Clinical Pathway For Treatment Research Articles

Uterine fibroids with heavy menstrual bleeding stratified by race in a commercial and Medicaid database

BackgroundHistorically, the clinical characteristics and treatment pathways for patients with uterine fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding have differed between White and Black women. ObjectiveTo provide a contemporary comparison of patient characteristics and treatment patterns among White and Black women with uterine fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding in the United States. Study DesignThis retrospective cohort study included administrative claims data from 46,139 White and 17,297 Black women with uterine fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding from the Optum Clinformatics database (January 2011–December 2020) and 7353 White and 16,776 Black women from the IBM MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid Insurance database (January 2010–December 2019). Patients were indexed at their initial uterine fibroid diagnosis claim and were required to have a claim for heavy menstrual bleeding and ≥12 months of continuous enrollment pre- and postindex. Patients were followed until the earliest of death, disenrollment, hysterectomy date, or end of study database. Outcomes were stratified by race and included patient demographics, clinical characteristics, pharmacologic treatment patterns, and surgeries/procedures. Pearson's Chi-square test for categorical variables and Student's t-test for continuous data were used to evaluate differences in baseline characteristics. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize treatment pathways for hormonal contraceptive use in women with ≥24 months of follow-up. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to estimate time until hysterectomy, with log-rank testing to assess between-group differences. ResultsThe mean (standard deviation) duration of follow-up was 44.6 (27.9) and 41.0 (24.9) months in the commercial and Medicaid databases, respectively. Mean (standard deviation) age at uterine fibroid diagnosis was lower for Black than White women in both databases (commercial: 42.3 [6.5] vs 44.4 [6.3] years; P<.0001; Medicaid: 39.6 [7.1] years vs 40.2 [7.2] years; P<.0001). Anemia was more prevalent in Black vs White women in both databases (commercial: 5.9% [1028/17,297] vs 3.6% [1648/46,139]; P<.0001; Medicaid: 7.0% [1180/16,776] vs 4.5% [331/7353]; P<.0001). In the commercial database, approximately one-half of women had claims for ≥1 bulk symptom, with no significant differences between groups. In the Medicaid database, significantly more White than Black women had claims for bulk symptoms (77.0% [5665/7353] vs 68.4% [11,477/16,776]; P<.0001). Approximately 40% of all patients received hormonal drug therapies as initial treatment, most commonly hormonal contraceptives. However, discontinuation of hormonal contraceptive therapy was nearly universal, with one-half discontinuing within a median treatment duration of ∼5 months. Most women stopped treatment after 1 or 2 agents (commercial: White, 89.9% [9757/10,857]; Black, 90.0% [3594/3993]; Medicaid: White, 92.2% [1635/1773]; Black, 94.2% [4454/4726]). Hysterectomy was the most common procedure, and was more common among White vs Black women (commercial: 43.9% [20,235/46,139] vs 37.8% [6536/17,297]; Medicaid: 46.8% [3444/7353] vs 32.0% [5364/16,776]). ConclusionsBlack women with UF-HMB were diagnosed at a younger age than White women, and White women had higher hysterectomy rates than Black women, representing a shift from earlier researched treatment patterns. Patients with UF-HMB were also highly reliant on hormonal contraceptives, followed by nearly universal therapeutic discontinuation.

Innovative noninvasive gait-synchronized vibrotactile feedback system : "I can feel myself walking again"

Despite intensive research and development of systems for restoration of sensory information, these have so far only been the subject of study protocols. Anew noninvasive feedback system translates pressure loads on the forefoot and hindfoot into gait-synchronized vibrotactile stimulation of adefined skin area. To increase the authenticity, this treatment can be supplemented by a surgical procedure. Targeted sensory reinnervation (TSR) describes amicrosurgical procedure in which adefined skin area on the amputated stump of the residual limb is first denervated and then reinnervated by aspecific, transposed sensory nerve harvested from the amputated part of the limb. This creates asensory interface at the residual stump. This article presents the clinical and orthopedic technical treatment pathway with this innovative vibrotactile feedback system and explains in detail the surgical procedure of TSR after amputation of the lower limb.

The clinical pathway in ADMiRE, Ireland's first public specialist service for children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder occurring in approximately one in twenty young people in Ireland, and in one-third of those attending Irish Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). It is important to treat ADHD, as un/poorly treated ADHD is associated with a raft of negative health and socio-economic outcomes. Effective interventions for ADHD are available, and the use of standardised, evidence-based pathways for assessment and management of ADHD optimises outcomes. Despite this, there is no national standardised clinical pathway for assessment and treatment of ADHD in Ireland. ADMiRE, the first public healthcare specialist service for children and adolescents in Ireland, has developed a strongly evidence-based, efficient, effective and safe clinical pathway for assessment and management of ADHD. This paper describes the ADMiRE Clinical Pathway and references ADMiRE resources that are available to other services.

Abstract PO1-11-10: Use of a standardized tool for the evaluation and treatment of cancer related cognitive impairment (chemo-brain) among breast cancer patients

Abstract There is a steep linear increase in patients surviving a cancer diagnosis. Clinical solutions that address the high prevalence of cancer-related treatment effects (CRTE) are urgently needed. A stark example of this need is the dearth of screening and treatment programs for cancer related cognitive impairment (CRCI) (colloquially called “chemo-brain”). Up to 75% of cancer patients report neurocognitive changes that leave patients unable to cope with the expectations of employers, colleagues, families, and friends. The prevalence of neurological disorders is 275% higher among adult cancer patients, when compared to an adult cancer-free population. For many adolescent and young adult cancer patients, the onset of CRCI occurs during "cognitive prime time"; a time when individuals are pursuing education, careers, and raising families. To address a gap in CRTE we have implemented a virtual multi-disciplinary intervention to measure and treat CRCI. Our CRCI intervention follows National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines for CRCI. These guidelines indicate a multi-disciplinary approach with emphasis on increasing physical activity levels, cognitive-behavioral therapy, memory adaptive training, mood management, and sleep optimization. Our approach also follows recent ASCO guidelines for nutrition counseling. Our CRCI program utilizes medical oncologists, physician assistants, mental health therapists, registered dietitians, and occupational therapists. A nationally validated patient reported outcome (PRO) measurement, analysis, and reporting platform informs clinical treatment pathways, monitors patient progress, guides clinical decision making, and improves patient/provider communication. Using health status measures for CRCI, and following American Cancer Society and ASCO guidelines, patients are risk-stratified into three personalized cancer survivor care pathways: 1) low-complexity patients; 2) medium-complexity patients; and 3) high-complexity patients. Low-complexity patients baseline PROs score in the normal range, medium-complexity patients are those who score below the norm (moderate to large effect size difference from normal), and high-complexity patients are those who score well below the norm (greater than larger effect size difference from normal). Low-complexity patients are enrolled into a self-management and continuation of care program. Medium-complexity patients are enrolled into a shared care program. High-complexity patients are enrolled into an acute care program. All three clinical pathways include continued risk-factor vital-sign surveillance. Nearly 100% (99%) of patients who enroll in our primary cancer survivor care program complete our PRO baseline (N=80). From a convenient sample of breast cancer patients (N=42), provisional results of patient-specific segmentation analyses reveal a nearly perfect bell-shaped curve, with 51% of the population classified within the definition of medium-complexity and even split of outliers (high-complexity 24% and low-complexity 24%). Additionally, of all patients in our primary cancer survivor care program who completed at least three measurement time points for health status measures of cognitive impartment (N=38), 92% had a positive experience, 71% had a clinically significant improvement in cognitive health, 21% had a no change in cognitive status, and only 8% had a decline in cognitive health. If these data, and PRO implementation approach hold true, this program could be scaled to national and international cancer survivor population suffering from CRCI. Citation Format: John Librett, Mark Kosinski, Gregory Litton. Use of a standardized tool for the evaluation and treatment of cancer related cognitive impairment (chemo-brain) among breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO1-11-10.

Expert recommendation on clinical diagnosis and treatment pathway of hydrochloric ear disease

In order to improve the awareness and understanding of hydropic ear disease, the Vertigo Committee of the Chinese Medical Education Association established an expert group and formed the expert recommendation on clinical diagnosis and treatment pathway of hydrochloric ear disease after repeated discussions, based on the existing medical evidence and clinical experience of experts. The article included the understanding process, characteristics, medical history collection and physical examination, diagnosis and clinical pathway of various treatment and rehabilitation methods in hydrochloric ear disease, aiming to promote standardized clinical work and research on hydropic ear disease.

Evaluation of Analgesic Drug Therapy for Postoperative Pain Management in Cardiovascular Surgery

BackgroundCardiovascular surgery is usually associated with higher degree of postoperative pain, affecting the patient's physical recovery. Multiple clinical measures have been taken to avoid overuse of opioid for postoperative pain management, which led to the development of clinical pathways for analgesic drug treatment using a multimodal approach. ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a multimodal postoperative analgesic drug pathway (ADP) for the pain management following cardiovascular surgery. MethodsThis retrospective, controlled, non-randomized study evaluated postoperative ADP in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery in a tertiary general hospital in Qingdao, China. Effectiveness and safety outcomes were compared before and after the implementation of ADP. Outcome indicators include postoperative pain scores, consumption of opioids in analgesic pumps and incidence of adverse events. ResultsPatients who underwent cardiovascular surgery from September to November 2021 before the implementation of ADP (N = 193) and from September to November 2022 after the implementation of ADP (N = 218) were enrolled. Pain scores were reduced on day 1, 3 and 5 after surgery and in mild pain, the reduction was most significant (P < 0.001). Opioid in analgesic pumps consumption was also significantly reduced and decreased incidence of adverse events such as nausea and vomiting (P = 0.026), respiratory inhibition (P = 0.027), and dizziness and headache (P = 0.028) were noted in cardiovascular surgery patients after ADP implementation. ConclusionsImproved effectiveness and safety were observed following the implementation of ADP. Multimodal analgesic ADP methodology can be effectively used for the postoperative pain management of cardiovascular surgery patients.

Chinese expert consensus on neoadjuvant therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (2023 edition)

Recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgery is a major factor affecting the efficacy of the treatment of patients. Neoadjuvant treatment is an effective therapeutic method to reduce postoperative recurrence and prolong patient survival. However,there is no generally accepted neoadjuvant treatment regimen that has been proven to be effective so far. Recently,with the progress in systemic antitumor therapies,represented by targeted molecular agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors,and the improvement in local regional therapies,these treatment approaches have shown promising efficacy and safety in the field of neoadjuvant treatment for HCC. Under the organizational leadership of Committee of Digestive Surgery of Chinese Research Hospital Association and Committee of Liver Cancer of Chinese Anti-Cancer Association,Alliance of Chinese Expert Consensus on Neoadjuvant Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma has discussed and revised several times and finally formulated the Chinese expert consensus on neoadjuvant therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (2023 edition). This consensus aimed to review the Chinese characteristics of the diagnosis and treatment of HCC,to provide specific guidance and suggestions for preoperative treatment strategies for HCC,and further promote the management of the clinical pathway for neoadjuvant treatment of HCC.

Nationwide consensus on the clinical management of treatment-resistant depression in Italy: a Delphi panel

BackgroundTreatment-resistant depression (TRD) is defined by the European Medicines Agency as a lack of clinically meaningful improvement after treatment, with at least two different antidepressants. Individual, familiar, and socio-economic burden of TRD is huge. Given the lack of clear guidelines, the large variability of TRD approaches across different countries and the availability of new medications to meet the need of effective and rapid acting therapeutic strategies, it is important to understand the consensus regarding the clinical characteristics and treatment pathways of patients with TRD in Italian routine clinical practice, particularly in view of the recent availability of esketamine nasal spray.MethodsA Delphi questionnaire with 17 statements (with a 7 points Likert scale for agreement) was administered via a customized web-based platform to Italian psychiatrists with at least 5 years of experience and specific expertise in the field of depression. In the second-round physicians were asked to answer the same statements considering the interquartile range of each question as an index of their colleagues’ responses. Stata 16.1 software was used for the analyses.ResultsSixty panellists, representative of the Italian territory, answered the questionnaire at the first round. For 8/17 statements more than 75% of panellists reached agreement and a high consensus as they assigned similar scores; for 4 statements the panellists assigned similar scores but in the middle of the Likert scale showing a moderate agreement with the statement, while for 5 statements there was indecision in the agreement and low consensus with the statement.ConclusionsThis Delphi Panel showed that there is a wide heterogeneity in Italy in the management of TRD patients, and a compelling need of standardised strategies and treatments specifically approved for TRD. A high level of consensus and agreement was obtained about the importance of adding lithium and/or antipsychotics as augmentation therapies and in the meantime about the need for long-term maintenance therapy. A high level of consensus and agreement was equally reached for the identification of esketamine nasal spray as the best option for TRD patients and for the possibility to administrate without difficulties esketamine in a community outpatient setting, highlighting the benefit of an appropriate educational support for patients.

The clinical prognosis of elderly patients with decompensated congestive heart failure greatly improved for 7 years after introduction of our unique clinical pathway

Abstract Background In Japan, especially in rural areas where our facility is located, the number of elderly decompensated congestive heart failure(DCHF) cases is increasing remarkably. Their hospitalization period tends to prolonged due to various complications peculiar to the elderly, and after discharge, they often admit in a short period with DCHF. In August 2015, we introduced the clinical pathway (PATH), which stipulates the efficient medical care for DCHF and comprehensive patient education by multidisciplinary staff. We have previously reported its effect about wide shortening of mean hospitalization period and significant reduction of rehospitalization in CHF patients admitted to our hospital. Purpose In this study, we re-examined the short-term and long-term clinical effects of PATH in elderly DCHF patients for 7 years, and also considered the residual problems about them. Methods We enrolled 929 DCHF cases (1128 admissions) aged 75 years or older who ware admitted to our hospital from April 2014 to July 2022. We divided them into two groups: 152 cases(199 admissions) admitted before the introduction of PATH (N-group) and 667 cases(929 admissions) applied PATH (P-group). About two groups we compared the acute care situation for DCHF, mean hospitalization period(HP), and DCHF readmission rate within 1 year after discharge(RA). Results The mean age of the P-group was slightly older. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the living conditions before admission, the proportion of each underlying disease or clinical data at admission. The performance rate of each treatment procedure in the acute phase was lower, and these performance period ware all shorter in P-group. The introduction rate of cardiac rehabilitation was higher and start timing was earlier in P-group. (Figure1) As a result, HP was significantly shorter), and the RA rate was lower in P-group. However, even in P-group, the cases who could not be discharged from the hospital to home(OTHER-group) took more time to adjust for hospital transfer or nursing home admission, so their HP was longer than that of the cases who could be directly discharged to home(HOME-group). And the RA rate of cases with past history of hospitalization for DCHF(PH-group) was higher than that of cases without history(NPH- group). (Figure2) Conclusion In the 7 years after the introduction of unique clinical pathway for acute phase treatment of decompensated congestive heart failure, even in elderly patients, it confirmed that each acute phase treatment had become more efficient, and the mean hospitalization period had been widely shortened. In addition, comprehensive lifestyle guidance to prevent worsening of their condition has seemed to reduce the rehospitalization rate for heart failure after discharge. However, we also confirmed f a few residual problems to be solved about the cases who could not discharged at home for any reason or repeated re-admission for heart failure.Figure 2

Implementation of EMR-integrated ovarian cancer clinical pathways.

577 Background: Adhering to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines correlates with higher survival in ovarian cancer and serves as a measure of care quality. Adherence to guidelines however is relatively low, routinely reported to be less than 50%. Integration of clinical pathways into the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is a practical approach to incorporate decision-making tools in a user-friendly interface, ensuring appropriate diagnostic testing and treatment is offered to all ovarian cancer patients. Kaiser Permanente (KP) is an integrated national healthcare delivery organization caring for 12.7 million patients across the United States. Embedded clinical pathways created by KP optimize clinical decision-making and provide treatment recommendations according to established evidence-based guidelines. This report presents data on the adherence to ovarian cancer clinical pathways within KP. Methods: Beginning in January 2021 a multidisciplinary national team at KP (gynecologic and medical oncologists, pharmacists, geneticists, pathologists, and radiation oncologists) established evidence-based clinical pathways for ovarian cancer treatment which were subsequently integrated into the Epic Systems EMR. Oncologists can use the pathways to place diagnostic and treatment orders for patient care. EMR data analytics were utilized to track adherence to the consensus-defined clinical pathways among treatment orders placed for ovarian cancer within KP nationally between January 2021 and February 2023. Treatments were considered adherent for which the order was placed through the pathway; treatments for ovarian cancer indications ordered outside of the pathway interface were non-adherent. Results: Between January 2021 and February 2023, 3721 treatment plans were initiated within KP nationally for ovarian cancer, for a median 144 plans monthly. Adherence nationally to the ovarian cancer treatment pathway varied from 16% monthly at inception to 64% in early 2023 with a high of 71% in late 2022. The median pathway adherence rates per quartile were 20%, 37%, 59%, 55% in 2021, and 62%, 66%, 70%, 67% in 2022, and 64% in January through February 2023. The increases in adherence were consistent between geographic regions and indications of treatment. Conclusions: Integration of clinical pathways into the EMR is a promising means of encouraging appropriate testing and therapy for ovarian cancer. As clinicians retained the option to initiate treatment orders outside of the embedded KP pathways, our data is limited to measuring KP pathway use, not evaluating whether treatments given were concordant with NCCN Guidelines. Treatments initiated outside the pathway may still be concordant with national guidelines. Measurement of pathway adherence is useful however to describe effective diagnostic and treatment pathway implementation across a large healthcare organization to facilitate the delivery of optimal care.

Performance evaluation of InfectID-BSI: A rapid quantitative PCR assay for detecting sepsis-associated organisms directly from whole blood

BackgroundBloodstream infections (BSIs) (presence of pathogenic organism in blood) that progress to sepsis (life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the body's dysregulated response to an infection) is a major healthcare issue globally with close to 50 million cases annually and 11 million sepsis-related deaths, representing about 20% of all global deaths. A rapid diagnostic assay with accurate pathogen identification has the potential to improve antibiotic stewardship and clinical outcomes. MethodsThe InfectID-Bloodstream Infection (InfectID-BSI) test is a real-time quantitative PCR assay, which detects 26 of the most prevalent BSI-causing pathogens (bacteria and yeast) directly from blood (without need for pre-culture). InfectID-BSI identifies pathogens using highly discriminatory single nucleotide polymorphisms located in conserved regions of bacterial and fungal genomes. This report details the findings of a patient study which compared InfectID-BSI with conventional blood culture at two public hospitals in Queensland, Australia, using 375 whole blood samples (from multiple anatomical sites, eg. left arm, right arm, etc.) from 203 patients that have been clinically assessed to have signs and symptoms of suspected BSI, sepsis and septic shock. FindingsInfectID-BSI was a more sensitive method for microorganism detection compared with blood culture (BacT/ALERT, bioMerieux) for positivity rate (102 vs 54 detections), detection of fastidious organisms (Streptococcus pneumoniae and Aerococcus viridans) (25 vs 0), detection of low bioburden infections (measured as genome copies/0.35 mL of blood), time to result (<3 h including DNA extraction for InfectID-BSI vs 16 h–48 h for blood culture), and volume of blood required for testing (0.5 mL vs 40–60 mL). InfectID-BSI is an excellent ‘rule out’ test for BSI, with a negative predictive value of 99.7%. InfectID-BSI's ability to detect ‘difficult to culture’ microorganisms re-defines the four most prevalent BSI-associated pathogens as E. coli (28.4%), S. pneumoniae (17.6%), S. aureus (13.7%), and S. epidermidis (13.7%). InterpretationInfectID-BSI has the potential to alter the clinical treatment pathway for patients with BSIs that are at risk of progressing to sepsis.

P054 Utilising a pharmacist-designed best value biologic and targeted synthetic shared decision-making tool to empower patients, support clinicians and save NHS resources

Abstract Background/Aims The dynamic pipeline and complex pricing of b/tsDMARD therapies make it challenging for clinicians to compare cost of treatments when undertaking shared decision making with patients in the clinic setting. NHSE have funded development of a Rheumatology Pharmacist designed, web based, best value biologic and targeted synthetic shared decision-making tool (BVBTS-SDMT) using live pricing from the Commercial Medicines Unit. A clinical workbook and treatment pathways have been developed to support the tool. Clinical parameters are entered into the tool, creating a list of available therapies in order of increasing cost relative to the patient’s weight and indication. Treatment pathways are consulted and clinical parameters (e.g. disease phenotype, co-morbidities, response to previous treatment) and patient preferences (e.g. route and frequency of administration, frequency of drug monitoring, personal beliefs) are discussed with the patient and documented in the clinical workbook. Inappropriate therapies are eliminated, identifying the most cost-effective treatment option for the patient synchronously during the consultation. This study explores the potential patient, clinician and cost benefits of adopting the tool in practice. Methods A random sample of 51 patients referred to the rheumatology non-medical prescribing team for starting b/tsDMARDs between 2019 and 2022 were recruited. Electronic records including referral email, patient notes and b/tsDMARD database were evaluated and recorded factors influencing shared decision making were analysed. Two rheumatology specialist pharmacists independently reviewed the historical clinical decision making to determine if the most cost-effective treatment option was chosen once all clinical factors and patient parameters were considered, using a record of historic treatment prices from retrospective homecare invoices and commissioning reports. Differentials between most cost-effective treatment and chosen treatment were calculated. Secondary outcome of comprehensiveness of clinical record was also analysed. Results Between 2019-2022, use of the BVBTS-SDMT would have saved an average of £1,695 per patient in the n = 51 sample. For the 210, 173 and 258 patients newly started on b/tsDMARDs in the years 2019-2020, 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively, a total of £1,086,495 would have been saved if the tool had been in use. Clinical parameters, patient preferences and cost consideration affecting shared decision making were documented in 49%, 12% and 0% (respectively) of the 51 recruited patients’ clinical records. Conclusion This baseline data collection demonstrates use of the BVBTS-SDMT, in collaboration with treatment pathways and a clinical workbook, has potential to facilitate robust, consistent and methodological shared decision making with patients, encourage accurate reporting in patient records and save NHS money. This is a transformative approach to shared decision making; deviating from the traditional method of giving patients a couple of options to consider and instead working collaboratively through a shared decision-making process to find the most appropriate and cost-effective treatment option for the patient. Disclosure N. Mathews: None. C. McKenzie: None. E. Rose-Parfitt: None.

Imaging Recommendations for Diagnosis, Staging, and Management of Testicular Cancer

AbstractThe common testicular tumors affect young males in the third and fourth decades and germ cell tumors especially have excellent post-treatment outcomes. Hence, guidelines for clinical, radiological, and tumor marker assessment for diagnosis, response assessment, and surveillance of these tumors have critical impact on the management of these tumors. This article aims to discuss the current recommendations and guidelines regarding the clinical and radiological assessment and treatment pathways of testicular tumors.

Mild SARS-CoV-2 infection in vulnerable patients: implementation of a clinical pathway for early treatment

IntroductionThe objective of this report is to describe the clinical pathway for early treatment of patients with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and to evaluate the first results of its implementation. MethodsThis is a descriptive and retrospective study of the implementation of a clinical pathway of treatment in outpatients (January 1 to June 30 2022). Clinical pathway: detection and referral systems from Primary Care, Emergency services, hospital specialities and an automated detection system; clinical evaluation and treatment administration in the COVID-19 day-hospital and subsequent clinical follow-up. Explanatory variables: demographics, comorbidity, vaccination status, referral pathways and treatment administration. Outcome variables: hospitalization and death with 30 days, grade 2−3 toxicity related to treatment. ResultsTreatment was administered to 262 patients (53,4% women, median age 60 years). The treatment indication criteria were immunosupression (68,3%), and the combination of age, vaccination status and comorbidity in the rest 47,3% of the patients s received remdesivir, 35,9% nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, 13,4% sotrovimab and 2,4% combined treatment with a median of 4 days after symptom onset. Hospital admission was required for 6,1% of the patients, 3,8% related to progression COVID-19. No patient died. Toxicity grade 2−3 toxicity was reported in 18,7%, 89,8% dysgeusia and metallic tasted related nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. Seven patients discontinued treatment due to toxicity. ConclusionThe creation and implementation of a clinical pathway for non-hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection is effective and it allows early accessibility and equity of currently available treatments.

Helicobacter pylori World Gastroenterology Organization Global Guideline

Helicobacter pylori remains a major health problem worldwide, causing considerable morbidity and mortality due to peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. The burden of disease falls disproportionally on less well-resourced populations. As with most infectious diseases, the largest impact on reducing this burden comes from improvement in socioeconomic status, which interrupts transmission. This has been observed in many regions of the world, but the prevalence of infection remains high in many regions where improvements in living standards are slow to occur. Meanwhile, the optimal clinical management and treatment pathways remain unsettled and are evolving with changing antimicrobial resistance patterns. Despite decades of research and clinical practice, major challenges remain. The quest for the most effective, safe, and simple therapy remains the major issue for clinicians. The search for an effective vaccine appears to be elusive still. Clinical guidelines do not infrequently proffer discordant advice. A major challenge for guidelines is for relevance across a variety of populations with a varying spectrum of disease, antimicrobial resistance rates, and vastly different resources. As local factors are central to determining the impact and management strategies for H. pylori infection, it is important that pathways are based on the best available local knowledge rather than solely extrapolating from guidelines formulated in other regions, which may be less applicable. To this end, this revision of the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) H. pylori guideline uses a "Cascades" approach that seeks to summarize the principles of management and offer advice for pragmatic, relevant and achievable diagnostic and treatment pathways based on established key treatment principles and using local knowledge and available resources to guide regional practice.

Survival Analysis of Patients with Severe Acute Malnutrition Admitted at the In-patient Therapeutic Care of the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital.

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children under five years remains a major global health concern. It carries a burden to the overall health of a child, contributes to mortality, and adds financial strain to the family and the hospital. The Philippine Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition was established to address acute malnutrition in Filipino children. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting survival of patients admitted at Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH) In-patient Therapeutic Care (ITC). This is a retrospective cohort study design utilizing survival analysis. Accrual period was from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Follow-up ended on March 31, 2019. There were 154 admissions and excluded 17 missing charts. Survival analysis was done utilizing STATA 14. The prevalence of SAM requiring ITC admission was 3.0 percent. Majority belonged to 6-59 months of age (63%), with equal predilection for both sexes (1:1) and 71% came from the home province, Albay. Most of patients' caretakers had middle educational attainment. Sixty-eight percent (68%) were new patients, 16% readmitted, 15% transferred from the Out-patient Therapeutic Care (OTC) and <1% relapsed. The top three most common complications and co-morbidities include: pneumonia, low electrolytes, and fever. Sixty-three percent (63%) of patients at the ITC had a desirable treatment outcome, of which, 8% were cured and 55% transferred to OTC. Undesirable outcomes accounted for 37% of the cases which included non-cured, defaulter, and died at 12%, 8%, and 17%, respectively. The risk of dying was higher in SAM patients with parents having middle and low educational attainment as compared to those with high educational attainment (2-5 folds to 100-200 folds). SAM patients presenting with hypovolemic shock were likely to die by 1.5-19 times (1.5-19x) as compared to those without. SAM patients with malignancy were more likely to die 4-44 folds as compared to patients without malignancy. Educational attainment of parents, malignancy, and hypovolemic shock were significant predictors of mortality. We recommend prompt intervention by educating families, strengthen policies targeting socio-economic determinants, capacitate medical staff, refine current clinical practice guidelines and treatment pathways to reduce the number of children who die from severe acute malnutrition.

Retracted: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Standardized Clinical Nutrition Diagnosis and Treatment Pathway in Patients with Pulmonary Infection.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/6706390.].

New pathological classification and clinical implications of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors of the 2022 WHO version

In 2022, the World Health Organization proposed a new classification for pituitary adenomas. The major nomenclature change from the previous edition was the transition from"adenoma"to"pituitary neuroendocrine tumor"(PitNETs). The new classification provided the detailed histological subtypes of PitNETs for routine use of antibodies such as pituitary transcription factors (PIT1, TPIT, SF1, GATA3, and ERα) and hormones. The major PIT1, TPIT, and SF1 lineage-defined PitNETs types and subtypes featured distinct morphologic, molecular, and clinical differences. Unlike the 2017 WHO classification, the 2022 WHO version updated some concepts as follows: (1) Mammosomatotroph, acidophil stem cell tumors and mixed somatotroph/lactotroph tumor represented distinct PIT1-lineage PitNETs; (2) The diagnostic category of PIT1-positive plurihormonal tumor was replaced by the immature PIT1-lineage tumor and the mature plurihormonal PIT1-lineage tumor; (3) The term"metastatic PitNET"was advocated to replace the previous terminology"pituitary carcinoma". The new classification emphasizes the importance of pathological classification of PitNETs. Obviously, accurate pathological interpretation is the key to judge the clinical treatment pathway and prognosis of patients.

Infección leve por SARS-CoV-2 en pacientes vulnerables: implantación de una vía clínica de tratamiento precoz

IntroductionThe objective of this report is to describe the clinical pathway for early treatment of patients with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and to evaluate the first results of its implementation. MethodsThis is a descriptive and retrospective study of the implementation of a clinical pathway of treatment in outpatients (January 1 to June 30, 2022). Clinical pathway: detection and referral systems from Primary Care, Emergency services, hospital specialities and an automated detection system; clinical evaluation and treatment administration in the COVID-19 day-hospital and subsequent clinical follow-up. Explanatory variables: demographics, comorbidity, vaccination status, referral pathways and treatment administration. Outcome variables: hospitalization and death within 30 days, grade 2–3 toxicity related to treatment. ResultsTreatment was administered to 262 patients (53.4% women, median age 60 years). The treatment indication criteria were immunosuppression (68.3%), and the combination of age, vaccination status and comorbidity in the rest; 47.3% of the patients received remdesivir, 35.9% nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, 13.4% sotrovimab and 2.4% combined treatment with a median of 4 days after symptom onset. Hospital admission was required for 6.1% of the patients, 3.8% related to COVID-19 progression. No patient died. Toxicity grade 2–3 toxicity was reported in 18.7%, 89.8% dysgeusia and metallic tasted related nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. Seven patients discontinued treatment due to toxicity. ConclusionThe creation and implementation of a clinical pathway for non-hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection is effective and it allows early accessibility and equity of currently available treatments.

Examining the correlation between treatment effects in clinical trials and economic modeling

ABSTRACT Introduction Many diseases have a sequential treatment pathway. Compared with patients without previous treatment, patients who fail initial treatment may have lower success rates with a second treatment. This phenomenon can be explained by a correlation between treatment effects. Methods We developed a statistical model of covariance for the underlying unobserved correlation between treatments and established a mathematical expression for the magnitude of the latent correlation term. We conducted a simulation study of clinical trials to investigate the correlation between two treatments and explored clinical examples based on published literature to illustrate the identification and evaluation of these correlations. Results Our simulation study confirmed that a treatment correlation reduces the probability of success for the second treatment, compared with no correlation. We found that treatment correlations may be observable in clinical trials, such as for depression and lung cancer, and the magnitude of correlation may be estimated. We illustrated that treatment correlations can be incorporated into an economic model, with possible impacts on cost-effectiveness results. Additional applications of correlation concepts are also discussed. Conclusions We evaluated the correlation between treatment effects and our approach can be applied to clinical trial design and economic modeling of sequential clinical treatment pathways.