Crude In-hospital Mortality Research Articles

Hospital Admission Trends in Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency: A Sex-Based Analysis from the Spanish National Discharge Database, 2016-2022.

Objectives: To analyze the number and clinical characteristics of hospital admissions in Spain between 2016 and 2022 in which alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) was coded; to describe and analyze differences in these parameters between men and women; and to identify variables associated with a worse prognosis. Methods: We used a nationwide discharge database to select all admissions featuring an AATD diagnostic code (ICD-10 code E88.01) in any position. Results: We found 5142 hospital admissions with a diagnosis of AATD and detected a significant increase in their number from 2016 to 2022 (p = 0.034 for trend). Males accounted for 58.21% of the hospitalizations and had a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index than women (1.86 vs. 1.33; p < 0.001), were hospitalized more frequently (21.18% of men were hospitalized more than once vs. 17.76% of women, p < 0.001), and had a higher probability of severe disease (OR 1.39; 95%CI 1.10-1.75). Crude in-hospital mortality (IHM) was 6.85% in men and 4.8% in women (p = 0.007). The variables associated with IHM in both sexes were older age, more hospital admissions, and liver disease or lung cancer. Invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation and admission to the ICU were also associated with IHM in men and women. Multivariable adjustment revealed no association between sex and IHM. Conclusions: The number of hospitalizations for AATD increased in Spain from 2016 to 2022. Men represented almost 60% of hospitalizations, were admitted more frequently and with more comorbidities, and had a higher probability of severe disease than women. There was no association between sex and IHM.

Prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities among hospitalized patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and factors associated with a higher case-fatality rate

Abstract Background Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is proven to be a catalyst for sudden cardiac death among affected population. However, the prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities (CVC) and their association with in-hospital mortality has not been established among hospitalized patients with HCM. Methods National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was queried from 2016 to 2020 to identify hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of HCM. The prevalence of CVC and case-fatality rate was determined for this patient population using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Results Weighted data was analyzed for a total of 278,995 admission cases with HCM. Crude in-hospital mortality rate increased from 16.4% to 22.9% during the study period. Atrial fibrillation (42.1%), HFpEF (28.1%), and cardiorenal syndrome (16.6%) were the most common CVC among hospitalized patients with HCM. The case-fatality rate was the highest among HCM patients hospitalized due to cardiac arrest (41%) followed by cardiac tamponade (13.7%) and STEMI (10.2%). Increasing age (aOR: 1.02, 95%CI: 1.02-1.03, p&amp;lt;0.0001), Asian/Pacific Islander race (aOR: 1.7, 95%CI: 1.1-2.4-, p=0.007), cerebrovascular accident (aOR: 2.3, 95%CI: 1.7-3.01, p&amp;lt;0.0001), NSTEMI (aOR: 1.8, 95%CI: 1.3-2.4, p&amp;lt;0.0001), peripheral vascular diseases (aOR: 1.3, 95%CI: 1.03-1.6, p=0.03), cardiorenal syndrome (aOR: 1.4, 95%CI: 1.2-1.8, p&amp;lt;0.0001), and cardiac arrest (aOR: 26.6, 95%CI: 20.9-33.9, p&amp;lt;0.0001). Among HCM patients with acute myocardial infarction requiring revascularization procedures, in-hospital mortality rate was significantly lower among those undergoing PCI than CABG (8.5% vs. 37.5%, p=0.008 for STEMI and 1.8% vs. 4.9%, p=0.04 for NSTEMI). Conclusions Mortality rate among hospitalized patients with HCM has been slightly on the rise over the last half century. Although aging population might be a contributing factor, comorbid end-organ damages including CVA, NSTEMI, and cardiorenal syndrome have demonstrated substantial association with in-hospital mortality in addition to cardiac arrest. For HCM patients requiring revascularization procedures, PCI seems to be associated with a lower mortality rate than its competitor CABG.

Emergence and expansion of carbapenem resistant enterobacterales in the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Carbapenem resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) have become established as leading pathogens in South African healthcare facilities. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of CRE carriage and clinical infection episodes at healthcare facilities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa (2016-2020), and identify factors associated with mortality in CRE infected patients. We used routine data from the Provincial Health Data Centre to track the emergence of CRE in healthcare facilities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. We included all CRE episodes (clinical and carriage) at Western Cape hospitals (including day and inpatients) from 2016 to 2020 to determine the distribution of CRE, patient demographics and antibiotic resistance phenotypes. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with mortality from clinical CRE episodes. 2242 CRE episodes (1580 [70.5%] clinical and 662 [29.5%] carriage) were identified. From these, 2281 CRE isolates were identified, with Klebsiella species predominating (1644, 72.1%). Affected patients had a median age of 31 (IQR 0-52) years, and 1167 (52.0%) were male. Most CRE episodes were recorded in central hospitals (70.0%, p < 0.001). Where outcome data was available, crude in-hospital mortality rates were 26.9% (371/1379) for CRE clinical episodes versus 6.4% (41/640) for CRE carriage episodes (p < 0.001). Factors that showed a statistically significant association with in-hospital mortality were female sex [adjusted odd ratio (aOR) 1.40 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.560)], adult patients [aOR 1.76 (95% CI 1.20-2.57)], CRE isolation from a sterile specimen [aOR 0.41 (95% CI 0.32-0.53)], and >3 days between hospital admission and specimen collection [aOR 1.56 (95% CI 1.11-2.18)]. CRE episodes at Western Cape healthcare facilities are concentrated at tertiary hospitals, with high case fatality rates in patients with clinical CRE episodes. Infection control interventions must be strengthened to reduce transmission of CRE, and to reduce infection risks.

Association of Intensive Care Unit Case Volume With Mortality and Cost in Sepsis Based on a Japanese Nationwide Medical Claims Database Study.

Background The impact of intensive care unit (ICU) case volume on the mortality and medical costs of sepsis has not been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that ICU case volume is associated with mortality and medical costs in patients with sepsis in Japan. Methodology This retrospective nationwide study used the Japanese administrative data from 2010 to 2017. The ICU volume categorization into quartiles was performed according to the annual number of sepsis cases. The primary and secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and medical costs, respectively. A mixed-effects logistic model with a two-level hierarchical structure was used to adjust for baseline imbalances. Fractional polynomials were investigated to determine the significance of the association between hospital volume and clinical outcomes. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed for the primary outcome. Results Among 317,365 sepsis patients from 532 hospitals, the crude in-hospital mortality was 26.0% and 21.4% in the lowest and highest quartile of sepsis volume, respectively. After adjustment for confounding factors, in-hospital mortality in the highest quartile was significantly lower than that of the lowest quartile (odds ratio = 0.829; 95% confidence interval = 0.794-0.865; p < 0.001). Investigations with fractional polynomials revealed that sepsis caseload was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. The highest quartile had higher daily medical costs per person compared to the lowest quartile. Subgroup analyses showed that high-volume ICUs with patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, vasopressor therapy, and renal replacement therapy had a significantly low in-hospital mortality. The sensitivity analysis, excluding patients who were transferred to other hospitals, demonstrated a result consistent with that of the primary test. Conclusions This nationwide study using the medical claims database suggested that a higher ICU case volume is associated with lower in-hospital mortality and higher daily medical costs per person in patients with sepsis.

The enigma of the ‘smoker's paradox’: Results from a single-center registry of patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention

BackgroundSmoker's paradox usually refers to the observation of a favorable outcome of smoking patients in acute myocardial infarction. MethodsFrom April 2006 to December 2018 a population of 2456 patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) were prospectively enrolled in the MATRIX registry. Ischemic time, clinical, demographics, angiographic data, and 1-year follow-up were collected. ResultsAmong 2546 patients admitted with STEMI, 1007 (41 %) were current smokers. Smokers were 10 years younger and had lower crude in-hospital and 1-year mortality (1.5 % vs 6 %, p < 0.0001 and 5 % vs 11 %, p < 0.0001), shorter ischemic time (203 [147–299] vs 220 [154–334] minutes, p = 0.002) and shorter decision time (60 [30–135] vs 70 [36–170] minutes, p = 0.0063). Smoking habit [OR:0.37(95 % CI:0.18–0.75)-p < 0.01], younger age [OR 1.06 (95%CI:1.04–1.09)-p < 0.001] and shorter ischemic time [OR:1.01(95%CI:1.01–1.02)-p < 0.05] were associated to lower in-hospital mortality. Only smoking habit [HR:0.65(95 % CI: 0.44–0.9)–p = 0.03] and younger age [HR:1.08 (95%CI:1.06–1.09)–p < 0.001] were also independently associated to lower all-cause death at 1-year follow-up. After propensity matching, age, cardiogenic shock and TIMI flow <3 were associated with in-hospital mortality, while smoking habit was still associated with reduced mortality. Smoking was also associated with reduced mortality at 1-year follow-up (HR 0.54, 95 % CI [0.37–0.78]; p < 0.001). ConclusionsSmoking patients show better outcome after PCI for STEMI at 1-year follow-up. Although “Smoking paradox” could be explained by younger age of patients, other factors may have a role in the explanation of the phenomenon.

Higher mortality among off-hours versus regular-hours admissions to the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU): insights from the critical care cardiology trials network registry (CCCTN)

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements None. Background The outcomes of patients admitted to general intensive care units vary significantly according to the time of admission. Whether this applies to the CICU setting is unknown. Purpose We sought to determine if patient characteristics, admission source, critical care therapy utilization, and clinical outcomes differ according to whether CICU admission occurred during regular-hours or off-hours. Methods CCCTN is a multicenter prospective registry of consecutive admissions to CICUs in North America coordinated by the TIMI Study Group. For this analysis of admissions during calendar year 2022, "regular-hours" was defined as 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, and "off-hours" was defined as 7 p.m.- 7 a.m. on weekdays or at any time on Saturday or Sunday. Logistic regression analysis was used to adjust in-hospital mortality rates for admission time (on-hours vs. off-hours), age, sex, SOFA score, and cardiac arrest. Results Among 5238 CICU admissions, 2956 (56.4%) occurred during off-hours. Patient demographics (mean age: 67.0 years, 35.7% female, 51.1% white) and comorbidities were generally similar among off-hours and regular-hours admissions. The median SOFA score was 3.0 in both groups. Compared to regular-hours admissions, off-hours admissions were more likely to originate from the ED (39.9% vs. 29.4%, p&amp;lt;0.0001) and less likely to originate from a procedural area (24.5% vs. 41.8%, p&amp;lt;0.0001). ST-elevation MI was a more common admission diagnosis among off-hours vs. regular-hours admissions (19.2% vs. 16.4%, p=0.009). Primary CICU indications of respiratory insufficiency, unstable arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, and distributive/mixed shock were more common among off-hours admissions (Table). Mechanical ventilation, IV vasoactive therapy, and targeted temperature management (TTM) were utilized more frequently among patients admitted during off-hours. Median ICU (2.5 vs. 2.0d) and hospital length of stay (6.2 vs. 5.8d) were longer for off-hours admissions (both p&amp;lt;0.0001). Crude CICU mortality (11.4% vs. 8.5%, p=0.0005) and in-hospital mortality (15.6% vs. 11.7%, p&amp;lt;0.0001) were significantly higher among off-hours admissions (Figure). After adjustment, off-hours admission remained significantly associated with higher in-hospital mortality (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.02 – 1.49, p=0.03). Conclusions Off-hours and regular-hours admissions to the CICU had similar baseline characteristics but differed significantly regarding source of admission, indication for admission, and utilization of critical care therapies. These differences were associated with worse clinical outcomes among off-hours admissions, which may suggest the need for more intensive staffing in CICUs during these times.FigureTable

Current Clinical Practice of Laboratory Testing of the Hemostasis and Coagulation System in Patients with Sepsis: A Nationwide Observational Study in Japan.

The clinical benefit of hemostasis molecular indicators such as thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), soluble fibrin (SF), and prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1+2) for the diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is reported. Recently, novel DIC diagnostic criteria that adopt them were proposed in Japan. Despite the theoretical understanding of their function, the practical use of these markers remains unclear. The present study aimed to provide a descriptive overview of current clinical practice regarding the measurement of hemostasis markers in sepsis management in Japan. This retrospective observational analysis used the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database containing data from more than 1500 acute-care hospitals in Japan. We identified adult patients hospitalized for sepsis between April 2018 and March 2021. Descriptive statistics for measuring several hemostasis laboratory markers were summarized using patient disease characteristics, hospital characteristic, and geographical location. This study included 153,474 adult sepsis patients. Crude in-hospital mortality was 30.0%. Frequency of measurement of fibrinogen, fibrin degradation products (FDP), and D-dimer in sepsis patients on admission was 43.2%, 36.1%, and 46.4%, respectively. Novel and specific hemostasis molecular markers such as TAT, SF, and F1+2 were seldom measured (1.9%, 1.7%, and 0.02%, respectively). Hemostasis molecular markers were more frequently measured with progression of thrombocytopenia. Measurement of these clinically favorite hemostasis markers was influenced not only by disease characteristics but also hospital characteristic or geographical location. Hemostasis molecular markers such as TAT, SF, and F1+2 were rarely measured in clinical settings. Although adopted by several DIC scoring systems, neither fibrinogen, FDP, nor D-dimer was routinely measured.

Hospital Incidence and Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Aneurysms and Dissections of the Iliac Artery in Switzerland-A Secondary Analysis of Swiss DRG Statistics Data.

Background/Objectives: Aneurysms and dissections of the iliac artery (ADIAs) are significant vascular conditions often associated with aortic pathologies. Despite their importance, reports on isolated iliac artery pathologies are rare. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of ADIA in Switzerland including treatment incidence and hospital outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis of diagnosis-related group (DRG) statistics from 2011 to 2018 in Switzerland was conducted, identifying all cases of ADIA while excluding those with concomitant treatment of aortic pathologies. Age-standardized incidence rates and treatment outcomes were assessed, with multivariable logistic regression performed to identify factors associated with hospital mortality. Results: From 2011 to 2018, 1037 ADIA cases were hospitalized in Switzerland. Incidence rates for elective treatment were significantly higher in men than women, increasing in men from 1.5 to 2.4 cases per 100,000 men (p = 0.007), while remaining stable in women at around 0.2 cases per 100,000 women. Acute treatment incidence rates were lower but still higher in men, at 0.9 cases per 100,000 men and 0.2 cases per 100,000 women. Crude hospital mortality rates were lower for endovascular repair than open surgical repair in both elective (0.8% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.023) and emergency treatment (6.7% vs. 18.4%, p = 0.045). Multivariable analysis showed that endovascular repair was associated with significantly reduced hospital mortality compared to open repair (OR 0.27, 95%-CI: 0.10 to 0.66, p = 0.006). Conclusions: This nationwide study of iliac artery pathologies shows that the treatment incidence was about 10 times higher in men than in women for elective procedures, but only about five times higher for emergency treatment. Endovascular procedures were associated with significantly lower hospital mortality than open procedures, while hospital mortality rates were comparable for men and women.

Clinical Efficacy of Beta-1 Selective Beta-Blockers Versus Propranolol in Patients With Thyroid Storm: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Thyroid storm is the most severe manifestation of thyrotoxicosis. Beta-blockers are among the standard treatment regimens for this condition, with propranolol being the historically preferred option. However, 2016 guidelines issued by the Japan Thyroid Association and the Japan Endocrine Society recommend the use of beta-1 selective beta-blockers over nonselective beta-blockers, such as propranolol. Nevertheless, evidence supporting this recommendation is limited. Herein, we aimed to investigate the in-hospital mortality of patients with thyroid storms based on the choice of beta-blockers. Retrospective cohort study. The Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, a national inpatient database in Japan. Patients hospitalized with thyroid storm between April 2010 and March 2022. Propensity-score overlap weighting was performed to compare in-hospital mortality between patients who received beta-1 selective beta-blockers and those who received propranolol. Subgroup analysis was also conducted, considering the presence or absence of acute heart failure. Among the 2462 eligible patients, 1452 received beta-1 selective beta-blockers and 1010 received propranolol. The crude in-hospital mortality rates were 9.3% for the beta-1 selective beta-blocker group and 6.2% for the propranolol group. After adjusting for baseline variables, the use of beta-1 selective beta-blockers was not associated with lower in-hospital mortality (6.3% vs. 7.4%; odds ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.57-1.26). Furthermore, no significant difference in in-hospital mortality was observed in patients with acute heart failure. In patients with thyroid storm, the choice between beta-1 selective beta-blockers and propranolol did not affect in-hospital mortality, regardless of the presence of acute heart failure. Therefore, both beta-1 selective beta-blockers and propranolol can be regarded as viable treatment options for beta-blocker therapy in cases of thyroid storm, contingent upon the clinical context.

Potassium Iodide Use and Patient Outcomes for Thyroid Storm: An Observational Study.

Iodine, combined with antithyroid drugs, is recommended as an initial pharmacologic treatment for thyroid storm according to some clinical guidelines. However, the clinical efficacy of iodine in managing thyroid storm remains unexplored. This study aimed to determine whether early potassium iodide (KI) use is associated with mortality in patients hospitalized for thyroid storm. Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, we identified patients hospitalized with thyroid storm between July 2010 and March 2022. We compared in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and total hospitalization costs between patients who received KI within two days of admission (KI group) versus those who did not (non-KI group). Prespecified subgroup analyses were performed based on the presence of the diagnosis of Graves' disease. Among 3,188 eligible patients, 2,350 received KI within two days of admission. The crude in-hospital mortality was 6.1% (143/2,350) in the KI group and 7.8% (65/838) in the non-KI group. After adjusting for potential confounders, KI use was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] for KI use, 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-1.34). In patients with the diagnosis of Graves' disease, in-hospital mortality was lower in the KI group than in the non-KI group (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25-0.88). No significant difference in in-hospital mortality was observed in patients without the diagnosis of Graves' disease (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.67-1.85). Length of stay was shorter (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.05-1.27), and total hospitalization costs were lower (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85-1.00) in the KI group compared with the non-KI group. Our findings suggest that KI may reduce in-hospital mortality among patients hospitalized for thyroid storm with Graves' disease.

Is dependent cannabis use in adult hospitalizations with inflammatory bowel disease associated with major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events? Insights from National Inpatient Sample Analysis

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and dependent cannabis use or cannabis use disorder (CUD+) are independent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Usage of cannabis for pain increased in IBD patients. However, associated cardiovascular safety remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) associated with CUD + in hospitalized IBD patients. Methods We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample 2020 using ICD-10-CM codes; hospitalized IBD patients were identified and divided based on CUD's presence or absence. Multivariable regression models were performed to evaluate MACCE [in-hospital mortality, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), cardiac arrest (CA), and acute ischemic stroke (AIS)] odds after adjusting for baseline demographics, hospital-level characteristics, and relevant cardiac/extra-cardiac morbidities. Results Among the 302,770 hospitalized adult IBD patients, 3.1% (9,490) had CUD+. The majority of patients in the CUD + cohort were white (67.7%), male (57.5%), and aged between 18 and 44 years (66.2%). Cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and prior myocardial infarction were higher in the CUD − cohort (p <0.001) compared to the CUD + cohort. The CUD + cohort had a lower rate of MACCE (3.1% vs. 5.8%), crude in-hospital mortality (0.7% vs. 2.2%), AMI (1.7% vs. 2.6%), CA (0.3% vs. 0.7%), and AIS (0.6% vs. 1.2%) with statistical significance (p <0.001). However, after adjusting for baseline characteristics and comorbidities, the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) did not show a statistically significant difference for MACCE (aOR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.65–1.25, p = 0.530), CA (aOR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.2–1.47, p = 0.227), and AIS (aOR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.43–1.73, p = 0.669). Conclusion Our study did not find a statistically significant difference in MACCE among hospitalized IBD patients with and without CUD. This emphasizes the need for more extensive prospective studies focusing on the quantity, method, and duration of cannabis use (recreational or medicinal) in patients with IBD.

Polymicrobial bloodstream infections per se do not increase mortality compared to monomicrobial bloodstream infections in sepsis patients: a Korean nationwide sepsis cohort study

BackgroundThere is limited information about the outcomes of polymicrobial bloodstream infections in patients with sepsis. We aimed to investigate outcomes of polymicrobial bloodstream infections compared to monomicrobial bloodstream infections.MethodsThis study used data from the Korean Sepsis Alliance Registry, a nationwide database of prospective observational sepsis cohort. Adult sepsis patients with bloodstream infections from September 2019 to December 2021 at 20 tertiary or university-affiliated hospitals in South Korea were analyzed.ResultsAmong the 3,823 patients with bloodstream infections, 429 of them (11.2%) had polymicrobial bloodstream infections. The crude hospital mortality of patients with sepsis with polymicrobial bloodstream infection and monomicrobial bloodstream infection was 35.7% and 30.1%, respectively (p = 0.021). However, polymicrobial bloodstream infections were not associated with hospital mortality in the proportional hazard analysis (HR 1.15 [0.97–1.36], p = 0.11). The inappropriate use of antibiotics was associated with increased mortality (HR 1.37 [1.19–1.57], p < 0.001), and source control was associated with decreased mortality (HR 0.51 [0.42–0.62], p < 0.001).ConclusionsPolymicrobial bloodstream infections per se were not associated with hospital mortality in patients with sepsis as compared to monomicrobial bloodstream infections. The appropriate use of antibiotics and source control were associated with decreased mortality in bloodstream infections regardless of the number of microbial pathogens.

Association Between Head Computed Tomography Findings and In-Hospital Mortality in COVID-19 Patients.

The present study investigated the association between head computed tomography (CT) findings and mortality in patients with COVID-19. Specifically, we focused on low-density lesions identified on head CT screenings. We performed a single-center, retrospective cohort study based on data obtained from the medical charts of inpatients admitted to the Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital between January 1 and December 31, 2021. We focused on the basal ganglia--a representative anatomical region for assessing routine head CT in patients with COVID-19. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of low-density lesions in the basal ganglia. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality, and the secondary outcome was the length of hospital stay. We performed multivariable regression analyses for outcomes to adjust for patients' background and disease severity. During the study period, 1,906 COVID-19 patients were admitted to our facility. Among them, 1,203 patients underwent head CT evaluations and were included in this study. The median age was 56 years (interquartile range: 43-76 years) and 725 patients (60.3%) were male. A total of 235 (19.5%) patients required oxygen therapy on admission and 1,051 (87.4%) patients had pneumonia. Crude in-hospital mortality was 6.1% and the median length of hospital stay was 10 days (interquartile range: 8-14 days). The multivariate regression analyses showed that low-density lesions in the basal ganglia were significantly associated with increased in-hospital mortality and prolonged hospital stay. The presence of ischemic changes in the basal ganglia denoted by low-density findings may be a promising prognostic factor in patients with COVID-19.

Early temporary mechanical circulatory support for cardiogenic shock: Real-life data from a regional cardiac assistance network

BackgroundTemporary mechanical circulatory support as well as multidisciplinary team approach in a regional care organization might improve survival of cardiogenic shock. No study has evaluated the relative effect of each temporary mechanical circulatory support on mortality in the context of a regional network. MethodsProspective observational data were retrieved from patients consecutively admitted with cardiogenic shock to the intensive care units in 3 centres organized into a regional cardiac assistance network. Temporary mechanical circulatory support indication was decided by a heart team, based on the initial shock severity or if shock was refractory to medical treatment within 24 hours of admission. A propensity score for circulatory support use was used as an adjustment co-variable to emulate a target trial. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Results246 patients were included in the study (median age: 59.5 years, 71.9% male): 121 received early mechanical assistance. The main etiologies were acute myocardial infraction (46.8%) and decompensated heart failure (27.2%). Patients who received early mechanical assistance had more severe conditions than other patients. Their crude in-hospital mortality was 38% and 22.4% in other patients but adjusted in-hospital mortality was not different (hazard ratio 0.91, 95%CI:0.65-1.26). Patients with mechanical assistance had a higher rate of complications than others with longer ICU and hospital stays. ConclusionsIn the conditions of a cardiac assistance regional network, in-hospital mortality was not improved by early mechanical assistance implantation. A high incidence of complications of temporary mechanical circulatory support may have jeopardized its potential benefit.

Ten-year national trends in in-hospital mortality and functional outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage by age in Japan: J-ASPECT study.

National-level data on trends in the prognosis of age-stratified patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) are lacking. This study aimed to assess time trends in in-hospital mortality and functional outcomes of ICH patients by sex and age, and to explore factors associated with changes in in-hospital mortality trend. Using the largest nationwide, J-ASPECT stroke database in Japan, this serial cross-sectional study included ICH patients aged ⩾18 years who were hospitalized for non-traumatic ICH from April 2010 to March 2020. We examined trends in in-hospital mortality and functional outcomes using the modified Rankin Scale at discharge, as well as differences in in-hospital mortality change between age groups. Among 262,399 ICH patients from 934 hospitals, crude in-hospital mortality showed a significant decreasing time trend (from 19.5% to 16.7%), and this trend was consistent across sex and age groups. In addition, differences in in-hospital mortality change over the 10-year study period were significant between male patients aged ⩾75 years and those aged ⩽64 years (-3.9% [95% confidence interval, -5.4 to -2.4] for 75-84 years; -4.1% [-6.3 to -1.9] for ⩾85 years). On the other hand, the proportion of dependent patients (mRS 3-5) at discharge increased from 52.0% to 54.9% over the 10-year study period. The in-hospital mortality of ICH patients improved, whereas the proportion of patients with dependent functional outcome at discharge increased, over the 10-year study period. Elucidating the mechanism underlying differences in in-hospital mortality reduction in men may provide insights into effective interventions in the future.

The burden and prognostic significance of suspected sepsis in the prehospital setting: A state-wide population-based cohort study.

Despite high in-hospital mortality, the epidemiology of prehospital suspected sepsis presentations is not well described. This retrospective cohort study aimed to quantify the burden of such presentations, and to determine whether such a diagnosis was independently associated with longer-term mortality. Retrospective, observational population-based cohort study examining all adult prehospital presentations in Victoria, between January 2015 and June 2019, who required subsequent in-hospital assessment. Linked data were extracted from clinical and administrative datasets. Demographics, illness severity, prehospital treatment and mortality were compared between prehospital suspected sepsis and non-sepsis patients. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the adjusted association between prehospital assessment (suspected sepsis vs non-sepsis) and 6-month mortality. A total of 1 218 047 patients were included. The age-adjusted incidence rate of prehospital suspected sepsis was 65 cases per 100 000 person-years. Those with prehospital suspected sepsis were older (74 vs 62 years), more frequently male (55% vs 47%), with greater physiological derangement. Intravenous cannulas were more often inserted prehospital (60% vs 29%). Crude in-hospital mortality was 6.5-fold higher in the prehospital suspected sepsis group (11.8% vs 1.8%), and by 6 months, 22.6% had died. After adjustment for demographics, illness severity, comorbidity, treatment and hospital location, a diagnosis of prehospital suspected sepsis was associated with a 35% higher likelihood of 6-month mortality (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.29-1.41). The burden of prehospital suspected sepsis in the Australian setting is significant, with paramedics identifying patients at high-risk of poor longer-term outcomes. This implies the need to consider improved care pathways for this highly vulnerable group.

Association between hospital spending and in-hospital mortality of patients with sepsis based on a Japanese nationwide medical claims database study

BackgroundThe effect of hospital spending on the mortality rate of patients with sepsis has not yet been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that hospitals that consume more medical resources would have lower mortality rates among patients with sepsis. MethodsThis retrospective study used administrative data from 2010 to 2017. The enrolled hospitals were divided into quartiles based on average daily medical cost per sepsis case. The primary and secondary outcomes were the average in-hospital mortality rate of patients with sepsis and the effective cost per survivor among the enrolled hospitals, respectively. A multiple regression model was used to determine the significance of the differences among hospital categories to adjust for baseline imbalances. ResultsAmong 997 hospitals enrolled in this study, the crude in-hospital mortality rates were 15.7% and 13.2% in the lowest and highest quartiles of hospital spending, respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, the highest hospital spending group demonstrated a significantly lower in-hospital mortality rate than the lowest hospital spending group (coefficient = −0.025, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.034 to −0.015; p < 0.0001). Similarly, the highest hospital spending group was associated with a significantly higher effective cost per survivor than the lowest hospital spending group (coefficient = 77.7, 95% CI 73.1 to 82.3; p < 0.0001). In subgroup analyses, hospitals with a small or medium number of beds demonstrated a consistent pattern with the primary test, whereas those with a large number of beds or academic affiliations displayed no association. ConclusionsUsing a nationwide Japanese medical claims database, this study indicated that hospitals with greater expenditures were associated with a superior survival rate and a higher effective cost per survivor in patients with sepsis than those with lower expenditures. In contrast, no correlations between hospital spending and mortality were observed in hospitals with a large number of beds or academic affiliations.

Association Between Loop Diuretics and Mortality in Patients With Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury: A Retrospective Propensity Score-Weighted Analysis.

Although loop diuretics (LDs) have been widely used in clinical practice, their effect on mortality when administered to patients experiencing cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI) remains unknown. The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of LD use in patients with CS-AKI. Patients who underwent cardiac surgery with AKI were identified from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III. Postoperative LD use in intensive care units (ICUs) was exposure. There were 2 primary outcome measures, the in-hospital mortality and ICU mortality; both were treated as time-to-event data and were analyzed via multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) was used to minimize bias. The study enrolled a total of 5478 patients, with a median age of 67 years, among which 2205 (40.3%) were women. The crude in-hospital and ICU mortality rates were significantly lower in the LD use group (525 of 4150 [12.7%] vs 434 of 1328 [32.7%], P < .001; 402 of 4150 [9.69%] vs 333 of 1328 [25.1%], P < .001). Adjusted hazard ratios suggested significant reductions in both in-hospital (hazard ratio [HR], 0.428; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.374-0.489) and ICU mortality (HR, 0.278; 95% CI, 0.238-0.327). The IPW data showed a similar reduction, in-hospital mortality (HR, 0.434; 95% CI, 0.376-0.502) and ICU mortality (HR, 0.296; 95% CI, 0.251-0.349). Such association may act differently for patients with different fluid balance ( P value for interaction < .001). LD use is associated with lower hospital and ICU mortality in CS-AKI patients in general. Patients under different conditions showed diverse responses toward such treatment indicating that personalized management is needed.

Standard modifiable risk factors and mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: findings from the FRENCHIE cohort

Abstract Background Improvements in the treatment of the 4 main standard modifiable cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (SMuRFs), hypertension (HTN), diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking, have led to better survival in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Recent large observational studies have reported that an increasing and sizable proportion of AMI patients have no SMuRF, and these SMURFless patients have (counterintuitively) worse outcomes than patients with at least one SMuRF. Purpose Using a French nationwide MI registry, we aimed to describe the proportion, characteristics and in-hospital mortality of ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) patients according to the burden of SMuRFs. Methods The French Cohort of Myocardial Infarction Evaluation (FRENCHIE) is a large ongoing MI cohort, which collects data from all patients hospitalized for AMI &amp;lt; 48 h of symptom onset in 21 french centres. For the present analysis, patients with STEMI and without prior coronary artery disease (CAD) admitted in 2019 and 2020 were studied. SMuRFless patients were compared to patients with 1 SMuRF or ≥2 SMuRFs. Results Among 4692 STEMI patients, 986(21%) were SMuRFless, 2001(43%) had 1 SMuRF, and 1705(36%) had ≥2 SMuRFs . Among patients with SMuRFs, smoking (51.8%) and HTN (51.1%) were the most frequent SMuRF and HTN+hypercholesterolemia (10.3%) and HTN+smoking (8.3%) the most frequent SMuRFs associations. When compared with patients with 1 or ≥ 2 SMuRFs, SMuRFless patients were characterized by older age (64.1 vs 60.2 and 62.8 y, respectively), but lower rate of female sex (21.7 vs 22.2 and 26.2%, respectively), LVEF&amp;lt;40% (24.5 vs 26.7 and 26.2%), and lower admission CRP (14.8±38.3 vs 15.3±38.7 and 17.3±40.1 mg/L, respectively). There was a slight increase in BMI with increasing SMURFs (0 SMURF : 26±3.9 ; 1 SMuRF : 26.3±4.5 ; ≥2 SMuRFs : 28.0±5 kg/m²). As expected, SMuRFless patients were less frequently under chronic CV medications (7.9 vs 23.5 and 57.7%, respectively). However, acute STEMI medications were similar across the 3 groups. Crude in-hospital mortality showed a trend toward an increase with the number of SMuRFs (p = 0.123). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, the number of SMURFs was associated with increasing in-hospital mortality (Figure). In stratified analyses, the odds were similar for both sexes. Conclusion In French patients with an inaugural STEMI, one in 5 patient was SMURFless. The burden of risk factors was independently correlated to worse in-hospital survival. These observations emphasize the importance of standard RF on acute MI outcomes.SMuRF and in-hospital death(forest plot)

Management and Outcomes of Acute Heart Failure Hospitalizations in Japan.

Heart failure (HF) is a global burden on healthcare systems, but the literature regarding nationwide trends in the care and outcomes of HF hospitalization in Japan is limited. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the trends in patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of patients hospitalized with acute HF. We used data from the Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases and the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database between April 2012 and March 2021 to analyze 840,357 patients aged ≥18 years who were hospitalized with an acute HF diagnosis. Over the study period (2012-2020), the mean (±standard deviation) age increased from 78.9 (±11.9) years to 80.9 (±11.8) years (P for trend <0.001), the proportion of female patients decreased from 48.7% to 47.5% (P for trend=0.02), crude in-hospital mortality rate decreased from 11.5% to 10.9%, and 30-day HF readmissions decreased from 7.4% to 7.0% (both P for trend <0.001). The reduction in outcomes was more apparent in the older age groups. The standardized outcomes demonstrated the same trends as the crude outcomes. Our nationwide hospital admission analysis clarified that patients hospitalized with acute HF were getting older, but mortality and readmission rates also decreased, especially in older patients during the 2010s.