Appendicitis Hospitalization Care Costs Among Patients With Delayed Diagnosis of Appendicitis.

Importance: Delayed appendicitis diagnosis is associated with worse outcomes. Appendicitis hospital care costs associated with delayed diagnosis are unknown. Objective: To determine whether delayed appendicitis diagnosis was associated with increased appendicitis hospital care costs. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used data from patients receiving an appendectomy aged 18 to 64 years in 5 states (Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin) that were captured in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient and Emergency Department databases for the years 2016 and 2017 with no additional follow-up. Data were analyzed January through April 2023. Exposures: Delayed diagnosis was defined as a previous emergency department or inpatient hospital encounter with an abdominal diagnosis other than appendicitis, and no intervention 7 days prior to appendectomy encounter. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was appendicitis hospital care costs. This was calculated from aggregated charges of encounters 7 days prior to appendectomy, the appendectomy encounter, and 30 days postoperatively. Cost-to-charge ratios were applied to charges to obtain costs, which were then adjusted for wage index, inflation to 2022 US dollar, and with extreme outliers winsorized. A multivariable Poisson regression estimated appendicitis hospital care costs associated with a delayed diagnosis while controlling for age, sex, race and ethnicity, insurance status, care discontinuity, income quartile, hospital size, teaching status, medical school affiliation, percentage of Black and Hispanic patient discharges, core-based statistical area, and state. Results: There were 76 183 patients (38 939 female [51.1%]; 2192 Asian or Pacific Islander [2.9%], 14 132 Hispanic [18.5%], 8195 non-Hispanic Black [10.8%], 46 949 non-Hispanic White [61.6%]) underwent appendectomy, and 2045 (2.7%) had a delayed diagnosis. Delayed diagnosis patients had median (IQR) unadjusted cost of $11 099 ($6752-$17 740) compared with $9177 ($5575-$14 481) for nondelayed (P < .001). Patients with delayed diagnosis had 1.23 times (95% CI, 1.16-1.28 times) adjusted increased appendicitis hospital care costs. The mean marginal cost of delayed diagnosis was $2712 (95% CI, $2083-$3342). Even controlling for delayed diagnosis, non-Hispanic Black patients had 1.22 times (95% CI, 1.17-1.28 times) the adjusted increased appendicitis hospital care costs compared with non-Hispanic White patients. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, delayed diagnosis of appendicitis was associated with increased hospital care costs.

Morbidity and Length of Stay After Injury Among People Experiencing Homelessness in North America.

Importance: Traumatic injury is a leading cause of hospitalization among people experiencing homelessness. However, hospital course among this population is unknown. Objective: To evaluate whether homelessness was associated with increased morbidity and length of stay (LOS) after hospitalization for traumatic injury and whether associations between homelessness and LOS were moderated by age and/or Injury Severity Score (ISS). Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study of the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Programs (TQP) included patients 18 years or older who were hospitalized after an injury and discharged alive from 787 hospitals in North America from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018. People experiencing homelessness were propensity matched to housed patients for hospital, sex, insurance type, comorbidity, injury mechanism type, injury body region, and Glasgow Coma Scale score. Data were analyzed from February 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023. Exposures: People experiencing homelessness were identified using the TQP's alternate home residence variable. Main Outcomes and Measures: Morbidity, hemorrhage control surgery, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were assessed. Associations between homelessness and LOS (in days) were tested with hierarchical multivariable negative bionomial regression. Moderation effects of age and ISS on the association between homelessness and LOS were evaluated with interaction terms. Results: Of 1 441 982 patients (mean [SD] age, 55.1 [21.1] years; (822 491 [57.0%] men, 619 337 [43.0%] women, and 154 [0.01%] missing), 9065 (0.6%) were people experiencing homelessness. Unmatched people experiencing homelessness demonstrated higher rates of morbidity (221 [2.4%] vs 25 134 [1.8%]; P < .001), hemorrhage control surgery (289 [3.2%] vs 20 331 [1.4%]; P < .001), and ICU admission (2353 [26.0%] vs 307 714 [21.5%]; P < .001) compared with housed patients. The matched cohort comprised 8665 pairs at 378 hospitals. Differences in rates of morbidity, hemorrhage control surgery, and ICU admission between people experiencing homelessness and matched housed patients were not statistically significant. The median unadjusted LOS was 5 (IQR, 3-10) days among people experiencing homelessness and 4 (IQR, 2-8) days among matched housed patients (P < .001). People experiencing homelessness experienced a 22.1% longer adjusted LOS (incident rate ratio [IRR], 1.22 [95% CI, 1.19-1.25]). The greatest increase in adjusted LOS was observed among people experiencing homelessness who were 65 years or older (IRR, 1.42 [95% CI, 1.32-1.54]). People experiencing homelessness with minor injury (ISS, 1-8) had the greatest relative increase in adjusted LOS (IRR, 1.30 [95% CI, 1.25-1.35]) compared with people experiencing homelessness with severe injury (ISS ≥16; IRR, 1.14 [95% CI, 1.09-1.20]). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this cohort study suggest that challenges in providing safe discharge to people experiencing homelessness after injury may lead to prolonged LOS. These findings underscore the need to reduce disparities in trauma outcomes and improve hospital resource use among people experiencing homelessness.

Injury Patterns and Hospital Admission After Trauma Among People Experiencing Homelessness.

Importance: Traumatic injury is a major cause of morbidity for people experiencing homelessness (PEH). However, injury patterns and subsequent hospitalization among PEH have not been studied on a national scale. Objective: To evaluate whether differences in mechanisms of injury exist between PEH and housed trauma patients in North America and whether the lack of housing is associated with increased adjusted odds of hospital admission. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a retrospective observational cohort study of participants in the 2017 to 2018 American College of Surgeons' Trauma Quality Improvement Program. Hospitals across the US and Canada were queried. Participants were patients aged 18 years or older presenting to an emergency department after injury. Data were analyzed from December 2021 to November 2022. Exposures: PEH were identified using the Trauma Quality Improvement Program's alternate home residence variable. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was hospital admission. Subgroup analysis was used to compared PEH with low-income housed patients (defined by Medicaid enrollment). Results: A total of 1 738 992 patients (mean [SD] age, 53.6 [21.2] years; 712 120 [41.0%] female; 97 910 [5.9%] Hispanic, 227 638 [13.7%] non-Hispanic Black, and 1 157 950 [69.6%] non-Hispanic White) presented to 790 hospitals with trauma, including 12 266 PEH (0.7%) and 1 726 726 housed patients (99.3%). Compared with housed patients, PEH were younger (mean [SD] age, 45.2 [13.6] years vs 53.7 [21.3] years), more often male (10 343 patients [84.3%] vs 1 016 310 patients [58.9%]), and had higher rates of behavioral comorbidity (2884 patients [23.5%] vs 191 425 patients [11.1%]). PEH sustained different injury patterns, including higher proportions of injuries due to assault (4417 patients [36.0%] vs 165 666 patients [9.6%]), pedestrian-strike (1891 patients [15.4%] vs 55 533 patients [3.2%]), and head injury (8041 patients [65.6%] vs 851 823 patients [49.3%]), compared with housed patients. On multivariable analysis, PEH experienced increased adjusted odds of hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.33; 95% CI, 1.24-1.43) compared with housed patients. The association of lacking housing with hospital admission persisted on subgroup comparison of PEH with low-income housed patients (aOR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.03-1.19). Conclusions and Relevance: Injured PEH had significantly greater adjusted odds of hospital admission. These findings suggest that tailored programs for PEH are needed to prevent their injury patterns and facilitate safe discharge after injury.

Hospital variability in adoption of alcohol and drug screening in adult trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Despite recommendations to screen all injured patients for substance use, single-center studies have reported underscreening. This study sought to determine if there was significant practice variability in adoption of alcohol and drug screening of injured patients among hospitals participating in the Trauma Quality Improvement Program. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational cross-sectional study of trauma patients 18 years or older in Trauma Quality Improvement Program 2017-2018. Hierarchical multivariable logistic regression modeled the odds of screening for alcohol and drugs via blood/urine test while controlling for patient and hospital variables. We identified statistically significant high and low-screening hospitals based on hospitals' estimated random intercepts and associated confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Of 1,282,111 patients at 744 hospitals, 619,423 (48.3%) were screened for alcohol, and 388,732 (30.3%) were screened for drugs. Hospital-level alcohol screening rates ranged from 0.8% to 99.7%, with a mean rate of 42.4% (SD, 25.1%). Hospital-level drug screening rates ranged from 0.2% to 99.9% (mean, 27.1%; SD, 20.2%). A total of 37.1% (95% CI, 34.7-39.6%) of variance in alcohol screening and 31.5% (95% CI, 29.2-33.9%) of variance in drug screening were at the hospital level. Level I/II trauma centers had higher adjusted odds of alcohol screening (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.22-1.41) and drug screening (aOR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08-1.25) than Level III and nontrauma centers. We found 297 low-screening and 307 high-screening hospitals in alcohol after adjusting for patient and hospital variables. There were 298 low-screening and 298 high-screening hospitals for drugs. CONCLUSION: Overall rates of recommended alcohol and drug screening of injured patients were low and varied significantly between hospitals. These results underscore an important opportunity to improve the care of injured patients and reduce rates of substance use and trauma recidivism. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level III.

Patient and Hospital Characteristics Associated With Delayed Diagnosis of Appendicitis.

Importance: Racial disparities in timely diagnosis and treatment of surgical conditions exist; however, it is poorly understood whether there are hospital structural measures or patient-level characteristics that modify this phenomenon. Objective: To assess whether patient race and ethnicity are associated with delayed appendicitis diagnosis and postoperative 30-day hospital use and whether there are patient- or systems-level factors that modify this association. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based, retrospective cohort study used data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's state inpatient and emergency department (ED) databases from 4 states (Florida, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin) for patients aged 18 to 64 years who underwent appendectomy from January 7, 2016, to December 1, 2017. Data were analyzed from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017. Exposure: Delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, defined as an initial ED presentation with an abdominal diagnosis other than appendicitis followed by re-presentation within a week for appendectomy. Main Outcomes and Measures: A mixed-effects multivariable Poisson regression model was used to estimate the association of delayed diagnosis of appendicitis with race and ethnicity while controlling for patient and hospital variables. A second mixed-effects multivariable Poisson regression model quantified the association of delayed diagnosis of appendicitis with postoperative 30-day hospital use. Results: Of 80 312 patients who received an appendectomy during the study period (median age, 38 years [IQR, 27-50 years]; 50.8% female), 2013 (2.5%) experienced delayed diagnosis. In the entire cohort, 2.9% of patients were Asian or Pacific Islander, 18.8% were Hispanic, 10.9% were non-Hispanic Black, 60.8% were non-Hispanic White, and 6.6% were other race and ethnicity; most were privately insured (60.2%). Non-Hispanic Black patients had a 1.41 (95% CI, 1.21-1.63) times higher adjusted rate of delayed diagnosis compared with non-Hispanic White patients. Patients at hospitals with a more than 50% Black or Hispanic population had a 0.73 (95% CI, 0.59-0.91) decreased adjusted rate of delayed appendicitis diagnosis compared with hospitals with a less than 25% Black or Hispanic population. Conversely, patients at hospitals with more than 50% of discharges of Medicaid patients had a 3.51 (95% CI, 1.69-7.28) higher adjusted rate of delayed diagnosis compared with hospitals with less than 10% of discharges of Medicaid patients. Additional factors associated with delayed diagnosis included female sex, higher levels of patient comorbidity, and living in a low-income zip code. Delayed diagnosis was associated with a 1.38 (95% CI, 1.36-1.61) increased adjusted rate of postoperative 30-day hospital use. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, non-Hispanic Black patients had higher rates of delayed appendicitis diagnosis and 30-day hospital use than White patients. Patients presenting to hospitals with a greater than 50% Black and Hispanic population were less likely to experience delayed diagnosis, suggesting that seeking care at a hospital that serves a diverse patient population may help mitigate the increased rate of delayed diagnosis observed for non-Hispanic Black patients.

National evaluation of the association between stay-at-home orders on mechanism of injury and trauma admission volume.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic had numerous negative effects on the US healthcare system. Many states implemented stay-at-home (SAH) orders to slow COVID-19 virus transmission. We measured the association between SAH orders on the injury mechanism type and volume of trauma center admissions during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: All trauma patients aged 16 years and older who were treated at the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program participating centers from January 2018-September 2020. Weekly trauma patient volume, patient demographics, and injury characteristics were compared across the corresponding SAH time periods from each year. Patient volume was modeled using harmonic regression with a random hospital effect. RESULTS: There were 166,773 patients admitted in 2020 after a SAH order and an average of 160,962 patients were treated over the corresponding periods in 2018-2019 in 474 centers. Patients presenting with a pre-existing condition of alcohol misuse increased (13,611 (8.3%) vs. 10,440 (6.6%), p <0.001). Assault injuries increased (19,056 (11.4%) vs. 15,605 (9.8%)) and firearm-related injuries (14,246 (8.5%) vs. 10,316 (6.4%)), p<0.001. Firearm-specific assault injuries increased (10,748 (75.5%) vs. 7,600 (74.0%)) as did firearm-specific unintentional injuries (1,318 (9.3%) vs. 830 (8.1%), p<0.001. In the month preceding the SAH orders, trauma center admissions decreased. Within a week of SAH implementation, hospital admissions increased (p<0.001) until a plateau occurred 10 weeks later above predicted levels. On regional sub-analysis, admission volume remained significantly elevated for the Midwest during weeks 11-25 after SAH order implementation, (p<0.001).

Nine years of pediatric gunshot wounds: A descriptive analysis.

Pediatric firearm violence carries significant morbidity and mortality. Studies targeting children ≤14 years are limited. Our goal was to study the distribution and determinants of GSWs in the pediatric population. We performed a retrospective review of children ≤14 years presenting with GSWs at this level 1 trauma center. This cohort was split into younger children, 0-12 years, and older children, 13-14 years. Summary and bivariate statistics were calculated using Stata v10. 142 patients (68.3% black, 76.7% male) were identified. Injuries more often occurred at home (39.6%) by family or friends (60.7%). Older children often suffered handgun injuries (85.5%) and more often were sent immediately to the OR on presentation (29.2%). Younger children more often suffered from air-gun (50%) and pistols (40%). Younger children more commonly had blood transfusions (9.4%) compared to exploratory laparotomy in older children (13.5%). The most common disposition from the ED was home (36.2%). Descriptive data entailing incident specifics such as time of injury and CPS involvement were frequently missing in the healthcare record. Older children were more likely to be injured by strangers, have longer lengths of stay especially associated with surgical operations, and have a disposition of immediate arrest compared to their younger cohort. Consequently, this group may benefit from interventions typically aimed at older patients such as violence intervention programs. When available, differences in demographics and outcomes were identified which could shape novel prevention strategies for firearm injury.

The association between gun shows and firearm injuries: An analysis of 259 gun shows across 23 US cities.

Guns shows are estimated to account for 4-9% of firearm sales in the US. Increased regulation of firearm sales at gun shows has been proposed as one approach to reducing firearm injury rates. This study evaluated the association between gun shows and local firearm injury rates. Data regarding the date and location of gun shows from 2017 to 2019 were abstracted from the Big Show Journal. Firearm injury rates were estimated using discharges from trauma centers serving counties within a 25-mile radius of each gun show. Clinical data were derived from the National Trauma Databank (NTDB). We used Poisson regression modeling to adjust for potential confounders including seasonality. We evaluated injury rates before and after 259 gun shows in 23 US locations using firearm injury data from 36 trauma centers. There were 1513 hospitalizations for firearm injuries pre-gun show and 1526 post-gun show. The adjusted mean 2-week rate of all-cause firearm injury per 1,000,000 person-years was 1.79 (1.16-2.76) before and 1.82 (1.18-2.83) after a gun show, with an incident rate ratio of 1.02 (0.94, 1.08). The adjusted mean 2-week rate did not vary significantly by intent after a gun show, (p = 0.24). Within two weeks after a gun show, rates of hospitalization for all-cause firearm injury do not increase significantly within the surrounding communities. The relatively small increase in available firearms after a show and the short time horizon evaluated may account for the absence of an association between gun show firearm sales and local firearm injury rates.

Sex-Based Disparities in Timeliness of Trauma Care and Discharge Disposition.

Importance: Differences in time to diagnostic and therapeutic measures can contribute to disparities in outcomes. However, whether there is an association of timeliness by sex for trauma patients is unknown. Objective: To investigate whether sex-based differences in time to definitive interventions exist for trauma patients in the US and whether these differences are associated with outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted from July 2020 to July 2021, using the 2013 to 2016 Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) databases from level I to III trauma centers in the US. Patients 18 years or older with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) greater than 15 and who carried diagnoses of traumatic brain injury, intra-abdominal injury, pelvic fracture, femur fracture, and spinal injury as a result of their trauma were included in the study. Data were analyzed from July 2020 to July 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes assessed timeliness to interventions, using Wilcoxon signed rank and χ2 tests. Secondary outcomes included location of discharge after injury, using propensity score-matched generalized estimating equations modeling. Results: Of the 28 332 patients included, 20 002 (70.6%) were male patients (mean [SD] age, 43.3 [18.2] years) and 8330 (29.4%) were female patients (mean [SD] age, 48.5 [21.1] years), with significantly different distributions of ISS scores (ISS score 16-24: male patient, 10 622 [53.1%]; female patient, 4684 [56.2%]; ISS score 41-74: male patient, 2052 [10.3%]; female patient, 852 [10.2%]). Male patients more frequently had abdominal (4257 [21.3%] vs 1268 [15.2%]) and spinal cord (3989 [20.0%] vs 1274 [15.3%]) injuries, whereas female patients experienced greater proportions of femur (3670 [44.0%] vs 8422 [42.1%]) and pelvic (3970 [47.6%] vs 6963 [34.8%]) fractures. Female patients experienced significantly longer emergency department length of stay (median [IQR], 184 [92-314] minutes vs 172 [86-289] minutes; P < .001), longer time in pretriage (median [IQR], 52 [36-80] minutes vs 49 [34-77] minutes; P < .001), and increased likelihood of discharge to nursing or long-term care facilities instead of home after matching by age, ISS, mechanism, and injury type (male patient:female patient, odds ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.67-0.78). Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this cohort study suggest that female trauma patients experienced slightly longer delays in trauma care and had a higher likelihood of discharge to long-term care facilities than their male counterparts.

A Qualitative study on diverse perspectives and identities of firearm owners.

OBJECTIVE: Research surrounding firearm ownership is often contextualised within the perspectives of older white men. We expand this description using the perceptions of a diverse group of firearm-owning stakeholders. METHODS: We conducted semistructured interviews from October 2020 to May 2021 with Colorado/Washington State stakeholders representing (1) firearm ranges/retailers; (2) law enforcement agencies or (3) relevant state/national firearm organisations. Data were analysed using standard qualitative techniques and included 25 participants, representing varied sociocultural groups including racial and ethnic minorities, political minorities and sexual minorities. RESULTS: Participants for this analysis were of different self-identified sociocultural groups including racial and ethnic minorities (African American, Hispanic and Asian), political minorities (liberal) and sexual minorities, defined as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT). Perspectives on firearm ownership included an idea of gun culture as a component of (1) personal identity, (2) an expression of full citizenship and (3) necessary for self-protection. A strong subtheme was the intersection of minority group and firearm owner identities, creating a need for divergent social communities because of ideas on traditional gun culture. These communities are a safe place for individuals belonging to minority groups to escape negative external and internal group associations with firearms. CONCLUSION: Perspectives on firearms and firearm ownership in the secondary analysis were heterogeneous and related to personal experiences, external and internal group pressures that influence individual behaviour. Understanding the breadth of perspectives on firearm ownership is imperative to engaging individuals for risk reduction. This study adds to the literature by expanding an understanding of the motivation for firearm ownership among diverse communities.

Time to OR for patients with abdominal gunshot wounds: A potential process measure to assess the quality of trauma care?

BACKGROUND: Abdominal gunshot wounds (GSWs) require rapid assessment and operative intervention to reduce the risk of death and complications. We sought to determine if time to the operating room (OR) might be a useful process measure for the assessment of trauma care quality. We evaluated the facility benchmark time to OR for patients with serious injury and whether this was associated with lower rates of complications and mortality. METHODS: We evaluated time to OR for adult patients with an abdominal GSW presenting in shock to American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program centers from 2015 to 2020. We calculated the 75th percentile time to the OR for each center and characterized centers as average, slow, or fast. We compared patient and facility characteristics across outlier status, as well as risk-adjusted complications and mortality using hierarchical multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: There were 4,027 patients in 230 centers that met the inclusion criteria. Mortality was 28%. There were 61 (27%) fast and 52 (23%) slow centers. The median time for slow centers was 83 minutes (68-94 minutes) compared with fast centers, 35 minutes (32-38 minutes). Injury Severity Score and emergency department vital signs were similar across centers. Fast hospitals had higher total case volumes, more cases per surgeon, and were more likely to be Level I centers. Patients cared for in these centers had similar risk-adjusted rates of complications and mortality. CONCLUSION: Time to OR for patients with abdominal GSWs and shock might be a useful process measure to evaluate rapid decision making and OR access. Surgeon and center experience as measured by annual case volumes, coupled with a rapid surgical response required through Level I trauma center standards might be contributory. There was no association between outlier status and complications or mortality suggesting other factors apart from time to the OR are of greater significance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/care management, Level IV.