Procalcitonin as a marker of serious bacterial infections in febrile children younger than 3 years old.

OBJECTIVES: There is no perfectly sensitive or specific test for identifying young, febrile infants and children with occult serious bacterial infections (SBIs). Studies of procalcitonin (PCT), a 116-amino-acid precursor of the hormone calcitonin, have demonstrated its potential as an acute-phase biomarker for SBI. The objective of this study was to compare performance of serum PCT with traditional screening tests for detecting SBIs in young febrile infants and children. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter study on a convenience sample from May 2004 to December 2005. The study was conducted in four emergency departments (EDs): one pediatric ED and three EDs with pediatric units, all with academic faculty on staff. A total of 226 febrile children 36 months old or younger who presented to the four participating EDs and were evaluated for SBI by blood, urine, and/or cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) cultures were included. RESULTS: The test characteristics (with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of the white blood cell (WBC) counts including neutrophil and band counts were compared with PCT for identifying SBI. Thirty children had SBIs (13.3%, 95% CI = 8.85 to 17.70). Four (13.3%) had bacteremia (including one with meningitis), 18 (60.0%) had urinary tract infections (UTIs), and eight (26.6%) had pneumonia. Children with SBIs had higher WBC counts (18.6 × 10(9)  ± 8.6 × 10(9) cells/L vs. 11.5 × 10(9)  ± 5.3 × 10(9) cells/L, p < 0.001), higher absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs; 10.6 × 10(9)  ± 6.7 × 10(9) cells/L vs. 5.6 × 10(9)  ± 3.8 × 10(9) cells/L, p = 0.009), higher absolute band counts (0.90 × 10(9)  ± 1.1 × 10(9) cells/L vs. 0.35 × 10(9)  ± 0.6 × 10(9) cells/L, p = 0.009), and higher PCT levels (2.9 ± 5.6 ng/mL vs. 0.4 ± 0.8 ng/mL, p = 0.021) than those without SBIs. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, the absolute band count and PCT were the two screening tests independently associated with SBI, although the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for PCT was the largest (0.80, 95% CI = 0.71 to 0.89). CONCLUSIONS: Procalcitonin is a more accurate biomarker than traditional screening tests for identifying young febrile infants and children with serious SBIs. Further study on a larger cohort of young febrile children is required to definitively determine the benefit of PCT over traditional laboratory screening tests for SBIs.

Obesity and overweight in ethnic minorities of the Detroit metropolitan area of Michigan.

Race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors influence the prevalence of obesity and overweight, which are major public health problems. Our objectives were (1) to calculate the prevalence of self-reported obesity and overweight in whites, blacks, Chaldeans, and Arabs in the Detroit metropolitan area; and (2) to examine the odds for self-reported overweight and obesity in the racial and ethnic minorities when compared to whites. The responses to a self-administered survey conducted among the adult residents (n = 2,883) of the Detroit metropolitan area of Michigan were analyzed. Prevalence of overweight and obesity were 47.4 and 34.6 % respectively for the whole sample, while it was 39.9 and 43.6 % for whites, 42.3 and 47.8 % for blacks, 46.2 and 30.3 % for Chaldeans, and 52.2 and 28.5 % for Arabs. The odds for obesity was significantly lower in Arabs [odds ratio (OR) 0.31; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.13-0.72] and Chaldeans (OR 0.14; 95 % CI 0.06-0.33) when compared to whites. Chaldeans (OR 0.36; 95 % CI 0.15-0.86) had significantly decreased likelihood for being overweight compared to whites. Odds for obesity and overweight can vary in the different ethnic minorities within whites. Sharing similar living conditions decreases the differences in the odds for overweight and obesity between whites and blacks. Taking into consideration the racial and ethnic differences of the target population may help in developing better programs for fighting overweight and obesity.

Health effects associated with geographical area of residence during the 1991 Gulf War: a comparative health study of Iraqi soldiers and civilians.

CONTEXT: Although Iraqis sustained the gravest exposure conditions during the 1991 Gulf War (GW), little is known about the possible relationship between environmental exposures during the GW and long-term health in Iraqis. OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between distance from Kuwait during the GW and somatic health among Iraqi Soldiers vs civilians. METHODS: A survey questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 742 GW veterans and 413 civilians in Iraq. The odds ratios were calculated for somatic disorders as a function of distance from Kuwait during the GW, as well as a self-reported environmental exposure index. RESULTS: Soldiers reported a significantly higher prevalence of somatic disorders as compared to civilians. Soldiers closest to Kuwait reported significantly more somatic disorders as compared to Soldiers deployed further away from Kuwait. CONCLUSION: Iraqi GW veterans are at an increased risk of numerous somatic disorders. Soldiers are at an increased risk compared to civilians, suggesting that war-associated exposures are of etiologic relevance.

Evidence of disparity in the application of quality improvement efforts for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction: the American College of Cardiology's Guidelines Applied in Practice Initiative in Michigan.

BACKGROUND: Racial disparities exist in the management of patients with cardiovascular disease in the United States. The aim of the study was to evaluate if a structured initiative for improving care of patients with acute myocardial infarction (Guidelines Applied in Practice [GAP]) led to comparable care of white and nonwhite patients admitted to GAP hospitals in Michigan. METHODS: Medicare patients comprised 2 cohorts: (1) those admitted before GAP implementation (n = 1,368) and (2) those admitted after GAP implementation (n = 1,489). The main outcome measure was adherence to guideline-based medications/recommendations and use of the GAP discharge tool. chi(2) and Fisher exact tests were used to determine differences between white patients (n = 2,367) and nonwhite patients (n = 490). RESULTS: In-hospital GAP tool and aspirin use significantly improved for white and nonwhite patients. beta-Blocker use in hospital improved significantly for nonwhite patients only (66% vs 83.3%; P = .04). At discharge, nonwhite patients were 28% and 64% less likely than white patients to have had the GAP discharge tool used (P = .004) and receive smoking cessation counseling (P < .001), respectively. Among white patients, GAP improved discharge prescription rates for aspirin by 10.8% (P < .001) and beta-blockers by 7.0% (P = .047). Nonwhite patients' aspirin prescriptions increased by 1.0% and beta-blocker prescriptions decreased by 6.0% (both P values nonsignificant). CONCLUSIONS: The GAP program led to significant increases in rates of evidence-based care in both white and nonwhite Medicare patients. However, nonwhite patients received less quality improvement discharge tool and smoking cessation counseling. Policies designed to reduce racial disparities in health care must address disparity in the delivery of quality improvement programs.

Variation in physician deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis attitudes and practices at an academic tertiary care center.

BACKGROUND: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) remains a major cause of in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Effective DVT prophylaxis is available but underutilized. We sought to describe physician understanding of DVT epidemiology and prophylaxis practices. METHODS: All medical and surgical residents, and hospitalist attendings were invited to participate in an on-line survey. Physicians were queried about DVT epidemiology, risk factors, prophylaxis practices, and complications. Means and standard deviations were calculated for ordinal responses. χ² was used for dichotomous variables. RESULTS: Of 281 doctors emailed, 69/160 (43%) medical residents, 26/72 (36%) surgical residents, and 21/49 (43%) hospitalist attendings participated. All three overestimated DVT incidence and morbidity. Surgical residents listed paralysis as high risk and minor surgery as a low/no risk factor. Medical residents thought heart failure and varicose veins were low/no risk for developing DVT. Regarding prophylaxis, surgical residents did not identify ambulation as a prophylactic measure, and were more likely to use SCDs, compression stockings, and enoxaparin, while medical residents and hospitalist attendings prescribed unfractionated heparin most frequently. Medical residents reported that they would hold anticoagulants for comorbidities most frequently, but all 3 groups agreed that anticoagulant prophylaxis would not significantly increase bleeding risks. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of DVT risk factors and prophylaxis practices vary by both physician specialty and attending/resident status. Prophylaxis practice differences may result from these perceptions.

Receipt of cardiac medications upon discharge among men and women with acute coronary syndrome and nonobstructive coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with nonobstructive epicardial coronary artery disease (CAD) remains poorly understood. HYPOTHESIS: Acute coronary syndrome patients with nonobstructive CAD are less likely to receive effective cardiac medications upon discharge from the hospital. METHODS: We identified patients hospitalized with ACS that underwent coronary angiography and had a 6-month follow-up. Patients were grouped by CAD severity: nonobstructive CAD (<50% blockage in all vessels) or obstructive CAD (> or =50% blockage in > or = 1 vessels). Data were collected on demographics, medications at discharge, and adverse outcomes at 6 months, for all patients. RESULTS: Of the 2264 ACS patients included in the study: 123 patients had nonobstructive CAD and 2141 had obstructive CAD. Cardiac risk factors including hypertension and diabetes were common among patients with nonobstructive CAD. Men and women with nonobstructive CAD were less likely to receive cardiac medications compared to patients with obstructive CAD including aspirin (87.8% vs 95.0%, P = 0.001), beta-blockers (74.0% vs 89.2%, P < 0.001), or statins (69.1% vs 81.2%, P = 0.001). No gender-related differences in discharge medications were observed for patients with nonobstructive CAD. However, women with nonobstructive CAD had similar rates of cardiac-related rehospitalization as men with obstructive CAD (23.3% and 25.9%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with nonobstructive CAD are less likely to receive evidence-based medications compared to patients with obstructive CAD, despite the presence of CAD risk factors and occurrence of an ACS event. Further research is warranted to determine if receipt of effective cardiac medications among patients with nonobstructive CAD would reduce cardiac-related events.

Effects of a refugee elective on medical student perceptions.

BACKGROUND: There are growing numbers of refugees throughout the world. Refugee health is a relatively unstudied and rarely taught component of medical education. In response to this need, a Refugee Health Elective was begun. Medical student perceptions toward cultural aspects of medicine and refugee health before and after participation in the elective were measured. METHODS: Preliminary questionnaires were given to all preclinical students at the academic year commencement with follow-up questionnaires at the refugee elective's conclusion. Both questionnaires examined students' comfort in interacting with patients and familiarity with refugee medical issues, alternative medical practices, and social hindrances to medical care. The preliminary answers served as a control and follow-up questionnaire data were separated into participant/non-participant categories. All preclinical medical students at two Midwestern medical schools were provided the opportunity to participate in the Refugee Health Elective and surveys. The 3 data groups were compared using unadjusted and adjusted analysis techniques with the Kruskall-Wallis, Bonferroni and ANCOVA adjustment. P-values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: 408 and 403 students filled out the preliminary and follow-up questionnaires, respectfully, 42 of whom participated in the elective. Students considering themselves minorities or multilingual were more likely to participate. Elective participants were more likely to be able to recognize the medical/mental health issues common to refugees, to feel comfortable interacting with foreign-born patients, and to identify cultural differences in understanding medical/mental health conditions, after adjusting for minority or multilingual status. CONCLUSION: As medical schools integrate a more multicultural curriculum, a Refugee Health Elective for preclinical students can enhance awareness and promote change in attitude toward medical/mental health issues common to refugees. This elective format offers tangible and effective avenues for these topics to be addressed.

Factors associated with self-reported depression in Arab, Chaldean, and African Americans.

BACKGROUND: Although depression is a chronic illness with high morbidity and personal and economic losses, little is known about depression in immigrants with an Arab or Chaldean ethnic background. OBJECTIVES: Our primary objective was to determine the overall and ethnicity-specific prevalence of self-reported depression in Arab Americans, Chaldean Americans, and African Americans in the Midwest. The secondary objective was to evaluate the associations between potential risk and protective factors and the presence of self-reported depression. METHOD: A total of 3543 adults were recruited from the Arab and Chaldean communities in Metropolitan Detroit. The sample in this study was restricted to those of Arab, Chaldean, and African ethnic backgrounds, resulting in 81.2% of the original sample (n=2878). A health assessment survey questionnaire was administered. RESULTS: The overall rate of self-reported depression was 18.2%. The highest rate of depression was found in Arab American participants (23.2%), followed by African Americans (15%) and Chaldeans (13.3%). Self-reported prevalence of depression by country of origin differed significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show the need to provide culturally competent mental health services for Arab Americans and other minority American subgroups. Research is needed to identify risk factors, preferably modifiable factors, and to ascertain which factors are similar and non-similar to the general American population.

The association between guideline-based treatment instructions at the point of discharge and lower 1-year mortality in Medicare patients after acute myocardial infarction: the American College of Cardiology's Guidelines Applied in Practice (GAP) initiative in Michigan.

BACKGROUND: The American College of Cardiology's Guidelines Applied in Practice (GAP) initiative for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been shown to increase the use of guideline-based therapies and improve outcomes in patients with AMI. It is unknown whether hospitals that are more successful in using the standard discharge contract--a key component of GAP that emphasizes guideline-based medications, lifestyle modification, and follow-up planning--experience a proportionally greater improvement in patient outcomes. METHODS: Medicare patients treated for AMI in all 33 participating GAP hospitals in Michigan were enrolled. We aggregated the hospitals into 3 tertiles based on the rates of discharge contract use: 0% to 8.4% (tertile 1), >8.4% to 38.0% (tertile 2), and >38.0% to 61.1% (tertile 3). We analyzed 1-year follow-up mortality both pre- and post-GAP and compared the mortality decline post-GAP with discharge contract use according to tertile. RESULTS: There were 1368 patients in the baseline (pre-GAP) cohort and 1489 patients in the post-GAP cohort. After GAP implementation, mortality at 1 year decreased by 1.2% (P = .71), 1.2% (P = .68), and 6.0% (P = .03) for tertiles 1, 2, and 3, respectively. After multivariate adjustment, discharge contract use was significantly associated with decreased 1-year mortality in tertile 2 (odds ratio 0.43, 95% CI 0.22-0.84) and tertile 3 (odds ratio 0.45, 95% CI 0.27-0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Increased hospital utilization of the standard discharge contract as part of the GAP program is associated with decreased 1-year mortality in Medicare patient populations with AMI. Hospital efforts to promote adherence to guideline-based care tools such as the discharge contract used in GAP may result in mortality reductions for their patient populations at 1 year.

Disaster modeling: medication resources required for disaster team response.

INTRODUCTION: Responses to disasters involve many factors beyond personnel, such as medical and non-medical equipment and supplies. When disaster teams respond, they must do so with sufficient amounts of medicine and supplies to manage all of the patients expected for several days before re-supply. In order for this process to be efficient and expedient, accurate and advanced planning for supplies needed by disaster workers is necessary. These supplies must provide for general medical care and for hazard-specific problems. OBJECTIVE: To develop a model that provides the framework for determining supply requirements for the National Disaster Medical System, Disaster Medical Assistance Teams, or other responding disaster teams in a civilian environment. METHODS: A community hospital was modeled to determine patient characteristics when presenting to an emergency department (ED), including patient demographics and chief complaint, medications administered during the ED visit and prescribed at discharge, and laboratory tests ordered to assess disaster team supply requirements. Data were downloaded from a patient tracking software package and abstracted from various hospital data information systems. Data from the community hospital were compared with data published from two hurricane disasters by members of the National Disaster Medical System. RESULTS: To the extent possible, the model predicted the proportion of patient complaints and, therefore, the medicine and supplies needed for the management of these patients. CONCLUSION: This model offers a first step in preparing disaster medical teams for deployment.

ST-segment depression on the initial electrocardiogram in acute myocardial infarction-prognostic significance and its effect on short-term mortality: A report from the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction (NRMI-2, 3, 4).

This study analyzed 255,256 patients who had acute myocardial infarction and were enrolled in the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction 2, 3, and 4 (1994 to 2002). The objective was to determine in-hospital mortality rate among patients who had ST-segment depression on the initial electrocardiogram. Patients who had ST-segment depression had an in-hospital mortality rate (15.8%) similar to that of patients who had ST-segment elevation or left bundle branch block (15.5%). After adjusting for observed differences, ST-segment depression was associated with only a slightly lower odds ratio (0.91) of mortality compared with ST-segment elevation or left bundle branch block.

The association between white blood cell count and acute myocardial infarction in-hospital mortality: findings from the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction.

OBJECTIVES: Although cross-sectional and prospective studies have shown that the white blood cell (WBC) count is associated with long-term mortality for patients with ischemic heart disease, the role of the WBC count as an independent predictor of short-term mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been examined as extensively. The objective of this study was to determine whether the WBC count is associated with in-hospital mortality for patients with ischemic heart disease after controlling for potential confounders. METHODS: From July 31, 2000, to July 31, 2001, the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction 4 enrolled 186,727 AMI patients. A total of 115,273 patients were included in the analysis. RESULTS: WBC counts were subdivided into intervals of 1,000/mL, and in-hospital mortality rates were determined for each interval. The distribution revealed a J-shaped curve. Patients with WBC counts >5,000/mL were subdivided into quartiles, whereas patients with WBC counts <5,000/mL were assigned to a separate category labeled "subquartile" and were analyzed separately. A linear increase in in-hospital mortality by WBC count quartile was found. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for the fourth versus the first quartile showed strong associations with in-hospital mortality among the entire population and by gender: 4.09 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 3.83 to 4.73) for all patients, 4.31 (95% CI = 3.93 to 4.73) for men, and 3.65 (95% CI = 3.32 to 4.01) for women. Following adjustment for covariates, the magnitude of the ORs attenuated, but the ORs remained highly significant (OR, 2.71 [95% CI = 2.53 to 2.90] for all patients; OR, 2.87 [95% CI = 2.59 to 3.19] for men; OR, 2.61 [95% CI = 2.36 to 2.99] for women). Reperfused patients had consistently lower in-hospital mortality rates for all patients and by gender (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The WBC count is an independent predictor of in-hospital AMI mortality and may be useful in assessing the prognosis of AMI in conjunction with other early risk-stratification factors. Whether elevated WBC count is a marker of the inflammatory process or is a direct risk factor for AMI remains unclear. Given the simplicity and availability of the WBC count, the authors conclude that the WBC count should be used in conjunction with other ancillary tests to assess the prognosis of a patient with AMI.

Mortality benefit of immediate revascularization of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in patients with contraindications to thrombolytic therapy: a propensity analysis.

CONTEXT: There are no definitive recommendations for the management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients with ST-segment elevation who have contraindications to thrombolytic therapy. It is not clear whether, and the extent to which, immediate mechanical reperfusion (IMR) reduces in-hospital mortality in this population. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether IMR (defined as percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft surgery) is associated with a mortality benefit in patients with acute ST-segment elevation AMI who are eligible for IMR but have contraindications to thrombolytic therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: From June 1994 to January 2003, the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction 2, 3, and 4 enrolled 1 799 704 patients with AMI. A total of 19 917 patients with acute ST-segment elevation were eligible for IMR but had thrombolytic contraindications after excluding patients who were transferred in from or out to other facilities, patients who received intracoronary thrombolytics, and those who received no medications within 24 hours of arrival. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: In-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Of the 19 917 patients, 4705 patients (23.6%) received IMR and 5173 patients (25.9%) died. In-hospital mortality rates in the IMR and non-IMR treated groups in the unadjusted analysis were 11.1%, representing 521 of 4705 patients, and 30.6%, representing 4652 of 15 212 patients, respectively, for a risk reduction of 63.7% (odds ratio [OR], 0.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26-0.31). In a further analysis using a propensity matching score to reduce the effects of bias, 3905 patients who received IMR remained at lower risk for in-hospital mortality than 3905 matched patients (10.9% vs 20.1%, respectively, for a risk reduction of 45.8%; OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.43-0.55). Following a second logistic model applied to the matched groups to adjust for residual differences, a significant treatment effect persisted (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.56-0.75). CONCLUSIONS: In this population, IMR was associated with a reduced risk of in-hospital mortality after appropriate adjustments. Of those we studied who were eligible for IMR, 15 212 patients (76.4%) did not receive it. These results suggest that using IMR in patients with acute ST-segment elevation AMI and contraindications to thrombolytics should be strongly considered.

The prevalence of latex-specific IgE in patients presenting to an urban emergency department.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Since the first report of immediate hypersensitivity to latex was documented in 1979, latex allergy has been increasingly recognized as a medical problem in patient populations. However, there are no data available regarding the seroprevalence of latex sensitization in patients presenting to the emergency department. The overall aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of latex IgE seropositivity (L-IgE) in ED patients. METHODS: We measured latex-specific IgE antibodies among a convenience sample of 1,027 patients using the AlaSTAT assay. We also measured serum IgE antibodies specific for 12 common inhalant allergens using the AlaTOP Microplate Allergy Screen assay. Demographic data were collected. Two questions related to latex allergy were queried. Descriptive statistics are presented. Point estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each seroprevalence test. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were used to assess the relationship between sex, race, and seropositivity to inhalant allergens and L-IgE. RESULTS: The participation rate was 90% (1,027). The mean age of the patients was 46.9 years, 47.6% (489) were male, and 13.9% (143) were white. Eighty-four (8.2%; 95% CI 6.5% to 10.0%) had positive L-IgE results, and 23.8% (20) of patients with positive L-IgE results were classified as having strongly positive results. Bivariate analyses showed that being nonwhite (OR 4.7; 95% CI 1.5 to 15.1) and being seropositive for inhalant allergens (OR 7.4; 95% CI 4.2 to 13.1) were associated with L-IgE. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of latex sensitization in our sampling is substantial and higher than previously estimated in the general adult population. The clinical significance of seropositivity requires further evaluation.