Family Help With Medication Management: A Predictive Marker for Early Readmission.

OBJECTIVES: To identify aspects of medication management that are associated with a greater risk of hospital readmission. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study, with a thorough medication history and reconciliation performed at admission and discharge. Patients 18 years or older (N=258) were prospectively enrolled on admission to a cardiology service at a tertiary care hospital from September 1, 2011, through July 31, 2012. All patients received their hospital and outpatient care within our institution, which minimized loss to follow-up. Readmission rates within 30 days and 6 months after discharge were recorded and used to investigate associations with specific characteristics related to medication regimen and management. Nominal logistic fit tests were used to establish associations with risk factors. RESULTS: A higher risk of readmission within 30 days after discharge was seen with heart failure diagnosis (P=.003) and with increased severity of comorbid conditions based on Charlson score (P=.02). Patients whose family managed their medications entirely had a higher risk of readmission at 30 days (odds ratio, 2.92; 95% CI, 1.25-5.6; P=.01) and at 6 months (odds ratio, 3.54; 95% CI, 1.70-7.65; P<.001). These findings were independent of the presence of heart failure. CONCLUSION: Patients requiring family member support with medication management should be considered at increased risk for readmission. Increased focus on these patients at discharge may help decrease readmissions.

Pulmonary aspergillosis presenting with recurrent haemoptysis.

Pulmonary aspergillosis presents with a variety of clinical forms including invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, chronic necrotising aspergillosis, aspergilloma, chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Haemoptysis is a devastating complication of pulmonary aspergillosis and a common indication for surgery. We report a case of a 54-year-old man with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus, who presented with productive cough and haemoptysis for 2 months. Chest CT revealed a 30 mm diameter soft tissue mass in the upper lobe of the right lung. Haemoptysis subsided with conservative measures, but 2 weeks later the patient developed a new episode of persistent haemoptysis, which was only partially controlled with bronchial arterial embolisation. He underwent right upper and middle lobectomy. Histology examination confirmed the presence of a fungal cavitary lesion. The patient was started on voriconazole, and recovered with no recurrence at 18 months follow-up.

Hazards with ordering troponin in patients with low pretest probability of acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: In clinical practice, we progressively rely on biomarkers, without estimating the pretest probability. There is not enough support for the use of cardiac troponin (cTn) I in the management of noncardiac patients. We studied the rate at which this test was ordered, the prevalence of detection of a positive result in noncardiac patients, and the impact of this incidental finding on clinical management. METHODOLOGY: Patients admitted from December 2011 to 2013 to our community hospital with diagnosis of noncardiac disease who had positive cTn were included. Data collected included final diagnosis, patient disposition, cardiac monitoring, cardiology consult, and cardiac biomarker testing. RESULTS: Cardiac troponin I was ordered for 1700 patients in our emergency department. Seven hundred fifty patients had a positive cTn. Of the 750 patients, 412 had a positive cTn without any clinical suspicion of an acute coronary syndrome. An incidental finding of a positive cTn leads to ordering of cTn on average 4 times during admission, cardiac monitoring of 379 (91.99%) patients for at least 1 day, and a cardiac consultation for 268 (63.65%) of these patients. None of these patients was candidates for an invasive cardiac intervention. Seventy-eight (19.17%) patients were admitted to the cardiac care unit and subsequently transferred to the medical intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: A positive cTn in patients diagnosed with a nonacute coronary syndrome was associated with increased cardiac biomarker testing, telemetry monitoring, and cardiology consults. This study supports adherence to national guidelines for the use of cTn, to reduce hospital cost and resource utilization.

Heparin dose adjustment required to maintain goal-activated partial thromboplastin time during therapeutic hypothermia.

PURPOSE: The impact of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) on unfractionated heparin (UFH) management is essentially unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of TH on UFH dosing and activated partial thromboplastin (aPTT) response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients treated from 2005 to 2011 who received intravenous UFH via a dosing nomogram during TH were included. First, heparin doses and aPTT responses were compared between 2 core temperature groups, less than or equal to 33°C and greater than 35°C. Next, the first aPTT, drawn at 6 hours for temperature less than or equal to 33°C, was assessed. Lastly, a linear model was developed to predict the mean aPTT, based on temperatures and heparin doses. RESULTS: Of the 156 TH patients, 68 were included. At temperatures less than or equal to 33°C, 76.3% of all aPTT levels and 81.0% of the first aPTTs were above goal range, respectively. Using a linear model, an UFH dose of 12 U/kg per hour predicts an aPTT of 134 seconds at less than or equal to 33°C. CONCLUSIONS: Using guideline-recommended heparin dosing without dose adjustment for temperature changes produced excessive aPTT during the cooling phase for TH patients. Reduction in the UFH dose of 43% to 54% may be required during TH. We recommend frequent aPTT monitoring during the cooling and rewarming phases to attain a desired aPTT range.

Screening for severe physical inactivity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the value of simple measures and the validation of two physical activity questionnaires.

Objectively measured severe physical inactivity (SPI) has been reported as the strongest independent predictor of mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Activity monitoring is not feasible in routine clinical practice; therefore, we set out to determine the utility of simple clinical measures for predicting SPI in patients with COPD. A total of 165 patients with COPD wore an activity monitor for 5 days to define the presence or absence of SPI. Logistic models were generated including the modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) dyspnea grade, spirometry and the age-dyspnea-airflow obstruction (ADO) index. Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) and Stanford Brief Activity Scale (SBAS) were also tested for validity and reliability in a subgroup of 67 patients. The MMRC dyspnea grade, PASE score, ADO index and SBAS score were associated with SPI, but general self-efficacy and spirometry were not. An MMRC dyspnea grade ≥3 was the best independent predictor of SPI (AUC: 0.74; PPV: 0.83; NPV: 0.68) followed closely by a PASE score of <111. The combination of MMRC dyspnea grade and PASE score provided the most robust model (AUC: 0.83; Positive Predictive Value (PPV): 0.95; Negative Predictive Value (NPV): 0.63). The results were confirmed using 5000 bootstrapped models from the cohort of 165 patients. MMRC dyspnea grade ≥3 may be the best triage tool for SPI in patients with COPD. The combination of the MMRC and PASE score provided the most robust prediction. Our results may have significant practical applicability for clinicians caring for patients with COPD.

[Exercise and the detection of severe acute mountain sickness]. / Ejercicio y la detección del mal agudo de montaña grave.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a group of non-specific symptoms, seen in subjects that ascend from low to high altitude too quickly, without allowing sufficient time to acclimatize. Usually it is self-limiting, but the severe forms (pulmonary and cerebral edema) can be fatal. Exaggerated hypoxemia at rest is related to later development of AMS but its predictive value is limited. Since exercise at altitude induces greater hypoxemia and symptoms, we postulated the predictive value of a simple exercise test to prognosticate severe AMS. We studied the predictive value of the oxygen saturation during rest and sub-maximum exercise at 2.700 m and 4.300 m in 63 subjects that intended the ascent to Mount Aconcagua (6.962 m). We considered exercise oxygen desaturation to a drop of 5% respect to the resting value. Lake-Louise Score was used to quantify the presence of severe AMS. Six subjects developed severe AMS (9.5%) and required evacuation. Resting oxygen saturation at 2.700 m was not significant to classify subjects that then developed severe AMS. The association of oxygen desaturation during exercise at 2.700 m plus inappropriate resting oxygen saturation at 4.300 m was significant to classify the subjects that then developed severe AMS with a positive predictive value of 80% and a negative predictive value of 97%. Our results are relevant for mountaineering and suggest the use of a simple exercise test in the prediction of severe AMS.

Ejercicio y la detección del mal agudo de montaña grave / Exercise and the detection of severe acute mountain sickness

El mal agudo de montaña (MAM) es un conjunto de síntomas inespecíficos padecidos por sujetos que ascienden rápidamente desde baja a alta altura sin adecuada aclimatación. Usualmente es autolimitado, pero las formas graves (edema pulmonar y cerebral) pueden causar la muerte. La hipoxemia exagerada en reposo está relacionada con el desarrollo de MAM pero su valor predictivo es limitado. Dado que el ejercicio en altura se acompaña de mayor hipoxemia y síntomas, postulamos el valor predictivo de un simple test de ejercicio para pronosticar MAM grave. Se estudió el valor predictivo de la saturación de oxígeno en reposo y ejercicio submáximo a 2.700 m y 4 300 m en 63 sujetos que ascendían al cerro Aconcagua (6 962 m). Se consideró desaturación de oxígeno con ejercicio a una disminución = 5% respecto al reposo. Se utilizó la escala de Lake-Louise para establecer la presencia de MAM grave. Seis sujetos presentaron MAM grave (9.5%) y requirieron evacuación. La saturación de oxígeno en reposo a 2.700 m no fue significativa para clasificar sujetos que luego desarrollaron MAM grave. Por el contrario, la asociación de desaturación durante el ejercicio a 2.700 m más la saturación inapropiada en reposo a 4.300 m fue significativa para clasificar a los sujetos que desarrollaron MAM grave con un valor predictivo positivo de 80% y un valor predictivo negativo del 97%. Nuestros resultados son relevantes para el montañismo y sugieren la adición de un simple test de ejercicio en la predicción del MAM grave.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a group of non-specific symptoms, seen in subjects that ascend from low to high altitude too quickly, without allowing sufficient time to acclimatize. Usually it is self-limiting, but the severe forms (pulmonary and cerebral edema) can be fatal. Exaggerated hypoxemia at rest is related to later development of AMS but its predictive value is limited. Since exercise at altitude induces greater hypoxemia and symptoms, we postulated the predictive value of a simple exercise test to prognosticate severe AMS. We studied the predictive value of the oxygen saturation during rest and sub-maximum exercise at 2.700 m and 4.300 m in 63 subjects that intended the ascent to Mount Aconcagua (6.962 m). We considered exercise oxygen desaturation to a drop of = 5% respect to the resting value. Lake-Louise Score was used to quantify the presence of severe AMS. Six subjects developed severe AMS (9.5%) and required evacuation. Resting oxygen saturation at 2.700 m was not significant to classify subjects that then developed severe AMS. The association of oxygen desaturation during exercise at 2.700 m plus inappropriate resting oxygen saturation at 4.300 m was significant to classify the subjects that then developed severe AMS with a positive predictive value of 80% and a negative predictive value of 97%. Our results are relevant for mountaineering and suggest the use of a simple exercise test in the prediction of severe AMS.