Baseline glucose levels moderate the association between burn-related mortality inpatients with obesity.

BACKGROUND: Differing findings concerning outcomes for burn patients with obesity indicate additional factors at play. One possible explanation could lie in determining metabolically healthy versus unhealthy obesity, which necessitates further study. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted using the Cerner Health Facts® Database. Deidentified patient data from 2014 to 2018 with second or third-degree burn injuries were retrieved. A moderator analysis was conducted to determine if the association between increased body mass index (BMI) and mortality is moderated by baseline glucose level, a surrogate marker associated with metabolically unhealthy obesity. RESULTS: The study included 4682 adult burn patients. BMI alone was not associated with higher mortality (ß = 0.106, p = 0.331). Moderation analysis revealed that baseline glucose level significantly modulated the impact of BMI on burn-related obesity; patients with higher BMI and higher baseline blood glucose levels had higher mortality than those with lower baseline blood glucose levels (ß = 0.277, p = 0.009). These results remained unchanged after adjusting for additional covariates (ß = 0.285, p = 0.025) and inthe sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Increased baseline glucose levels indicate increased mortality in obese patients with burn injuries, emphasizing the differentiation between metabolically unhealthy versus healthy obesity.

Impact of elevated body mass index on burn injury-associated mortality in a representative US sample.

BACKGROUND: The impact of obesity on burn-related mortality is inconsistent and incongruent; despite being a risk factor for numerous comorbidities that would be expected to increase complications and worsen outcomes, there is evidence of a survival advantage for patients with high body mass index-the so-called obesity paradox. We used a national data set to explore further the relationship between body mass index and burn-related mortality. METHODS: Deidentified data from patients with second and third-degree burns between 2014 and 2018 were obtained from the Cerner Health Facts Database. Univariate and multivariate regression models were created to identify potential factors related to burn-related mortality. A restricted cubic spline model was built to assess the nonlinear association between body mass index and burn-related mortality. All statistical analyses were conducted using R (R Foundation for Statistical Computing). RESULTS: The study included 9,405 adult burn patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that age (odds ratio = 2.189 [1.771, 2.706], P < .001), total burn surface area (odds ratio = 1.824 [1.605, 2.074], P < .001), full-thickness burns (odds ratio = 1.992 [1.322, 3.001], P < .001), and comorbidities (odds ratio = 2.03 [1.367, 3.014], P < .001) were associated with increased mortality. Sensitivity analysis showed similar results. However, a restricted cubic spline indicated a U-shaped relation between body mass index and burn-related mortality. The nadir of body mass index was 28.92 kg/m2, with the lowest mortality. This association persisted even after controlling for age, total burn surface area, full-thickness burns, and comorbidities, which all remained significant. CONCLUSION: This study confirms a U-shaped association between body mass index and burn-related mortality along with age, total burn surface area, full-thickness burns, and comorbidities as risk factors.

The Risk of Clostridioides difficile Recurrence after Initial Treatment with Vancomycin or Fidaxomicin Utilizing Cerner Health Facts.

(1) Background: Fidaxomicin has been shown to significantly reduce Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) recurrences rates in randomized, controlled trials. However, national data from the Veterans Affairs has called the real-world applicability of these findings into question. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients receiving fidaxomicin or vancomycin as initial therapy for an index case of CDI in the hospital to evaluate the relative rates CDI recurrence within 90 days of an index case. (2) Methods: We retrieved patients 18 years and older who were admitted between July 2011 through June 2018 and diagnosed and treated for CDI with vancomycin or fidaxomicin. The first occurrence of CDI with treatment was designated as the index case. Patients with CDI within 1 year prior to index case were excluded. From the remaining index cases (vancomycin = 14,785; fidaxomicin = 889) the primary outcome (a recurrence of CDI within 90 days of the index case) was determined. The CDI recurrence rates for fidaxomicin and vancomyicn were evaluated using a Cox Proportional Hazards model on a propensity score matched cohort. (3) Results: A statistically significantly lower risk of CDI recurrence was observed with fidaxomicin use in the matched cohort (889 patients per treatment) using a Cox Proportional Hazards model (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.50-0.90). (4) Conclusions: Fidaxomicin was independently associated with a decreased CDI recurrence, as defined by readmission for CDI within 90 days.