S043 mythbuster: truncal vagotomy and gastric drainage procedures.

INTRODUCTION: You are sitting for your oral surgery board exam and the examiner asks what you do when you realize that you have accidentally cut the posterior vagus nerve during a hiatal hernia repair. Is the answer to proceed with a gastric drainage procedure correct? The prevailing dogma seems to be that inadvertent vagotomy will produce gastric stasis/paresis and the stomach will not empty and hence should be accompanied by a gastric drainage procedure. This report presents clinical outcomes of 49 patients who underwent truncal vagotomy without a drainage procedure (pyloroplasty or gastrojejunostomy). METHODS: 49 patients underwent truncal vagotomy with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in an IRB (Investigational Review Board)-approved clinical trial to determine if the addition of a vagotomy would increase achieved weight loss when compared to gastric banding alone. The details of this trial were presented at SAGES (Martin and Earle in Surg Endosc 25:2522-2525, 2011) in 2010. The patients in this study have been followed for over ten years and their histories were examined to look for evidence of gastric stasis or intractable diarrhea or if they required further surgery for these complaints. RESULTS: 49 patients have been followed for a mean of 10.9 years. All except one have experienced a loss of hunger and cessation of gastric borborygmus. One patient showed mild delayed gastric emptying after developing diabetes. Two other patients with DM carry a diagnosis of gastroparesis. No patient has experienced intractable diarrhea. Five patients have had revisions to sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass for weight loss failure or esophageal dilatation and GERD. CONCLUSIONS: Review of these truncal vagotomy patients without drainage procedures at 10 years does not support the myth that the stomach will not empty after vagotomy and a gastric drainage procedure should always accompany truncal vagotomy.

Determination of a Testing Threshold for Lumbar Puncture in the Diagnosis of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage after a Negative Head Computed Tomography: A Decision Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine the testing threshold for lumbar puncture (LP) in the evaluation of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) after a negative head computed tomography (CT). As a secondary aim we sought to identify clinical variables that have the greatest impact on this threshold. METHODS: A decision analytic model was developed to estimate the testing threshold for patients with normal neurologic findings, being evaluated for SAH, after a negative CT of the head. The testing threshold was calculated as the pretest probability of disease where the two strategies (LP or no LP) are balanced in terms of quality-adjusted life-years. Two-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSAs) were performed. RESULTS: For the base-case scenario the testing threshold for performing an LP after negative head CT was 4.3%. Results for the two-way sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the test threshold ranged from 1.9% to 15.6%, dominated by the uncertainty in the probability of death from initial missed SAH. In the PSA the mean testing threshold was 4.3% (95% confidence interval = 1.4% to 9.3%). Other significant variables in the model included probability of aneurysmal versus nonaneurysmal SAH after negative head CT, probability of long-term morbidity from initial missed SAH, and probability of renal failure from contrast-induced nephropathy. CONCLUSIONS: Our decision analysis results suggest a testing threshold for LP after negative CT to be approximately 4.3%, with a range of 1.4% to 9.3% on robust PSA. In light of these data, and considering the low probability of aneurysmal SAH after a negative CT, classical teaching and current guidelines addressing testing for SAH should be revisited.

Financial Ties Between Emergency Physicians and Industry: Insights From Open Payments Data.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The Open Payments program requires reporting of payments by medical product companies to teaching hospitals and licensed physicians. We seek to describe nonresearch, nonroyalty payments made to emergency physicians in the United States. METHODS: We performed a descriptive analysis of the most recent Open Payments data released to the public by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services covering the 2014 calendar year. We calculated the median payment, the total pay per physician, the types of payments, and the drugs and devices associated with payments to emergency physicians. For context, we also calculated total pay per physician and the percentage of active physicians receiving payments for all specialties. RESULTS: There were 46,405 payments totaling $10,693,310 to 12,883 emergency physicians, representing 30% of active emergency physicians in 2013. The percentage of active physicians within a specialty who received a payment ranged from 14.6% in preventive medicine to 91% in orthopedic surgery. The median payment and median total pay to emergency physicians were $16 (interquartile range $12 to $68) and $44 (interquartile range $16 to $123), respectively. The majority of payments (83%) were less than $100. Food and beverage (86%) was the most frequent type of payment. The most common products associated with payments to emergency physicians were rivaroxaban, apixaban, ticagrelor, ceftaroline, canagliflozin, dabigatran, and alteplase. CONCLUSION: Nearly a third of emergency physicians received nonresearch, nonroyalty payments from industry in 2014. Most payments were of small monetary value and for activities related to the marketing of antithrombotic drugs.

The Association Between Medicolegal and Professional Concerns and Chest Pain Admission Rates.

OBJECTIVES: For patients in whom acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a concern, disposition decisions are complex and multifactorial and have traditionally been a source of considerable variation. An important factor in disposition decisions for these patients may be physician-perceived medicolegal risk and related professional concerns. The study aim was to determine, at the point of care, how much less frequently physicians report that they would admit possible ACS patients if there was either zero or a defined medicolegal risk. METHODS: This was a point-of-care emergency physician survey. Research assistants approached physicians at or immediately following the moment of disposition decisions for patients who were being admitted for ACS. The primary outcome measures were the proportion of physicians reporting that patients would not have been admitted if medicolegal issues were of no concern and the proportion of physicians reporting that patients would not have been admitted if there was an "acceptable miss rate" of 1% to 2% for ACS patients. RESULTS: During the 3-month study period, 576 patients were admitted to an inpatient unit or to the ED observation protocol. Physicians were approached in 271 cases, and 259 surveys were completed. When presented with hypothetical zero medicolegal risk, physicians answered that they would not have admitted the patients in 30% of cases. With a hypothetical 1% to 2% acceptable miss rate, physicians indicated that they would not have admitted the patients in 29% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: ED medicolegal and professional concerns may substantially increase admissions for possible ACS. An acceptable miss rate or a zero medicolegal risk environment could potentially lead to a major reduction in admissions that physicians feel to be clinically unnecessary.

Risk for Clinically Relevant Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients With Chest Pain at Hospital Admission.

IMPORTANCE: Patients with potentially ischemic chest pain are commonly admitted to the hospital or observed after a negative evaluation in the emergency department (ED) owing to concern about adverse events. Previous studies have looked at 30-day mortality, but no current large studies have examined the most important information regarding ED disposition: the short-term risk for a clinically relevant adverse cardiac event (including inpatient ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, life-threatening arrhythmia, cardiac or respiratory arrest, or death). OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of clinically relevant adverse cardiac events in patients hospitalized for chest pain with 2 troponin-negative findings, nonconcerning initial ED vital signs, and nonischemic, interpretable electrocardiographic findings. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a blinded data review of 45,416 encounters obtained from a prospectively collected database enrolling adult patients admitted or observed with the following inclusion criteria: (1) primary presenting symptom of chest pain, chest tightness, chest burning, or chest pressure and (2) negative findings for serial biomarkers. Data were collected and analyzed from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2013, from the EDs of 3 community teaching institutions with an aggregate census of more than 1 million visits. We analyzed data extracted by hypothesis-blinded abstractors. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was a composite of life-threatening arrhythmia, inpatient ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, cardiac or respiratory arrest, or death during hospitalization. RESULTS: Of the 45,416 encounters, 11,230 met criteria for inclusion. Mean patient age was 58.0 years. Of the 11 230 encounters, 44.83% of patients arrived by ambulance and 55.00% of patients were women. Relevant history included hypertension in 46.00%, diabetes mellitus in 19.72%, and myocardial infarction in 13.16%. The primary end point occurred in 20 of the 11 230 patients (0.18% [95% CI, 0.11%-0.27%]). After excluding patients with abnormal vital signs, electrocardiographic ischemia, left bundle branch block, or a pacemaker rhythm, we identified a primary end point event in 4 of 7266 patients (0.06% [95% CI, 0.02%-0.14%]). Of these events, 2 were noncardiac and 2 were possibly iatrogenic. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In adult patients with chest pain admitted with 2 negative findings for serial biomarkers, nonconcerning vital signs, and nonischemic electrocardiographic findings, short-term clinically relevant adverse cardiac events were rare and commonly iatrogenic, suggesting that routine inpatient admission may not be a beneficial strategy for this group.

Quantifying Patient-Physician Communication and Perceptions of Risk During Admissions for Possible Acute Coronary Syndromes.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Disposition decision for patients with possible acute coronary syndrome in the emergency department (ED) is driven primarily by perception of short-term risks. We sought to evaluate communication between patient and physician about these risks by ascertaining the content of discussions surrounding disposition decision. METHODS: We conducted matched-pair surveys of patients admitted for possible acute coronary syndrome and their physicians in 2 academic, inner-city EDs. After disposition conversation, trained research assistants administered surveys querying perceived and communicated risk estimates and purpose of admission. Primary exclusion criteria were ECG or troponin value diagnostic of acute coronary syndrome. The primary outcome measure was agreement in assessment of the risk of myocardial infarction, defined as the proportion of patient-physician pairs whose risk estimates were within 10% of each other. RESULTS: A total of 425 patient-physician survey pairs were collected. Fifty-three percent of patients were men. Patients reported discussing the likelihood of their symptoms' being due to myocardial infarction in 65% of cases, whereas physicians reported this in 46%. After their discussion, physicians' (n=415) median estimate of short-term risk was 5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3% to 7%), whereas patients' (n=401) was 8% (95% CI 5% to 11%). Most patients (63%; 95% CI 57% to 67%) reported that this estimate remained the same or increased after their conversation. Risk agreement within 10% occurred in 36% of cases (n=404; 95% CI 32% to 41%). Patients' median estimates of the mortality of myocardial infarction at home versus in the hospital were 80% (n=398; 95% CI 76% to 84%) and 10% (n=390; 95% CI 7% to 13%), respectively, whereas physician estimates were 15% (n=403; 95% CI 12% to 18%) and 10% (n=398; 95% CI 7% to 13%). CONCLUSION: Our survey demonstrates poor communication, with overestimation of both the risks of myocardial infarction and potential benefit of hospital admission. These findings suggest that communication surrounding disposition decisions in chest pain patients may at times be ineffective or misleading.

Falling through the cracks? Missed opportunities for earlier HIV diagnosis in a New York City Hospital.

Summary Newly diagnosed HIV-positive patients have frequent health care encounters prior to diagnosis representing missed opportunities for diagnosis. This study determines the proportion of patients with new HIV diagnoses with encounters in the 3 years prior to diagnosis. We describe the characteristics of newly diagnosed patients and of "late testers" (CD4 <200 cells/mm(3) at the time of diagnosis). We identified all newly diagnosed with HIV in emergency department, inpatient, and outpatient settings between May 1, 2006, and December 31, 2009. Data abstractors searched hospital records to identify all emergency department, inpatient, and outpatient visits for the 3 years prior to diagnosis. In all, 23,271 HIV tests were performed and 253 persons were newly diagnosed (1.1%); 152 new positives (60.1%) made at least one prior visit. Of patients with CD4 counts available, 104/175 (59.4%) had CD4 <200 cells/mm(3). Patients with at least one prior visit had a median of three. There was no difference in numbers of visits between late testers and non-late testers, although late testers were more likely to have ED visits. Most newly diagnosed HIV-positive patients had multiple encounters prior to diagnosis. Many of these patients presented with CD4 counts below 200 cells/mm(3), indicating true missed opportunities for earlier diagnosis.

Jolt accentuation of headache and other clinical signs: poor predictors of meningitis in adults.

Jolt accentuation or exacerbation of a baseline headache with horizontal rotation of the neck is a physical finding believed to assess for meningeal irritation. We conducted a prospective observational study of neurologically intact emergency department (ED) patients undergoing lumbar puncture in 2 inner city academic EDs to validate the sensitivity and specificity of jolt accentuation and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of Kernig sign, Brudzinski sign, and nuchal rigidity, in predicting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis in individuals being assessed for meningitis. Adult patients 18 years and older undergoing lumbar puncture between 2006 and 2009 were approached for consent. Exclusions included inability to consent and altered mental status. Physicians were asked to answer a questionnaire of physical examination findings before receiving CSF results. The primary outcome was the presence or absence of pleocytosis, defined as greater than or equal to 5 cells/high-power field in the fourth CSF tube. We calculated descriptive statistics and tests of diagnostic accuracy. A total of 230 patients consented for participation and had CSF white blood cell counts recorded. Forty-seven individuals (20%) had pleocytosis. A total of 197 patients had headache and were, hence, eligible for jolt accentuation assessment. For pleocytosis, the sensitivity of jolt accentuation was 21%, Kernig sign was 2%, Brudzinski sign was 2%, and nuchal rigidity was 13%. The specificity of jolt accentuation was 82%, Kernig sign was 97%, Brudzinski sign was 98%, and nuchal rigidity was 80%. Jolt accentuation in our cohort was poorly predictive of pleocytosis and insensitive. The presence of Kernig sign, Brudzinski sign, or nuchal rigidity has moderate positive but no negative predictive value for pleocytosis.

Radiation exposure among patients with the highest CT scan utilization in the emergency department.

The risk of cancer from computed tomography (CT) scan radiation is a rising concern in the medical field. Our objectives were to determine how many patients received more than ten CT scans in an academic emergency department (ED) over the course of 7 years and to quantify their radiation exposure and lifetime attributable risk of cancer. An electronic chart review was performed at our urban academic institution with an annual census of 110,000 patients. All patients who underwent a CT scan performed during ED management between the dates of January 2001 and December 2007 were identified. Specific predetermined data elements (e.g., subject demographics, type of CT scan) were extracted by two researchers blinded to hypothesis, using a preformatted data form. After identifying patients with more than ten CTs performed during the study period, radiation exposure was calculated based on accepted and reported radiation doses for the respective anatomic CTs, and lifetime attributable cancer risk was calculated based on the seventh report of the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR VII) projections. Over the 7-year study period, 24,393 patients received 34,671 CT scans. The vast majority of patients (17,909) received a single CT. Twenty-six (0.1 %) patients received more than ten CTs totaling 374 scans with an average radiation exposure of 83.4 mSv. The maximum lifetime attributable risk for any individual in this cohort was 1.7 % above the baseline cancer risk. Among those undergoing CT imaging in our ED, high-exposure patients (greater than ten scans) constituted a significant minority, while more than one in four patients underwent more than one CT scan during the study period. While the presumed overall risk of radiation-induced cancer continues to be low, it is important for the emergency physician to use clinical knowledge as well as concern for the patient when utilizing radiographic imaging. Increasing attributable cancer risk may have important public health implications in the future, regardless of the low individual risk.

Yield of routine provocative cardiac testing among patients in an emergency department-based chest pain unit.

IMPORTANCE: The American Heart Association recommends routine provocative cardiac testing in accelerated diagnostic protocols for coronary ischemia. The diagnostic and therapeutic yield of this approach are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess the yield of routine provocative cardiac testing in an emergency department-based chest pain unit. DESIGN AND SETTING: We examined a prospectively collected database of patients evaluated for possible acute coronary syndrome between March 4, 2004, and May 15, 2010, in the emergency department-based chest pain unit of an urban academic tertiary care center. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with signs or symptoms of possible acute coronary syndrome and without an ischemic electrocardiography result or a positive biomarker were enrolled in the database. EXPOSURES: All patients were evaluated by exercise stress testing or myocardial perfusion imaging. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Demographic and clinical features, results of routine provocative cardiac testing and angiography, and therapeutic interventions were recorded. Diagnostic yield (true-positive rate) was calculated, and the potential therapeutic yield of invasive therapy was assessed through blinded, structured medical record review using American Heart Association designations (class I, IIa, IIb, or lower) for the potential benefit from percutaneous intervention. RESULTS: In total, 4181 patients were enrolled in the study. Chest pain was initially reported in 93.5%, most (73.2%) were at intermediate risk for coronary artery disease, and 37.6% were male. Routine provocative cardiac testing was positive for coronary ischemia in 470 (11.2%), of whom 123 underwent coronary angiography. Obstructive disease was confirmed in 63 of 123 (51.2% true positive), and 28 (0.7% overall) had findings consistent with the potential benefit from revascularization (American Heart Association class I or IIa). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In an emergency department-based chest pain unit, routine provocative cardiac testing generated a small therapeutic yield, new diagnoses of coronary artery disease were uncommon, and false-positive results were common.