Extremes of Emergency Department Boarding are Associated With Poorer Financial Performance Among Hospitals.

GOAL: Boarding emergency department (ED) patients is associated with reductions in quality of care, patient safety and experience, and ED operational efficiency. However, ED boarding is ultimately reflective of inefficiencies in hospital capacity management. The ability of a hospital to accommodate variability in patient flow presumably affects its financial performance, but this relationship is not well studied. We investigated the relationship between ED boarding and hospital financial performance measures. Our objective was to see if there was an association between key financial measures of business performance and limitations in patient progression efficiency, as evidenced by ED boarding. METHODS: Cross-sectional ED operational data were collected from the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance, a voluntarily self-reporting operational database that includes 54% of EDs in the United States. Freestanding EDs, pediatric EDs and EDs with missing boarding data were excluded. The key operational outcome variable was boarding time. We reviewed the financial information of these nonprofit institutions by accessing their Internal Revenue Service Form 990. We examined standard measures of financial performance, including return on equity, total margin, total asset turnover, and equity multiplier (EM). We studied these associations using quantile regressions of added ED volume, ED admission percentage, urban versus nonurban ED site location, trauma status, and percentage of the population receiving Medicare and Medicaid as covariates in the regression models. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Operational data were available for 892 EDs from 31 states. Of those, 127 reported a Form 990 in the year corresponding to the ED boarding measures. Median boarding time across EDs was 148 min (interquartile range [IQR]: 100-216). A significant relationship exists between boarding and the EM, along with a negative association with the hospital's total profit margin in the highest-performing hospitals (by profit margin percentage). After adjusting for the covariates in the regression model, we found that for every 10 min above 90 min of boarding, the mean EM for the top quartile increased from 245.8% to 249.5% (p < .001). In hospitals in the top 90th percentile of total margin, every 10 min beyond the median ED boarding interval led to a decrease in total margin of 0.24%. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Using the largest available national registry of ED operational data and concordant nonprofit financial reports, higher boarding among the highest-profitability hospitals (i.e., top 10%) is associated with a drag on profit margin, while hospitals with the highest boarding are associated with the highest leverage (i.e., indicated by the EM). These relationships suggest an association between a key ED indicator of hospital capacity management and overall institutional financial performance.

The Accuracy of Predictive Analytics in Forecasting Emergency Department Volume Before and After Onset of COVID-19.

Introduction: Big data and improved analytic techniques, such as triple exponential smoothing (TES), allow for prediction of emergency department (ED) volume. We sought to determine 1) which method of TES was most accurate in predicting pre-coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), during COVID-19, and post-COVID-19 ED volume; 2) how the pandemic would affect TES prediction accuracy; and 3) whether TES would regain its pre-COVID-19 accuracy in the early post-pandemic period. Methods: We studied monthly volumes of four EDs with a combined annual census of approximately 250,000 visits in the two years prior to, during the 25-month COVID-19 pandemic, and the 14 months following. We compared the accuracy of four models of TES forecasting by measuring the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), mean square errors (MSE) and mean absolute deviation (MAD), comparing actual to predicted monthly volume. Results: In the 23 months prior to COVID-19, the overall average MAPE across four forecasting methods was 3.88% ± 1.88% (range 2.41-6.42% across the four ED sites), rising to 15.21% ± 6.67% during the 25-month COVID-19 period (range 9.97-25.18% across the four sites), and falling to 6.45% ± 3.92% in the 14 months after (range 3.86-12.34% across the four sites). The 12-month Holt-Winter method had the greatest accuracy prior to COVID-19 (3.18% ± 1.65%) and during the pandemic (11.31% ± 4.81%), while the 24-month Holt-Winter offered the best performance following the pandemic (5.91% ± 3.82%). The pediatric ED had an average MAPE more than twice that of the average MAPE of the three adult EDs (6.42% ± 1.54% prior to COVID-19, 25.18% ± 9.42% during the pandemic, and 12.34% ± 0.55% after COVID-19). After the onset of the pandemic, there was no immediate improvement in forecasting model accuracy until two years later; however, these still had not returned to baseline accuracy levels. Conclusion: We were able to identify a TES model that was the most accurate. Most of the models saw an approximate four-fold increase in MAPE after onset of the pandemic. In the months following the most severe waves of COVID-19, we saw improvements in the accuracy of forecasting models, but they were not back to pre-COVID-19 accuracies.

Player age and initial helmet contact among American football players.

OBJECTIVE: Concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) related to professional football has received much attention within emergency care and sports medicine. Research suggests that some of this may be due to a greater likelihood of initial helmet contact (IHC), however this association has not been studied across all age groups. This study aims to investigate the association between player age and IHC in American football. METHODS: Retrospective review of championship games between 2016 and 2018 at 6 levels of amateur tackle football as well as the National Football League (NFL). Trained raters classified plays as IHC using pre-specified criteria. A priori power analysis established the requisite impacts needed to establish non-inferiority of the incidence rate of IHC across the levels of play. RESULTS: Thirty-seven games representing 2912 hits were rated. The overall incidence of IHC was 16% across all groups, ranging from 12.6% to 18.9%. All but 2 of the non-NFL divisions had a statistically reduced risk of IHC when compared with the NFL, with relative risk ratios ranging from 0.55-0.92. IHC initiated by defensive participants were twice as high as offensive participants (RR 2.04, p < 0.01) while 6% [95% CI 5.4-7.2] of all hits were helmet-on-helmet contact. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high rate of IHC with a lower relative risk of IHC at most levels of play compared to the NFL. Further research is necessary to determine the impact of IHC; the high rates across all age groups suggests an important role for education and prevention.

Boarding is Associated with Reduced Emergency Department Efficiency that is not Mitigated by a Provider in Triage.

INTRODUCTION: Boarding of patients in the emergency department (ED) is associated with decreased ED efficiency. The provider-in-triage (PIT) model has been shown to improve ED throughput, but it is unclear how these improvements are affected by boarding. We sought to assess the effects of boarding on ED throughput and whether implementation of a PIT model mitigated those effects. METHODS: We performed a multi-site retrospective review of 955 days of ED operations data at a tertiary care academic ED (AED) and a high-volume community ED (CED) before and after implementation of PIT. Key outcome variables were door to provider time (D2P), total length of stay of discharged patients (LOSD), and boarding time (admit request to ED departure [A2D]). RESULTS: Implementation of PIT was associated with a decrease in median D2P by 22 minutes or 43% at the AED (p < 0.01), and 18 minutes (31%) at the CED (p < 0.01). LOSD also decreased by 19 minutes (5.9%) at the AED and 8 minutes (3.3%) at the CED (p<0.01). After adjusting for variations in daily census, the effect of boarding (A2D) on D2P and LOSD was unchanged, despite the implementation of PIT. At the AED, 7.7 minutes of boarding increased median D2P by one additional minute (p < 0.01), and every four minutes of boarding increased median LOSD by one minute (p < 0.01). At the CED, 7.1 minutes of boarding added one additional minute to D2P (p < 0.01), and 4.8 minutes of boarding added one minute to median LOSD (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In this retrospective, observational multicenter study, ED operational efficiency was improved with the implementation of a PIT model but worsened with boarding. The PIT model was unable to mitigate any of the effects of boarding. This suggests that PIT is associated with increased efficiency of ED intake and throughput, but boarding continues to have the same effect on ED efficiency regardless of upstream efficiency measures that may be designed to minimize its impact.

Inferior vena cava collapsibility detects fluid responsiveness among spontaneously breathing critically-ill patients.

PURPOSE: Measurement of inferior vena cava collapsibility (cIVC) by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been proposed as a viable, non-invasive means of assessing fluid responsiveness. We aimed to determine the ability of cIVC to identify patients who will respond to additional intravenous fluid (IVF) administration among spontaneously breathing critically-ill patients. METHODS: Prospective observational trial of spontaneously breathing critically-ill patients. cIVC was obtained 3cm caudal from the right atrium and IVC junction using POCUS. Fluid responsiveness was defined as a≥10% increase in cardiac index following a 500ml IVF bolus; measured using bioreactance (NICOM™, Cheetah Medical). cIVC was compared with fluid responsiveness and a cIVC optimal value was identified. RESULTS: Of the 124 participants, 49% were fluid responders. cIVC was able to detect fluid responsiveness: AUC=0.84 [0.76, 0.91]. The optimum cutoff point for cIVC was identified as 25% (LR+ 4.56 [2.72, 7.66], LR- 0.16 [0.08, 0.31]). A cIVC of 25% produced a lower misclassification rate (16.1%) for determining fluid responsiveness than the previous suggested cutoff values of 40% (34.7%). CONCLUSION: IVC collapsibility, as measured by POCUS, performs well in distinguishing fluid responders from non-responders, and may be used to guide IVF resuscitation among spontaneously breathing critically-ill patients.

Low Adverse Event Rates But High Emergency Department Utilization in Chest Pain Patients Treated in an Emergency Department Observation Unit.

OBJECTIVES: Nearly 40% of all previously admitted chest pain patients re-present to the emergency department (ED) within 1 year regardless of stress testing, and nearly 5% of patients return with a major adverse cardiac event (MACE). The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of return visits to the ED among patients previously admitted to an ED chest pain observation unit (CPU). We also identified the patient characteristics and health risk factors associated with these return ED visits. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of patients admitted to a CPU in a large-volume academic urban ED who were subsequently followed over a period of 1 year. Inclusion criteria were age ≥18 years old, American Heart Association low-to-intermediate assessed risk, electrocardiogram nondiagnostic for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and a negative initial troponin I. Excluded patients were those age >75 years with a history of coronary artery disease. Patients were followed throughout their observation unit stay and then subsequently for 1 year. On all repeat ED evaluations, standardized chart abstractions forms were used, charts were reviewed by 2 trained abstractors blinded to the study hypothesis, and a random sample of charts was examined for interrater reliability. Return visits were categorized as MACE, cardiac non-MACE, or noncardiac based on a priori criteria. Social security death index searches were performed on all patients. Univariate and multivariate ordinal logistic regressions were conducted to determine demographics, medical procedures, and comorbid conditions that predicted return visits to the ED. RESULTS: A total of 2139 patients were enrolled over 17 months. The median age was 52 years, 55% were female. Forty-four patients (2.1%) had ACS on index visit. A total of 36.2% of CPU patients returned to the ED within 1 year vs. 5.4% of all ED patients (P < 0.01). However, the overall incidence of MACE at 1 year in all patients and in those without an index visit diagnosis of ACS was 0.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.4%-06%) and 0.4% (95% CI, 0.2%-0.7%), respectively. Patients who received a stress test on index visit were less likely to return (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.64 [95% CI, 0.51-0.80]) but patients who smoked (AOR = 1.51 [95% CI, 1.16-1.96]) or had diabetes (AOR = 1.36 [95% CI, 1.07-1.87]) were more likely to return. Hispanic and African-American patients had increased odds of multiple return ED visits (AOR=1.23 [95% CI, 1.04-1.46] and AOR =1.74 [95% CI, 1.45-2.13], respectively). CONCLUSION: Patients treated in an ED CPU have a very low rate of MACE at 1 year. However, these same patients have very high rates of subsequent ED utilization. The associations between certain comparative demographics and ED utilization suggest the need for further research to identify and address the needs of these patient populations that precipitate the higher than expected return rate.

Analysis of Race and Time to Antibiotics Among Patients with Severe Sepsis or Septic Shock.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to investigate potential racial disparities in time to antibiotics among patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with severe sepsis or septic shock. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study of adults >18 years with severe sepsis or septic shock presenting to a large, urban, academic ED and admitted to the ICU from 10/2005 to 2/2012. Time to antibiotic data was abstracted by ICU research staff; other data were abstracted by blinded trained research assistants using standardized abstraction forms. Time from ED arrival to antibiotics was compared in white vs. non-white patients using cumulative events curves followed by Cox proportional hazards regression, controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, source of infection, and SOFA score. RESULTS: Seven hundred sixty-eight patients were included; 19.5 % (n = 150) were non-white. Median minutes to antibiotics was 131 in white patients vs. 158 in non-white patients (p = 0.03, log-rank test). The unadjusted hazard ratio for non-white patients was 0.82 (95 %CI 0.58-0.98). After adjustment, the hazard ratio for race was not significant (0.90, 95 %CI 0.73-1.10). CONCLUSIONS: In a single-center sample of patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, adjustment for factors including age and infectious source eliminated the difference in time to antibiotics by race. Further research should investigate disparities in sepsis care between hospitals with differing patient populations.

Inter-rater Reliability of the Diamond & Forrester Score in Emergency Department Chest Pain Observation Unit Patients.

BACKGROUND: Cardiology consensus guidelines recommend use of the Diamond & Forrester (D&F) score in augmenting the decision to pursue stress testing. We have recently shown that it may have value in safely reducing stress utilization in an emergency department chest pain unit (CPU). However, full application necessitates demonstration of a good inter-rater reliability of the D&F score in the CPU setting. We hypothesized that D&F pretest probability would have good inter-rater reliability in CPU patients. METHODS: This was a chart review of randomly selected patients from a previously collected prospective observational trial of admitted CPU patients in a large-volume academic urban emergency department. Inclusion criteria were: age>18 years, American Heart Association low/intermediate risk, nondynamic electrocardiograms, and normal initial troponin I. Exclusion criteria were: age>75 years with coronary artery disease. A D&F score for likelihood of coronary artery disease was calculated on each patient by 2 trained chart abstractors using a standardized data abstraction instrument. Abstractors were trained to specifically categorize presenting symptoms as fitting 1 of 3 types of chest pain symptoms: nonanginal, atypical, or anginal based on previously published prespecified criteria. Approximately 20% of charts in a CPU registry were abstracted by 2 chart abstractors who were blind to each other's categorization, the patient outcomes, and the study hypothesis. The primary outcome was the kappa statistic for agreement between the 2 raters. RESULTS: The charts of 705 random patients were reviewed. The mean age was 55.1±11.8 years, 52% were female. Forty four percentage of patients received stress testing, and 2.4% of patients had acute coronary syndrome. The mean D&F score was 39±24. There was good inter-rater agreement of chest pain characteristics (κ=0.77, 95% confidence interval, 0.72-0.81; P<0.01). CONCLUSION: This study supports the use of the D&F score as a reliable indicator of pretest probability in CPU patients by demonstrating that there is good inter-rater reliability. Prospective validation is necessary at the point of patient assessment, in conjunction with application of the D&F score to augment stress utilization decision making.

Pleth variability index and fluid responsiveness of hemodynamically stable patients after cardiothoracic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Fluid responsiveness is a measure of preload dependence and is defined as an increase in cardiac output due to volume expansion. Recent publications have suggested that variation in amplitude of the pulse oximetry waveform may be predictive of fluid responsiveness. The pleth variability index (PVI) was developed as a noninvasive bedside measurement of this variation in the pulse oximetry waveform. OBJECTIVES: To measure the discriminatory value of PVI for predicting fluid responsiveness as measured by pulmonary artery catheter thermodilution in patients after cardiothoracic surgery. METHODS: A prospective observational study of hemodynamically stable postoperative cardiac surgery patients with pulmonary artery catheters. A fingertip sensor was used to measure PVI. Vital signs, PVI, and cardiac index were measured before, during, and after passive leg raise. Fluid responsiveness was defined by increase in cardiac index of greater than 15% during passive leg raise. The discriminatory value of PVI was assessed by using the Wilcoxon method to measure the area under the receiver operating curve. RESULTS: In 13 months, 47 patients (24 receiving mechanical ventilation, 23 spontaneously breathing) were enrolled. Fluid responsiveness was noted in 42% of intubated patients and 48% of spontaneously breathing patients. PVI was not adequate to discriminate fluid responsiveness in intubated patients (area under curve, 0.63; P = .16) or spontaneously breathing patients (area under curve, 0.41; P = .75). CONCLUSIONS: Among postoperative cardiac surgery patients, PVI is not reliable for predicting fluid responsiveness as measured by pulmonary artery catheter thermodilution, regardless of ventilatory status.

Sex- and gender-specific research priorities in cardiovascular resuscitation: proceedings from the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference Cardiovascular Resuscitation Research Workgroup.

Significant sex and gender differences in both physiology and psychology are readily acknowledged between men and women; however, data are lacking regarding differences in their responses to injury and treatment and in their ultimate recovery and survival. These variations remain particularly poorly defined within the field of cardiovascular resuscitation. A better understanding of the interaction between these important factors may soon allow us to dramatically improve outcomes in disease processes that currently carry a dismal prognosis, such as sudden cardiac arrest. As part of the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference "Gender-Specific Research in Emergency Medicine: Investigate, Understand, and Translate How Gender Affects Patient Outcomes," our group sought to identify key research questions and knowledge gaps pertaining to both sex and gender in cardiac resuscitation that could be answered in the near future to inform our understanding of these important issues. We combined a monthly teleconference meeting of interdisciplinary stakeholders from largely academic institutions with a focused interest in cardiovascular outcomes research, an extensive review of the existing literature, and an open breakout session discussion on the recommendations at the consensus conference to establish a prioritization of the knowledge gaps and relevant research questions in this area. We identified six priority research areas: 1) out-of-hospital cardiac arrest epidemiology and outcome, 2) customized resuscitation drugs, 3) treatment role for sex steroids, 4) targeted temperature management and hypothermia, 5) withdrawal of care after cardiac arrest, and 6) cardiopulmonary resuscitation training and implementation. We believe that exploring these key topics and identifying relevant questions may directly lead to improved understanding of sex- and gender-specific issues seen in cardiac resuscitation and ultimately improved patient outcomes.

Gender disparities in stress test utilization in chest pain unit patients based upon the ordering physician's gender.

OBJECTIVE: Physicians' gender may impact test utilization in the diagnosis of acute cardiovascular disease. We sought to determine if physician gender affected stress test utilization by patient gender in a low-risk chest pain observation unit. METHODS: This was a retrospective consecutive cohort study of patients admitted to a chest pain unit in a large volume academic urban emergency department (ED). Inclusion criteria were age>18, American Heart Association low-to-intermediate risk, electrocardiogram nondiagnostic for acute coronary syndrome, and negative initial troponin I. Exclusion criteria were age>75 with a history of coronary artery disease, active comorbid medical problems, or inability to obtain stress testing in the ED for any reason. T-tests were used for univariate comparisons and logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for receiving testing based on physician gender, controlling for race, insurance, and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score. RESULTS: Three thousand eight hundred and seventy-three index visits were enrolled during a 2.5-year period. Mean age was 53±20, 55% (95% CI, 53-56%) were female. There was no difference in overall stress utilization based upon physician gender (P=0.28). However, after controlling for other variables, male physicians had significantly lower odds of stress testing female patients (ORM, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.68-0.99), whereas no difference was found in female physicians (ORF, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.57-1.14). CONCLUSIONS: Male physicians appear less likely to utilize stress testing in female patients even after controlling for objective clinical variables, including TIMI score. Although adverse outcomes are uncommon in this patient cohort, further investigation into provider-specific practice patterns based on patient gender is necessary.

The DISPARITY-II study: delays to antibiotic administration in women with severe sepsis or septic shock.

BACKGROUND: Early antibiotics reduce mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Recent work demonstrated that women experience greater delays to antibiotic administration, but it is unknown if this relationship remains after adjusting for factors such as source of infection. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to investigate whether gender and/or source of infection are associated with delays to antibiotics in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study in an urban academic emergency department and national Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) database study site. Consecutive patients age 18 years and older admitted to intensive care with severe sepsis or septic shock and entered into the SSC database from October 2005 to March 2012 were included. Two trained research assistants, blinded to the primary outcome, used a standardized abstraction form to obtain patient demographic and clinical data, including the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores and comorbidities. Time to first antibiotic and presumed source of infection were extracted from the SSC database. Univariate analyses were performed with Pearson chi-square tests and t-tests. Linear regression was performed with time to first antibiotic as the primary outcome. Covariates, chosen a priori by study authors, included age, race, ethnicity, source of infection, SOFA score, and lactate. RESULTS: A total of 771 patients were included. Women were 45.3% of the sample, the mean age was 66 years (95% confidence interval [CI] = 65.1 to 67.5 years), 19.4% were nonwhite, and 8% were Hispanic. Mean time to first antibiotic was 153 minutes (95% CI = 143 to 163 minutes) for men and 184 minutes (95% CI = 171 to 197 minutes) for women (p < 0.001). The urinary tract was source of infection for 35.2% of women (95% CI = 30.2% to 40.3%) versus 23.7% (95% CI = 19.6% to 27.8%) of men. Pneumonia was present in 46.9% of men (95% CI = 42.1% to 51.7%) versus 35.8% (95% CI = 30.8% to 40.8%) of women. The mean time to antibiotics in women was longer than in men (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.07 to 1.30), even after adjusting for age, race, ethnicity, presumed source of infection, SOFA score, and lactate (p = 0.001). Those with pneumonia compared to other infections received antibiotics faster (aOR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.66 to 0.81). There was no significant association between other sources of infection and time to antibiotics in either univariate or multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Women experience longer delays to initial antibiotics among patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, even after adjusting for infectious source. Pneumonia was associated with shorter times to antibiotic administration. Future research is necessary to investigate contributors to delayed antibiotic administration in women.

Predictors of hospital admission after ED observation unit care.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department observation units (EDOUs) represent an opportunity to efficiently manage patients with common conditions requiring short-term hospital care. Understanding which patients are ultimately admitted to the hospital after care in an EDOU may enhance patient selection for EDOU care. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of US emergency department visits resulting in admission to observation status using the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey (NHAMCS) from 2009 to 2010, a nationally representative sample. We used survey-weighted logistic regression to identify predictors at the patient level, visit level, and hospital level for inpatient hospital admission after EDOU care. RESULTS: Between 2009 and 2010, there were 4.65 million patient visits (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.68-5.63) to EDOUs in the United States. Of those evaluated in an EDOU, 40.4% (95% CI, 34.5%-46.6%) were admitted to the hospital after EDOU care. Progressively older patient age was a strong predictor of hospital admission: patients age older than 65 years were more than 5 times more likely to be admitted than patients age younger than 18 years (odds ratio, 5.36; 95% CI, 2.26-12.73). The only other visit-level factor associated with admission was a reason for visit of chest pain; this was associated with a lower rate of hospital admission (odds ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.41-0.91). CONCLUSION: Across the United States in 2009 to 2010, older patient age was a strong predictor of admission after EDOU care, suggesting that older patients are more likely to require inpatient hospital services after EDOU care than younger patients.

The association between pretest probability of coronary artery disease and stress test utilization and outcomes in a chest pain observation unit.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiology consensus guidelines recommend use of the Diamond and Forrester (D&F) score to augment the decision to pursue stress testing. However, recent work has reported no association between pretest probability of coronary artery disease (CAD) as measured by D&F and physician discretion in stress test utilization for inpatients. The author hypothesized that D&F pretest probability would predict the likelihood of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and a positive stress test and that there would be limited yield to diagnostic testing of patients categorized as low pretest probability by D&F score who are admitted to a chest pain observation unit (CPU). METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study of consecutively admitted CPU patients in a large-volume academic urban emergency department (ED). Cardiologists rounded on all patients and stress test utilization was driven by their recommendations. Inclusion criteria were as follows: age>18 years, American Heart Association (AHA) low/intermediate risk, nondynamic electrocardiograms (ECGs), and normal initial troponin I. Exclusion criteria were as follows: age older than 75 years with a history of CAD. A D&F score for likelihood of CAD was calculated on each patient independent of patient care. Based on the D&F score, patients were assigned a priori to low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups (<10, 10 to 90, and >90%, respectively). ACS was defined by ischemia on stress test, coronary artery occlusion of ≥70% in at least one vessel, or elevations in troponin I consistent with consensus guidelines. A true-positive stress test was defined by evidence of reversible ischemia and subsequent angiographic evidence of critical stenosis or a discharge diagnosis of ACS. An estimated 3,500 patients would be necessary to have 1% precision around a potential 0.3% event rate in low-pretest-probability patients. Categorical comparisons were made using Pearson chi-square testing. RESULTS: A total of 3,552 patients with index visits were enrolled over a 29-month period. The mean (±standard deviation [SD]) age was 51.3 (±9.3) years. Forty-nine percent of patients received stress testing. Pretest probability based on D&F score was associated with stress test utilization (p<0.01), risk of ACS (p<0.01), and true-positive stress tests (p=0.03). No patients with low pretest probability were subsequently diagnosed with ACS (95% CI=0 to 0.66%) or had a true-positive stress test (95% CI=0 to 1.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Physician discretionary decision-making regarding stress test use is associated with pretest probability of CAD. However, based on the D&F score, low-pretest-probability patients who meet CPU admission criteria are very unlikely to have a true-positive stress test or eventually receive a diagnosis of ACS, such that observation and stress test utilization may be obviated.

The DISPARITY Study: do gender differences exist in Surviving Sepsis Campaign resuscitation bundle completion, completion of individual bundle elements, or sepsis mortality?

PURPOSE: Women in the emergency department are less likely to receive early goal directed therapy, but gender differences in the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) bundle completion have not been studied [1]. We hypothesized that women have lower SSC resuscitation bundle completion rates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study in a large urban academic ED at a national SSC site. Consecutive patients (age>18 years) admitted to intensive care with severe sepsis or septic shock and entered into the SSC database from October 2005 to February 2012 were included. Data on overall and individual bundle elements were exported from the database. Bivariate analyses were performed with chi-square tests and t-tests. Multiple logistic regression was then performed with gender as an effect modifier. RESULTS: Eight hundred fourteen patients were enrolled. The mean age was 66 years;, 44.8% were women. There was no association between gender and bundle completion (aOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.58-1.16), controlling for age, race, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, congestive heart failure, and coagulopathy. In-hospital mortality did not differ by gender. Women were less likely to receive antibiotics within 3 hours (60.5% vs. 68.8%, p=0.01) and less likely to reach a target ScvO2>70 (31.3% vs. 39.5%, P=.05). CONCLUSIONS: There were no gender disparities in bundle completion or in-hospital mortality. Further research is needed to examine individual bundle elements and gender specific factors that may affect bundle completion and mortality.

Low-risk chest pain patients younger than 40 years do not benefit from admission and stress testing.

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have suggested clinical decision rules for patients age <40 who are at low risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and may be safe for discharge from the emergency department. Despite this, many such patients continue to be admitted for observation in low-risk observation units. We hypothesized that patients age <40 without coronary artery disease, with a nonischemic electrocardiogram (ECG), and normal initial troponin I (TnI) who are admitted to a CPU are at very low risk (<1%) for ACS or 30-day major adverse cardiac event (MACE) and would not benefit from observation care. METHODS: This was a prospective, observational study of consecutive patients admitted to the CPU in a large-volume academic urban emergency department. Eligibility criteria included age >18 but <40, American Heart Association low-to-intermediate risk, nonischemic ECGs, and normal initial TnI. Standard descriptive statistics were used for demographics, cardiac comorbidities, and risk scores. Our primary outcomes were CPU ACS rate and 30-day MACE. MACE was defined as death, nonfatal AMI, revascularization, or out of hospital cardiac arrest. A sample size of at least 400 was chosen to have 1% precision about an expected outcome rate of 0.3% (based on prior CPU data of patients of all ages). Confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the refined Wilson simple asymptotic method with continuity correction. All patients were called at 30 days. All charts on index visit and any subsequent visit within 30 days were reviewed using standardized chart abstractions forms by 2 trained abstractors blinded to the hypothesis of the study. A Social Security Death Index search was performed on all patients. RESULTS: Three hundred eighty-four patients accounting for 403 CPU admissions were enrolled over a 28-month period. Mean age was 34.3 ± 4.5; 42% were women; and 89%, 8%, 2%, and 1% had Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. No patient had an abnormal TnI. The ACS rate was 0 (95% CI, 0-0.8%). The 30-day MACE rate was 0 (95% CI, 0-0.8%). Forty-two percentage of these patients received stress testing but 0 (95% CI, 0-1.8%) were positive. CONCLUSIONS: Patients age <40 with a normal ECG and normal first biomarker have <1% risk of ACS or 30-day MACE, such that admission and stress testing are of no benefit.