Lower Risk Of In-hospital Mortality Research Articles

Temporal trends and outcomes of patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia with and without history of coronary artery disease: insights from the us national inpatient sample database.

The burden and prognostic significance of coronary artery disease (CAD) in adults with peripheral artery disease and chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is unknown. Temporal trends in prevalence of significant CAD (history of myocardial infarction or coronary revascularizations) in hospitalizations for CLTI were determined using the 2000 to 2018 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. A multivariable regression analysis of outcomes was performed based on presence or absence of CAD. Among 13 575 099 hospitalizations for CLTI (41% female, 69% white, mean age 69 years), 23% had concomitant CAD, of which 11% underwent lower extremity arterial revascularization (43.6% endovascular and 56.4% surgical). The prevalence of concomitant CAD with CLTI increased from 15.3% in 2000 to 23.1% in 2018. Furthermore, the frequency of endovascular revascularization in adults with CAD and CLTI increased from 15.1% to 48.3%, while there was a decreasing trend of surgical revascularization, from 84.9% to 51.7%. After multivariate adjustments, CLTI with CAD was associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.32-1.47; P less than .0001) and bleeding requiring transfusion (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.06-1.12; P less than .0001) compared with patients with CLTI without CAD. As compared with surgical revascularization, endovascular revascularization was associated with lower risk of in-hospital mortality in both patients with CLTI with CAD (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.63-0.76; P less than .001) and CLTI without CAD (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.67-0.76; P less than .001). Prevalence of CAD has increased in adults presenting with CLTI and is associated with poor outcomes, warranting the need for effective interventions and secondary prevention in this high-risk population.

Smoking in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients: Observations from a Registry Heart Hospital, Qatar.

Studies from the US and Europe showed a decline in smoking among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but limited data are available from the Middle East. In this study, we describe the temporal trend in the prevalence, associated risk factors, and outcomes of smoking among patients with AMI in Qatar. A total of 27,648 AMI patients were analyzed from the cardiology registry at Heart Hospital, Doha, Qatar. This spans from January 1991 to May 2022. Of the total, 13,562 patients (49.1%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 48%-50%) were smokers, with a clear majority of males (98.5%). Smoking habit was found to decrease in AMI patients with increasing age (age 51-60 years, adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.67-0.76, P = 0.001, and age ≥61 years, adjusted OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.42-0.48, P = 0.001, in comparison to age ≤50 years). Smoking was associated with a lower risk of inhospital mortality (adjusted OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.54-0.70, P = 0.001), but triglyceride, obesity, and old myocardial infarction risk factors were associated with a higher risk. A decreasing trend in current smoking habits in each quantile of the 1996-2000 year (adjusted OR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.71-0.93, P = 0.001), 2001-2005 year (adjusted OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.62-0.80, P = 0.001), 2006-2010 year (adjusted OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.67-0.84, P = 0.001), 2011-2015 year (adjusted OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.42-0.54, P = 0.001), 2016-2020 year (adjusted OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.43-0.54, P = 0.001), and ≥2021 year (adjusted OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.40-0.53, P = 0.001) was observed in comparison to the quantile 1991-1995 year. Similar results were also observed in the young population (age ≤50 years) including the non-Qataris, who had 25% more smokers in comparison to Qatari nationals. Smoking trended down significantly; however, it remained prevalent in 50% of patients among AMI patients. Smokers were younger, with fewer traditional risk factors, and had lower inhospital mortality.

Outcomes of hemorrhagic stroke in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases: An analysis of the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

To determine whether and how rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and systemic sclerosis (SSc) affect outcomes in patients admitted for hemorrhagic stroke. This study screened the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for adults aged ≥20 years admitted to US hospitals with a principal diagnosis of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) between 2005 and 2018. Diagnoses were determined using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th revisions (ICD-9 and ICD-10) diagnostic codes for ICH (ICD-9: 431, 432; ICD-10: I61, I62). Study outcomes were: (1) in-hospital mortality; (2) unfavorable discharge, defined as transfer to nursing homes or long-term care facilities; and (3) prolonged length of stay (LOS), defined as LOS >75th centile. Associations between comorbid RA, SLE, and SSc and clinical outcomes show a significantly lower risk of in-hospital mortality and prolonged LOS in RA patients. After admissions for ICH, the risk for in-hospital mortality and prolonged LOS was decreased in RA patients, and the risk for unfavorable discharge (long-term care) was reduced in SLE patients. Among patients admitted to US hospitals for hemorrhagic stroke, patients with RA had decreased risk for in-hospital mortality and prolonged LOS.

Comparative Analysis of Patients With STEMI and COVID-19 Between Canada and the United States.

Important health care differences exist between the United States (US) and Canada, which may have been exacerbated during the pandemic. We compared clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, and clinical outcomes of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and COVID-19 (STEMI-COVID) treated in the US and Canada. The North American COVID-19 Myocardial Infarction registry is a prospective, investigator-initiated study enrolling patients with STEMI with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in the US and Canada. The primary end point was in-hospital mortality. Additionally, we explored associations between vaccination and clinical outcomes. Of 853 patients with STEMI-COVID, 112 (13%) were enrolled in Canada, and compared with the US, patients in Canada were more likely to present with chest pain and less likely to have a history of heart failure, stroke/transient ischemic attack, pulmonary infiltrates or renal failure. In both countries, the primary percutaneous coronary intervention was the dominant reperfusion strategy, with no difference in door-to-balloon times; fibrinolysis was used less frequently in the US than in Canada. The adjusted in-hospital mortality was not different between the 2 countries (relative risk [RR], 1.0; 95% CI, 0.46-2.72; P = 1.0). However, the risk of in-hospital mortality was significantly higher in unvaccinated compared with vaccinated patients with STEMI-COVID (RR, 4.7; 95% CI, 1.7-11.53; P = .015). Notable differences in morbidities and reperfusion strategies were evident between patients with STEMI-COVID in the US compared with Canada. No differences were noted for in-hospital mortality. Vaccination, regardless of region, appeared to associate with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality strongly.

Septic Shock Short-Term Outcomes in Patients With Psychiatric Disorders: Analysis From the National Inpatient Sample Database.

Major psychiatric disorders are associated with lower life expectancy primarily due to comorbid illnesses and suboptimal access to health care. Large-scale contemporary data in the United States on in-hospital mortality of patients with major psychiatric disorder and sepsis are lacking. To describe the short-term outcomes of hospitalized patients with major psychiatric disorders and septic shock. We performed a retrospective cohort study using the National Inpatient Sample database from 2016 to 2019 to identify septic shock hospitalizations in patients with versus without major psychiatric disorder (defined as schizophrenia and affective disorders). Baseline variables and in-hospital mortality trends were compared between the 2 groups. Out of 1,653,255 hospitalizations with septic shock identified between 2016 and 2019, 16.2% had a diagnosis of major psychiatric disorder as defined above. After adjusting for various patient-level and hospital-level demographics and coexisting clinical conditions in a multivariable logistic regression, the odds of in-hospital mortality in patients with any major psychiatric disorder were 0.71 times that of those without a diagnosis of psychiatric illness (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69-0.73; P < 0.001). Similarly, when the disorders were divided into 2 categories for subanalysis, those with schizophrenia had 38% lower odds of dying compared to those without schizophrenia (adjusted odds ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.58-0.66; P < 0.001). Those with affective disorders had 25% lower odds of in-hospital mortality than those without a diagnosis of an affective disorder (adjusted odds ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.73-0.77; P < 0.001). The adjusted mean length of stay for those diagnosed with major psychiatric disorder was 0.38 days longer than those without significant psychiatric illness (95% CI, 0.28-0.49; P < 0.001). On the other hand, the mean hospitalization charges were $10,516 less for patients with a major psychiatric disorder compared to those without (95% CI, -$11,830 to -$9,201; P < 0.001). Hospitalized patients with major psychiatric disorder and septic shock had lower risk of short-term mortality. Further studies are needed to examine the reasons behind this lower in-hospital mortality risk.

The impact of antimicrobial de-escalation therapy in culture-negative pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Antimicrobial de-escalation (ADE) remains a challenging strategy in the treatment of pneumonia. We investigated the outcomes of ADE as measured by mortality and duration of the use of antibiotics in patients with culture- negative pneumonia. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality. We examined six studies comprising 11,933 subjects, of whom 1,152 received ADE. Overall, the ADE strategy was associated with a statistically lower risk of in-hospital mortality compared with non-ADE (risk ratio [RR] = 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.38 to 0.93). Although substantial heterogeneity was found among the included studies (I2 = 66%), a meta-regression analysis could not reveal plausible sources of heterogeneity. And ADE was associated with a shorter duration of total and initial antibiotic therapies and total length of hospital stay compared with non-ADE. Our findings suggest that ADE seems to be significantly associated with better clinical outcomes compared with non-ADE. Caution is demanded when interpreting data of this study because of substantial between-study heterogeneity.

Outcomes of Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Among Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) use in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves outcomes. However, data on outcomes of IVUS-guided PCI in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is scarce. Therefore, we sought to study the utilization rate and outcomes of IVUS-guided PCI in patients with ACS. Using the National Readmission database, we identified all patients with ACS who underwent PCI from 2016 to 2019. We used a 1:1 propensity-matched analysis to compare the outcome of patients with ACS who underwent PCI with and without IVUS. In 1,263,997 patients with ACS, 563,521 (44.6%) underwent PCI without IVUS and 40,095 (3.17%) underwent IVUS-guided PCI. A Propensity scored matched comparison of PCI with and without IVUS showed IVUS-guided PCI was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 0.74, 95% confidence interval 0.64 to 0.85, p <0.01) compared with PCI without IVUS. The utilization of IVUS increased from 2.64% in 2016 to 4.10% in 2019, p <0.001. In conclusion, IVUS-guided PCI is associated with lower in-hospital mortality in patients with ACS, yet the current utilization of IVUS-guided PCI remains low across the United States.

Combination Therapy of Ceftazidime/Avibactam for the Treatment of Patients Infected with Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

This study aimed to evaluate the different efficacies between monotherapy and combination therapy with ceftazidime/avibactam (CAZ/AVI) in treating carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infection. We retrospectively analyzed observational multicenter data from 38 hospitals in China. Multivariate regression analysis was used to explore the association between combination therapy with CAZ/AVI and in-hospital mortality. Propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed to validate our findings. A total of 132 eligible patients were divided into CAZ/AVI combination therapy (n = 43) and monotherapy (n = 89) cohorts. Multivariate logistic regression showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between combination therapy and a lower risk of in-hospital mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.907, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.329-2.498, p = 0.850]. In the subgroup of critical patients who were in the intensive care unit (ICU) (OR 0.943, 95%CI 0.221-4.033, p = 0.937) or with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) ≥ 3 (OR 0.733, 95%CI 0.191-2.808, p = 0.650), CAZ/AVI combination therapy was not a lower risk factor for in-hospital mortality. Moreover, in the subgroup of patients using CAZ/AVI plus tigecycline (accounting for 46.5% in the combination therapy) compared with CAZ/AVI monotherapy, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in in-hospital mortality, nor in the subgroup of patients with CRKP-associated pneumonia. Combination therapy (or CAZ/AVI combined with tigecycline) and monotherapy with CAZ/AVI had similar prognoses in patients with only CRKP infection (or CRKP-associated pneumonia), as well as in critically ill patients. Larger randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm these findings.

Therapeutic plasma exchange for anti-glomerular basement membrane disease with dialysis-dependent kidney failure without diffuse alveolar hemorrhage

BackgroundAnti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease is treated with immunosuppressive medications and plasma exchange. However, whether plasma exchange, in addition to pulse glucocorticoid therapy, would benefit patients with anti-GBM disease with dialysis-dependent kidney failure without diffuse alveolar hemorrhage remains unclear.MethodsUsing the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, we identified patients diagnosed with anti-GBM disease with dialysis-dependent kidney failure and without diffuse alveolar hemorrhage from July 2010 to March 2020. We compared in-hospital mortality within 10 days of hospitalization between patients who received therapeutic plasma exchange in addition to pulse glucocorticoid therapy and those who received pulse glucocorticoid therapy alone. Overlap weighting based on propensity score was performed to adjust for potential confounders.ResultsWe identified 207 eligible patients; 168 patients received therapeutic plasma exchange plus pulse glucocorticoid therapy, while 39 patients received pulse glucocorticoid therapy alone. The mean dose of therapeutic plasma exchange was 52.2 ml/kg/day of albumin and/or fresh frozen plasma. Therapeutic plasma exchange in addition to pulse glucocorticoid therapy was associated with a lower in-hospital mortality risk in the unweighted (10.7% versus 28.2%; risk difference, 17.5%; 95% confidence interval, 2.6–32.4%; P = 0.02) and weighted analyses (11.5% versus 28.4%; risk difference, 17.0%; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–32.5%; P = 0.03) than pulse glucocorticoid therapy alone.ConclusionsThis retrospective cohort study using a national database suggests that therapeutic plasma exchange may improve the in-hospital prognosis of anti-GBM disease with dialysis-dependent kidney failure and without diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.Graphical abstract

Outcomes of Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Non–ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction-Propensity Matched Regression Analysis

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is indicated in complex interventions. There is a paucity of evidence for outcomes with large studies on using IVUS during PCI in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Our objective was to compare the in-hospital outcome of IVUS-guided with that of nonguided PCI among NSTEMI hospitalizations. The National Inpatient Sample (2016 to 2019) was queried to identify all hospitalizations with a principal diagnosis of NSTEMI. In our study, we compared outcomes of PCI with and without IVUS guidance using a multivariate logistic regression model after propensity score matching, with the primary outcome being in-hospital mortality. A total of 671,280 NSTEMI-related hospitalizations were identified, of whom 48,285 (7.2%) underwent IVUS-guided PCI compared with 622,995 (92.8%) who underwent non-IVUS PCI. After adjusted analysis on matched pairs, we found that IVUS-guided PCI had a lower risk of in-hospital mortality than that of non-IVUS PCI (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.736, confidence interval (CI) 0.578 to 0.937, p = 0.013). However, there was a higher use of mechanical circulatory support in the IVUS-guided PCI (aOR 2.138, CI 1.84 to 2.47, p <0.001) than in non-IVUS PCI. The odds of cardiogenic shock (aOR 1.11, CI 0.93 to 1.32, p = 0.233) and procedural complications (aOR 0.794, CI 0.549 to 1.14, p = 0.22) were similar between the cohorts. Hence, we conclude that patients with NSTEMIs who underwent IVUS-guided PCI had less risk of in-hospital mortality and a greater requirement of mechanical circulatory support than did those who underwent non-IVUS PCI, with no difference in procedural complications. Large prospective trials are essential to validate these findings.

Effect on in-hospital outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma on aspirin.

e16162 Background: Despite the use of new immunotherapies, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor survival rate. Through multiple molecular mechanisms, aspirin (ASA) has demonstrated a reduced incidence of HCC, however, the impact of long-term aspirin use on in-hospital outcomes has not been studied. Methods: We queried the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016 to 2020 to identify patients with HCC. Patients were stratified into two groups, based on long-term aspirin use. Information was collected regarding patient demographics, Elixhauser comorbidities, interventions, etiology and decompensations of the liver disease. Outcomes studied included sepsis, shock, acute kidney injury, ICU admission, and in-hospital mortality. The association between long-term aspirin use and outcomes was studied using multivariate analysis. Results: 224,735 patients were included in the study. Of them, 18,835 (8.4%) patients were on long-term aspirin. The majority of the patients with ASA use were White (61.3%), men (78.2%), and aged &gt; 65 years old (68.8%). Patients in the ASA group had a higher incidence of NASH and decreased rates of hepatic decompensation than those not on ASA. Patients with aspirin use had lower incidence of sepsis (2.76% vs 3.54%), shock (4.86% vs 8.23%), AKI (30.9% vs 33.4%), ICU admission (3.88% vs 7.4%) and in-hospital mortality (5.18% vs 9.87%). After adjusting for confounding factors, ASA use was associated with a 30% lower risk of in-hospital mortality (aOR-0.70, 95% CI-0.60-0.82, p&lt;0.001). ASA users also had a 21% lower odds of developing shock (aOR-0.79, 95% CI-0.67-0.94, p-0.007) and 31% lower odds of requiring ICU admission (aOR-0.69, 95% CI-0.54-0.78, p&lt;0.001). No statistically significant difference was noted in the risk of sepsis and AKI between the two groups. Conclusions: Our study noted that patients on long-term aspirin use had better in-hospital outcomes such as mortality, shock and ICU admissions compared to non-aspirin users. These findings are of interest, and further randomized clinical trials confirming the benefits of aspirin in improving outcomes in HCC patients need to be conducted. [Table: see text]

Impact of Aspirin Use on Outcomes in Patients With Hepatocellular Cancer: A Nationwide Analysis.

Despite the use of new immunotherapies, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor survival rate. Through multiple molecular mechanisms, aspirin (ASA) has demonstrated a reduced incidence of HCC, however, the impact of long-term ASA use on in-hospital outcomes has not been studied. We queried the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016 to 2020 to identify patients with HCC. Patients were stratified into two groups, based on long-term ASA use. Information was collected regarding patient demographics, Elixhauser comorbidities, interventions, etiology, and decompensations of liver disease. Outcomes studied included sepsis, shock, acute kidney injury (AKI), intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and in-hospital mortality. The association between long-term ASA use and outcomes was studied using multivariate analysis. A total of 224,735 patients were included in the study. Of them, 18,835 (8.4%) patients were on long-term ASA. The majority of the patients with ASA use were White (61.3%), men (78.2%), and aged > 65 years old (68.8%). Patients in the ASA group had a higher incidence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and decreased rates of hepatic decompensation than those not on ASA. Patients with ASA use had lower incidence of sepsis (2.76% vs. 3.54%), shock (4.86% vs. 8.23%), AKI (30.9% vs. 33.4%), ICU admission (3.88% vs. 7.4%) and in-hospital mortality (5.18% vs. 9.87%). After adjusting for confounding factors, ASA use was associated with a 30% lower risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.60 - 0.82, P < 0.001). ASA users also had 21% lower odds of developing shock (aOR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.67 - 0.94, P = 0.007) and 31% lower odds of requiring ICU admission (aOR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.54 - 0.78, P < 0.001). Our study noted that patients on long-term ASA use had better in-hospital outcomes such as mortality, shock, and ICU admissions compared to non-ASA users. These findings are of interest, and further randomized clinical trials confirming the benefits of ASA in improving outcomes in HCC patients need to be conducted.

Transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with aortic regurgitation: A propensity-matched analysis

This study aimed to analyze in-hospital and early-to-interim outcomes of pure aortic regurgitation (AR) using transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) vs. surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). BackgroundFew studies have discussed and compared the safety and short-term prognosis of TAVR and SAVR in pure AR patients. As such, we looked to the National Readmissions Database (NRD) for records between 2016 and 2019 in order to identify patients diagnosed with pure AR who underwent SAVR or TAVR. We used the propensity score matching to minimize disparities between two groups. We included 23,276 pure AR patients: 1983 (8.5%) who underwent TAVR and 21,293 (91.5%) who underwent SAVR. We found 1820 matched pairs using propensity score matching. In the matching cohort, TAVR was associated with a low risk of in-hospital mortality. Although TAVR had lower incidences of 30-day all-cause readmission (hazard ratio (HR):0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.61–0.87; P < 0.01) and 6-month all-cause readmission (HR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.67–0.97; P = 0.03), while TAVR had high incidences of 30-day permanent pacemaker implantation incidence (HR: 3.54, 95% CI: 1.62–7.74; P < 0.01) and 6-month permanent pacemaker implantation incidence (HR: 4.12, 95% CI: 1.17–14.4; P = 0.03).In conclusion, TAVR and SAVR had similar risks of hospital death and lower rates of 30-day and 6-month all-cause and cardiovascular readmission. But TAVR had a higher risk of permanent pacemaker implantation than SAVR in AR patients, suggesting that TAVR can be performed safely in pure AR patients.

Pulmonary Artery Catheter Use and Risk of In-hospital Death in Heart Failure Cardiogenic Shock

BackgroundPulmonary artery catheters (PACs) are increasingly used to guide management decisions in cardiogenic shock (CS). The goal of this study was to determine if PAC use was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality in CS owing to acute heart failure (HF-CS). Methods and ResultsThis multicenter, retrospective, observational study included patients with CS hospitalized between 2019 and 2021 at 15 US hospitals participating in the Cardiogenic Shock Working Group registry. The primary end point was in-hospital mortality. Inverse probability of treatment-weighted logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), accounting for multiple variables at admission. The association between the timing of PAC placement and in-hospital death was also analyzed. A total of 1055 patients with HF-CS were included, of whom 834 (79%) received a PAC during their hospitalization. In-hospital mortality risk for the cohort was 24.7% (n = 261). PAC use was associated with lower adjusted in-hospital mortality risk (22.2% vs 29.8%, OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.50–0.94). Similar associations were found across SCAI stages of shock, both at admission and at maximum SCAI stage during hospitalization. Early PAC use (≤6 hours of admission) was observed in 220 PAC recipients (26%) and associated with a lower adjusted risk of in-hospital mortality compared with delayed (≥48 hours) or no PAC use (17.3% vs 27.7%, OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.37–0.81). ConclusionsThis observational study supports PAC use, because it was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality in HF-CS, especially if performed within 6 hours of hospital admission. Condensed AbstractAn observational study from the Cardiogenic Shock Working Group registry of 1055 patients with HF-CS showed that pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) use was associated with a lower adjusted in-hospital mortality risk (22.2% vs 29.8%, odds ratio 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.50–0.94) compared with outcomes in patients managed without PAC. Early PAC use (≤6 hours of admission) was associated with a lower adjusted risk of in-hospital mortality compared with delayed (≥48 hours) or no PAC use (17.3% vs 27.7%, odds ratio 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.37–0.81).

Inverse association of hospital volume with in-hospital mortality rate of patients receiving EUS-guided interventions for pancreatic fluid collections

EUS-guided interventions currently serve as first-line treatment for symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) but require high-level expertise and multidisciplinary care. Hospital caseload has not been fully examined in relation to clinical outcomes of patients with endoscopically managed PFCs. Using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database (a Japanese nationwide inpatient database), we identified 4053 patients receiving EUS-guided treatment of PFCs at 486 hospitals between 2010 and 2020 and examined an association of hospital volume (average annual number of cases at a hospital) with in-hospital mortality. Associations with bleeding, length of stay, and total costs were examined as secondary analyses. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted with adjustment for potential confounders. The hospital volume was inversely associated with the risk of in-hospital mortality (Ptrend< .001). The adjusted odds ratio for in-hospital mortality comparing the extreme quintiles of hospital volume was .17 (95% confidence interval, .09-.33). A restricted cubic spline analysis yielded no statistically significant evidence on the nonlinear relationship (Pnonlinearity= .19). The types of stents (plastic vs lumen-apposing metal stent) seemed to have no effect modification on the volume-mortality relationship (Pinteraction= .58). Higher hospital volume was also associated with lower risk of bleeding, shorter length of stay, and lower medical costs of inpatient care. Higher hospital volume was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality of patients receiving EUS-guided treatment of PFCs. A further investigation is warranted to justify the volume-based selective referral of the patients.

Association of early surgery and mortality in patients with native or prosthetic valve endocarditis

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease associated with high risk of morbidity and mortality. Recent studies suggests that surgery during index hospitalization may be performed without increased risk of mortality. However, differences in this association in patients with native valve IE and prosthetic valve IE remain unclear. Purpose The purpose of this meta-analysis is to explore differences in the association between early surgery and mortality in patients with native valve IE and prosthetic valve IE. Methods We performed a literature search for studies reporting an association between early surgery and study endpoints in patients with either native valve IE or prosthetic valve IE. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. The secondary endpoints was long-term mortality. The search included the following databases: Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The search was not restricted to time or publication status. Studies reporting mixed native and prosthetic valve populations were excluded. Results A total of 10 studies with 5493 participants (2505 with early surgery vs 2988 with conventional therapy) were included. The mean duration of follow-up was 55 months (ranging between 12 to 120 months). Early surgery in patients with native valve IE was associated with lower risk of in-hospital mortality (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.28, 0.83; p&amp;lt;0.01). Early surgery in patients with native valve IE was associated with lower risk of long-term mortality, however this effect was primarily driven by a single study (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08, 0.83; p=0.02). Early surgery in patients with prosthetic valve IE was not significantly associated with risk of in-hospital mortality, however there is a trend toward lower risk (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.58, 1.02; p=0.07). There was not enough studies reporting long-term outcomes to assess the association between early surgery and long-term mortality in patients with prosthetic valve IE Conclusions Early surgery is associated with lower risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with native valve IE and is not associated with increased risk of mortality in patients with prosthetic valve IE. Further high-quality studies are needed to elucidate the association between early surgery and long-term outcomes in both patients with native valve IE and prosthetic valve IE.

Necrotizing soft tissue infections in critically ill neutropenic patients: a French multicentre retrospective cohort study

BackgroundNecrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) are rare life-threatening bacterial infections. Few data are available regarding neutropenic patients with NSTIs. Our objectives were to describe the characteristics and management of neutropenic patients with NSTIs in intensive care units (ICUs). We conducted a retrospective multicentre cohort study in 18 ICUs between 2011 and 2021. Patients admitted with NSTIs and concomitant neutropenia at diagnosis were included and compared to non-neutropenic patients with NSTIs. The relationship between therapeutic interventions and outcomes was assessed using Cox regression and propensity score matching.Results76 neutropenic patients were included and compared to 165 non-neutropenic patients. Neutropenic patients were younger (54 ± 14 vs 60 ± 13 years, p = 0.002) and had less lower limb (44.7% vs 70.9%, p < 0.001) and more abdomino-perineal NSTIs (43.4% vs 18.8%, p < 0.001). Enterobacterales and non-fermenting gram-negative bacteria were the most frequently isolated microorganisms in neutropenic patients. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in neutropenic than in non-neutropenic patients (57.9% vs 28.5%, p < 0.001). Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality in univariable Cox (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.43 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.23–0.82], p = 0.010) and multivariable Cox (adjusted HR = 0.46 95% CI [0.22–0.94], p = 0.033) analyses and after overlap propensity score weighting (odds ratio = 0.25 95% CI [0.09; 0.68], p = 0.006).ConclusionsCritically ill neutropenic patients with NSTIs present different clinical and microbiological characteristics and are associated with a higher hospital mortality than non-neutropenic patients. G-CSF administration was associated with hospital survival.

Comparison of Body Mass Index (Four Categories) to In-Hospital Outcomes in Patients Who Underwent Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Although obesity is often associated with adverse outcomes in cardiovascular diseases, studies have demonstrated a beneficial effect on patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), coining the term "obesity paradox." We sought to determine if the obesity paradox is valid when patients are studied in body mass index (BMI) groups versus simplified classification of obese and nonobese. We examined the National Inpatient Sample database from 2016 to 2019 for all patients who underwent TAVI >18 years of age using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition procedure codes. Patients were grouped by BMI categories of underweight, overweight, obese, and morbidly obese. They were compared with normal-weight patients to assess the relative risk of in-hospital mortality, cardiogenic shock, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, bleeding complications requiring transfusions, and complete heart blocks requiring permanent pacemaker. A logistic regression model was constructed to account for potential confounders. Of the 221,000 patients who underwent TAVI, 42,315 patients with appropriate BMI designation were stratified into BMI groups. Compared to the normal-weight group, overweight, obese, and morbid-obese TAVI patients were associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality (relative risk [RR] 0.48, confidence interval [CI] 0.29 to 0.77, p <0.001), (RR 0.42, CI 0.28 to 0.63, p <0.001), (RR 0.49, CI 0.33 to 0.71, p <0.001 respectively), cardiogenic shock (RR 0.27, CI 0.20 to 0.38, p <0.001), (RR 0.21, CI 0.16 to 0.27, p <0.001), (RR 0.21, CI 0.16 to 0.26, p <0.001), and blood transfusions (RR 0.63, CI 0.50 to 0.79, p <0.001), (RR 0.47, CI 0.39 to 0.58, p <0.001), (RR 0.61, CI 0.51 to 0.74, p <0.001). This study indicated that obese patients were at a significantly lower risk of in-hospital mortality, cardiogenic shock, and bleeding complications requiring transfusions. In conclusion, our study supported the existence of the obesity paradox in TAVI patients.

Influence of systolic blood pressure trajectory on in-hospital mortality in patients with sepsis

BackgroundNumerous studies have investigated the mean arterial pressure in patients with sepsis, and many meaningful results have been obtained. However, few studies have measured the systolic blood pressure (SBP) multiple times and established trajectory models for patients with sepsis with different SBP trajectories.MethodsData from patients with sepsis were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-III database for inclusion in a retrospective cohort study. Ten SBP values within 10 h after hospitalization were extracted, and the interval between each SBP value was 1 h. The SBP measured ten times after admission was analyzed using latent growth mixture modeling to construct a trajectory model. The outcome was in-hospital mortality. The survival probability of different trajectory groups was investigated using Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis, and the relationship between different SBP trajectories and in-hospital mortality risk was investigated using Cox proportional-hazards regression model.ResultsThis study included 3034 patients with sepsis. The median survival time was 67 years (interquartile range: 56–77 years). Seven different SBP trajectories were identified based on model-fit criteria. The in-hospital mortality rates of the patients in trajectory classes 1–7 were 25.5%, 40.5%, 11.8%, 18.3%, 23.5%, 13.8%, and 10.5%, respectively. The K-M analysis indicated that patients in class 2 had the lowest probability of survival. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that, with class 1 as a reference, patients in class 2 had the highest in-hospital mortality risk (P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis indicated that a nominal interaction occurred between age group and blood pressure trajectory in the in-hospital mortality (P < 0.05).ConclusionMaintaining a systolic blood pressure of approximately 140 mmHg in patients with sepsis within 10 h of admission was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality. Analyzing data from multiple measurements and identifying different categories of patient populations with sepsis will help identify the risks among these categories.

Surgical volume and outcomes of surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation: a nationwide population-based cohort study

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrythmia and causes many complications. Sinus rhythm restoration could reduce late mortality of atrial fibrillation patients. The Maze procedure is the gold standard for surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation. Higher surgical volume has been documented with favorable outcomes of various cardiac procedures such as mitral valve surgery and aortic valve replacement. We aimed to determine the volume–outcome relationship (i.e., association between surgical volume and outcomes) for the concomitant Maze procedure during major cardiac surgeries.MethodsThis nationwide population-based cohort study retrieved data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Adult patients undergoing concomitant Maze procedures during 2010–2017 were identified; consequently, 2666 patients were classified into four subgroups based on hospital cumulative surgery volumes. In-hospital outcomes and late outcomes during follow-up were analyzed. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards model were used to analyze the volume–outcome relationship.ResultsPatients undergoing Maze procedures at lower-volume hospitals tended to be frailer and had higher comorbidity scores. Patients in the highest-volume hospitals had a lower risk of in-hospital mortality than those in the lowest-volume hospitals [adjusted odds ratio, 0.30; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.15–0.61; P < 0.001]. Patients in the highest-volume hospitals had lower rates of late mortality than those in the lowest-volume hospitals, including all-cause mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.53; 95% CI 0.40–0.68; P < 0.001] and all-cause mortality after discharge (aHR 0.60; 95% CI 0.44–0.80; P < 0.001).ConclusionsA positive hospital volume–outcome relationship for concomitant Maze procedures was demonstrated for in-hospital and late follow-up mortality. The consequence may be attributed to physician skill/experience, experienced multidisciplinary teams, and comprehensive care processes. We suggest referring patients with frailty or those requiring complicated cardiac surgeries to high-volume hospitals to improve clinical outcomes.Trial registration: the institutional review board of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital approved all data usage and the study protocol (registration number: 202100151B0C502).