Subclinical association of aortic stiffness with cardiac structure and function in African-Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality are high among black adults. We aimed to study the granular subclinical relations of aortic stiffness and left ventricular (LV) function and remodeling in blacks, in whom limited data are available. In the Jackson Heart Study, 1050 U.S. community-dwelling black adults without CVD underwent 1.5 T cardiovascular magnetic resonance. We assessed regional and global aortic stiffness and LV structure and function, including LV mass indexed to body surface area (LVMI), end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), ejection fraction (EF), and global and regional circumferential strain (Ecc). Phase contrast images of the cross-sectional aorta at the pulmonary artery bifurcation and abdominal aorta bifurcation were acquired to measure pulse wave velocity of the aortic arch (AA-PWV) and thoracic aorta (T-PWV). Results of multivariable-adjusted analyses are presented as SD unit change in LV variables per SD change in PWV variables. Participants were 62% women with mean age of 59 ± 10 years. Higher AA-PWV and T-PWV were associated with greater LVMI: for T-PWV, ß = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.03-0.16, p = 0.002. Higher AA-PWV and T-PWV were associated with worse (more positive) Ecc at the LV base (for AA-PWV, ß = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.05-0.20, p = 0.0007), but not mid-LV or apex. AA-PWV and T-PWV were not associated with LV mass/LVEDV or EF. In this cross-sectional study of blacks without CVD in the U.S., aortic stiffness is associated with subclinical adverse LV function in basal segments. Future studies may elucidate the temporal relationships of aortic stiffness on the pattern and progression of LV remodeling, dysfunction, and associated prognosis in blacks.

Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Improved Stroke Risk Assessment in Hypertensive Black Adults.

BACKGROUND: We aim to determine the added value of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in stroke risk assessment for hypertensive Black adults. METHODS: We examined 1,647 participants with hypertension without a history of cardiovascular (CV) disease, from the Jackson Heart Study. Cox regression analysis estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for incident stroke per standard deviation increase in cIMT and quartiles while adjusting for baseline variables. We then evaluated the predictive capacity of cIMT when added to the pool cohort equations (PCEs). RESULTS: The mean age at baseline was 57 ± 10 years. Each standard deviation increase in cIMT (0.17 mm) was associated with approximately 30% higher risk of stroke (HR 1.27, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.49). Notably, cIMT proved valuable in identifying residual stroke risk among participants with well-controlled blood pressure, showing up to a 56% increase in the odds of stroke for each 0.17 mm increase in cIMT among those with systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg. Additionally, the addition of cIMT to the PCE resulted in the reclassification of 58% of low to borderline risk participants with stroke to a higher-risk category and 28% without stroke to a lower-risk category, leading to a significant net reclassification improvement of 0.22 (0.10-0.30). CONCLUSIONS: In this community-based cohort of middle-aged Black adults with hypertension and no history of CV disease at baseline, cIMT is significantly associated with incident stroke and enhances stroke risk stratification.

Impact of Diabetes and Hypertension on Left Ventricular Structure and Function: The Jackson Heart Study.

Background Diabetes and hypertension have been associated with adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling. While they often occur concurrently, their individual effects are understudied. We aimed to assess the independent effects of diabetes and hypertension on LV remodeling in Black adults. Methods and Results The JHS (Jackson Heart Study) participants (n=4143 Black adults) with echocardiographic measures from baseline exam were stratified into 4 groups: neither diabetes nor hypertension (n=1643), only diabetes (n=152), only hypertension (n=1669), or both diabetes and hypertension (n=679). Echocardiographic measures of LV structure and function among these groups were evaluated by multivariable regression adjusting for covariates. Mean age of the participants was 52±1 years, and 63.7% were women. LV mass index was not different in participants with only diabetes compared with participants with neither diabetes nor hypertension (P=0.8). LV mass index was 7.9% (6.0 g/m2) higher in participants with only hypertension and 10.8% (8.1 g/m2) higher in participants with both diabetes and hypertension compared with those with neither (P<0.001). LV wall thickness (relative, posterior, and septal) and brain natriuretic peptide levels in participants with only diabetes were not significantly higher than participants with neither (P>0.05). However, participants with both diabetes and hypertension demonstrated higher LV wall thickness and brain natriuretic peptide levels than participants with neither (P<0.05). Conclusions In this cross-sectional analysis, diabetes was not associated with altered LV structure or function in Black adults unless participants also had hypertension. Our findings suggest hypertension is the main contributor to cardiac structural and functional changes in Black adults with diabetes.

Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds Is Associated with Hypertension in Black Adults: The Jackson Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of hypertension is higher among Black adults than among White and Hispanic adults. Nevertheless, reasons underlying the higher rates of hypertension in the Black population remain unclear but may relate to exposure to environmental chemicals such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). METHODS: We evaluated the associations of blood pressure (BP) and hypertension with VOC exposure in non-smokers and smokers in a subgroup of the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), consisting of 778 never smokers and 416 age- and sex-matched current smokers. We measured urinary metabolites of 17 VOCs by mass spectrometry. RESULTS: After adjusting for covariates, we found that amoong non-smokers, metabolites of acrolein and crotonaldehyde were associated with a 1.6 mm Hg (95%CI: 0.4, 2.7; p = 0.007) and a 0.8 mm Hg (95%CI: 0.01, 1.6; p = 0.049) higher systolic BP, and the styrene metabolite was associated with a 0.4 mm Hg (95%CI: 0.09, 0.8, p = 0.02) higher diastolic BP. Current smokers had 2.8 mm Hg (95% CI 0.5, 5.1) higher systolic BP. They were at higher risk of hypertension (relative risk = 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1, 1.4), and had higher urinary levels of several VOC metabolites. Individuals who smoke had higher levels of the urinary metabolites of acrolein, 1,3-butadiene, and crotonaldehyde and were associated with higher systolic BP. The associations were stronger among participants who were <60 years of age and male. Using Bayesian kernel machine regression to assess the effects of multiple VOC exposures, we found that the relationship between VOCs and hypertension among non-smokers was driven primarily by acrolein and styrene in non-smokers, and crotonaldehyde in smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension in Black individuals may be attributed, in part, to VOC exposure from the environment or tobacco smoke.

Vitamin D Levels in Black Americans and the Association With Left Ventricular Remodeling and Incident Heart Failure With Preserved Ejectin Fraction: The Jackson Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: In observational studies, a lower serum vitamin D3 concentration has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the associations between serum vitamin D3 levels and left ventricular (LV) structure and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have not been well-characterized among Black Americans. The prevalence of vitamin D3 deficiency is higher among Black Americans than in other race/ethnicity groups. We hypothesized that serum vitamin D3 levels are associated with LV concentric remodeling and incident HFpEF in Black Americans. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 5306 Black Americans in the Jackson Heart Study cohort, we investigated the relationships between serum vitamin D3 levels and LV structure and function, evaluated with echocardiography, and incident HF hospitalization, categorized as either HF with reduced EF (HFrEF; an EF of <50%) or HFpEF (an EF of ≥50%). After adjustment for possible confounding factors, lower vitamin D3 levels were associated with greater relative wall thickness (ß for 1 standard deviation [SD] increase -0.003, 95% confidence interval -0.005 to -0.000). Over a median follow-up period of 11 years (range 10.2-11.0 years), 340 participants developed incident HF (7.88 cases per 1000 person-years), including 146 (43%) HFrEF and 194 (57%) HFpEF cases. After adjustment, higher serum vitamin D3 levels were associated with decreased hazard for HF overall (hazard ratio for 1 SD increase 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.78-0.99) driven by a significant association with HFpEF (hazard ratio for 1 SD increase 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.71-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: In this community-based Black American cohort, lower serum vitamin D3 levels were associated with LV concentric remodeling and an increased hazard for HF, mainly HFpEF. Further investigation is required to examine whether supplementation with vitamin D3 can prevent LV concentric remodeling and incident HFpEF in Black Americans.

Association of Placental Pathologic Findings with the Severity of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm infants - A Matched Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of placental pathology with the severity of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants. METHODS: This single-center matched case-control study included infants with NEC (n = 107) and gestational age and birth weight-matched controls (n = 130), born between 2013 and 2020. Placentas were evaluated according to the Amsterdam Placental Workshop Group Consensus Statement. RESULTS: Acute histologic chorioamnionitis with the fetal response was significantly more common in infants with surgical NEC vs. medical NEC (35.4% vs. 15.3%; p = 0.02). On regression model, infants with multiple placental pathologies (OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.01 - 4.73; p = 0.04) and maternal vascular malperfusion (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.12 - 4.51; p = 0.02) had higher odds of either medical or surgical NEC than controls. CONCLUSION: Infants with multiple placental lesions, including placental inflammatory and vascular lesions, were at higher risk of medical or surgical NEC in the postnatal period.

Performance of current risk stratification models for predicting mortality in patients with heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: There are several risk scores designed to predict mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). This study aimed to assess performance of risk scores validated for mortality prediction in patients with acute HF (AHF) and chronic HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: MEDLINE and Scopus were searched from January 2015 to January 2021 for studies which internally or externally validated risk models for predicting all-cause mortality in patients with AHF and chronic HF. Discrimination data were analysed using C-statistics, and pooled using generic inverse-variance random-effects model. Nineteen studies (n = 494 156 patients; AHF: 24 762; chronic HF mid-term mortality: 62 000; chronic HF long-term mortality: 452 097) and 11 risk scores were included. Overall, discrimination of risk scores was good across the three subgroups: AHF mortality [C-statistic: 0.76 (0.68-0.83)], chronic HF mid-term mortality [1 year; C-statistic: 0.74 (0.68-0.79)], and chronic HF long-term mortality [≥2 years; C-statistic: 0.71 (0.69-0.73)]. MEESSI-AHF [C-statistic: 0.81 (0.80-0.83)] and MARKER-HF [C-statistic: 0.85 (0.80-0.89)] had an excellent discrimination for AHF and chronic HF mid-term mortality, respectively, whereas MECKI had good discrimination [C-statistic: 0.78 (0.73-0.83)] for chronic HF long-term mortality relative to other models. Overall, risk scores predicting short-term mortality in patients with AHF did not have evidence of poor calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow P > 0.05). However, risk models predicting mid-term and long-term mortality in patients with chronic HF varied in calibration performance. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of recently validated risk scores showed good discrimination for mortality in patients with HF. MEESSI-AHF demonstrated excellent discrimination in patients with AHF, and MARKER-HF and MECKI displayed an excellent discrimination in patients with chronic HF. However, modest reporting of calibration and lack of head-to-head comparisons in same populations warrant future studies.

Cardiovascular Safety Reporting in Contemporary Breast Cancer Clinical Trials.

Background Several cancer therapies have been associated with cardiovascular harm in early-phase clinical trials. However, some cardiovascular harms do not manifest until later-phase trials. To limit interdisease variability, we focused on breast cancer. Thus, we assessed the reporting of cardiovascular safety monitoring and outcomes in phase 2 and 3 contemporary breast cancer clinical trials. Methods and Results We searched Embase and Medline records for phase 2 and 3 breast cancer pharmacotherapy trials. We examined exclusion criterion as a result of cardiovascular conditions, adverse cardiovascular event reporting, and cardiovascular safety assessment through cardiovascular imaging, ECG, troponin, or natriuretic peptides. Fisher's exact test was utilized to compare reporting. Fifty clinical trials were included in our study. Patients were excluded because of cardiovascular conditions in 42 (84%) trials. Heart failure was a frequent exclusion criterion (n=31; 62% trials). Adverse cardiovascular events were reported in 43 (86%) trials. Cardiovascular safety assessments were not reported in 23 (46%) trials, whereas natriuretic peptide and troponin assessments were not reported in any trial. Cardiovascular safety assessments were more frequently reported in industry-funded trials (69.2% versus 0.0%; P<0.001), and in trials administering targeted/immunotherapy agents compared with only hormonal/conventional chemotherapy (78.6% versus 22.7%, P<0.001). Conclusions Our findings demonstrate significant under-representation of patients with cardiovascular conditions or prevalent cardiovascular disease in contemporary later-phase breast cancer trials. Additionally, cardiovascular safety is not routinely monitored in these trials. Therefore, contemporary breast cancer clinical trials may possibly underestimate the cardiovascular risks of cancer pharmacotherapy agents for use in clinical practice.

Hypertensive Diseases in Pregnancy and Kidney Function Later in Life: The Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between hypertensive diseases in pregnancy and kidney function later in life. METHODS: We evaluated measured glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) using iothalamate urinary clearance in 725 women of the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) study. Women were classified by self-report as nulliparous (n=62), a history of normotensive pregnancies (n=544), a history of hypertensive pregnancies (n=102), or a history of pre-eclampsia (n=17). We compared adjusted associations among these four groups with mGFR using generalized estimating equations to account for familial clustering. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was defined as mGFR of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 or urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) greater than or equal to 30 mg/g. RESULTS: Among women with kidney function measurements (mean age, 59±9 years, 52.9% African American), those with a history of hypertensive pregnancy had lower mGFR (-4.66 ml/min per 1.73 m2; 95% CI, -9.12 to -0.20) compared with women with a history of normotensive pregnancies. Compared with women with a history of normotensive pregnancies, women with a history of hypertensive pregnancy also had higher odds of mGFR less than 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.21 to 3.60). Additionally, women with a history of hypertensive pregnancy had greater odds for chronic kidney disease (odds ratio, 4.89; 95% CI, 1.55 to 15.44), after adjusting for age, race, education, smoking history, hypertension, body mass index, and diabetes. CONCLUSION: A history of hypertension in pregnancy is an important prognostic risk factor for kidney disease. To our knowledge, this is the first and largest investigation showing the association between hypertensive diseases in pregnancy and subsequent kidney disease using mGFR in a large biracial cohort.

Cigarette Smoking, Incident Coronary Heart Disease, and Coronary Artery Calcification in Black Adults: The Jackson Heart Study.

Background Although Black adults are more likely to die from coronary heart disease (CHD) compared with White adults, few studies have examined the relationship between cigarette smoking and CHD risk among Black adults. We evaluated the relationship between cigarette smoking, incident CHD, and coronary artery calcification in the JHS (Jackson Heart Study). Methods and Results We classified JHS participants without a history of CHD (n=4432) by self-reported baseline smoking status into current, former (smoked at least 400 cigarettes/life) or never smokers at baseline (2000-2004). We further classified current smokers by smoking intensity (number of cigarettes smoked per day [1-19 or ≥20]) and followed for incident CHD (through 2016). Hazard ratios (HR) for incident CHD for each smoking group compared with never smokers were estimated with adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression models. At baseline, there were 548 (12.4%) current, 782 (17.6%) former, and 3102 (70%) never smokers. During follow-up (median, 13.8 years), 254 participants developed CHD. After risk factor adjustment, CHD risk was significantly higher in current smokers compared with never smokers (HR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.39-3.18); the difference between former smokers and never smokers (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.0-1.90) did not achieve statistical significance. Among current smokers, we did not observe a dose-response effect for CHD risk. Additionally, in multivariable logistic regression models with a subset of our analytic cohort, current smokers had greater odds of coronary artery calcification score >0 compared with never smokers (odds ratio, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.88-3.68). Conclusions In a large prospective cohort of Black adults, current smoking was associated with a >2-fold increased risk of CHD over a median follow-up of greater than a decade.

Physical Activity, Inflammation, Coronary Artery Calcification, and Incident Coronary Heart Disease in African Americans: Insights From the Jackson Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between physical activity (PA), inflammation, coronary artery calcification (CAC), and incident coronary heart disease (CHD) in African Americans. METHODS: Among Jackson Heart Study participants without prevalent CHD at baseline (n=4295), we examined the relationships between PA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, the presence of CAC (Agatston score ≥100), and incident CHD. Based on the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 metrics, participants were classified as having poor, intermediate, or ideal PA. RESULTS: After adjustment for possible confounding factors, ideal PA was associated with lower high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (ß, -0.15; 95% CI, -0.15 to -0.002) and a lower prevalence of CAC (odds ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.51-0.96) compared with poor PA. During a median of 12.8 years of follow-up, there were 164 incident CHD events (3.3/1000 person-years). Ideal PA was associated with a lower rate of incident CHD compared with poor PA (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.31-0.98). CONCLUSION: In a large community-based African American cohort, ideal PA was associated with lower inflammation levels, a lower prevalence of CAC, and a lower rate of incident CHD. These findings suggest that promotion of ideal PA may be an important way to reduce the risk of subclinical and future clinical CHD in African Americans.

Joint modelling of longitudinal lipids and time to coronary heart disease in the Jackson Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: Multiple longitudinal responses together with time-to-event outcome are common in biomedical studies. There are several instances where the longitudinal responses are correlated with each other and at the same time each longitudinal response is associated with the survival outcome. The main purpose of this study is to present and explore a joint modeling approach for multiple correlated longitudinal responses and a survival outcome. The method will be illustrated using the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), which is one of the largest cardiovascular studies among African Americans. METHODS: Four longitudinal responses, i.e., total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) and inflammation measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP); and time-to-coronary heart disease (CHD) were considered from the JHS. The repeated lipid and hsCRP measurements from a given subject overtime are likely correlated with each other and could influence the subject's risk for CHD. A joint modeling framework is considered. To deal with the high dimensionality due to the multiple longitudinal profiles, we use a pairwise bivariate model fitting approach that was developed in the context of multivariate Gaussian random effects models. The method is further explored through simulations. RESULTS: The proposed model performed well in terms of bias and relative efficiency. The JHS data analysis showed that lipid and hsCRP trajectories could exhibit interdependence in their joint evolution and have impact on CHD risk. CONCLUSIONS: We applied a unified and flexible joint modeling approach to analyze multiple correlated longitudinal responses and survival outcome. The method accounts for the correlation among the longitudinal responses as well as the association between each longitudinal response and the survival outcome at once. This helps to explore how the combination of multiple longitudinal trajectories could be related to the survival process.

Cigarette Smoking and Incident Stroke in Blacks of the Jackson Heart Study.

Background Blacks are disproportionately affected by stroke compared with whites; however, less is known about the relationship between stroke and cigarette smoking in blacks. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between cigarette smoking and all incident stroke in the JHS (Jackson Heart Study). Methods and Results JHS participants without a history of stroke (n=4410) were classified by self-reported baseline smoking status into current, past (smoked at least 400 cigarettes/life), or never smokers at baseline (2000-2004). Current smokers were further classified by smoking intensity (number of cigarettes smoked per day [1-19 and ≥20]) and followed up for incident stroke (through 2015). Hazard ratios (HRs) for incident stroke for current and past smoking compared with never smoking were estimated with adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression models. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, the risk for stroke in current smokers was significantly higher compared with never smokers (HR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.60-3.83) but there was no significant difference between past smokers and never smokers (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.74-1.64). There was a dose-dependent increased risk of stroke with smoking intensity (HR, 2.28 [95% CI, 1.38-3.86] and HR, 2.78 [95% CI, 1.47-5.28] for current smokers smoking 1-19 and ≥20 cigarettes/day, respectively). Conclusions In a large cohort of blacks, current cigarette smoking was associated with a dose-dependent higher risk of all stroke. In addition, past smokers did not have a significantly increased risk of all stroke compared with never smokers, which suggests that smoking cessation may have potential benefits in reducing the incidence of stroke in blacks.

Hypertensive diseases in pregnancy, cardiac structure and function later in life: Insights from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) study.

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive diseases in pregnancy have been associated with altered cardiac structure and function, yet these associations have not been systematically investigated in larger populations including African Americans. We evaluated the relationships between hypertensive diseases in pregnancy with cardiac structure and function later in life in the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) study. METHODS: We investigated 1013 African American women sibships with echocardiographic measurements from the GENOA study (Phase II, 2000-05; Jackson, MS). Women were classified as self-reported nulliparous (n = 61), a history of normotensive pregnancies (n = 780), a history of a hypertensive pregnancies (n = 152), or a history of preeclampsia (n = 20). We compared adjusted associations among these 4 groups with echocardiographic measurements of cardiac structure and function using generalized estimating equations, accounting for familial clustering. RESULTS: Among 1013 women with echocardiographic data (mean age 62 ± 9.5 years), women with a history of hypertensive pregnancy had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (P = 0.043) compared to nulliparous women and higher left atrial systolic dimension (LASD) compared to women with a history of normotensive pregnancies (P = 0.010), After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors. There were no statistically significant differences in other echocardiographic parameters among these groups. CONCLUSIONS: A history of hypertension in pregnancy is associated with lower LVEF later in life, compared to nulliparous women and higher LASD compared to women with a history of normotensive pregnancies. However, given the multiple comparisons considered, this finding should be interpreted cautiously and requires further study.

Antihyperglycemic Therapies With Expansions of US Food and Drug Administration Indications to Reduce Cardiovascular Events: Prescribing Patterns Within an Academic Medical Center.

Sodium-glucose cotransport protein-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been shown to reduce cardiovascular events in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We examined real-world use of these agents at a US academic medical center in the state of Mississippi. Prescriptions, provider specialty, and insurance status of users of SGLT2is and GLP-1RAs in patients with T2DM, and T2DM and cardiovascular disease (CVD) seen from 1st January 2013 to 30th June 2019 were obtained by electronic health records review. We identified 21,173 patients with T2DM and CVD. Overall, 306 (1.4%) and 349 (1.6%) patients received a SGLT2i and GLP-1RA, respectively. After the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded empagliflozin and liraglutide indications, a mean difference of 19.2 and 12.7 greater quarterly new prescriptions was noted, respectively, whereas no such rise in canagliflozin was observed. Primary care physicians accounted for 53.4% SGLT2i prescriptions, endocrinology for 30.3%, and cardiology for 6.0%. Primary care physicians accounted for 45.1% GLP-1RA prescriptions, endocrinology for 45.0%, and cardiology for 1.4%. Prescription patterns did not largely differ by patient insurance status. In conclusion, prescription of evidence-based therapies to improve CVD outcomes in high-risk patients with T2DM remains very low after several years of evidence generation. Low uptake was evident across insurance types. Modest increases in use were observed after regulatory expansions in labeling; however, cardiologists rarely engaged in prescription, underscoring the need for widespread implementation strategies across health care systems.

Cancer-Related Pain Is an Independent Predictor of In-Hospital Opioid Overdose: A Propensity-Matched Analysis.

BACKGROUND: About 50% of patients with cancer who have undergone surgery suffer from cancer-related pain (CP). The use of opioids for postoperative pain management presents the potential for overdose, especially among these patients. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to determine the association between CP and postoperative opioid overdose among inpatients who had undergone major elective procedures. The secondary objective was to assess the relationship between CP and inpatient mortality, total hospital charge, and length of stay in this population. METHODS: Data of adults 18 years and older from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) were analyzed. Variables were identified using ICD-9 codes. Propensity-matched regression models were employed in evaluating the association between CP and outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Among 4,085,355 selected patients, 0.8% (N = 2,665) had CP, whereas 99.92% (N = 4,082,690) had no diagnosis of CP. We matched patients with CP (N = 2,665) and no CP (N = 13,325) in a 1:5 ratio. We found higher odds of opioid overdose (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.68-8.67, P < 0.0001) and inpatient mortality (aOR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.11-1.74, P = 0.0043) in patients with CP vs no CP. Also, patients with CP were more likely to stay longer in the hospital (12.76 days vs 7.88 days) with higher total hospital charges ($140,220 vs $88,316). CONCLUSIONS: CP is an independent risk factor for opioid overdose, increased length of stay, and increased total hospital charges.

An audit of chemical pathology laboratory investigation request forms received at a private tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Context: Laboratory testing constitutes an integral part of patient management and has an extensive influence on medical decision-making. The completion of laboratory investigation request forms is a vital aspect of the highly variable pre-analytical phase of laboratory testing.Aim: We aimed to assess the adequacy of completion of investigation request forms received at our laboratory.Methods: An audit of systematically selected laboratory investigation request forms received over a six-month period at our laboratory was performed to assess the degree of completion of these forms by requesting clinicians. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel®.Results: Two hundred and fifty four request forms were reviewed. None of the reviewed forms was adequately completed. The clinician's contact number was missing in all the request forms. About two-thirds of the request forms did not have the patient's hospital number (66.1%) and the referring clinician's signature (66.9%) available on them. The clinical diagnosis of the patient was not stated in 18.9% of the request forms. The patient's name, gender and age were the most frequently completed parameters in 100.0%, 98.4% and 97.2% of the request forms respectively.Conclusion: Basic information required for the accurate interpretation of laboratory results are missing in several request forms. This may have deleterious impact on laboratory turn around time, healthcare costs and patient management as most medical decisions are influenced by laboratory results