Development and evaluation of an evidence-based, theory-grounded online Clinical Frailty Scale tutorial.

INTRODUCTION: Frailty is a robust predictor of adverse outcomes in older people. Practice guidelines recommend routine screening for frailty; however, this does not occur regularly. The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is a validated, feasible instrument that can be used in a variety of clinical settings and is associated with many adverse outcomes. Our objective was to develop and evaluate an online training module to guide frailty assessment using the CFS. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team of clinical experts developed an evidence-based, theory-grounded online training module for users who wished to perform frailty assessment using the CFS. The module was prospectively evaluated for user satisfaction, effectiveness and feasibility using a standardised questionnaire. Qualitative feedback was analysed with thematic analysis. RESULTS: Version 1 of the CFS module was used 627 times from 21 October 2019 to 24 March 2020. Satisfaction, effectiveness and feasibility of the module were positively rated (≥4/5 on a 5-point Likert scale n = 582 [93%], n = 507, [81%], n = 575, [91%], respectively). Qualitative feedback highlighted ease of use, likelihood of users to share the module with others and opportunities to increase multimedia content. CONCLUSION: An online tutorial, designed using evidence and theory to guide frailty assessment using the CFS, was positively rated by users. The module's content and structure was rated effective and feasible, and users were satisfied with, and likely to share, the module. Research evaluating the module's impact on the accuracy of frailty assessment is required.

The MedSafer Study-Electronic Decision Support for Deprescribing in Hospitalized Older Adults: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

IMPORTANCE: Scalable deprescribing interventions may reduce polypharmacy and the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs); however, few studies have been large enough to evaluate the impact that deprescribing may have on adverse drug events (ADEs). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of an electronic deprescribing decision support tool on ADEs after hospital discharge among older adults with polypharmacy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a cluster randomized clinical trial of older (≥65 years) hospitalized patients with an expected survival of more than 3 months who were admitted to 1 of 11 acute care hospitals in Canada from August 22, 2017, to January 13, 2020. At admission, participants were taking 5 or more medications per day. Data analyses were performed from January 3, 2021, to September 23, 2021. INTERVENTIONS: Personalized reports of deprescribing opportunities generated by MedSafer software to address usual home medications and measures of prognosis and frailty. Deprescribing reports provided to the treating team were compared with usual care (medication reconciliation). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was a reduction of ADEs within the first 30 days postdischarge (including adverse drug withdrawal events) captured through structured telephone surveys and adjudicated blinded to intervention status. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of patients with 1 or more PIMs deprescribed at discharge and the proportion of patients with an adverse drug withdrawal event (ADWE). RESULTS: A total of 5698 participants (median [range] age, 78 [72-85] years; 2858 [50.2%] women; race and ethnicity data were not collected) were enrolled in 3 clusters and were adjudicated for the primary outcome (control, 3204; intervention, 2494). Despite cluster randomization, there were group imbalances, eg, the participants in the intervention arm were older and had more PIMS prescribed at baseline. After hospital discharge, 4989 (87.6%) participants completed an ADE interview. There was no significant difference in ADEs within 30 days of discharge (138 [5.0%] of 2742 control vs 111 [4.9%] of 2247 intervention participants; adjusted risk difference [aRD] -0.8%; 95% CI, -2.9% to 1.3%). Deprescribing increased from 795 (29.8%) of 2667 control to 1249 (55.4%) of 2256 intervention participants [aRD, 22.2%; 95% CI, 16.9% to 27.4%]. There was no difference in ADWEs between groups. Several post hoc sensitivity analyses, including the use of a nonparametric test to address the low cluster number, group imbalances, and potential biases, did not alter study conclusions. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This cluster randomized clinical trial showed that providing deprescribing clinical decision support during acute hospitalization had no demonstrable impact on ADEs, although the intervention was safe and led to improvements in deprescribing. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03272607.

A prospective feasibility study of MammoSite accelerated partial breast irradiation for early breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Accelerated partial breast irradiation is a potential alternative to standard whole breast irradiation, following breast-conserving surgery, in the management of breast cancer. The MammoSite applicator-based technique allows for the delivery of a higher dose of radiation to the tumour bed and adjacent area, over a shorter treatment period. AIMS: To investigate the long-term feasibility of the MammoSite technique in early stage breast cancer in an Irish cohort. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with early stage breast cancer were enrolled in this prospective study between November 2005 and October 2012 at the University Hospital Galway. A single-entry MammoSite applicator was inserted post-operatively. A CT scan was performed to assess the balloon to skin distance, the conformance of target tissue to balloon surface and balloon symmetry. A total dose of 34 Gy was delivered over 10 fractions twice daily. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 10 years. 91.9% (57/62) completed the full course of MammoSite treatment. Technical issues with the MammoSite balloon precluded three patients from completing the full course of treatment. On last follow-up, 6.4% (4/62) of patients had developed an ipsilateral breast recurrence. Half of these recurrences occurred more than 10 years after the initial breast cancer treatment. The most common toxicities observed were fibrosis (67.7%), pain (61.3%) and skin erythema (35.5%). CONCLUSION: The use of the MammoSite technique, as an alternative to standard whole breast irradiation, is feasible in a typical Irish clinical setting with integrated multidisciplinary team input.

Canceled coronary computed tomography angiography: Downstream testing and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Downstream resource utilization and its impact on outcomes after a canceled CCTA have not been well studied. We sought to understand downstream resource utilization and patient outcomes after canceled CCTA. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive patients were prospectively enrolled into an institutional cardiac CT registry. Patients who had the CCTA study canceled because of severe coronary calcification were followed for downstream resource utilization and the composite of all-cause mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI). 463 patients had their CCTA canceled due to severe coronary calcification and follow-up was available for 453 (97.8%) patients (median follow-up=36.0months). There were a total of 62 events (41 all-cause deaths and 21 non-fatal MI) with an annualized event rate of 4%. Three hundred and twenty patients underwent downstream CAD (ICA or MPI or EST) investigations. Age, NCEP/ATP III risk, beta-blocker use, Agatston and downstream CAD testing were associated with the primary outcome. There were fewer events in those that received downstream CAD testing (30 (9.7%) versus 32 (22.4%)). The annualized event rates for those who did and did not receive downstream CAD testing were 2.8% and 6.2%, respectively. Multivariable analysis confirmed that downstream CAD testing was an independent predictor of event-free survival and that the absence of additional CAD testing was associated with worse outcome (HR: 2.58 (95% CI: 1.54-4.31)). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with canceled CCTA due to severe and/or extensive CAC have high rates of death and non-fatal MI. The use of additional CAD testing appears to be associated with improved outcomes.

Heart failure in HIV infection: focus on the role of atherosclerosis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Since the advent of highly active antiretroviral treatment, accelerated atherosclerosis resulting in coronary artery disease (CAD) has become an area of increasing concern among patients infected with HIV. As CAD has replaced myocarditis and opportunistic infection as the most common cause of heart failure in this population, it is necessary to re-evaluate the specific risks of cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected patients taking into consideration the processes driving atherogenesis. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data illustrating that atazanavir is not associated with an increased risk of CAD argue against a class-wide association of protease inhibitors in HIV treatment and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. C-C chemokine receptor-type 5 has been identified as a potential target for pharmacological therapy to manage the process of atherosclerosis while simultaneously having an antiretroviral effect. Additionally, as the use of statins has recently been associated with new-onset diabetes in the general population, further investigation of this risk in HIV-infected patients is necessary. SUMMARY: HIV-infected patients have an increased risk of CAD and subsequently heart failure. This is likely because of a confluence of several factors including: conventional risk factors, HIV-specific processes driving inflammation, coagulatory pathway and endothelial dysfunction. The benefits of antiretroviral drugs in terms of overall survival rates outweigh the risks of dyslipidemia. The focus of the management of cardiovascular risk remains in the domains of primary and secondary prevention. More accurate risk stratification, which accounts for HIV-specific risk factors, is now increasingly warranted.

The role of statins in chronic heart failure.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To discuss unresolved issues and recent findings regarding the use of statins in heart failure. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data from Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto miocardico--Heart Failure and Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Trial in Heart Failure suggest that statins did not have any effect on outcome despite significant reduction in low-density lipoprotein and high sensitivity C-reactive protein. SUMMARY: Most of the evidence for the use of statins in heart failure originates from retrospective trials and post-hoc analyses, and is not supported by prospective randomized clinical trials. There is no evidence to support initiating statin therapy in patients with symptomatic New York Heart Association II-IV heart failure, regardless of the cause.