Quality Indicators of End-of-Life Care Among Privately Insured People With Cancer in Brazil.

PURPOSE: To examine quality indicators of end-of-life (EOL) care among privately insured people with cancer in Brazil. METHODS: We evaluated medical records linked to health insurance databank to study consecutive patients who died of cancer. We collected information about demographics, cancer type, and quality indicators of EOL care including emergency department (ED) visits, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, chemotherapy use, medical imaging utilization, blood transfusions, home care support, days of inpatient care, and hospital deaths. RESULTS: We included 865 patients in the study. In the last 30 days of life, 62% visited the ED, 33% were admitted to the ICU, 24% received blood transfusions, and 51% underwent medical imaging. Only 1% had home care support in the last 60 days of life, and 29% used chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life. Patients had an average of 8 days of inpatient care and 52% died in the hospital. Patients with advanced cancer who used chemotherapy were more likely to visit the ED (78% vs 59%; P < .001), undergo medical imaging (67% vs 51%; P < .001), and die in the hospital (73% vs 50%; P = .03) than patients who did not use chemotherapy. In the multivariate analysis, chemotherapy use near death and advanced cancer were associated with ED visits and ICU admissions, respectively (odds ratio >1). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that privately insured people with cancer receive poor quality EOL care in Brazil. Further research is needed to assess the impact of improvements in palliative care provision in this population.

Central venous saturation: a prognostic tool in cardiac surgery patients.

BACKGROUND: Central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO(2)) is a valuable prognostic marker in sepsis. However, its value in cardiac surgery has not been assessed yet. This study aimed at evaluating ScvO(2) as a tool for predicting short-term organ dysfunction (OD) after cardiac surgery. METHODS: A prospective cohort including cardiac surgery patients submitted to a goal-oriented therapy to maintain ScvO(2) above 70% was studied. Postoperative blood samples collected at 30 minutes (T1), 6 hours (T2), and 24 hours (T3) for ScvO(2) measurement were selected to further analysis. Two groups were formed according to the absence (G0) or presence (G1) of OD defined as a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score >or=5 on the third postoperative day. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the variables independently associated with OD on the third postoperative day. RESULTS: From the 246 patients included, 54 (22%) developed OD and were defined as G1. The mortality rates in G0 and G1 were 1.6% and 31.5%, respectively (P < .001). In the comparative analysis between G0 and G1, the ScvO(2) values were remarkably lower in G1 at T1 (66.2 +/- 9.2 vs 62.3 +/- 11.6; P = .009), T2 (69.6 +/- 5.9 vs 63.5 +/- 9.4; P