Sustainability of Improved Glycemic Control After Diabetes Self-Management Education.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate glycemic control as measured by A1C during a 2-year period after patients received diabetes self-management education (DSME). Methods. Patients who completed DSME in 2009 and received medical follow-up with A1C measurements for at least 2 years after DSME were included in the evaluation. Primary endpoints were changes in A1C from before to immediately after, 1 year after, and 2 years after DSME. Secondary outcomes included the effects of the following factors on change in A1C: sex, duration of diabetes, uncontrolled diabetes (A1C ≥ 9%), health insurance coverage, and self-reported education level. Results. Forty-three patients were included in the evaluation. Mean A1C before DSME was 10.2 ± 3.7%. Mean A1C after DSME was 7.8 ± 2.2% (P < 0.0001), a 23.5% reduction. Mean A1C at 1 and 2 years after DSME was 7.8 ± 2.1% for each year and remained unchanged from just after DSME to 1 and 2 years after DSME (P > 0.05). Patients with a duration of diabetes of < 1 year had a significantly greater reduction in mean A1C than those with a duration of diabetes ≥ 1 year (28.7 and 20.2%, respectively, P = 0.001). Conclusion. DSME improved glycemic control to a substantial degree, and the effect was sustained for up to 2 years. Although the reduction in A1C was significant for all patients receiving DSME, there was a significantly greater reduction for patients who had a duration of diabetes of < 1 year than for those with a duration of diabetes > 1 year.

Comparison of two low-molecular-weight heparin dosing regimens for patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolic events (VTE) are a morbidity and mortality concern for patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Although VTE prophylaxis is recommended in bariatric surgery, data with regard to monitoring and appropriate dosing of low-molecular-weight heparin are limited. Enoxaparin prophylactic doses ranging from 30 to 60 mg every 12 h have been used for this population. The authors hypothesized that higher prophylactic enoxaparin doses (60 mg) would yield more appropriate heparin antifactor Xa (anti-Xa) concentrations than the 40-mg dosage for bariatric surgery patients. METHODS: Patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery by two surgeons during a 5-month period at one institution received enoxaprin 40 or 60 mg every 12 h. Anti-Xa levels were obtained 4 h after the first and third doses. Therapeutic levels were defined as 0.18 to 0.44 U/ml. Paired and unpaired t-tests and chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis as appropriate. RESULTS: The first-dose mean anti-Xa concentration was 0.173 U/ml in the 40-mg group and 0.261 U/ml in the 60-mg group (p < 0.005), compared with the third-dose mean anti-Xa levels of 0.21 and 0.43 U/ml, respectively (p < 0.001). After the third dose of enoxaparin, the percentage of patients with anti-Xa concentrations who remained subtherapeutic showed a statistically significant difference: 44% in the 40-mg group versus 0% in the 60-mg group (p = 0.02). However, no supratherapeutic anti-Xa concentrations were observed in the 40-mg group, whereas 57% of the third-dose levels in the 60-mg group were supratheraputic. The highest anti-Xa level was 0.54 U/ml, but none of the patients with this level experienced bleeding events. CONCLUSIONS: Enoxaparin 60-mg every 12 h was superior to a dosage of 40 mg every 12 h in achieving therapeutic anti-Xa concentrations and avoiding subtherapeutic anti-Xa levels. However, the 60-mg group had a number of supratherapeutic levels. Future studies evaluating the relationship of anti-Xa concentrations and outcomes with larger numbers of morbidly obese patients are needed.

Anti-Xa levels in bariatric surgery patients receiving prophylactic enoxaparin.

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist regarding efficacy and dosing of low-molecular-weight heparins, including enoxaparin, for morbidly obese patients. Prophylactic doses of 30 to 60 mg every 12 h have been described in bariatric surgery patients with appropriate anti-Xa levels reported between 0.18 and 0.6 units/mL. METHODS: Fifty-two laparoscopic gastric bypass or banding patients were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups by the dose of enoxaparin that was given: Group 1--enoxaparin 30 mg every 12 hours--and Group 2--enoxaparin 40 mg every 12 h. Anti-Xa levels were obtained 4 h after the first and third doses. Levels between 0.18-0.44 units/mL were considered appropriate. RESULTS: There were 19 patients (74% female, mean body mass index [BMI] 48.4 kg/m2) in Group 1 and 33 patients (82% female, mean BMI 48.5 kg/m2) in Group 2. In Group 1, anti-Xa levels were 0.06 and 0.08 units/mL after the first and third doses, respectively. In Group 2, anti-Xa levels were 0.14 and 0.15 units/mL after first and third doses, respectively (p = NS). There was a statistically significant difference in anti-Xa levels between Group 1 first dose and Group 2 first dose (p < 0.05) and between Group 1 third dose and Group 2 third dose (p < 0.05). Percentage of appropriate anti-Xa levels at first dose differed 0% vs. 30.8% (Group 1 vs. Group 2; p = 0.01) and at third dose 9.1% vs. 41.7% (Group 1 vs. Group 2; p = 0.155). CONCLUSION: When prophylactic dose enoxaparin of 30 mg every 12 h was changed to 40 mg every 12 h in bariatric surgery patients, anti-Xa levels significantly increased with prophylactic dose enoxaparin in bariatric surgery patients. The percentage of appropriate levels also increased; however, more than half of the patients receiving 40 mg every 12 hours failed to reach therapeutic levels. No levels were supratherapeutic. Dosage of 40 mg every 12 h may not be sufficient for bariatric surgery patients.

Expedited discharge in trauma patients requiring anticoagulation for deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis: the LEAP Program.

OBJECTIVE: With rising health care costs, methods to decrease length of hospital stay without compromising care are necessary. One area that extends length of stay in trauma patients is inpatient anticoagulation to a therapeutic international normalized ratio. The 1998 American College of Chest Physicians guidelines recommend thromboprophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and oral warfarin in this population. The LMWH Expedited Anticoagulation Program (LEAP) was created with the following goals: to decrease the number of inpatient warfarin days and to reduce overall number of hospital days. METHODS: Inpatient anticoagulation was initiated with warfarin and LMWH. LEAP included early multidisciplinary collaboration to ensure third-party approval, outpatient primary care physician follow-up, and LMWH self-injection before discharge. Patients were discharged on LMWH (discontinued by primary care provider when a therapeutic international normalized ratio was attained) and warfarin (continued until resolution of orthopedic injuries). From August 2000 to August 2001, adult patients were included in the prospective study. Primary inclusion criteria were blunt acetabular fracture, bilateral lower extremity fracture, and contralateral upper and lower extremity fractures. Patients with similar injuries receiving warfarin for deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis between June 1999 and June 2000 were the control population. Anticoagulation care was similar for the study and control subjects. RESULTS: There were 182 patients evaluated for LEAP inclusion. After initial evaluation, 108 patients were enrolled in LEAP (Injury Severity Score of 13). There were 69 control subjects (Injury Severity Score of 13). The average number of inpatient warfarin days was decreased from 8.8 days to 5.0 days in the control and study populations, respectively (p < 0.0001). The average length of hospitalization was shortened from 17.3 days in the control group to 12.9 days in the study (LEAP) population (p < 0.002). CONCLUSION: LEAP has successfully decreased the number of inpatient days on warfarin and total hospital days for trauma patients requiring deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis. These results have substantially decreased health care costs and increased available hospital beds in this era of high hospital occupancy.