Asymptomatic Patient Testing After 10:1 Pooling Using the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 Assay.

OBJECTIVES: Pool testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) preserves testing resources at the risk of missing specimens through specimen dilution. METHODS: To determine whether SARS-CoV-2 specimens would be missed after 10:1 pooling, we identified 10 specimens with midrange (ie, 25-34 cycles) and 10 with late (ie, >34-45 cycles) crossing threshold (Ct) values and tested these both neat and after 10:1 pooling. Final test results and Ct changes were compared. RESULTS: Overall, 17 of 20 specimens that contained SARS-CoV-2 were detected after 10:1 pooling with the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 Assay (Cepheid), rendering an 85% positive percentage of agreement. All 10 of 10 specimens with an undiluted Ct in the mid-Ct range were detected after 10:1 pooling, in contrast to 7 of 10 with an undiluted Ct in the late-Ct range. The overall Ct difference between the neat testing and the 10:1 pool was 2.9 cycles for the N2 gene target and 3 cycles for the E gene target. The N2 gene reaction was more sensitive than the E gene reaction, detecting 16 of 20 positive specimens after 10:1 pooling compared with 9 of 20 specimens. CONCLUSIONS: An 85% positive percentage of agreement was achieved, with only specimens with low viral loads being missed following 10:1 pooling. The average impact on both reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions within this assay was about 3 cycles.

A Technology-Enabled Concussion Care Pathway Reduces Costs and Enhances Care.

BACKGROUND: The standardization of care along disease lines is recommended to improve outcomes and reduce health care costs. The multiple disciplines involved in concussion management often result in fragmented and disparate care. A fundamental gap exists in the effective utilization of rehabilitation services for individuals with concussion. PURPOSE: The purpose of this project was to (1) characterize changes in health care utilization following implementation of a concussion carepath, and (2) present an economic evaluation of patient charges following carepath implementation. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study. METHODS: A review of electronic medical and financial records was conducted of individuals (N = 3937), ages 18 to 45 years, with primary diagnosis of concussion who sought care in the outpatient or emergency department settings over a 7-year period (2010-2016). Outcomes including encounter length, resource utilization, and charges were compared for each year to determine changes from pre- to post-carepath implementation. RESULTS: Concussion volumes increased by 385% from 2010 to 2015. Utilization of physical therapy increased from 9% to 20% while time to referral decreased from 72 to 23 days post-injury. Utilization of emergency medicine and imaging were significantly reduced. Efficient resource utilization led to a 20.7% decrease in median charges (estimated ratio of means [CI] 7.72 [0.53, 0.96]) associated with concussion care. LIMITATIONS: Encounter lengths served as a proxy for recovery time. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of the concussion carepath was successful in optimizing clinical practice with respect to facilitating continuity of care, appropriate resource utilization, and effective handoffs to physical therapy. The utilization of enabling technology to facilitate the collection of common outcomes across providers was vital to the success of standardizing clinical care without compromising patient outcomes.

A technology-enabled electronic incident report to document and facilitate management of sport concussion: A cohort study of youth and young adults.

Despite the widespread awareness of concussion across all levels of sport, the management of concussion from youth to college is inconsistent and fragmented. A fundamental gap contributing to inconsistent care is the lack of a scalable, systematic approach to document initial injury characteristics following concussion. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in injury profiles and management of youth, high school, and college athletes using a mobile application for incident report documentation.A cohort study was conducted in which concussion electronic incident report data from 46 high schools and colleges, and Cleveland Clinic ambulatory concussion clinics were gathered and analyzed.In sum, 1421 (N = 88 youth, N = 1171 high school and N = 162 college) athletes with sport-related concussions were included.Despite the relative absence of red flags, youth athletes had a greater probability of being sent to the emergency department than high school and collegiate athletes. Over 60% of athletes were removed from play immediately post-injury. Injury recognition was delayed in 25% of athletes due to delayed symptom reporting (20% of males, 16% of females) or delayed symptom onset (5% of males, 9% of females). A significantly greater incidence of red flags was evident in males, and in high school and collegiate athletes compared to youth athletes.The high frequency of youth athletes sent to the emergency department, despite the absence of red flags, may be a reflection of inadequate medical coverage at youth events, ultimately resulting in unnecessary utilization of emergency medicine services. The relatively high incidence of delayed injury reporting implies that additional educational efforts targeting student-athletes and the utilization of resources to improve injury detection are warranted. The systematic collection of injury-related demographics through the electronic mobile application facilitated interdisciplinary communication and improved the efficiency of managing athletes with concussion.

Development and Implementation of a Multi-Disciplinary Technology Enhanced Care Pathway for Youth and Adults with Concussion.

The evidence-informed standardization of care along disease lines is recommended to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. The aim of this project is to 1) describe the development and implementation of the Concussion Carepath, 2) demonstrate the process of integrating technology in the form of a mobile application to enable the carepath and guide clinical decision-making, and 3) present data on the utility of the C3 app in facilitating decision-making throughout the injury recovery process. A multi-disciplinary team of experts in concussion care was formed to develop an evidence-informed algorithm, outlining best practices for the clinical management of concussion along three phases of recovery - acute, subacute, and post-concussive. A custom mobile application, the Cleveland Clinic Concussion (C3) app was developed and validated to provide a platform for the systematic collection of objective, biomechanical outcomes and to provide guidance in clinical decision-making in the field and clinical environments. The Cleveland Clinic Concussion app included an electronic incident report, assessment modules to measure important aspects of cognitive and motor function, and a return to play module to systematically document the six phases of post-injury rehabilitation. The assessment modules served as qualifiers within the carepath algorithm, driving referral for specialty services as indicated. Overall, the carepath coupled with the C3 app functioned in unison to facilitate communication among the interdisciplinary team, prevent stagnant care, and drive patients to the right provider at the right time for efficient and effective clinical management.

Normative Performance on the Balance Error Scoring System by Youth, High School, and Collegiate Athletes.

CONTEXT: Annually, more than 1 million youth athletes in the United States receive or are suspected of receiving a concussion. The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) is the most commonly used clinical balance evaluation designed to provide a better understanding of the motor-control processes of individuals with concussion. Despite the widespread use of the BESS, a fundamental gap exists in applying this tool to young athletes, as normative values are lacking for this population. OBJECTIVE: To determine age- and sex-specific normative values for the BESS in youth, high school, and collegiate athletes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Local youth sport organizations, high schools, and colleges. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Student-athletes (N = 6762) completed preseason baseline concussion testing as part of a comprehensive concussion-management program. Groups were youth males aged 5 to 13 years (n = 360), high school males aged 14 to 18 years (n = 3743), collegiate males aged 19 to 23 years (n = 497), youth females aged 5 to 13 years (n = 246), high school females aged 14 to 18 years (n = 1673), and collegiate females aged 19 to 23 years (n = 243). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Errors according to the BESS specifications. RESULTS: Performance on the BESS was worse ( P < .01) in youth athletes than in high school and collegiate athletes. In the youth and high school cohorts, females exhibited better scores than males ( P < .05). Sex was not a factor for collegiate athletes. Data from the youth cohort were further subdivided into 4-year bins to evaluate potential motor-development differences. The error count was highest for 5- to 9-year-old males and decreased with age. CONCLUSIONS: Performance on the BESS depended on sex and age, particularly in youth athletes. These sex- and age-specific normative values provide a reference to facilitate and unify clinical decision making across multiple providers caring for youth athletes with concussions.

Cleveland Clinic Postural Stability Index Norms for the Balance Error Scoring System.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the widespread utilization of the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) in the evaluation of concussion, it has been criticized for its error-based scoring that is susceptible to floor and ceiling effects and substantial inter-rater variability. A biomechanical outcome, Cleveland Clinic Postural Stability Index (CC-PSI), has been developed as an alternative to subjective BESS scoring. The CC-PSI uses inertial sensor data within a mobile device to provide an objective measure of postural sway during the BESS. This project aimed to determine the effect of age and sex on the CC-PSI and report normative values for healthy, active children, adolescents, and young adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 6762 student-athletes completed BESS testing. Participants were stratified according to three age groups for each sex. The groups included the following: youth (age, 5-13 yr), males (n = 360), females (n = 246); high school (age, 14-18 yr), males (n = 3743), females (n = 1673); and college (age, 19-23 yr), males (n = 497), females (n = 243). Percentile rankings were determined for each participant to characterize movement of COM in the medial-lateral, anterior-posterior, and trunk rotation directions relative to the entire cohort during the BESS stances. RESULTS: Overall, postural stability was worse in youth compared with high school and collegiate athletes. Specifically, the CC-PSI was significantly worse in youth male athletes compared with high school and collegiate male athletes (P < 0.001). Females exhibited significantly better scores compared with males in youth and high school cohorts (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The CC-PSI provides a quantitative, objective measure of postural stability, overcoming the limitations associated with conventional BESS scoring. Optimal concussion management should use objective age- and sex-specific values in the evaluation of postural stability. The normative values of the CC-PSI may be used in the absence of a baseline BESS evaluation to aid clinical decision making.

Short-term Outcomes Following Concussion in the NFL: A Study of Player Longevity, Performance, and Financial Loss.

BACKGROUND: A short-term protocol for evaluation of National Football League (NFL) athletes incurring concussion has yet to be fully defined and framed in the context of the short-term potential team and career longevity, financial risk, and performance. PURPOSE: To compare the short-term career outcomes for NFL players with concussions by analyzing the effect of concussions on (1) franchise release rate, (2) career length, (3) salary, and (4) performance. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: NFL player transaction records and publicly available injury reports from August 2005 to January 2016 were analyzed. All players sustaining documented concussions were evaluated for a change to inactive or DNP ("did not participate") status. A case-control design compared franchise release rates and remaining NFL career span. Career length was analyzed via survival analysis. Salary and performance differences were analyzed with publicly available contract data and a performance-scoring algorithm based on position/player level. RESULTS: Of the 5894 eligible NFL players over the 11-year period, 307 sustained publicly reported concussions resulting in the DNP injury protocol. Analysis of the probability of remaining in the league demonstrated a statistically significantly shorter career length for the concussion group at 3 and 5 years after concussion. The year-over-year change in contract value for the concussion group resulted in a mean overall salary reduction of $300,000 ± $1,300,000 per year (interquartile range, -$723,000 to $450,000 per year). The performance score reduction for all offensive scoring players sustaining concussions was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: This retrospective study demonstrated that NFL players who sustain a concussion face a higher overall franchise release rate and shorter career span. Players who sustained concussions may incur significant salary reductions and perform worse after concussion. Short-term reductions in longevity, performance, and salary after concussion exist and deserve additional consideration.

Rehabilitation following an acute traumatic first rib fracture in a collegiate football player: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Isolated fractures involving the first rib are rare and often difficult to diagnose. There is a paucity of literature regarding isolated fractures and even fewer reported cases involving those due to contact. The purpose of this case report is to describe the mechanism of injury, differential diagnosis, rehabilitation, and return to sport decision making for an isolated first rib fracture secondary to acute trauma in a collegiate football player. CASE DESCRIPTION: An 18 year-old right-hand dominant male collegiate football player was involved in a facemask-to-facemask collision during a football game while playing defensive back. His chief complaint during the sideline evaluation was left-sided neck and shoulder pain with concomitant clicking reported with active movement of his left shoulder. OUTCOMES: A musculoskeletal ultrasound performed in the training room suggested a possible scapular spine fracture. However, a subsequent magnetic resonance image revealed an acute isolated anterolateral fracture of the first rib. The subject was treated conservatively with extensive rehabilitation and was able to return to full participation for summer training camp as well as the fall football season at the same level of play as prior to injury. DISCUSSION: An isolated first rib fracture is extremely rare due to the unique anatomical location of the first rib posterior to the clavicle, as well as the surrounding shoulder girdle and associated layer of musculature. Identifying this injury can be challenging due to vaguely reported symptoms and the paucity of reported incidences. In the setting of an isolated injury, conservative management including structured rehabilitation can lead to successful outcomes and return to play. This is the first published rehabilitation guideline for an acute isolated first-rib fracture secondary to trauma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 - Single case report.