Novel use of a sequential standardized oral board exam to assess PGY1 resident progression.

PURPOSE: A standardized oral board exam was created to longitudinally assess postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residents in key domains. SUMMARY: We provide a descriptive review of a novel oral board exam administered quarterly to our PGY1 pharmacy residents. Preceptors from our core rotations (internal medicine/infectious diseases, adult critical care, oncology, pediatrics, and administration/health policy and outcomes) developed questions based on situations commonly encountered by PGY1 residents to assess residents' communication; the content of their response, assessment, and plan; and coachability. Over the 4-year history of this assessment, scoring has matured to consider whether a resident has or has not met or has exceeded expectations for a PGY1 resident at a given stage in their training. Our comprehensive feedback and action planning approach included residents' self-assessment, feedback from the exam committee, development and implementation of a customized training plan for execution, and dissemination to our preceptors. Systematically assessing our PGY1 residents with this innovative method provided a process for tracking their performance and served as a baseline for those who completed additional training at our institution. CONCLUSION: A standardized quarterly oral board exam was developed to identify residents' strengths and areas for improvement at established periods during the PGY1 residency training program. This standardized assessment, paired with individualized action plans and open communication with key stakeholders, stimulated development in residents' performance, communication, and interpersonal skills. We aim to expand this system's application to identify predictors of success for candidates we interview for our postgraduate training programs.

Impact of Opioid Restrictions During a Critical Drug Shortage Period: Interrupted Time Series for Institutional Opioid Utilization.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of intravenous opioid product restrictions at an academic medical institution in an urban setting during the time of critical opioid shortages. We assessed the effect of ordering restrictions on inpatient opioid utilization measured by 1) changes in intermittent oral and injectable opioid product administration; 2) changes in total institutional opioid administration; and 3) changes in the utilization of individual restricted opioid agents. METHODS: This study is a single-center retrospective analysis by interrupted time series of institutional opioid utilization from 07/2017 to 06/2018. Utilization was quantified using milligrams of intravenous morphine equivalent administered or dispensed per admitted patient. Restrictions were grouped into 10 distinct phases, which informed the interruptions in linear regression models. RESULTS: Sequential restrictions during the study period led to shifts in use of individual agents but did not have a significant impact on overall total opioid utilization. "Soft" restrictions did not have a direct, statistically significant impact on medication use but did decrease utilization over time. In situations where a product was restricted with a "soft stop" followed by a "hard stop," the "hard stop" directly reduced usage. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted ordering restrictions allowed the institution to redirect drug use according to clinical need without affecting the overall utilization. Clinical decision support led providers to choose therapeutically equivalent alternatives. The demonstrated effect of restrictions will guide institutions in the selection of "hard stop" or "soft stop" restrictions in response to future shortages.

Early bronchoalveolar lavage for intubated trauma patients with TBI or chest trauma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of an early bronchoalveolar lavage (E-BAL) protocol. BAL was performed within 48 h for intubated patients with traumatic brain injury or chest trauma. We hypothesized that E-BAL would decrease antibiotic use and improve outcomes compared to late BAL (L-BAL) triggered by clinical signs of pneumonia. METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis of 132 patients with quantitative BAL and ≥1 risk factor: head Abbreviated Injury Score ≥2, ≥3 rib fractures, or radiographic signs of aspiration or pulmonary contusion. E-BAL (n=71) was compared to L-BAL (n=61). Pneumonia was defined as ≥104 organisms on BAL or Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score >6. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, injury severity, initial Pao2:Fio2, or smoking status between E-BAL and L-BAL groups. 52% and 61% of the E-BAL and L-BAL cultures were positive, respectively. E-BAL patients had fewer antibiotic days (7.3 vs 9.2, P=.034), ventilator days (11 vs 15, P=.002), tracheostomies (49% vs 75%, P=.002), and shorter intensive care unit and hospital length of stay (13 vs 17 days (P=.007), 18 vs 22 days (P=.041)). CONCLUSIONS: More than half of all E-BAL patients had pneumonia present early after admission. E-BAL was associated with fewer days on antibiotics and better outcomes than L-BAL.

No difference in mechanical ventilation-free hours in critically ill patients who received intravenous, oral, or enteral phosphate replacement.

PURPOSE: To determine the impact on duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) and the need for reintubation after changing from intravenous (IV) to oral phosphate formulations, in response to a national shortage of IV phosphate. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in adult patients who required MV for at least 48 hours. RESULTS: A total of 136 patients were included, with 68 patients in both the restricted phosphate group and unrestricted phosphate groups. There was no difference in the cumulative phosphate supplementation received (IV and oral) between groups (P=.08). The overall mean serum phosphorus concentration in unrestricted vs restricted group was 3.0 vs 2.9 mg/dL, respectively (P=.24), and the phosphorus concentration was not significantly different between groups during the first 21 days of the study (P=.24). The median MV-free hours in the unrestricted group was 462 hours compared with 507 hours in the restricted group (P=.16), and 9 (13.2%) of patients in each group required reintubation (P=.99). There was no significant difference in mortality, or hospital, or intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: No difference in MV-free hours or need for reintubation was observed after a national shortage requiring the restriction of IV phosphate supplementation. Oral phosphate replacement is a safe and an efficient alternative.

Intubated Trauma Patients Receiving Prolonged Antibiotics for Pneumonia despite Negative Cultures: Predictors and Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Despite the excellent negative predictive value of sterile respiratory cultures, antibiotics often are continued after negative endotracheal aspirate (ETA) or bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for critically ill trauma patients. We hypothesized that persistent elevation of the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS) would predict continued antibiotic therapy after a negative respiratory culture for intubated trauma patients, and that prolonged antibiotics would provide no benefit. METHODS: We performed a four-year retrospective cohort analysis (May 1, 2011-September 30, 2015), including patients from our trauma database with ETA or BAL, excluding patients with any infection other than pneumonia or bacteremia. Cultures with <2+ organisms on gram stain and <2+ or 104 organisms on culture were considered negative. The CPIS was assessed at the time of culture and five days later, when all cultures were final. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify predictors of long-term antibiotic therapy. RESULTS: A series of 106 patients with negative cultures were included, of whom 61 had ≤5 d of antibiotics and 45 had >5 d of antibiotics. There were no differences in injury severity, head or chest trauma, initial CPIS, or subsequent culture results between the groups. Long-term antibiotic therapy did not affect intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), ventilator days, hospital LOS, or death. Factors predicting long-term antibiotic therapy included development of a localized chest radiograph infiltrate (odds ratio [OR] 6.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7-28), CPIS >5 five days after culture (OR 6.1; 95% CI 1.2-32), and a colonized culture (OR 3.3; 95% CI 1.3-8.3). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term antibiotic therapy for intubated trauma patients with negative respiratory cultures provided no benefit and was predicted by development of a localized chest radiograph infiltrate, persistently elevated CPIS, and a contaminated/colonized culture. Although long-term antibiotic use did not worsen outcomes, better strategies are needed to diagnose pneumonia accurately and ensure timely discontinuation of antibiotics when appropriate.

Early thrombin formation capacity in trauma patients and association with venous thromboembolism.

Incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult trauma patients is high despite mechanical and pharmacologic prophylaxis. We hypothesized that thrombin formation capacity as measured by calibrated automated thrombogram (CAT) is increased early in hospitalization and is associated with the development of VTE. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study in adult, critically ill trauma patients. Plasma was generated from whole blood samples collected within the first 3days of hospital admission. CAT was used to determine lag time, thrombin peak, time to thrombin peak, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP), and velocity index in plasma samples from patients, and in control samples of platelet-poor, pooled normal plasma. RESULTS: There were 35 trauma patients and 35 controls included in this pilot analysis. Patients were a mean (SD) age of 45 (19) years, and 23 (66%) were male. The most common mechanism of injury was motor vehicle crash followed by falls, and the median (IQR) injury severity score was 17 (12-27). Three patients (8.6%) had deep vein thrombosis (DVT) confirmed by Doppler ultrasound on median hospital day 7. Compared to control samples, patients had significantly longer lag times (3.1min vs. 2.7min, p=0.02) and significantly higher ETP (1136nM∗min vs. 1019nM∗min, p=0.007), peak thrombin generation (239nM vs. 176nM, p<0.001), and velocity index (108nM/min vs. 57nM/min, p<0.001) (Fig. 1). There was no difference in the time to peak thrombin generation between the two groups (5.5min vs. 5.7min, p=0.22). In the 3 patients with VTE compared to controls, lag times were shorter and velocity index was higher while ETP and peak thrombin generation were similar. There were no statistically significant differences in thrombin generation parameters in patients with or without VTE, but lag time was numerically shorter, and thrombin peak, time to peak and area-under-the-curve (ETP) were numerically lower in patients with DVT. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a thrombin generation profile in critically ill trauma patients consistent with an early hypercoagulable state; however, thrombin generation parameters did not discriminate patients with VTE.

Challenges of Administering Pancrelipase in Pancreatitis Patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated nutrition status to determine the impact of a novel approach using elemental nutrition compared to pancrelipase administration in patients with pancreatitis. METHODS: This retrospective study included adult patients with pancreatitis who were nil per os (NPO) and received elemental nutrition from August 2008 to 2010 (n = 24) or pancrelipase enzyme supplementation (PES) plus nonelemental enteral nutrition from August 2011 to 2013 (n = 41) at a large academic medical center. The primary outcome is the percentage of diarrhea-free days. Secondary outcomes include time-to-goal enteral nutrition from the enteral nutrition initiation and pre-albumin and albumin changes pre- and postenteral nutrition. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in percentage of diarrhea-free days (46.80% ± 29.03% vs 53.45% ± 36.76%, p = 0.45). Additionally, there were no differences in secondary outcomes of time-to-goal enteral nutrition and pre-albumin and albumin changes pre- and postenteral nutrition. CONCLUSION: Utilizing elemental nutrition compared to PES plus nonelemental enteral nutrition in patients with pancreatitis was not associated with a significant reduction in percentage of diarrhea-free days, time-to-goal enteral nutrition, and nutrition status. A multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled trial is warranted to further evaluate the efficacy of elemental nutrition in patients with pancreatitis.

Pharmacologic anticoagulation reversal in the emergency department.

Anticoagulation therapies are 1 of the most commonly encountered therapeutic areas by health care professionals each day. One of the most important adverse effects of anticoagulation therapy is life-threatening hemorrhage, and it may result in visits to the emergency department. Some of the common reversal agents include Vitamin K, protamine sulfate, desmopressin, recombinant Factor VIIa, and prothrombin complex concentrates. Each of these agents has the potential to reverse specific anticoagulation therapies, but each agent has a unique administration procedure and monitoring parameters. However, these agents are not without risk of adverse effects. Knowledge of unique aspects of each reversal agent and the anticoagulation therapy must be considered when selecting or recommending pharmacologic anticoagulation reversal therapy. The intent of this review is to discuss the relevant management issues associated with anticoagulant reversal in the emergency department.

Evaluation of atrial arrhythmias following noncardiac thoracic surgery.

Atrial arrhythmias (AAs) after noncardiac thoracic surgery may be associated with increased mortality, length of stay (LOS), and health care expenditures. A retrospective analysis of adult patients who underwent thoracotomy at our institution from January 2002 to June 2008 was performed. Of 820 patients identified, 112 (14%) developed an AA. Overall mortality was 7.14% in the AA group and 3.11% in the non-AA group (relative risk, 2.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-4.91; P = 0.035). Median intensive care unit (ICU) LOS and total LOS were 4.0 and 7.0 days in the AA group and 3.0 and 5.0 days in the non-AA group (ICU LOS P < 0.01 and total LOS P < 0.001). Median health care expenditures in the AA group were approximately $37,000 versus $28,000 in the non-AA group (P < 0.001). The development of an AA in this patient population may be associated with increased mortality, ICU and total LOS, and health care expenditures.