Factors Associated With a Higher Risk of Undiagnosed Prediabetes in a Community-Dwelling Medicare Population.

OBJECTIVE: To identify characteristics in an ambulatory Medicare population that are significantly more likely to be associated with a high risk of undiagnosed prediabetes.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
SETTING: Fourteen health clinics targeting Medicare beneficiaries were held throughout northern and central California during the fall of 2017.
PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Noninstitutionalized Medicare beneficiaries receiving medication therapy management services without self-reported diabetes.
INTERVENTIONS: Beneficiaries were screened for their risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through the use of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) risk assessment (score of ≥ 5 indicates increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes) by pharmacy students. For this study, patients with a score of ≥ 5 were considered to be at high risk for undiagnosed prediabetes.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Characteristics significantly more likely to be identified in patients at high risk for undiagnosed prediabetes.
RESULTS: A total of 683 Medicare beneficiaries without self-reported diabetes completed the ADA risk assessment, with 457 (66.9%) receiving a score of 5 or more. In those, the presence of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, coronary heart disease, and use of aspirin were all characteristics researchers identified as significantly more likely to be found in this group. In contrast, those of Asian race or who took dietary supplements were significantly less likely to score 5 or higher in the questionnaire.
CONCLUSION: Identification of older adults at higher risk for undiagnosed prediabetes through the use of appropriate screening tools allows for targeted preventive interventions, potentially lowering risk of developing T2DM for selected patients.

Factors Associated with Stroke Misdiagnosis in the Emergency Department: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Failure to recognise acute stroke may result in worse outcomes due to missed opportunity for acute stroke therapies. Our study examines factors associated with stroke misdiagnosis in patients admitted to a large comprehensive stroke centre. METHODS: Retrospective review comparing 156 consecutive stroke patients misdiagnosed in emergency department (ED) with 156 randomly selected stroke controls matched for age, gender, language spoken and stroke subtype for the period 2014-2016. RESULTS: There were 141 ischemic and 15 hemorrhagic misdiagnosed strokes (median age: 77 years, male:female = 1.3: 1). Symptom resolution, altered mental status, nausea/vomiting, dizziness and vertigo favored misdiagnosis (p < 0.05). Hemiparesis and dysarthria favored an accurate diagnosis (p < 0.05). Misdiagnosed patients were more commonly triaged into a lower ED category (62 vs. 42%, p = 0.001), clinically assessed as Face, Arm, Speech and Time (FAST) - negative (78 vs. 22%, p < 0.001) and underwent delayed CT imaging (median 4.1 vs. 1.5 h, p < 0.001). Misdiagnosed patients were more likely to have posterior circulation stroke (PCS; 39 vs. 22%, p = 0.01) and be admitted under non-neurological services (35 vs. 11%, p < 0.001) with worse discharge outcomes including increased mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with stroke misdiagnosis were commonly FAST-negative with nonspecific symptoms including altered mental status, dizziness and nausea/vomiting often associated with PCS. Improved diagnostic accuracy may increase access to acute therapies.

Neck circumference as a predictor of difficult intubation and difficult mask ventilation in morbidly obese patients: A prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: There is conflicting evidence as to whether obesity and neck circumference are predictors of difficult intubation in the surgical population. In addition, the cut-off neck circumference related to difficult intubation has not been clearly identified. OBJECTIVES: The primary study objective was to determine whether neck circumference and obesity were predictors of difficult intubation in morbidly obese surgical patients. Secondary outcomes included difficult mask ventilation. DESIGN: A prospective, noninterventional study. SETTING: Canadian tertiary care surgical centre between October 2012 and August 2013. PATIENTS: A total of 104 morbidly obese surgical patients (BMI ≥40  kg  m(-2)) were included in the study. Eighty-eight patients were women and 16 were men. Exclusions were known difficult airway and emergency surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome of the study was difficult tracheal intubation. An Intubation Difficulty Scale (IDS) was derived using seven parameters and difficult intubation was defined as IDS of at least 5. The secondary outcome was difficult mask ventilation; mask ventilation was graded as easy or difficult (inadequate, desaturation, two-handed or impossible). RESULTS: Univariate analyses showed that difficult intubation was associated with neck circumference, males, BMI more than 50  kg  m(-2), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status and waist circumference, and difficult mask ventilation with neck circumference, males, BMI more than 50  kg  m(-2) and thyromental distance. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that neck circumference more than 42  cm (P = 0.044) and BMI more than 50  kg  m(-2) (P = 0.017) were independent predictors of difficult intubation. Male sex (P = 0.004) and BMI more than 50  kg  m(-2) (P = 0.031) were independent predictors of difficult mask ventilation.

A survey of Canadian anesthesiologists' preferences in difficult intubation and "cannot intubate, cannot ventilate" situations.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this survey was to determine the equipment that anesthesiologists prefer in difficult tracheal intubation and "cannot intubate, cannot ventilate" (CICV) situations. METHODS: A questionnaire was e-mailed to members of the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society to ascertain their preferences, experience, and comfort level with regard to their use of airway equipment in difficult intubation and CICV situations in adult patients. A Chi square test was used to analyse the data. All reported P values are two-sided. RESULTS: Nine hundred ninety-seven of 2,532 questionnaires (39%) were returned. In an unanticipated difficult direct laryngoscopic intubation situation, 893 of 997 (90%) respondents chose a video laryngoscope as the first-choice rescue technique, while 41 (4%) and 21 (2%) of respondents chose a flexible bronchoscope and an intubating laryngeal mask airway device, respectively. The majority of anesthesiologists had experience and were comfortable with using a flexible bronchoscope or a video laryngoscope. Regarding CICV, 294 of 955 (31%) respondents stated that they had never encountered it. Wire-guided cricothyroidotomy was chosen as the first-choice surgical airway by 375 of 955 (39%) respondents, while intravenous catheter cricothyroidotomy and "defer to tracheostomy by surgeon" were selected by 266 (28%) and 215 (23%) respondents, respectively. Seven hundred eighty-five of 997 (78%) respondents were familiar with the exact steps of the American Society of Anesthesiologists' difficult airway algorithm, while 448 (47%) had attended an airway workshop within the past five years. CONCLUSIONS: In a difficult intubation situation, the most frequently selected first-choice airway device was a video laryngoscope, followed by a flexible bronchoscope. In a CICV situation, the most frequently selected first-choice surgical airway technique was a wire-guided cricothyroidotomy, followed by an intravenous catheter cricothyroidotomy.

New supraglottic airway with built-in pressure indicator decreases postoperative pharyngolaryngeal symptoms: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Excessive supraglottic airway cuff pressure increases postoperative pharyngolaryngeal symptoms such as sore throat, dysphonia, and dysphagia. A new supraglottic airway, AES Ultra CPV™ (CPV), has a built-in intracuff pressure indicator. We hypothesized that using the CPV would reduce postoperative symptoms when compared with the LMA Classic™ (LMA) without intracuff pressure guidance. METHODS: Ambulatory patients undergoing general anesthesia were randomized to either CPV or LMA. A size 3/4/5 was inserted according to manufacturer guidelines. Nitrous oxide was not used. In the LMA Group, the cuff was inflated according to manufacturer's guidelines. In the CPV Group, a CPV was inserted and the cuff inflated until the indicator was in the green zone (30-44 mmHg). Intracuff pressures were measured at five minutes and 20 min post-insertion in both groups. The primary outcome was the incidence of pharyngolaryngeal symptoms, defined as sore throat, dysphonia, and/or dysphagia at one, two, and/or 24 hr postoperatively. Continuous data were compared using Student's t test and categorical data were analyzed using Chi square analysis. RESULTS: The study included 170 patients, 85 per group. The mean (SD) intracuff pressure in the CPV group was significantly lower [44 (4) mmHg] than in the LMA Group [87 (37) mmHg]; P < 0.001. The incidence of pharyngolaryngeal symptoms was significantly lower in the CPV Group than in the LMA Group (26% vs 49%; P = 0.002). The absolute risk reduction was 24%, and the number-needed-to-treat was 4.3. CONCLUSION: The incidence of postoperative pharyngolaryngeal symptoms in the CPV Group with a cuff pressure-guided strategy was significantly lower than in the LMA Group with standard practice. ( CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01800344).