplanned ArLD hospital admissions pre- and post-lockdown.We performed a retrospective service evaluation in 28 UK hospitals of all unplanned admissions during a one-week period in August 2019 and the same period in August 2020. The protocol was approved by the lead site’s Clinical Audit Department and registered at participating sites. We applied a validated coding algorithm that more accurately identifies ArLD admissions than using only ArLD codes in the primary diagnosis.1 Eligible cases were manually reviewed and data extracted into a pre-designed collection tool. Data collected included demographics, diagnosis, alcohol use and liver disease severity scores, which were compared between evaluation periods.There was an 18% absolute increase in unplanned hospital admissions for patients with ArLD in the evaluation period in 2020 compared to 2019 (263 vs 223). Demographics were similar between the two periods (mean age 55;37% female). In-hospital mortality was similar (9.0% vs 7.2%) and there were no differences between proportions of patients with complications of liver disease including variceal bleeding and alcoholic hepatitis. Patients in both evaluation periods had similar severity of liver disease with mean Child Pugh score of 8 and MELD 14. Those with alcoholic hepatitis had mean MELD 20 (SD 7.5) and discriminant function 90 (SD 70).In the post-lockdown period, there were more active alcohol drinkers (151 vs 196;75% vs 68%) than pre-lockdown. Mean consumption per patient was higher (154 vs 127 units alcohol/week;p=0.02). More patients reported drinking spirits post- vs pre-lockdown (31% vs 22%;p=0.06).This national service evaluation demonstrates an increase in unplanned ArLD hospital admissions post-lockdown with patients reporting heavier alcohol use. Although there were no differences in clinical presentations or outcomes, these patients have advanced liver disease with high short-term mortality. These data suggest the pandemic has disproportionately affected high-risk drinkers and demonstrate the heavy burden of ArLD in the UK. There is an ongoing need to develop long-term strategies to improve these patients’ outcomes.Kallis, et al. Aliment Pharm Therap 2020;52:182–95.

New dimensions for hospital services and early detection of disease: a Review from the Lancet Commission into liver disease in the UK.

This Review, in addressing the unacceptably high mortality of patients with liver disease admitted to acute hospitals, reinforces the need for integrated clinical services. The masterplan described is based on regional, geographically sited liver centres, each linked to four to six surrounding district general hospitals-a pattern of care similar to that successfully introduced for stroke services. The plan includes the establishment of a lead and deputy lead clinician in each acute hospital, preferably a hepatologist or gastroenterologist with a special interest in liver disease, who will have prime responsibility for organising the care of admitted patients with liver disease on a 24/7 basis. Essential for the plan is greater access to intensive care units and high-dependency units, in line with the reconfiguration of emergency care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This Review strongly recommends full implementation of alcohol care teams in hospitals and improved working links with acute medical services. We also endorse recommendations from paediatric liver services to improve overall survival figures by diagnosing biliary atresia earlier based on stool colour charts and better caring for patients with impaired cognitive ability and developmental mental health problems. Pilot studies of earlier diagnosis have shown encouraging progress, with 5-6% of previously undiagnosed cases of severe fibrosis or cirrhosis identified through use of a portable FibroScan in primary care. Similar approaches to the detection of early asymptomatic disease are described in accounts from the devolved nations, and the potential of digital technology in improving the value of clinical consultation and screening programmes in primary care is highlighted. The striking contribution of comorbidities, particularly obesity and diabetes (with excess alcohol consumption known to be a major factor in obesity), to mortality in COVID-19 reinforces the need for fiscal and other long delayed regulatory measures to reduce the prevalence of obesity. These measures include the food sugar levy and the introduction of the minimum unit price policy to reduce alcohol consumption. Improving public health, this Review emphasises, will not only mitigate the severity of further waves of COVID-19, but is crucial to reducing the unacceptable burden from liver disease in the UK.

Rapid Implementation of Telecritical Care Support During a Pandemic: Lessons Learned During the Coronavirus Disease 2020 Surge in New York City.

OBJECTIVES: We describe the key elements for a New York City health system to rapidly implement telecritical care consultative services to a newly created ICU during the coronavirus disease 2020 patient surge. DESIGN: This was a rapid quality-improvement initiative using public health decrees, a HIPAA-compliant and device-agnostic telemedicine patform, and a group of out-of-state intensivist volunteers to enhance critical care support. Telecritical care volunteers initially provided on-demand consults but then shifted to round twice daily with housestaff in a 12-bed newly created ICU. SETTING: A 457-bed safety net hospital in the Bronx, NY, during the pandemic. SUBJECTS: The 12-bed newly created ICU was staffed by a telecritical care attending, a cardiology fellow, and internal medicine residents. INTERVENTION: Prior to the intervention, the ad hoc ICU was staffed by a cardiology fellow as the attending of record, with critical care support on demand. The intervention involved twice daily rounding with an out-of-state, volunteer intensivist. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Volunteers logged 352 encounters. Data from 26 unique encounters during the initial on-demand consult pilot study of tele-ICU support were recorded. The most common interventions were diagnostic test interpretation, ventilator management, and sedation change. The majority of housestaff felt the new tele-ICU service improved the quality of care of patients and decreased anxiety of taking care of complex patients. Likewise, the majority of volunteers expressed making significant alterations to care, and 100% believed critical care input was needed for these patients. The largest lessons learned centered around mandating the use of the telecritical care volunteers and integration into a structured format of rounding. CONCLUSIONS: The need for rapid implementation of ICUs during a major public health crisis can be challenging. Our pilot study supports the feasibility of using an out-of-state telecritical care service to support ICUs, particularly in areas where resources are limited.

A Rationale for Use of High Flow Nasal Cannula for Select Patients With Suspected or Confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 Infection.

Infection with the novel 2019 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with the development of a viral pneumonia with severe hypoxemia and respiratory failure. In many cases these patients will require mechanical ventilation; but in others the severity of disease is significantly less and may not need invasive support. High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a widely used modality of delivering high concentrations of oxygen and airflow to patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure, but its use in patients with SARS-CoV-2 is poorly described. Concerns with use of HFNC have arisen including aerosolization of viral particles to healthcare workers (HCW) to delaying intubation and potentially worsening of outcomes. However, use of HFNC in other coronavirus pandemics and previous experimental evidence suggest HFNC is low risk and may be effective in select patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. With the significant increase in resource utilization in care of patients with SARS-CoV-2, identification of those that may benefit from HFNC allowing allocation of ventilators to those more critically ill is of significant importance. In this manuscript, we review pertinent literature regarding the use of HFNC in the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and address many concerns regarding its use.