A longitudinal assessment of posttraumatic stress symptoms and pain catastrophizing after injury.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: Identifying individuals with high levels of pain catastrophizing (PC) may inform early psychological interventions to prevent the transition from acute to chronic post-injury pain. We examined whether pre-and post-injury posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) predict post-injury PC among emergency department (ED) patients following acute motor vehicle crash (MVC). RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN: This study represents secondary data analysis of a randomized clinical trial (NCT03247179) examining the efficacy of the PTSD Coach app on post-injury PTSS (PTSSpost). Among 63 injured ED patients (63% female; 57% non-White; average age = 37) with moderate pain (≥4 of 10), we assessed recall of pre-injury PTSS (PTSSrecall: stemming from preexisting exposures) and baseline PC within 24 hr post-MVC; PTSSpost stemming from the MVC was assessed 30-days later, and the outcome of PC was assessed at 90-days post-injury. We controlled for group assignment (intervention vs. control) in all analyses. RESULTS: Results revealed that at baseline and 90-days, PC was higher among non-White versus White participants. After adjusting for relevant covariates, PTSSrecall uniquely predicted post-injury PC and each subscale of PC (helplessness, magnification, and rumination). Similarly, after controlling for PTSSrecall and relevant covariates, PTSSpost uniquely predicted total and subscale post-injury PC. Intervention group participants reported less rumination than control group participants. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: These novel findings highlight that injured Black patients may be vulnerable to post-injury PC, and that both PTSSrecall and PTSSpost significantly predict post-injury PC. Brief PTSS assessment in the ED can identify high-risk patients who may benefit from early intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

One-year outcomes in individual domains of the cerebral performance category extended.

BACKGROUND: Physical and cognitive impairments are common after cardiac arrest, and recovery varies. This study assessed recovery of individual domains of the Cerebral Performance Category- Extended (CPC-E) 1-year after cardiac arrest. We hypothesized patients would have recovery in all CPC-E domains 1-year after the index cardiac arrest. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of cardiac arrest survivors evaluating outcome measures mRS, CPC, and CPC-E. Outcomes were assessed at discharge, 3-months, 6-months, and 1-year. We defined recovery of a CPC-E domain when >90% of patients had scores of 1-2 in that domain. RESULTS: Of 156 patients discharged, 57 completed the CPC-E at discharge, and were included in the analysis. 37 patients had follow-up at 3-months, and 23 patients had follow-up at 6 and 12 months. Only 16 patients had assessments at all four timepoints. Domains of alertness (N = 56, 98%) logical thinking (N = 56; 98%), and attention (N = 55; 96%) recovered by hospital discharge. BADL (N = 34; 92%) and motor skills (N = 36; 97%) recovered by 3-months. Most patients (N = 20; 87%) experienced slight-to-no disability or symptoms (mRS 0-2/CPC 1-2) at 1-year follow up. CPC-E domains of short term memory (78%), mood (87%), fatigue (22%), complex ADL (78%), and return to work (65%) did not recover by 1-year. CONCLUSIONS: CPC-E domains of alertness, logical thinking, and attention recover rapidly, while domains of short term memory, mood, fatigue, complex ADL and return to work remain chronically impaired 1-year after cardiac arrest. These deficits are not detected by mRS and CPC. Interventions to improve recovery in these domains are needed.

The role of specific sources of social support on postinjury psychological symptoms.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: The role of perceived social support from specific sources (e.g., families, friends, and significant others) on the development of postinjury posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated psychological symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety) remains relatively unexplored. We examined the predictive role of social support from specific sources on psychological symptoms among emergency department (ED) patients following motor vehicle crash (MVC). Research Methods/Design: Sixty-three injured patients (63.5% female; 37 years old on average) with moderately painful complaints were recruited in the EDs of two Level-1 trauma centers within 24 hr post-MVC. In the ED, participants completed surveys of baseline psychological symptoms and perceived social support; follow-up surveys were completed at 90 days postinjury. RESULTS: Most of the sample (84.1%) was discharged home from the ED with predominantly mild injuries and did not require hospitalization. After adjusting for race, sex, age, and baseline symptoms, hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that lower perceived social support in the ED predicted higher PTSD symptoms and depressive symptoms (but not anxiety) at 90 days. This effect seemed to be specific to significant others and friends but not family. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: MVC-related injuries are robust contributors to psychological sequelae. These findings extend prior work by highlighting that perceived social support, particularly from significant others and friends, provides unique information regarding the development of psychological symptoms following predominantly mild MVC-related injuries. This data may serve to inform recovery expectations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Event centrality following treatment for physical injury in the emergency department: Associations with posttraumatic outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between event centrality (i.e., the degree to which a stressful event is integrated into one's identity) and acute posttraumatic outcomes after relatively minor physical injury is unknown. We examined pre-injury and Emergency Department (ED) predictors of event centrality at 6-weeks post-injury, and whether event centrality is uniquely associated with 6-week posttraumatic outcomes. METHODS: In the EDs of two Level I trauma centers, 149 patients completed surveys regarding demographic, psychological and injury-related factors within 24 h post-injury; 84 patients (51% male) completed 6-week surveys of event centrality, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and trauma-specific QOL (T-QoL). Data were analyzed using linear regression modeling. RESULTS: At least 20% of patients agreed or strongly agreed that the injury changed their life. Hospitalization status and peritraumatic dissociation were significant predictors of event centrality at 6-weeks. After controlling for demographics, ED-related factors and pre-injury PTSS, event centrality was uniquely associated with PTSS (p < .001) and T-QOL (p < .001) at 6 weeks. CONCLUSION: Over and above the effects of the injury itself, event centrality conveyed important information for posttraumatic outcomes at 6 weeks post-injury. The centrality scale is brief and feasible to administer; future work is needed to determine the predictive utility of event centrality on post-injury outcomes.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the PTSD Coach App Following Motor Vehicle Crash-related Injury.

OBJECTIVE: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (PTSS) are common after minor injuries and can impair recovery. We sought to understand whether an evidence-based mobile phone application with self-help tools (PTSD Coach) could be useful to improve recovery after acute trauma among injured emergency department (ED) patients. This pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and potential benefit of using PTSD Coach among acutely injured motor vehicle crash (MVC) patients. METHODS: From September 2017 to September 2018, we recruited adult patients within 24 hours post-MVC from the EDs of two Level I trauma centers in the United States. We randomly assigned 64 injured adults to either the PTSD Coach (n = 33) or treatment as usual (TAU; n = 31) condition. We assessed PTSS and associated symptoms at 1 month (83% retained) and 3 months (73% retained) postenrollment. RESULTS: Enrollment was feasible (74% of eligible subjects participated) but usability and engagement were low (67% used PTSD Coach at least once, primarily in week 1); 76% of those who used it rated the app as moderately to extremely helpful. No differences emerged between groups in PTSS outcomes. Exploratory analyses among black subjects (n = 21) indicated that those in the PTSD Coach condition (vs. TAU) reported marginally lower PTSS (95% CI = -0.30 to 37.77) and higher PTSS coping self-efficacy (95% CI = -58.20 to -3.61) at 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated feasibility to recruit acutely injured ED patients into an app-based intervention study, yet mixed evidence emerged for the usability and benefit of PTSD Coach. Most patients used the app once and rated it favorably in regard to satisfaction with and helpfulness, but longitudinal engagement was low. This latter finding may explain the lack of overall effects on PTSS. Additional research is warranted regarding whether targeting more symptomatic patients and the addition of engagement and support features can improve efficacy.

Cardiac arrest survivors lost to follow-up after 3-Months, 6-Months and 1-Year.

BACKGROUND: Long-term assessment of global functional outcomes in cardiac arrest (CA) survivors allows for evaluation of acute care practices and referral to rehabilitation services. Given that many post-CA patients are lost to follow-up (LTFU), we explored whether these patients are systematically different from those who complete follow-up based on demographic, resuscitation and outcome characteristics. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 168 English-speaking CA survivors between 9/25/2016 and 5/31/2018. We measured demographic data and global functional outcomes using Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) in-person at hospital discharge, and via telephone at 3-, 6-months, and 1-year. We compared patients LTFU (e.g., failure to contact or refused to follow-up) with those contacted. Patients who were hospitalized, in a rehabilitation facility, missed by the research team, or dead were considered not eligible for follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 116 patients eligible for follow-up at 3-months, the majority completed follow-up (n = 69; 59.5%) and 47 (40.5%) were LTFU. Conversely, at 6-months and 1-year, fewer subjects were assessed (42% and 47%) compared to those who were LTFU (58% and 53%), respectively. At 3-months, LTFU patients were younger, unmarried, and had longer ICU stay. At 6-months and 1-year, LTFU patients were primarily male, had a non-shockable primary rhythm, and non-cardiac arrest etiologies. CONCLUSIONS: Over one-third of patients are LTFU during the first year after CA, and differences emerged for demographics and characteristics of the event. Future research should account for the informative, non-random distribution of patients LTFU.

Early Screening for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Among Injured Emergency Department Patients: A Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated comorbidities after physical injury, few emergency departments (EDs) in the United States screen for the presence of psychological symptoms and conditions. Barriers to systematic screening could be overcome by using a tool that is both comprehensive and brief. This study aimed to determine 1) the feasibility of screening for posttraumatic sequelae among adults with minor injury in the ED and 2) the relationship between ED screening and later psychological symptoms and poor quality of life (QOL) at 6 weeks postinjury. METHODS: In the EDs of two Level I trauma centers, we enrolled injured patients (n = 149) who reported serious injury and/or life threat in the past 24 hours. Subjects completed the Posttraumatic Adjustment Scale (PAS) to screen for PTSD and depression in the ED, and 6 weeks later they completed assessments for symptoms of PTSD, depression, and trauma-specific QOL (T-QoL). RESULTS: Our retained sample at 6 weeks was 84 adults (51.2% male; mean ± SD age = 33 ± 11.88 years); 38% screened positive for PTSD, and 76% screened positive for depression in the ED. Controlling for age, hospital admission, and ED pain score, regression analyses revealed that a positive ED screen for both PTSD and depression was significantly associated with 6 weeks PTSD (p = 0.027, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.92 to 15.14) and depressive symptoms (p = 0.001, 95% CI = 2.20 to 7.74), respectively. Further, a positive ED screen for depression (p = 0.043, 95% CI = -16.66 to -0.27) and PTSD (p = 0.015, 95% CI = -20.35 to -2.24) was significantly associated with lower T-QoL. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that it is feasible to identify patients at risk for postinjury sequelae in the ED; screening for mental health risk may identify patients in need of early intervention and further monitoring.

Mortalidad precoz en trasplante cardíaco / Early mortality in heart transplant

Resumen Objetivo: describir las principales causas de mortalidad en los 30 primeros días postrasplante cardíaco. Métodos: cohorte retrospectiva de pacientes con trasplante cardiaco realizado de 2008 a 2015, que murieron en los primeros 30 días luego del procedimiento. La información se recolectó del registro institucional de trasplante cardíaco. Se describieron variables sociodemográficas, clínicas, características del receptor, causas de muerte, complicaciones y características del pre- intra- y postoperatorio. Resultados: desde enero de 2008 hasta agosto de 2015 se realizaron 74 trasplantes cardíacos. De estos, 10 pacientes murieron en los primeros 30 días postrasplante (mortalidad de 13,51%).La mediana de edad fue 55 años (rango intercuartil [RIQ] 26-62 años) y 50% de ellos fueron de sexo masculino. La mediana de fracción de eyección pretrasplante fue 24% (RIQ 18-47) y el tiempo en lista de espera 81 días (RIQ 12-157 días). Cuatro pacientes se encontraban en estadio 0 A y los seis restantes en estadio 1. La mediana de tiempo entre el trasplante y la muerte fue un día (RIQ 0-3 día) y la mortalidad más tardía se presentó a los 18 días. Las principales causas de muerte fueron: falla multiorgánica (5 casos), falla aguda del injerto (3 casos) y coagulopatía perioperatoria (2 casos). Conclusiones: en una institución de referencia para trasplante cardíaco del suroccidente colombiano, la mortalidad precoz postrasplante cardíaco fue del 13,51%, similar a la reportada por registros internacionales. La principal causa de muerte fue la falla multiorgánica, que ocurrió principalmente en las primeras 24 horas después del trasplante cardíaco.

Abstract Objective: To describe the main causes of mortality in the first 30 days post-heart transplant. Methods: A study was conducted on a representative patient cohort with a heart transplant performed between 2008 and 2015, and who died in the first 30 days after the procedure. The information was collected from an institutional heart transplant register. A description is presented of the sociodemographic and clinical variables, the receiver characteristics, causes of death, as well as pre-, intra-, and post-operative characteristics and complications. Results: A total of 74 heart transplants were performed between January 2008 and August 2015. Of these, 10 patients died in the first 30 days post-transplant (a mortality rate of 13.51%). The median age was 55 years (Inter-quartile range (IQR) 26-62 years) and 50% of them were male. The median ejection fraction pre-transplant was 24% (IQR 18-47) and time on the waiting list of 81 days (IQR 12-157 days). Four of the patients were in Stage 0 A, and the remaining 6 were in Stage 1. The median time between the transplant and death was 1 day (IQR 0-3 days, and the later mortality rate was at 18 days. The main causes of death were: multi-organ failure (5 cases), acute graft failure (3 cases), and peri-operative coagulopathy (2 cases). Conclusions: In an institution of reference for heart transplantation in South-West Colombia, the early post-transplant mortality rate was 13.51%, similar to that reported in international registers. The main cause of death was multi-organ failure, which occurred mainly in the first 24 hours after the heart transplant.