Effectiveness of endoscopy in patients admitted to the intensive care unit with upper GI hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is generally indicated for the management of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) with upper gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage but its impact in community practice has not been measured. Thus, the effectiveness of 3 EGD factors, viz., accurate initial diagnosis, performance within 24 hours of admission (early EGD), and appropriate intervention, was examined. METHODS: Records of 214 patients admitted to the ICU of 10 metropolitan hospitals with upper GI hemorrhage were reviewed. Unadjusted and severity-adjusted associations of the 3 EGD factors with length of hospital stay, length of ICU stay, readmission to ICU, recurrent bleeding, surgery, and death were evaluated. RESULTS: Inaccurate diagnosis occurred in 10% of patients at initial EGD and was associated with significant increases in risk of recurrent bleeding (70% vs. 11%, p < 0.001), rate of surgery (20% vs. 4%, p < 0.05), length of hospital stay (median 7.5 vs. 5 days, p < 0.005), length of ICU stay (median 4 vs. 2 days, p < 0.005), and rate of readmission to ICU (20% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.001). These associations persisted after adjusting for severity of illness. Early EGD performed in 82% of patients was associated with significant severity-adjusted reductions in hospital (-33%: 95% CI [-45%, -18%]) and ICU (-20%: 95% CI [-24%, -3%]) stay. Appropriate intervention at initial EGD, performed in 84% of patients, was associated with reductions in severity-adjusted length of ICU stay (-18%: 95% CI [-32%, 0%]) and rate of recurrent bleeding (odds ratio = 0.37, 95% CI [0.13, 1.06]). CONCLUSIONS: Early, accurate EGD with appropriate therapeutic intervention is effective as practiced in the community and is associated with improved outcomes for patients with upper GI hemorrhage admitted to the ICU. Inaccurate diagnosis at initial EGD is uncommon but has a significant adverse association with all outcome measures.

Effectiveness of ERCP in cholangitis: a community-based study.

BACKGROUND: Although experts have demonstrated the efficacy of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in cholangitis, the effectiveness of ERCP in unselected patients has not been measured. The aim was to investigate the clinical impact of ERCP performed at any time and of early ERCP (within 24 hours of admission) in patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of cholangitis. METHODS: A retrospective record review of patients admitted to eight area hospitals with an International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 diagnosis consistent with cholangitis was performed. Extracted data included clinical characteristics, ERCP findings, and patient outcome. The associations of ERCP overall and early ERCP with length of stay were examined. Confounding factors including severity of illness, etiology of cholangitis, and hospital type were adjusted for in a multivariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 116 patients were studied. ERCP was performed in 71 patients with endoscopic therapy administered in 57 (80%). ERCP overall was not associated with any change in length of hospital stay. However, compared with other invasive biliary procedures, ERCP was associated with a shorter hospital stay (median 5 vs. 9.5 days, p = 0.01) and a 36% (95% CI [5%, 57%]) reduction in severity-adjusted length of stay. Patients who had early ERCP had a significantly shorter hospital stay than those who had delayed ERCP (median 4 vs. 7 days, p < 0.005) and early ERCP was associated with a 34% (95% CI [11%, 48%]) reduction in severity-adjusted length of stay. CONCLUSION: Early ERCP may be an effective strategy for shortening the length of stay in patients hospitalized with cholangitis.

The accuracy of diagnosis and procedural codes for patients with upper GI hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the accuracy of diagnostic and procedural codes for common gastrointestinal (GI) conditions and endoscopic procedures. METHODS: Eight hundred eighty-two patients with upper GI hemorrhage admitted in 1994 to 1 of 13 regional hospitals were studied. Based on endoscopy reports, the source of hemorrhage, performance of upper endoscopy and use of endoscopic therapy were determined, and we assessed the sensitivity and positive predictive value of discharge codes for measuring the source of hemorrhage and use of upper endoscopy. RESULTS: The sensitivity and positive predictive value of principal diagnosis coding for source of hemorrhage were typically 85% to 95%. The sensitivity and predictive value of coding for upper endoscopy were 97.7% and 99.9%, respectively, and were 72.3% and 99.4%, respectively, for endoscopic therapy. Accuracy did not differ between the 4 major teaching and 9 other hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-based diagnostic and procedural codes are a reasonably accurate source of data for clinical and outcomes analyses of upper GI hemorrhage. In particular, it is possible to discern from these data the source of hemorrhage and the overall use of upper endoscopy.

Use of tissue-type plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke: the Cleveland area experience.

CONTEXT: Little is known regarding outcomes after intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (IV tPA) therapy for acute ischemic stroke outside a trial setting. OBJECTIVE: To assess the rate of IV tPA use, the incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and in-hospital patient outcomes throughout a large urban community. DESIGN: Historical prospective cohort study conducted from July 1997 through June 1998. SETTING: Twenty-nine hospitals in the Cleveland, Ohio, metropolitan area. PATIENTS: A total of 3948 patients admitted to a study hospital with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 434 or 436). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rate of IV tPA use and occurrence of symptomatic ICH among patients treated with tPA; proportion of patients receiving tPA whose treatment deviated from national guidelines; in-hospital mortality among patients receiving tPA compared with that among ischemic stroke patients not receiving tPA and with mortality predicted by a model. RESULTS: Seventy patients (1.8%) admitted with ischemic stroke received IV tPA. Of those, 11 patients (15.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 8.1%-26.4%) had a symptomatic ICH (of which 6 were fatal) and 50% (95% CI, 37.8%-62.2%) had deviations from national treatment guidelines. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher among patients treated with tPA (15.7%) compared with patients not receiving tPA (5.1%, P<.001) and compared with the model's prediction (7.9%; P<.006). CONCLUSIONS: A small proportion of patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke in Cleveland received tPA; they experienced a high rate of ICH. Cleveland community experience with tPA for acute ischemic stroke may differ from that reported in clinical trials.

Incidence of childhood and adolescent cancer in Texas.

Population-based data from the Texas Cancer Registry were used to describe the incidence of cancer in 1990 among Texas residents younger than 20 years. A total of 788 primary malignant neoplasms were diagnosed. Higher incidence of all cancers was observed among Texas Anglo children compared with Hispanics or African-Americans, and lower rates of central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms were seen among Hispanics. Compared with national data, significantly fewer cases of all cancers combined, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and CNS neoplasms were seen in Texas Hispanics. The overall incidence of leukemia and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) was highest in Hispanics compared with other Texas children, and a three-fold statistically significant excess of ANLL was evident in Hispanic females compared with national whites. In summary, the incidence of cancer in Texas Hispanic children and adolescents differs from that seen in other racial and ethnic groups. Incidence data for Texas provide additional insight into the descriptive nature of childhood and adolescent cancers.

Childhood and adolescent cancer in a southwestern region of Texas: 1976-1980.

The Cancer Registry Division of the Texas Department of Health identified 349 malignant tumors among Anglo and Hispanic children and adolescents less than 20 years of age who lived in a southwestern region of Texas during the period 1976-1980. The ethnic distribution of cases consisted of 184 Anglos (53%) and 165 Hispanics (47%). The total cancer incidence rate per million for Anglos was 198.2 for males and 141.2 for females; for Hispanics the rate was 130.7 for males and 142.0 for females. The rates for all sites combined were higher for Anglo males than for US white (Anglo and Hispanic) males. Anglo females, Hispanic males, and Hispanic females had all sites combined rates that were similar to the rates for US white males and females. Anglo males were at increased risk for brain/central nervous system and kidney tumors. Leukemia was the most frequent cancer seen. All ethnic/sex groups were at increased risk for leukemia; however, only females had significantly higher rates.

The potential for using a trauma registry for injury surveillance and prevention.

Trauma registries are a potential source of data for local injury surveillance. Data from a trauma registry in a Level 1 trauma unit were collected for 1,412 admissions during a one-year period, and the characteristics of these severely injured patients and their injuries were examined. Three-quarters of the injuries were unintentional, and half were vehicle-related injuries. The availability of variables regarding medical cost, patient outcome, and insurance status permits a determination of the impact of these injuries on society in terms of both cost and quality of life. Since the trauma registry contains an account of the patient's hospital experience from admission to discharge and is available in electronic format, it can be a useful data source for establishing priorities and evaluating the effectiveness of injury prevention programs.

Sex and age differences in lifestyle risk: implications for health promotion programming.

We analyzed data from the 1982 Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Survey by sex and age to suggest strategies for the design and implementation of risk reduction programs. Men were more likely than women to report heavy drinking (76 percent versus 62 percent), drinking and driving (11 percent versus 3 percent), smoking (34 percent versus 27 percent), being overweight (42 percent versus 32 percent), and not using seat belts (63 percent versus 58 percent). Women were slightly more likely to report insufficient physical activity (64 percent versus 60 percent). A larger percentage of women than men reported using eating to cope with stress (31 percent versus 15 percent), while smoking (26 percent versus 22 percent), alcohol use (8 percent versus 3 percent), and exercise (21 percent versus 14 percent) were coping mechanisms reported by a greater proportion of men than women. These differences in risk behaviors by sex and age suggested that worksite programs addressing weight control and smoking for men and women and alcohol use and driving for men, along with community-based programs emphasizing fitness and hypertension control for older adults, would be most effective.