Prepatching Reduces Paramedic In-Hospital Time for Emergent Interfacility Transfers of Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation or Vasopressors: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: Regionalization of specialty medical services may necessitate an interfacility transfer. Prepatching is a model of care adopted by critical care transport organizations to reduce the transfer time to specialty care. In this model, paramedics communicate with a transport medical physician before arrival at the sending hospital to discuss a patient's condition and management plan, allowing paramedics to focus solely on packaging the patient when he or she arrives at the sending hospital. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of prepatching on paramedic in-hospital time for emergent interfacility transfers of patients requiring mechanical ventilation or vasopressor support. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of all emergent interfacility transfers by Ornge, the provincial critical care transport organization in Ontario, Canada, over a 4-year period. All patients over 18 years old who were either intubated or on vasopressor medications were included in the study population. Quantile regression was used to evaluate the impact of prepatching as well as patient and paramedic characteristics on paramedic in-hospital time. RESULTS: A total of 4,466 emergent interfacility transports were included. Of these, 1,898 were completed with prepatching, and 2,568 were not. Vasopressor use was associated with significantly higher prepatching rates. Overall, prepatching reduced in-hospital time by 9 minutes at the 90th quantile across all patients. Increased in-hospital time was noted for patients on mechanical ventilation, on vasopressor medications, and transported by a fixed wing vehicle by 38, 29, and 49 minutes at the 90th quantile, respectively (P < .05). Conversely, patients transported by a critical care paramedic crew configuration were associated with a 27-minute decrease in in-hospital time at the 90th quantile compared with transport by an advanced care paramedic crew configuration (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Prepatching reduced paramedic in-hospital time for emergent interfacility transports for patients who were mechanically ventilated or require vasopressors. These results suggest that prepatching can reduce the overall time to definitive care in high-risk patients, potentially improving patient outcomes in critically ill patients.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Otolaryngology Community Practice in Massachusetts.

OBJECTIVES: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) significantly affected many health care specialties, including otolaryngology. In response to governmental policy changes, many hospitals and private practices in Massachusetts canceled or postponed nonurgent office visits and elective surgeries. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on the provision and practice trends of otolaryngology services for 10 private practices in Massachusetts. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Multipractice study for community practices in Massachusetts. METHODS: Electronic billing records from 10 private otolaryngology practices in Massachusetts were obtained for the first 4 months of 2019 and 2020. Questionnaires from these otolaryngology practices were collected to assess financial and staffing impact of COVID-19. RESULTS: The local onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant decrease of 63% of visits in comparison to equivalent weeks in 2019. Virtual visits overtook in-person visits over time. A greater decline in operating room (OR) procedures than for office procedures was recorded. Ninety percent of practices reduced working hours, and 80% furloughed personnel. Seventy percent of practices applied for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 has had a multifaceted impact on private otolaryngology practices in Massachusetts. A significant decline in provision of otolaryngology services aligned with the Massachusetts government's public health policy changes. The combination of limited personnel and personal protective equipment, as well as suspension of nonessential office visits and surgeries, led to decrease in total office visits and even higher decrease in OR procedures.

Exploring the services and management available to women experiencing complications in early pregnancy: a survey of Ontario, Canada hospitals.

This investigation surveyed the gynaecologic services and management available to women experiencing early pregnancy complications in the province of Ontario, Canada. The Chiefs of Gynaecology/Obstetrics of 61 Ontario hospitals were invited to complete a 55-item, online questionnaire using modified Dillman methodology. Forty-three hospital site respondents completed the survey (a response rate of 70.5%). It was reported that 18 (41.9%) hospitals had access to an early pregnancy assessment unit (EPAU), and 12 (66.7%) EPAUs had ≤2 days between the referral and the first appointment. Of the 25 (58.1%) hospital respondents without an EPAU, 14 (56.0%) reported previous consideration of creating an EPAU. At these hospitals, patients with early pregnancy complications have access to care through the ED (n = 22, 88.0%), obstetricians/gynaecologists (n = 22, 88.0%), person on-call (n = 16, 64.0%), family physicians (n = 11, 44.0%) or midwives (n = 9, 36.0%). This investigation found great heterogeneity in the care accessible to women experiencing early pregnancy complications in hospitals in Ontario, Canada.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? Early pregnancy assessment units (EPAUs) are the standard for evaluating and caring for complications of early pregnancy. It has been well documented that EPAUs result in positive health service outcomes such as more cost-effective care, more timely management, and improved quality of care and patient satisfaction.What do the results of this study add? This investigation found that the province of Ontario, Canada has begun to adopt the EPAU model; however, a great heterogeneity exists in the care accessible to women experiencing early pregnancy complications throughout the province. Nonetheless, where EPAUs are available, they provide a structured referral system for women experiencing complications of early pregnancy that require gynaecologic assessment, such as ectopic pregnancy, providing close follow-up and predictable pathways of care for this patient population.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This study highlights the need for hospitals in the province of Ontario to improve their current service delivery models for women experiencing early pregnancy complications. Further research should be undertaken to determine whether the positive health service outcomes of EPAUs are also relevant in the Canadian healthcare system.

Services for emergency department patients experiencing early pregnancy complications: A survey of Ontario hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: Women experiencing complications of early pregnancy frequently seek care in the emergency department (ED), because most have not yet established care with an obstetrical provider. The primary objective of this study was to explore the services available (ED management, ultrasound access, and follow-up care) for ED patients experiencing early pregnancy loss or threatened early pregnancy loss in Ontario hospitals. METHODS: The emergency medicine chiefs of 71 Ontario hospital EDs with an annual census of more than 30,000 ED patient visits in 2017 were invited to complete a 30-item, online questionnaire using modified Dillman methodology. RESULTS: Respondents from 63 EDs across Ontario completed the survey (response rate 88.7%). Of the EDs surveyed, 34 (54.0%) reported that they did not have access to early pregnancy clinic services for women who presented to the ED with early pregnancy complications that were safe to discharge home. At these hospitals, it was found that patients were followed up in 14 (41.2%) EDs for the same complications, including pregnancy of unknown location and threatened abortion. Respondents also stated that a radiologist-interpreted ultrasound was available to only 22 (34.9%) of hospital sites for 24 hours, 7 days per week for women with early pregnancy complications. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study highlight the reliance of some hospitals on the ED to provide ongoing follow-up care to patients experiencing complications of early pregnancy. The lack of clinical resources and specialized personnel in Ontario hospital EDs makes supporting these women longitudinally unrealistic, exposing them to undue risk and complications.

OBJECTIF: Les femmes qui présentent des complications en début de grossesse consultent souvent au service des urgences (SU), la plupart d'entre elles n'ayant pas encore de plan de soins déjà établi par un professionnel de la santé en obstétrique. L'étude avait pour objectif principal de relever les services (prise en charge au SU, échographie, suivi) auxquels les femmes ayant fait un avortement spontané ou étant en état de menace d'avortement en début de grossesse avaient accès au SU, dans les hôpitaux, en Ontario. MÉTHODE: Les chefs des services de médecine d'urgence de 71 hôpitaux, en Ontario, ayant reçu plus de 30 000 patients en 2017 ont été invités à répondre à un questionnaire en ligne, composé de 30 éléments et envoyé selon une version modifiée de la méthode de Dillman. RÉSULTATS: Les chefs de 63 SU, de partout en Ontario, ont rempli le questionnaire (taux de réponse : 88,7%). Sur ce nombre, 34 (54,0%) ont indiqué ne pas pouvoir offrir des services cliniques de début de grossesse aux femmes consultant au SU pour des complications gravidiques précoces, et jugées en état de retourner à domicile. D'après l'enquête, les femmes étaient suivies pour ces mêmes complications, notamment des grossesses de siège inconnu ou des menaces d'avortement, dans 14 SU (41,2%) de ces hôpitaux. De plus, les femmes connaissant des complications en début de grossesse ne pouvaient profiter de services d'interprétation d'échographies par des radiologistes, 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7, que dans 22 des hôpitaux participants (34,9%). CONCLUSION: Les résultats de l'étude font ressortir la confiance que mettent certains hôpitaux dans les SU pour offrir un suivi continu aux femmes souffrant de complications en début de grossesse. Le manque de ressources cliniques et de personnel spécialisé dans les SU, en Ontario, rend irréaliste le suivi longitudinal de ces femmes et, de ce fait, les expose à des risques indus et à des complications.

Abdominal Binding Improves Neuromuscular Efficiency of the Human Diaphragm during Exercise.

We tested the hypothesis that elastic binding of the abdomen (AB) would enhance neuromuscular efficiency of the human diaphragm during exercise. Twelve healthy non-obese men aged 24.8 ± 1.7 years (mean ± SE) completed a symptom-limited constant-load cycle endurance exercise test at 85% of their peak incremental power output with diaphragmatic electromyography (EMGdi) and respiratory pressure measurements under two randomly assigned conditions: unbound control (CTRL) and AB sufficient to increase end-expiratory gastric pressure (Pga,ee) by 5-8 cmH2O at rest. By design, AB increased Pga,ee by 6.6 ± 0.6 cmH2O at rest. Compared to CTRL, AB significantly increased the transdiaphragmatic pressure swing-to-EMGdi ratio by 85-95% during exercise, reflecting enhanced neuromuscular efficiency of the diaphragm. By contrast, AB had no effect on spirometric parameters at rest, exercise endurance time or an effect on cardiac, metabolic, ventilatory, breathing pattern, dynamic operating lung volume, and perceptual responses during exercise. In conclusion, AB was associated with isolated and acute improvements in neuromuscular efficiency of the diaphragm during exercise in healthy men. The implications of our results are that AB may be an effective means of enhancing neuromuscular efficiency of the diaphragm in clinical populations with diaphragmatic weakness/dysfunction.

Denervation drives mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle of octogenarians.

KEY POINTS: Mitochondria are frequently implicated in the ageing of skeletal muscle, although the role of denervation in modulating mitochondrial function in ageing muscle is unknown. We show that increased sensitivity to apoptosis initiation occurs prior to evidence of persistent denervation and is thus a primary mitochondrial defect in ageing muscle worthy of therapeutic targeting. However, at more advanced age, mitochondrial function changes are markedly impacted by persistent sporadic myofibre denervation, suggesting the mitochondrion may be a less viable therapeutic target. ABSTRACT: Experimental denervation modulates mitochondrial function, where changes in both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and sensitivity to permeability transition are implicated in the resultant muscle atrophy. Notably, although denervation occurs sporadically in ageing muscle, its impact on ageing muscle mitochondria is unknown. Because this information has important therapeutic implications concerning targeting the mitochondrion in ageing muscle, we examined mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle from four groups of humans, comprising two active (mean ± SD age: 23.7 ± 2.7 years and 71.2 ± 4.9 years) and two inactive groups (64.8 ± 3.1 years and 82.5 ± 4.8 years), and compared this with a murine model of sporadic denervation. We tested the hypothesis that, although some alterations of mitochondrial function in aged muscle are attributable to a primary organelle defect, mitochondrial dysfunction would be impacted by persistent denervation in advanced age. Both ageing in humans and sporadic denervation in mice increased mitochondrial sensitivity to permeability transition (humans, P = 0.004; mice, P = 0.01). To determine the contribution of sporadic denervation to mitochondrial function, we pharmacologically inhibited the denervation-induced ROS response. This reduced ROS emission by 60% (P = 0.02) in sporadically denervated mouse muscle, which is similar to that seen in humans older than 75 years (-66%, P = 0.02) but not those younger than 75 years. We conclude that an increased sensitivity to permeability transition is a primary mitochondrial defect in ageing muscle. However, at more advanced age, when muscle atrophy becomes more clinically severe, mitochondrial function changes are markedly impacted by persistent sporadic denervation, making the mitochondrion a less viable therapeutic target.