Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is a major cause of childhood deafness. Most cCMV infections are not diagnosed without newborn screening, resulting in missed opportunities for directed ...care.
To estimate the cost-effectiveness of universal and targeted newborn cCMV screening programs compared with no cCMV screening.
Models were constructed using rates and outcomes from prospective cohort studies of newborn cCMV screening in US postpartum care and early hearing programs. Costs of laboratory testing, treatment, and hearing loss were drawn from Medicaid data and published estimates. The benefits of cCMV screening were assumed to come from antiviral therapy for affected newborns to reduce hearing loss and from earlier identification of hearing loss with postnatal onset. Analyses were performed from July 2014 to March 2016.
Models compared universal or targeted cCMV screening of newborns with a failed hearing screen, with standard care for cCMV infection.
The incremental costs of identifying 1 cCMV infection, identifying 1 case of cCMV-related hearing loss, and preventing 1 cochlear implant; the incremental reduction in cases of severe to profound hearing loss; and the differences in costs per infant screened by universal or targeted strategies under different assumptions about the effectiveness of antiviral treatment.
Among all infants born in the United States, identification of 1 case of cCMV infection by universal screening was estimated to cost $2000 to $10 000; by targeted screening, $566 to $2832. The cost of identifying 1 case of hearing loss due to cCMV was as little as $27 460 by universal screening or $975 by targeted screening. Assuming a modest benefit of antiviral treatment, screening programs were estimated to reduce severe to profound hearing loss by 4.2% to 13% and result in direct costs of $10.86 per newborn screened. However, savings of up to $37.97 per newborn screened were estimated when costs related to functionality were included.
Newborn screening for cCMV infection appears to be cost-effective under a wide range of assumptions. Universal screening offers larger net savings and the greatest opportunity to provide directed care. Targeted screening also appears to be cost-effective and requires testing for fewer newborns. These findings suggest that implementation of newborn cCMV screening programs is warranted.
Three-dimensional (3D) printing offers the potential for rapid customization of medical devices. The advent of 3D-printable biomaterials has created the potential for device control in the fourth ...dimension: 3D-printed objects that exhibit a designed shape change under tissue growth and resorption conditions over time. Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) is a condition of excessive collapse of the airways during respiration that can lead to life-threatening cardiopulmonary arrests. We demonstrate the successful application of 3D printing technology to produce a personalized medical device for treatment of TBM, designed to accommodate airway growth while preventing external compression over a predetermined time period before bioresorption. We implanted patient-specific 3D-printed external airway splints in three infants with severe TBM. At the time of publication, these infants no longer exhibited life-threatening airway disease and had demonstrated resolution of both pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications of their TBM. Long-term data show continued growth of the primary airways. This process has broad application for medical manufacturing of patient-specific 3D-printed devices that adjust to tissue growth through designed mechanical and degradation behaviors over time.
Since 2013, after Utah became the first state to implement hearing targeted early CMV screening, a national debate has been percolating about whether this approach should be introduced nationally. ...Currently Utah, Iowa, Connecticut, and New York have passed legislation mandating early CMV screening, and over 100 birth hospitals across the United States have voluntarily implemented early CMV screening programs as part of their standard of care. We reviewed the evidence related to this approach and used the Wilson and Jungner (1968) criteria to evaluate this method of screening. Based on these criteria, there is substantial rationale and evidence to support a hearing targeted approach to screen for congenital CMV. Given this evidence, we currently recommend that infants who fail newborn hearing screen should undergo CMV screening.
To compare the costs of disposable laryngoscopes to reusable scopes in outpatient and inpatient settings.
The total variable and fixed costs involved in flexible scope reprocessing were collected ...from two general otolaryngology clinics, a pediatric otolaryngology clinic, and a children's hospital. Variable costs of disposable materials and labor were collected from 65 scope reprocessing events to identify the cost of reprocessing. Fixed costs of scope maintenance, monitors, video towers, and storage equipment were collected from financial records. Fixed and variable costs were analyzed to identify the cost per scope event. The costs were then compared to a theoretical model where disposable scopes were used to meet the volume demands of each clinic and children's hospital setting. The model of disposable scopes was generated after obtaining volume costs specific to each setting from a disposable scope company.
The average cost of a reusable scope model per scope event was $66.02 ± 4.49 at the three clinics and $130.66 at the children's hospital. The average cost of the disposable scope model per scope event was $152.55 ± 0.55 in the three clinics and $172.61 in the children's hospital. The cost differences were $86.53 ± 3.96 and $41.95 respectively.
In an outpatient clinic, reusable scopes are less expensive than a disposable scope model. In children's hospital inpatient setting, the difference in costs between disposable and reusable scopes is lower. When considering other non-economic factors, disposable scopes may be a feasible option, especially in the children's hospital setting.
•Ganciclovir concentrations in dried blood spots (DBS) were quantified using a validated LC–MS/MS assay.•The method is robust to a variety of spot volumes and hematocrits.•Ganciclovir concentrations ...in DBS and serum were well correlated.•The assay will be used to quantify ganciclovir from DBS collected in a multi-center clinical trial in infants with cCMV.
Valganciclovir (VGC) is an orally available mono-valyl ester pro drug of the nucleoside analog (NA) ganciclovir (GCV) used to treat cytomegalovirus (CMV). Congenital CMV infection in the newborn is associated with progressive sensorineural hearing loss; however, effective CMV therapy with VGC can improve audiologic outcomes. Ongoing studies to demonstrate the effect of VGC in this setting are hampered by a poor understanding of the pharmacology of VGC and GCV in newborns, and the low blood volumes that can be safely collected from this population. We describe a simple method for determining systemic GCV concentrations using dried blood spot (DBS) samples. GCV was extracted from a single 6 mm punch via sonication in methanol, then quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The assay was accurate and precise in the dynamic range of 10–10,000 ng/mL. GCV concentrations determined in DBS agreed well with GCV concentrations observed in serum. The assay was successfully applied to patient samples, and will be used to support pharmacokinetic studies in an ongoing clinical trial of VGC in infants with CMV-mediated hearing loss.
Many procedures in modern clinical medicine rely on the use of electronic implants in treating conditions that range from acute coronary events to traumatic injury. However, standard permanent ...electronic hardware acts as a nidus for infection: bacteria form biofilms along percutaneous wires, or seed haematogenously, with the potential to migrate within the body and to provoke immune-mediated pathological tissue reactions. The associated surgical retrieval procedures, meanwhile, subject patients to the distress associated with re-operation and expose them to additional complications. Here, we report materials, device architectures, integration strategies, and in vivo demonstrations in rats of implantable, multifunctional silicon sensors for the brain, for which all of the constituent materials naturally resorb via hydrolysis and/or metabolic action, eliminating the need for extraction. Continuous monitoring of intracranial pressure and temperature illustrates functionality essential to the treatment of traumatic brain injury; the measurement performance of our resorbable devices compares favourably with that of non-resorbable clinical standards. In our experiments, insulated percutaneous wires connect to an externally mounted, miniaturized wireless potentiostat for data transmission. In a separate set-up, we connect a sensor to an implanted (but only partially resorbable) data-communication system, proving the principle that there is no need for any percutaneous wiring. The devices can be adapted to sense fluid flow, motion, pH or thermal characteristics, in formats that are compatible with the body's abdomen and extremities, as well as the deep brain, suggesting that the sensors might meet many needs in clinical medicine.
Adenylyl cyclase 6 (AC6) synthesizes second messenger cAMP in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling. In cochlear hair cells, AC6 distribution relies on an adhesion GPCR, ADGRV1, which is ...associated with Usher syndrome (USH), a condition of combined hearing and vision loss. ADGRV1 is a component of the USH type 2 (USH2) protein complex in hair cells and photoreceptors. However, the role of AC6 in the inner ear and retina has not been explored. Here, we found that AC6 distribution in hair cells depends on the USH2 protein complex integrity. Several known AC6 regulators and effectors, which were previously reported to participate in ADGRV1 signaling in vitro, are localized to the stereociliary compartments that overlap with AC6 distribution in hair cells. In young AC6 knockout (Adcy6
) mice, the activity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, but not Akt kinase, is altered in cochleas, while both kinases are normal in vestibular organs. Adult Adcy6
mice however exhibit normal hearing function. AC6 is expressed in mouse retinas but rarely in photoreceptors. Adcy6
mice have slightly enhanced photopic but normal scotopic vision. Therefore, AC6 may participate in the ADGRV1 signaling in hair cells but AC6 is not essential for cochlear and retinal development and maintenance.
To understand caregiver knowledge of and attitudes toward congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) testing in Utah.
We surveyed 365 caregivers whose children were being seen in an otolaryngology clinic at a ...tertiary pediatric hospital about their knowledge of and attitudes toward cCMV and cCMV screening. Descriptive statistics and cluster analysis were used to examine their responses.
The majority of caregivers were unsure how cCMV was spread, the symptoms of cCMV, and why cCMV screening of infants was important. Most caregivers did not know that cCMV screening was required by law in Utah if an infant is referred after newborn hearing screening. A majority wanted to know if their child had cCMV even if asymptomatic and were willing to pay $20 for cCMV screening. Caregivers of children who had been tested for cCMV were significantly more likely to be strongly in favor of cCMV screening than expected by chance. Caregivers in the highly knowledgeable cluster were more likely to be strongly in favor of cCMV screening.
Caregivers frequently were unaware of cCMV and its implications. Attitudes toward cCMV screening generally were positive. Education on epidemiology and impact of cCMV may benefit both prevention of infection and attitudes toward screening.
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