Association of an Enhanced Recovery Pilot With Length of Stay in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Importance: Enhanced recovery protocols (ERPs) are standardized care plans of best practices that can decrease morbidity and length of stay (LOS). However, many hospitals need help with implementation. The Enhanced Recovery in National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ERIN) pilot was designed to support ERP implementation. Objective: To evaluate the association of the ERIN pilot with LOS after colectomy. Design, Setting, and Participants: Using a difference-in-differences design, pilot LOS before and after ERP implementation was compared with matched controls in a hierarchical model, adjusting for case mix and random effects of hospitals and matched pairs. The setting was 15 hospitals of varied size and academic status from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Preimplementation and postimplementation colectomy cases (July 1, 2013, to December 31, 2015) were collected using novel ERIN variables. Emergency and septic cases were excluded. A propensity score match identified a 2:1 control cohort of patients undergoing colectomy at non-ERIN hospitals. Interventions: Pilot hospitals developed and implemented ERPs that included expert guidance, multidisciplinary teams, data audits, and opportunities for collaboration. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was LOS, and the secondary outcome was serious morbidity or mortality composite. Results: There were 4975 colectomies performed by 15 ERIN pilot hospitals (3437 before implementation and 1538 after implementation) compared with a control cohort of 9950 colectomies (4726 before implementation and 5224 after implementation). The mean LOS decreased by 1.7 days in the pilot (6.9 [interquartile range (IQR), 4-8] days before implementation vs 5.2 [IQR, 3-6] days after implementation, P < .001) compared with 0.4 day in controls (6.4 [IQR, 4-7] days before implementation vs 6.0 [IQR, 3-7] days after implementation, P < .001). Readmission did not differ pre-post for the pilot or controls. Serious morbidity or mortality decreased for pilot participants (485 [14.1%] before implementation vs 162 [10.5%] after implementation, P < .001), with no difference in controls, and remained significant after risk adjustment (adjusted odds ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.60-0.96). After adjusting for differences in case mix and for clustering in hospitals and matched pairs, the adjusted difference-in-differences model demonstrated a decrease in LOS by 1.1 days in the pilot over controls (P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: Participating ERIN pilot hospitals achieved shorter LOS and decreased complications after elective colectomy, without increasing readmissions. The ability to implement ERPs across hospitals of varied size and resources is essential. Lessons from the ERIN pilot may inform efforts to scale this effective and evidence-based intervention.

Association of normal nailfold end row loop numbers with a shorter duration of untreated disease in children with juvenile dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of normal numbers of end row loops (ERLs) in nailfold capillaries at the time of diagnosis of juvenile dermatomyositis (DM) with clinical findings in untreated children with the disease and to identify predictors of the development of decreased numbers of ERLs. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory data from 80 untreated children with juvenile DM were collected. ERL numbers were recorded at the time of diagnosis and at 24 months and 36 months thereafter. The 12 children who had normal ERLs at diagnosis were compared with the remaining 68 children. Outcomes included the duration of untreated disease, the duration of treatment with immunosuppressive medications, family medical history, Disease Activity Score (DAS) for juvenile DM, creatinine phosphokinase level, aldolase level, absolute number of CD3-CD56+/16+ natural killer cells, and von Willebrand factor antigen level. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were performed. RESULTS: At diagnosis, children with normal ERLs had a shorter duration of untreated disease (P = 0.03) and a lower skin DAS (P = 0.045). Over time, an increased likelihood of having decreased numbers of ERLs was associated with a longer duration of untreated disease and with a higher skin DAS. CONCLUSION: The presence of a normal number of ERLs in juvenile DM appears to be associated with a shorter duration of symptoms and may be a useful indicator of disease chronicity in the newly diagnosed child. Normal ERLs is also associated with a lower skin DAS. The lack of association between normal ERLs and other variables indicates that normal findings on nailfold capillaroscopy should not be used as justification to delay immunosuppressive therapy in children with typical symptoms of juvenile DM.

Late sinus and atrial tachycardia after pediatric heart transplantation might predict poor outcome.

Our objective was to examine clinical/electrocardiogram (ECG) predictors and outcomes of arrhythmias beyond 1 year after pediatric heart transplantation (HTx). We performed a retrospective chart review of 94 1-year HTx survivors, 1988-2006. Clinical records identified patients with arrhythmias occurring >1 year after HTx requiring pharmacotherapy, excluding acute rejection. We reviewed preoperative diagnosis, gender, age at HTx, operative details, transplant coronary artery disease (TCAD), and mortality. We analyzed serial ECGs after HTx for HR, PR, QRS, QT, and QTc intervals. Our results found complete data in 58 patients, 14 (24%) with arrhythmia and 44 controls. Arrhythmias occurred 1.1-17.9 years after HTx (mean = 6.8): 11 focal atrial tachycardia, 1 atrial fibrillation/flutter, 1 atrioventricular node reentry tachycardia; only 1 patient had ventricular tachycardia (VT). Serial ECG intervals were similar between groups, as well as surgical technique, ischemic time, and rejection history. Seven patients (50%) with arrhythmias had death or graft death versus 11% of the controls (P = 0.006). Patients with arrhythmias were more likely to be diagnosed with TCAD (P = 0.007). The patient with VT had no TCAD. In conclusion, supraventricular arrhythmias were frequent (22%) in 1-year survivors of pediatric HTx. These patients were more likely to develop TCAD and/or graft loss/mortality.

Controlling antimicrobial use and decreasing microbiological laboratory tests for urinary tract infections in spinal-cord-injury patients with chronic indwelling catheters.

PURPOSE: The effect of replacing the indwelling catheter of patients suspected of having a urinary tract infection (UTI) before collecting a urine sample on the number of organisms isolated in cultures and on drug and microbiology laboratory costs was studied. METHODS: Data were collected for all patients hospitalized in two spinal cord injury (SCI) units between October 2001 and March 2002 who had an indwelling catheter or suprapubic catheter and were suspected of having a UTI. Urine samples were obtained through a port of the indwelling catheter in one SCI unit, while the indwelling catheter was replaced immediately before each urine sample was obtained in the second SCI unit. Patient demographics, history of antimicrobial use, bacterial isolate sensitivity data, and current antimicrobial treatment were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 85 patients, 41 in the control group and 44 in the intervention group, were enrolled during the six-month study period. In the control and intervention groups, 93 and 79 organisms were isolated, respectively, with an average of 2 isolates per patient in the control group and 1 per patient in the intervention group. Patients in the control group had significantly more multidrug-resistant organisms in their urine, with 34 isolated from 26 patients (63%) (p < 0.001). Changing the indwelling catheter decreased antimicrobial and microbiology laboratory costs, resulting in a cost saving of $15.64 per patient. CONCLUSION: Replacement of the indwelling catheter before collecting a urine sample for culture and conducting susceptibility testing reduced the pathogens identified, the number of toxic antimicrobials prescribed to treat the infection, and the costs of antimicrobials and microbiology laboratory technician time.

Type III secretion phenotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains change during infection of individuals with cystic fibrosis.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a frequent cause of respiratory exacerbations in individuals with cystic fibrosis. An important virulence determinant of this pathogen is its type III protein secretion system. In this study, the type III secretion properties of 435 P. aeruginosa respiratory isolates from 56 chronically infected individuals with cystic fibrosis were investigated. Although it had been previously reported that 75 to 90% of P. aeruginosa isolates from patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia secreted type III proteins, only 12% of isolates from cystic fibrosis patients did so, with nearly all of these isolates secreting ExoS and ExoT but not ExoU. Despite the low overall prevalence of type III protein-secreting isolates, at least one secreting isolate was cultured from one-third of cystic fibrosis patients. Interestingly, the fraction of cystic fibrosis patient isolates capable of secreting type III proteins decreased with duration of infection. Although 90% of isolates from the environment, the presumed reservoir for the majority of P. aeruginosa strains that infect patients with cystic fibrosis, secreted type III proteins, only 49% of isolates from newly infected children, 18% of isolates from chronically infected children, and 4% of isolates from chronically infected adults with cystic fibrosis secreted these proteins. Within individual patients, isolates of clonal origin differed in their secretion phenotypes, indicating that as strains persisted in cystic fibrosis patient airways, their type III protein secretion properties changed. Together, these findings indicate that following infection of cystic fibrosis patient airways, P. aeruginosa strains gradually change from a type III protein secretion-positive phenotype to a secretion-negative phenotype.

Teaching residents pediatric fiberoptic intubation of the trachea: traditional fiberscope with an eyepiece versus a video-assisted technique using a fiberscope with an integrated camera.

BACKGROUND: The authors' hypothesis was that a video-assisted technique should speed resident skill acquisition for flexible fiberoptic oral tracheal intubation (FI) of pediatric patients because the attending anesthesiologist can provide targeted instruction when sharing the view of the airway as the resident attempts intubation. METHODS: Twenty Clinical Anesthesia year 2 residents, novices in pediatric FI, were randomly assigned to either the traditional group (traditional eyepiece FI) or the video group (video-assisted FI). One of two attending anesthesiologists supervised each resident during FI of 15 healthy children, aged 1-6 yr. The time from mask removal to confirmation of endotracheal tube placement by end-tidal carbon dioxide detection was recorded. Intubation attempts were limited to 3 min; up to three attempts were allowed. The primary outcome measure, time to success or failure, was compared between groups. Failure rate and number of attempts were also compared between groups. RESULTS: Three hundred patient intubations were attempted; eight failed. On average, the residents in the video group were faster, were three times more likely to successfully intubate at any given time during an attempt, and required fewer attempts per patient compared to those in the traditional group. CONCLUSIONS: The video system seems to be superior for teaching residents fiberoptic intubation in children.