Abstract Background We aimed to evaluate health-related quality of life (QOL), dyspnea and functional exercise capacity during the year following the diagnosis of a first episode of pulmonary ...embolism. Methods Prospective multicenter cohort study of 100 patients with acute pulmonary embolism recruited at 5 Canadian hospitals from 2010-2013. We measured the outcomes QOL (by SF-36 and PEmb-QOL measures), dyspnea (by the University of California San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (SOBQ)) and six-minute walk distance at Baseline, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after acute pulmonary embolism. CT pulmonary angiography was performed at baseline, echocardiogram was performed within 10 days, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed at 1 and 12 months. Predictors of change in QOL, dyspnea, and six-minute walk distance were assessed by repeated measures mixed effects models analysis. Results Mean age was 50.0 years, 57% were male, and 80% were treated as out-patients. Mean scores for all outcomes improved during 1 year follow-up: from baseline to 12 months, mean SF-36 physical component score improved by 8.8 points, SF-36 mental component score by 5.3 points, PEmb-QoL by -32.1 points, and SOBQ by -16.3 points, and six-minute walk distance improved by 40 m. Independent predictors of reduced improvement over time were female sex, higher BMI and percent-predicted VO2 peak <80% on 1 month cardiopulmonary exercise test for all outcomes; prior lung disease and higher pulmonary artery systolic pressure on 10-day echocardiogram for the outcomes SF-36 physical component score and dyspnea score; and higher main pulmonary artery diameter on baseline CT pulmonary angiography for the outcome PEmb-QoL score. Conclusions On average, QOL, dyspnea, and walking distance improve during the year after pulmonary embolism. However, a number of clinical and physiological predictors of reduced improvement over time were identified, most notably female sex, higher BMI and exercise limitation on 1- month cardiopulmonary exercise test. Our results provide new information on patient-relevant prognosis after pulmonary embolism.
Purified α1 proteinase inhibitor (A1PI) slowed emphysema progression in patients with severe α1 antitrypsin deficiency in a randomised controlled trial (RAPID-RCT), which was followed by an ...open-label extension trial (RAPID-OLE). The aim was to investigate the prolonged treatment effect of A1PI on the progression of emphysema as assessed by the loss of lung density in relation to RAPID-RCT.
Patients who had received either A1PI treatment (Zemaira or Respreeza; early-start group) or placebo (delayed-start group) in the RAPID-RCT trial were included in this 2-year open-label extension trial (RAPID-OLE). Patients from 22 hospitals in 11 countries outside of the USA received 60 mg/kg per week A1PI. The primary endpoint was annual rate of adjusted 15th percentile lung density loss measured using CT in the intention-to-treat population with a mixed-effects regression model. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00670007.
Between March 1, 2006, and Oct 13, 2010, 140 patients from RAPID-RCT entered RAPID-OLE: 76 from the early-start group and 64 from the delayed-start group. Between day 1 and month 24 (RAPID-RCT), the rate of lung density loss in RAPID-OLE patients was lower in the early-start group (-1·51 g/L per year SE 0·25 at total lung capacity TLC; -1·55 g/L per year 0·24 at TLC plus functional residual capacity FRC; and -1·60 g/L per year 0·26 at FRC) than in the delayed-start group (-2·26 g/L per year 0·27 at TLC; -2·16 g/L per year 0·26 at TLC plus FRC, and -2·05 g/L per year 0·28 at FRC). Between months 24 and 48, the rate of lung density loss was reduced in delayed-start patients (from -2·26 g/L per year to -1·26 g/L per year), but no significant difference was seen in the rate in early-start patients during this time period (-1·51 g/L per year to -1·63 g/L per year), thus in early-start patients the efficacy was sustained to month 48.
RAPID-OLE supports the continued efficacy of A1PI in slowing disease progression during 4 years of treatment. Lost lung density was never recovered, highlighting the importance of early intervention with A1PI treatment.
CSL Behring.
Overdiagnosis of asthma in obese and nonobese adults Aaron, Shawn D; Vandemheen, Katherine L; Boulet, Louis-Philippe ...
Canadian Medical Association journal (CMAJ),
2008-Nov-18, 2008-11-18, 20081118, Letnik:
179, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
It is unclear whether asthma is overdiagnosed in developed countries, particularly among obese individuals, who may be more likely than nonobese people to experience dyspnea.
We conducted a ...longitudinal study involving nonobese (body mass index 20-25) and obese (body mass index >/= 30) individuals with asthma that had been diagnosed by a physician. Participants were recruited from 8 Canadian cities by means of random-digit dialing. A diagnosis of current asthma was excluded in those who did not have evidence of acute worsening of asthma symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction or bronchial hyperresponsiveness, despite being weaned off asthma medications. We stopped asthma medications in those in whom a diagnosis of asthma was excluded and assessed their clinical outcomes over 6 months.
Of 540 individuals with physician-diagnosed asthma who participated in the study, 496 (242 obese and 254 nonobese) could be conclusively assessed for a diagnosis of asthma. Asthma was ultimately excluded in 31.8% (95% confidence interval CI 26.3%-37.9%) in the obese group and in 28.7% (95% CI 23.5%-34.6%) in the nonobese group. Overdiagnosis of asthma was no more likely to occur among obese individuals than among nonobese individuals (p = 0.46). Of those in whom asthma was excluded, 65.5% did not need to take asthma medication or seek health care services because of asthma symptoms during a 6-month follow-up period.
About one-third of obese and nonobese individuals with physician-diagnosed asthma did not have asthma when objectively assessed. This finding suggests that, in developed countries such as Canada, asthma is overdiagnosed.
Background Studies on outcomes among patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HF p EF), borderline left ventricular ejection fraction (HF b EF), and reduced ...left ventricular ejection fraction (HF r EF) remain limited. We sought to characterize mortality and readmission in patients with HF in the contemporary era. Methods Get With The Guidelines–HF was linked to Medicare data for longitudinal follow-up. Patients were grouped into HF p EF (left ventricular ejection fraction EF ≥50%), HF b EF (40% ≤ EF < 50%), and HF r EF (EF <40%). Multivariable models were constructed to examine the relationship between EF and outcomes at 30 days and 1 year and to study trends over time. Results A total of 40,239 patients from 220 hospitals between 2005 and 2011 were included in the study: 18,897 (47%) had HF p EF, 5,626 (14%) had HF b EF, and 15,716 (39%) had HF r EF. In crude survival analysis, patients with HF r EF had slightly increased mortality compared with HF b EF and HF p EF. After risk adjustment, mortality at 1 year was not significantly different for HF r EF, HF b EF, and HF p EF (HF r EF vs HF p EF, hazard ratio HR 1.040 95% CI 0.998-1.084, and HF b EF vs HF p EF, HR 0.967 95% CI 0.917-1.020). Patients with HF p EF had increased risk of all-cause readmission compared with HF r EF. Conversely, risk of cardiovascular and HF readmissions were higher in HF r EF and HF b EF compared with HF p EF. Conclusions Among patients hospitalized with HF, patients with HF p EF and HF b EF had slightly lower mortality and higher all-cause readmission risk than patients with HF r EF, although the mortality differences did not persist after risk adjustment. Irrespective of EF, these patients experience substantial mortality and readmission highlighting the need for new therapeutic strategies.
...patients who undergo ICD placement late in the day followed by discharge the next morning may receive a comparable level of care. Similar to same-day discharge after percutaneous coronary ...intervention, same-day discharge after ICD placement may lead to greater patient satisfaction, increased bed availability for patients with greater clinical need, and cost savings without adversely affecting readmission rates (3).
Background Interventional EUS-guided cholangiography (IEUC) has been increasingly used as an alternative to percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) in cases of biliary obstruction when ERCP ...is unsuccessful. Objective We reviewed our experience and technique used for this procedure. Design Over a 3-year period, ending July 2005, patients with a failed ERCP were offered an IEUC. Setting Tertiary care center offering ERCP and interventional EUS. Patients Twenty-eight patients were candidates for IEUC. Two patients had bleeding masses and were referred to interventional radiology, 1 patient had a large mass occupying the duodenal lumen, and 2 patients refused IEUC. Intervention EUS was used to access the biliary system after which a guidewire was advanced antegrade across the obstruction. Either rendezvous with retrograde or antegrade drainage was then accomplished. Main Outcome Measurements Efficacy and safety of IEUC for biliary decompression. Results IEUC was successfully performed in 23 patients, with a transgastric-transhepatic (intrahepatic) approach in 13 cases and transenteric-transcholedochal (extrahepatic) approach in 10 cases. Therapeutic benefit was achieved in 21 patients: 18 underwent successful stent deployment across the stricture, whereas 3 patients required a choledochoenteric fistula formation. Complications included 1 case of bile leak, 2 cases of self-limited pneumoperitoneum, and 1 case of minor bleeding. Limitations Single-center experience of 2 operators. Conclusions IEUC appears efficacious in patients in whom ERCP is unsuccessful and is evolving as an attractive alternative to PTC. Intrahepatic access to the biliary system appears safer than the extrahepatic approach.
Abstract Background The contribution of diabetes to the burden of heart failure (HF) remains largely undescribed. Assessing diabetes temporal trends among US patients hospitalized with HF, and their ...relation with quality measures, in real-world practice can help to define this burden. Methods Using data from the Get With the Guidelines–Heart Failure registry, we assessed temporal trends in diabetes prevalence among patients with HF, and in subgroups with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF - EF <40%), borderline EF (HFbEF - 40% ≤ EF< 50%), or preserved EF (HFpEF - EF ≥50%), hospitalized between 2005 and 2015. Logistic regression was used to assess whether in-hospital outcomes and HF quality of care were related to trends. Results Among 364,480 HF hospitalizations, 160,171 had diabetes (44.0% overall, 41.8% in HFrEF, 46.7% in HFbEF, 45.5% in HFpEF). There was a temporal increase in diabetes frequency in HF patients (43.2% to 45.8%; Ptrend < 0.0001), including among those with HFrEF (42.0% to 43.6%; Ptrend < 0.0001), HFbEF (46.0% to 49.2%; Ptrend < 0.0001), or HFpEF (43.6% to 46.8%, Ptrend < 0.0001). Diabetic patients had a longer hospital stay (adjusted odds ratio aOR: 1.14, 95%CI: 1.12–1.16), but lower in-hospital mortality (aOR: 0.93 0.89–0.97) compared to those without diabetes, with limited differences in quality measures. Temporal trends in diabetes were not associated with in-hospital mortality or length of stay. There were no temporal interactions of most HF quality measures with diabetes status. Conclusions Approximately 44% of hospitalized HF patients have diabetes, and this proportion has been increasing over the past 10 years, particularly among those patients with new onset HFpEF.
Background EUS–guided pancreaticogastrostomy (EPG) has been reported as an alternative to surgery in cases of pancreatic stricture where ERCP is unsuccessful. Objective We analyzed our 3-year ...experience with this innovative technique. Design Patients with failed ERCP for pancreatic drainage were offered EPG over a 3-year period and were followed up prospectively in terms of clinical and radiologic response. Setting Tertiary care center offering ERCP and interventional EUS. Patients Thirteen patients were included in this study. Seven had surgical diversion Six patients had unaltered enteral anatomy and stricture related to chronic pancreatitis (3), gallstone pancreatitis (2), and intraductal pancreatic mucinous neoplasm (1). Intervention EUS-guided puncture and opacification of the pancreatic duct was performed, creating a transgastric fistula with placement of a guidewire into the main pancreatic duct and subsequent ductal decompression with a plastic endoprosthesis. Main Outcome Measurements Mean main pancreatic duct size, pain score, and weight before and after intervention. Results Ten patients had successful endoprosthesis placement across the pancreaticogastric fistula. One patient underwent brush cytologic study, which diagnosed pancreatic malignancy, and underwent surgical resection. After a mean follow-up of 14 months, the mean pancreatic duct size in treated patients decreased from 4.6 to 3.0 mm ( P = .01); the pain score decreased from 7.3 to 3.6 ( P = .01). Complications included one case of bleeding requiring hemoclip placement and 1 case of contained perforation. Limitations Pilot study from a single center. Conclusions EPG is a safe and feasible alternative to surgical intervention in this subgroup of patients where conventional ERCP is not possible.
Abstract Objectives This study assessed the comparative frequency of precipitating clinical factors leading to hospitalization among heart failure (HF) patients with reduced, borderline, and ...preserved ejection fraction (EF) Background There are few data assessing the comparative frequency of clinical factors leading to HF among hospitalized among patients with reduced, borderline, and preserved EF. Methods We analyzed the factors potentially contributing to HF hospitalization among 99,825 HF admissions from 305 hospitals in the Get With The Guidelines-HF (GWTG-HF) database between January 2005 and September 2013 and assessed their association with length of stay and in-hospital mortality. Results Mean patient age was 72.6 ± 14.2 years, 49% were female, and mean EF was 39.3 ± 17.2%. Common factors included pneumonia/respiratory process (28.2%), arrhythmia (21.7%), medication noncompliance (15.8%), worsening renal failure (14.7%), and uncontrolled hypertension (14.5%). In patients with borderline EF (EF 40% to 49%), pneumonia was associated with longer hospital stay, whereas dietary and medication noncompliance were associated with reduced length of stay. In patients with preserved EF (EF ≥50% or qualitative assessment of normal or mild dysfunction), pneumonia, weight gain, and worsening renal function were independently associated with longer lengths of stay. Worsening renal function and pneumonia were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality in all HF groups, and acute pulmonary edema was associated with higher mortality in reduced EF. Dietary noncompliance (14.7%) was associated with reduced mortality for all groups but reached statistical significance in the subgroups of reduced (odds ratio OR: 0.65; 95% confidence interval CI: 0.46 to 0.91) and preserved systolic function (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.83). Patients presenting with ischemia had a higher mortality rate (OR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.69; and 1.72; 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.33, respectively, in the 2 groups). Conclusions Potential precipitating factors among patients hospitalized with HF vary by EF group and are independently associated with clinical outcomes.
Background Although multiple therapies have been shown to lower mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, their application in clinical practice ...has been less than ideal. To date, empiric estimation of the potential benefits that could be gained from eliminating these existing treatment gaps with optimal implementation has not been quantified. Methods Eligibility criteria for each evidence-based HF therapy, the estimated frequency of use/nonuse of specific treatments, the case fatality rates, and the risk reductions due to treatment were obtained from published sources. The numbers of deaths prevented or postponed because of each guideline-recommended therapy and overall were determined. Results Among patients with HF with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in the United States (n = 2,644,800), the number eligible but not currently treated ranged from 139,749 for hydralazine/isorbide dinitrate to 852,512 for implantable cardioverter defibrillators. The comparative number of deaths that could potentially be prevented per year with optimal implementation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor antagonist is 6,516; β-blockers, 12,922; aldosterone antagonists, 21,407; hydralazine/isorbide dinitrate, 6,655; cardiac resynchronization therapy, 8,317; and implantable cardioverter defibrillators, 12,179. If these treatment benefits were additive, optimal implementation of all 6 therapies could potentially prevent 67,996 deaths a year. Conclusions A substantial number of HF deaths in this country could potentially be prevented by optimal implementation of evidence-based therapies. These data may underscore the importance of performance improvement efforts to translate evidence-based therapy to routine clinical practice so as to reduce contemporary HF mortality.
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