Preventability of unplanned readmissions within 30 days of discharge. A cross-sectional, single-center study.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the preventability, determinants and causes of unplanned hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge using a multidisciplinary approach and including patients' perspectives. DESIGN: A prospective cross-sectional single-center study. SETTING: Urban teaching hospital in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: 430 patients were included. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥ 18 years, discharged from one of seven participating clinical departments and an unplanned readmission within 30 days. METHODS: Residents from the participating departments individually assessed whether the readmission was caused by healthcare, the preventability and possible causes of readmissions using a tool. Thereafter, the preventability of the cases was discussed in a multidisciplinary meeting with residents of all participating departments and clinical pharmacists. The primary outcome was the proportion of readmissions that were potentially preventable. Secondary outcomes were the determinants for a readmission, causes for preventable readmissions, the change in the final decision on preventability after the multidisciplinary meeting and the value of patient interviews in assessing preventability. Differences in characteristics of potentially preventable readmissions (PPRs) and non-PPRs were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 430 readmissions, 56 (13%) were assessed as PPRs. Age was significantly associated with a PPR (adjusted OR: 2.42; 95%, CI 1.23-4.74; p = 0.01). The main causes for PPRs were diagnostic (30%), medication (27%) and management problems (27%). During the multidisciplinary meeting, the final decision on preventability changed in 11% of the cases. When a patient interview was available, it was used as a source of information to assess preventability in 26% of readmissions. In 7% of cases, the patient interview was mentioned as the most important source. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: 13% of readmissions were potentially preventable with diagnostic, medication or management problems being main causes. A multidisciplinary review approach and including the patient's perspective could contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of readmissions and possible improvements.

Coronary anatomy as related to bicuspid aortic valve morphology.

OBJECTIVE: Variable coronary anatomy has been described in patients with bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs). This was never specified to BAV morphology, and prognostic relevance of coronary vessel dominance in this patient group is unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate valve morphology in relation to coronary artery anatomy and outcome in patients with isolated BAV and with associated aortic coarctation (CoA). METHODS: Coronary anatomy was evaluated in 186 patients with BAV (141 men (79%), 51±14 years) by CT and invasive coronary angiography. Correlation of coronary anatomy was made with BAV morphology and coronary events. RESULTS: Strictly bicuspid valves (without raphe) with left-right cusp fusion (type 1B) had more left dominant coronary systems compared with BAVs with left-right cusp fusion with a raphe (type 1A) (48% vs. 26%, p=0.047) and showed more separate ostia (28% vs. 9%, p=0.016). Type 1B BAVs had more coronary artery disease than patients with type 1A BAV (36% vs. 19%, p=0.047). More left dominance was seen in BAV patients with CoA than in patients without (65% vs. 24%, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of a left dominant coronary artery system and separate ostia was significantly related to BAVs with left-right fusion without a raphe (type 1B). These patients more often had significant coronary artery disease. In patients with BAV and CoA, left dominancy is more common.

Silver-coated endotracheal tubes for prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common nosocomial infections in intubated and mechanically ventilated patients. Endotracheal tubes (ETTs) appear to be an independent risk factor for VAP. Silver-coated ETTs slowly release silver cations. It is these silver ions that appear to have a strong antimicrobial effect. Because of this antimicrobial effect of silver, silver-coated ETTs could be an effective intervention to prevent VAP in people who require mechanical ventilation for 24 hours or longer. OBJECTIVES: Our primary objective was to investigate whether silver-coated ETTs are effective in reducing the risk of VAP and hospital mortality in comparison with standard non-coated ETTs in people who require mechanical ventilation for 24 hours or longer. Our secondary objective was to ascertain whether silver-coated ETTs are effective in reducing the following clinical outcomes: device-related adverse events, duration of intubation, length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay, costs, and time to VAP onset. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2014 Issue 10, MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO CINAHL, and reference lists of trials. We contacted corresponding authors for additional information and unpublished studies. We did not impose any restrictions on the basis of date of publication or language. The date of the last search was October 2014. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-randomized trials that evaluated the effects of silver-coated ETTs or a combination of silver with any antimicrobial-coated ETTs with standard non-coated ETTs or with other antimicrobial-coated ETTs in critically ill people who required mechanical ventilation for 24 hours or longer. We also included studies that evaluated the cost-effectiveness of silver-coated ETTs or a combination of silver with any antimicrobial-coated ETTs. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors (GT, HV) independently extracted the data and summarized study details from all included studies using the specially designed data extraction form. We used standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. We performed meta-analysis for outcomes when possible. MAIN RESULTS: We found three eligible randomized controlled trials, with a total of 2081 participants. One of the three included studies did not mention the amount of participants and presented no outcome data. The 'Risk of bias' assessment indicated that there was a high risk of detection bias owing to lack of blinding of outcomes assessors, but we assessed all other domains to be at low risk of bias. Trial design and conduct were generally adequate, with the most common areas of weakness in blinding. The majority of participants were included in centres across North America. The mean age of participants ranged from 61 to 64 years, and the mean duration of intubation was between 3.2 and 7.7 days. One trial comparing silver-coated ETTs versus non-coated ETTs showed a statistically significant decrease in VAP in favour of the silver-coated ETT (1 RCT, 1509 participants; 4.8% versus 7.5%, risk ratio (RR) 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43 to 0.96; number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) = 37; low-quality evidence). The risk of VAP within 10 days of intubation was significantly lower with the silver-coated ETTs compared with non-coated ETTs (1 RCT, 1509 participants; 3.5% versus 6.7%, RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.82; NNTB = 32; low-quality evidence). Silver-coated ETT was associated with delayed time to VAP occurrence compared with non-coated ETT (1 RCT, 1509 participants; hazard ratio 0.55, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.84). The confidence intervals for the results of the following outcomes did not exclude potentially important differences with either treatment. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in hospital mortality (1 RCT, 1509 participants; 30.4% versus 26.6%, RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.29; low-quality evidence); device-related adverse events (2 RCTs, 2081 participants; RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.37 to 1.16; low-quality evidence); duration of intubation; and length of hospital and ICU stay. We found no clinical studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness of silver-coated ETTs. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This review provides limited evidence that silver-coated ETT reduces the risk of VAP, especially during the first 10 days of mechanical ventilation.

Late outcomes comparison of nonelderly patients with stented bioprosthetic and mechanical valves in the aortic position: a propensity-matched analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Our study compares late mortality and valve-related morbidities between nonelderly patients (aged <65 years) undergoing stented bioprosthetic or mechanical valve replacement in the aortic position. METHODS: We identified 1701 consecutive patients aged <65 years who underwent aortic valve replacement between 1992 and 2011. A stented bioprosthetic valve was used in 769 patients (45%) and a mechanical valve was used in 932 patients (55%). A stepwise logistic regression propensity score identified a subset of 361 evenly matched patient-pairs. Late outcomes of death, reoperation, major bleeding, and stroke were assessed. RESULTS: Follow-up was 99% complete. The mean age in the matched cohort was 53.9 years (bioprosthetic valve) and 53.2 years (mechanical valve) (P=.30). Fifteen additional measurable variables were statistically similar for the matched cohort. Thirty-day mortality was 1.9% (bioprosthetic valve) and 1.4% (mechanical valve) (P=.77). Survival at 5, 10, 15, and 18 years was 89%, 78%, 65%, and 60% for patients with bioprosthetic valves versus 88%, 79%, 75%, and 51% for patients with mechanical valves (P=.75). At 18 years, freedom from reoperation was 95% for patients with mechanical valves and 55% for patients with bioprosthetic valves (P=.002), whereas freedom from a major bleeding event favored patients with bioprosthetic valves (98%) versus mechanical valves (78%; P=.002). There was no difference in stroke between the 2 matched groups. CONCLUSIONS: In patients aged <65 years, despite an increase in the rate of reoperation with stented bioprosthetic valves and an increase in major bleeding events with mechanical valves, there is no significant difference in mortality at late follow-up.

Mycotic aneurysm of the aortic arch presenting with left vocal cord palsy.

We report a case of a 71-year-old man with a mycotic aneurysm of the aortic arch who presented with progressive hoarseness. Three weeks prior to this event the patient was admitted to an outside hospital in septic condition and was diagnosed with a mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm. Resection of the infected abdominal aortic aneurysm with right axillofemoral and femoral-femoral bypass grafts was performed and the patient was discharged home on intravenous antibiotics. At our institution, the aortic arch aneurysm was treated with extensive debridement and replaced with a Dacron prosthesis under circulatory arrest with antegrade cerebral perfusion through the axillofemoral bypass.

Management strategies in cardiac surgery for postoperative atrial fibrillation: contemporary prophylaxis and futuristic anticoagulant possibilities.

With more than a third of patients expected to endure the arrhythmia at any given time point, atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery becomes a vexing problem in the postoperative care of cardiac surgery patients. The impact on patient care covers a spectrum from the more common clinically insignificant sequelae to debilitating embolic events. Despite this, postoperative atrial fibrillation generally masquerades as being insignificant, or at most as an anticipated inherent risk, merely extending one's hospital stay by a few days. As an independent risk factor for stroke, early and late mortality, and being a multibillion dollar strain on the healthcare system annually, postoperative atrial fibrillation is far more flagrant than a mere inherent risk. It is a serious medical quandary, which is not recognized as such. Though complete prevention is unrealistic, a step-wise treatment strategy that incorporates multiple preventative modalities can significantly reduce the impact of postoperative atrial fibrillation on patient care. The aims of this review are to present a brief overview of the arrhythmia's etiology, risk factors, and preventative strategies to reduce associated morbidities. Newer anticoagulants and the potential role of these drugs on future treatment paradigms are also discussed.