Outpatient Clinic Visits Research Articles

Pediatric Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Prescribing Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study seeks to identify demographic and clinical factors prompting clinician prescribing of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir to pediatric patients for management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Patients aged 12 to 17 years with a COVID-19 infection and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescription during an outpatient clinical encounter within a PEDSnet-affiliated institution between January 2022 and August 2023 were identified using electronic health record data. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescription after adjusting for various factors. A total of 20 959 patients aged 12 to 17 years were diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection on the basis of an electronic health record-documented positive polymerase chain reaction or antigen test or diagnosis during an outpatient clinical visit. Of these patients, 408 received a nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescription within 5 days of diagnosis. Higher odds of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment were associated with having chronic or complex chronic disease (chronic: odds ratio [OR] 2.50 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.83-3.38]; complex chronic: OR 2.21 [95% CI 1.58-3.08]). Among patients with chronic disease, each additional body system conferred 1.18 times higher odds of treatment (95% CI 1.10-1.26). Compared with non-Hispanic white patients, Hispanic patients (OR 0.61 [95% CI 0.44-0.83]) had lower odds of treatment. Children with chronic conditions are more likely than those without to receive nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescriptions. However, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescribing to children with chronic conditions remains infrequent. Pediatric data concerning nirmatrelvir/ritonavir safety and effectiveness in preventing severe disease and hospitalization are critical optimizing clinical decision-making and use among children.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of primary thymic adenocarcinoma: A single-center retrospective analysis.

Primary thymic adenocarcinoma (PTAC) is an extremely rare disease with a poor prognosis. In the present study, we sought to analyze the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with PTAC. A total of 14 patients with PTAC treated at our center from January 2000 to January 2019 were included in this study. We retrospectively collected information on sex, age, history of smoking, family history of cancer, comorbidities, symptoms, imaging tests, serum tumor marker levels, tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging, and treatment records. Follow-up information was obtained by telephone interviews or outpatient clinic visit. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to investigate the clinicopathological factors associated with survival. Among 14 patients with PTAC, there were five males and nine females, with an average age of 48.7 ± 9.3 years. A total of 23.1% of the patients had a history of smoking. The clinical symptoms of the patients were nonspecific and seven patients had elevated levels of serum tumor markers. Surgery was performed for nine patients, among which only four received R0 resection. The median survival time of the 14 patients was 16.0 months, and the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 57.1%, 35.7% and 21.4%, respectively. TNM stage was identified as an independent prognostic factor for PTAC patients (the median survival time of stage I-IIIA vs. stage IV was 44.0 months vs. 9.0 months, p = 0.002). PTAC is highly aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis. Surgical treatment is feasible, but R0 resection is challenging. TNM staging is significantly associated with patient survival.

Correlates of Transitioning from In-Person to Telemedicine Outpatient Neurology Clinic Visits.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telemedicine adoption, impacting appointment no-show rates. This study examines neurology appointment preferences among individuals with previous no-shows. Methods: We analyzed transitions between in-person and telemedicine modalities at the Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences from August 2020 to February 2021 by race, sex, and insurance type. Logistic regression was used to assess which individual characteristics were associated with switching modalities. Results: A total of 118 patients were included. Transitions to telemedicine visits were significantly higher for female (odds ratio [OR] = 1.868, p = 0.051), Medicaid (OR = 0.433, p = 0.035), and Medicare (OR = 0.228, p = 0.001) beneficiaries compared with males and those with private coverage. Telemedicine to in-person transitions were significantly higher for Medicaid compared with private coverage (OR = 8.133, p = 0.018). Discussion: Females are more likely to switch to telemedicine following an in-person no-show, whereas Medicare beneficiaries are less likely. Medicaid beneficiaries are more likely to revert to in-person appointments. Telemedicine may enhance equitable neurological care, particularly because of its high utilization among females.

Delivery of Outpatient Cirrhosis Care Through Tele-Visit Is Not Associated With Increased Mortality as Compared With Traditional In-Person Visits.

Providers and patients have expressed concern that care provided through telehealth results in poorer outcomes than traditional in-person care. On the contrary, we hypothesized that patients with cirrhosis engaging in video/phone-based outpatient gastroenterology/hepatology tele-visits do not differ in mortality from those receiving in-person outpatient clinic visits. This was a retrospective, case-control study using Veterans Health Administration administrative data of veterans with a cirrhosis diagnosis. Cases were patients who died between April 2021 and July 2022 and had a cirrhosis diagnosis for ≥1 year before death. For each case, a control was randomly selected from the pool of patients alive on the date of death of the case (index date) and matched on age, average Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, and number of gastroenterology/hepatology clinic visits in the prior year. Primary exposure variable was % tele-visits (video/phone) out of total visits in the year before the index date, scaled in 10% increments. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the association between mortality and % tele-visits. A secondary analysis matched on electronic Child-Turcotte-Pugh score rather than Model for End-Stage Liver Disease. Two thousand nine hundred thirty-three cases were identified and matched with 2,933 controls. After adjusting for covariates, tele-visit-based outpatient care was associated with a small reduction in mortality (odds ratio TH = 0.95, 95% confidence interval = 0.94-0.97). Matching on electronic Child-Turcotte-Pugh score did not change the results. Our findings suggest that outpatient cirrhosis care by tele-visit is associated with outcomes no worse than traditional in-person visits. This should reassure providers who hesitate to provide virtual care to patients with cirrhosis due to concerns for poorer outcomes.

Epidemiology of uveitis after tuberculosis in Taiwan – A nationwide population-based cohort study

Abstract: PURPOSE: Current reports on the risk of uveitis of all causes after tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis are lacking. Therefore, we sought to investigate the association between the diagnosis of TB and the subsequent risk of uveitis in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance system were retrieved and patients with newly diagnosed TB between 2000 and 2012 were recruited. The endpoint of interest was the occurrence of uveitis. Patients without TB were randomly matched 4:1 to TB cases based on age, gender, index date, outpatient clinic visit, and index year. Univariate and multivariable Cox proportional regression analyses were performed to analyze the risk of uveitis among TB patients. RESULTS: A total of 6139 patients with TB and corresponding 24,555 matched control participants were recruited. The mean age was 52.9 ± 22.1 years old and 32.1% were male. The medium follow-up period was 5.81 ± 4.37 years and 7.16 ± 3.95 years in the TB and matched control cohorts. Our results showed that patients with TB had no significantly increased incidence of uveitis. After stratification by gender, age, and comorbidities, the relationship between TB and uveitis was found to be not significant. The cumulative incidence of uveitis was also found to be not significantly higher among the TB group (log-rank P = 0.84). CONCLUSION: Our nationwide population-based cohort retrospective study showed that the incidence of uveitis was not significantly higher among patients with TB. Future prospective and multicenter studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

Quality of life in patients with heart failure and implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Results from 42 heart failure clinics in norway

Abstract Background Patients with heart failure (HF) have an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, and treatment with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has become standard treatment for selected patient groups. HF is associated with impaired QoL, but there is no consensus regarding the implication of having an ICD. Knowledge regarding QoL in patients with HF and ICD attending follow-up in outpatient HF-clinics is sparse. Purpose The aim of this study was to determine QoL in patients with HF and ICD. Further, to compare QoL in patients with HF with and without ICD, using data from the first and follow-up visits in outpatient HF clinics. Methods Longitudinal data from the National Norwegian Heart Failure Registry (NNHFR), including 9 274 patients, of which 1 206 with an ICD, were studied. QoL was assessed using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). Data was collected at the first and follow-up visits in outpatient HF clinics approximately six months after optimal treatment was achieved. Results Patients with an ICD were younger, more often men, and had higher frequency of coronary artery disease (all p<0.001). At the first visit, there was no significant difference in QoL between patients with and without ICD, with both groups reporting moderate QoL. Both groups had a significant improvement in QoL from the first visit to the follow-up visit (p<0.001). However, patients with ICD reported significantly less improvement in QoL (p<0.001) at follow-up. This disparity was evident regarding both the physical (p<0.001) and the emotional (p<0.001) dimension. Conclusion QoL in patients with HF and ICD improves after follow-up in outpatient HF clinics, although not to the same extent as in patients without ICD. Thus, tailored interventions in outpatient HF clinics may be necessary to improve outcomes in this subgroup of patients with both HF and ICD.

Retrospective Analysis of Paraparalysis/Paraparesis Post Aortic Aneurysm Endovascular Repair

Abstract Objective Paralysis post TEVAR is a challenging complication, this study discusses its incidence, Risk factors, clinical outcome, reversibility, protective strategy and associated mortality. Methods Retrospective study Conducted on patients underwent thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic Aneurysm Endovascular Repair in Last 11 years (January 2012 till June 2022) in single center as regard incidence, personal history, medical and surgical risk factors, preventive strategies, reversibility of paralysis and associated mortality. Data was obtained from records; paralysis was diagnosed through clinical examination immediately after emergence from anesthesia and frequently post operatively in SICU or even word and after discharge in follow-up outpatient clinic visits. Results A study carried on 137 patients, 15 patients of them developed lower limb paralysis with incidence of 10.9%, 3 patients of them (23.1%) developed paralysis immediately post operative, 4 patients developed paralysis in day 1 post operative (30.8%). And the rest of patients developed delayed onset paralysis (more than 24 Hour post procedure), The latest one developed paralysis 26 days post operative, 8 of paralyzed patients had spinal cord imaging (MRI) 4 of them (50%) didn’t show any abnormality and 3 of them (37.5%) showed spinal cord ischemia and 1 patient didn’t tolerate the MRI machine so the study was discontinued. According to reversibility, 9 patients had complete reversal of their motor and sensory symptoms to the baseline preoperative status. 2 patients had partial reversal of their symptoms, and 4 patients had persistent symptoms without any improvement despite the routine management that included elevating MAP and draining CSF to less than 10 mmHg in order to maintain spinal cord perfusion pressure at level of 80 mmHg and giving naloxone. Data showed 12 out of 81 patients (14.8%) who had functioning spinal drain developed paralysis. Duration of procedure is the most affecting risk factor on paralysis, patients with mean duration of 270 minutes had higher risk of paralysis. Conclusion Prediction of paralysis post TEVAR is still difficult and data analysis showed that the duration of procedure is the only statistically significant variable that we can rely on.

Health Literacy Level of Patients Applying to Chest Diseases Outpatient Clinic and Related Factors: The Case of A Selected Training and Research Hospital

Health literacy is an important skill and capacity that affects individuals' ability to make decisions about their health and manage their health. It is associated with low health literacy, unnecessary outpatient clinic visits, high health expenditures, late diagnosis, and risky health behaviors. This research was conducted with 373 patients who applied to the Chest Diseases outpatient clinic of a training and research hospital in Istanbul. 20.4% (n=76) of the participants had low health literacy and 49.9% (n=186) had middle health literacy. According to the gender of the patients, while there was no significant difference in access to treatment health services, total score and self-efficacy subscale dimensions, the median of the health promotion subscale dimension was higher in women than in men and was found to be statistically significant. Statistically significant differences were found in access to treatment health services, health protection development, total score and self-efficacy subscale dimensions according to the educational status of the patients. Statistically significant differences were found in access to therapeutic health services, health promotion, total score and self-efficacy subscale dimensions according to the occupation of the patients. Health literacy level was found to be low in one out of every four patients. Gender, educational status and occupation were found to be effective on health literacy level.

Initial experience with a virtual atrial fibrillation clinic after pulmonary vein isolation

Abstract Introduction To detect recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF), a variety of methods are used, ranging from incidental electrocardiogram to rhythm monitoring with implantable loop recorders (ILRs). In clinical practice, routine use of ILRs is not feasible due to cost. Repeated (week)-Holters cause a considerable burden, both on patients and hospitals, and moreover are inadequate for detecting recurrent AF. Purpose To investigate whether remote monitoring (RM) is feasible in patients with AF after pulmonary vein isolation. Methods We set up a virtual AF clinic. Patients were equipped with a photopletysmography (PPG) application and asked to perform a recording when symptomatic. Recordings uploaded to the Hospital Electronic Patient Dossier and monitored by dedicated eNurses. The number of hospital contacts, hospital visits, electrocardiograms and Holter recordings were noted. Patient satisfaction and quality of life was measured by (validated) questionnaires. Comparisons were made with a historic control group from Jan-March 2019 with a traditional follow up of outpatient visits, electrocardiograms and Holters. Results 157 patients were studied, 78 in the RM group and 79 in the control group. Mean age was 63 ± 10 years, 64% male. AF was paroxysmal in 68% of patients. Follow-up was 1 year and completed in all patients. In the RM group, patients performed 16±29 recordings/year. AF was detected in 37 (47%) patients on RM. While more planned remote contacts were performed in the RM group, significantly less planned and unplanned outpatient clinic visits, AF-related hospital admissions, and Holters took place. Patients report a high satisfaction with this form of remote monitoring. Conclusions A virtual AF clinic is feasible. When asked to record when symptomatic, patients perform few measurements. Compared to patients with a traditional follow-up, patients on PPG-based RM need fewer hospital visits and admissions, and undergo fewer Holters. Patient satisfaction with RM is high.

Cluster Analysis and Ablation Success Rate in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Undergoing Catheter Ablation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a disease of high heterogeneity, and the association between AF phenotypes and the outcome of different catheter ablation strategies remains unclear. Conventional classification of AF (e.g. according to duration, atrial size, and thromboembolism risk) fails to provide reference for the optimal stratification of the prognostic risks or to guide individualized treatment plan. In recent years, research on machine learning has found that cluster analysis, an unsupervised data-driven approach, can uncover the intrinsic structure of data and identify clusters of patients with pathophysiological similarity. It has been demonstrated that cluster analysis helps improve the characterization of AF phenotypes and provide valuable prognostic information. In our cohort of AF inpatients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation, we used unsupervised cluster analysis to identify patient subgroups, to compare them with previous studies, and to evaluate their association with different suitable ablation patterns and outcomes. The participants were AF patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation at West China Hospital between October 2015 and December 2017. All participants were aged 18 years or older. They underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation during their hospitalization. They completed the follow-up process under explicit informed consent. Patients with AF of a reversible cause, severe mitral stenosis or prosthetic heart valve, congenital heart disease, new-onset acute coronary syndrome within three months prior to the surgery, or a life expectancy less than 12 months were excluded according to the exclusion criteria. The cohort consisted of 1102 participants with paroxysmal or persistent/long-standing persistent AF. Data on 59 variables representing demographics, AF type, comorbidities, therapeutic history, vital signs, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings, and laboratory findings were collected. Overall, data for the variables were rarely missing (<5%), and multiple imputation was used for correction of missing data. Follow-up surveys were conducted through outpatient clinic visits or by telephone. Patients were scheduled for follow-up with 12-lead resting electrocardiography and 24-hours Holter monitoring at 3 months and 6 months after the ablation procedure. Early ablation success was defined as the absence of documented AF, atrial flutter, or atrial tachycardia >30 seconds at 6-month follow-up. Hierarchical clustering was performed on the 59 baseline variables. All characteristic variables were standardized to have a mean of zero and a standard deviation of one. Initially, each patient was regarded as a separate cluster, and the distance between these clusters was calculated. Then, the Ward minimum variance method of clustering was used to merge the pair of clusters with the minimum total variance. This process continued until all patients formed one whole cluster. The "NbClust" package in R software, capable of calculating various statistical indices, including pseudo t2 index, cubic clustering criterion, silhouette index etc, was applied to determine the optimal number of clusters. The most frequently chosen number of clusters by these indices was selected. A heatmap was generated to illustrate the clinical features of clusters, while a tree diagram was used to depict the clustering process and the heterogeneity among clusters. Ablation strategies were compared within each cluster regarding ablation efficacy. Five statistically driven clusters were identified: 1) the younger age cluster (n=404), characterized by the lowest prevalence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular comorbidities but the highest prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (14.4%); 2) a cluster of elderly adults with chronic diseases (n=438), the largest cluster, showing relatively higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; 3) a cluster with high prevalence of sinus node dysfunction (n=160), with patients showing the highest prevalence of sick sinus syndrome and pacemaker implantation; 4) the heart failure cluster (n=80), with the highest prevalence of heart failure (58.8%) and persistent/long-standing persistent AF (73.7%); 5) prior coronary artery revascularization cluster (n=20), with patients of the most advanced age (median: 69.0 years old) and predominantly male patients, all of whom had prior myocardial infarction and coronary artery revascularization. Patients in cluster 2 achieved higher early ablation success with pulmonary veins isolation alone compared to extensive ablation strategies (79.6% vs. 66.5%; odds ratio [OR]=1.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28-3.03). Although extensive ablation strategies had a slightly higher success rate in the heart failure group, the difference was not statistically significant. This study provided a unique classification of AF patients undergoing catheter ablation by cluster analysis. Age, chronic disease, sinus node dysfunction, heart failure and history of coronary artery revascularization contributed to the formation of the five clinically relevant subtypes. These subtypes showed differences in ablation success rates, highlighting the potential of cluster analysis in guiding individualized risk stratification and treatment decisions for AF patients.

Rapid Access From Primary Care to a Multidisciplinary Clinic at Tertiary Care Improves Clinical Outcomes for Patients With Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Results From Diabetic Foot in Primary and Tertiary (DEFINITE) Care's Lower Extremity Amputation Prevention Program (LEAPP) Clinic.

Diabetic Foot in Primary and Tertiary (DEFINITE) Care is an inter-institutional, multidisciplinary team (MDT) program for patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) within a healthcare cluster in Singapore. This is one of our subgroup analyses within DEFINITE Care, assessing clinical outcomes of lower extremity amputation prevention program (LEAPP), a multidisciplinary diabetic foot clinic, and non-LEAPP patients within the program. From June 2020 to June 2022, 2798 patients within the DEFINITE cohort completed a minimum of 12-month follow up. Of these patients, 20.6% were managed by LEAPP, whereas 79.4% were non-LEAPP patients. Patients in the LEAPP cohort were older with co-existing metabolic conditions and complications of diabetes. Using non-LEAPP cohort as the reference group and after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, comorbidities, and medications, there was a significantly lower risk of death (odds ratio [OR] 0.60, P = .001) and composite major lower extremity amputation (LEA) or death (OR 0.66, P = .002) among LEAPP patients at 1 year with longer mean days from enrollment to minor LEA, major LEA, and death. The adjusted 1-year healthcare utilization outcomes for LEAPP patients demonstrated an increase in inpatient admissions, primary care polyclinic visits, hospital specialist outpatient clinic (SOC) visits and elective day surgery procedures. Despite the increased in inpatients admissions, cumulative hospital length of stay in LEAPP patients were lower. This subgroup analysis has demonstrated that the MDT approach to caring for patients with DFU in tertiary centers not only improves mortality by 40%, but also delayed the incidence of minor LEA, major LEA, and death.

SINGLE-PILL, TRIPLE ANTIHYPERTENSIVE THERAPY IN RURAL SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: PRELIMINARY EXPERIENCE

Objective: Arterial hypertension is worldwide the leading modifiable cardiovascular risk factor. Beside life-style changes, strong evidence supports the efficacy of pharmacological treatment in reducing the complications of hypertension. International guidelines have recommended single-pill, low-dose combinations as initial treatment strategy. We investigated whether management of hypertension through this approach is feasible and effective in a rural sub-Saharan Africa setting. Design and method: Diagnosis of hypertension was established over three sets of blood pressure measurements: during a community-based, house-to-house screening in 2020 and in 2022, and at the hypertension outpatient clinic. Blood pressure measurements were performed according to the ESH recommendations by trained personnel, using a validated, oscillometric device OMRON M7 IT-HEM-7322-E. In 98 individuals diagnosed to have arterial hypertension, once-daily, single-pill combination of olmesartan, amlodipine, and hydrochlorothiazide was prescribed at a dose suitable to their blood pressure values and clinical characteristics. They were instructed on its administration and potential side effects and encouraged towards lifestyle modifications. Treatment regimen was adjusted, if needed, at each outpatient clinic visit scheduled after 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks Results: 79 patients (aged 61 [53-70] years; median and interquartile range) strictly adhered to the treatment schedule, while overall 19 individuals dropped-out (aged 70 [65-80] years) because of different reasons. About 20% were tobacco smokers and nearly all consumed alcohol. Blood pressure was &lt;140/90 mm Hg after 4 weeks in 44 (56%), after 8 weeks in 62 (78%), after 12 weeks in 69 (87%), and after 16 weeks in 74 (94%) participants. Excellent tolerance was widely reported. Conclusions: Management of hypertension with once-daily, single-pill combination of olmesartan, amlodipine, and hydrochlorothiazide as initial treatment was feasible and effective also in a rural sub-Saharan setting, with very high rate of hypertension control in patients adherent to treatment. Our results provide real life evidence in favor of extensive implementation of single-pill combination therapy also in low- and middle-income countries where local Health Care Systems should include recommendation on their usage in national guidelines and should make them available also in rural and remote areas at low or no cost as reliable first-line treatment strategy

How pregnant women with diabetes experience telemonitoring of the fetal heart rate – An interview study

ObjectivesThe use of telemonitoring in healthcare is generally increasing. Women with complicated pregnancies are using telemonitoring as an alternative to conventional management, encompassing hospitalization or frequent outpatient clinic visits. However, there is sparse evidence on how pregnant women experience monitoring of their unborn babies at home. Women might feel uncomfortable with this responsibility, and moreover they might miss face-to-face contact with healthcare personnel. Study designThe study setting was a Danish hospital with a tertiary obstetric unit attending approximately 3400 births annually. A qualitative study design with interview as method included 11 pregnant women with type 1 diabetes or Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. This design was used to investigate how pregnant women with complicated pregnancies experienced telemonitoring of the fetus. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the pregnant women’s experiences of telemonitoring. ResultsWomen with type 1 diabetes or Gestational Diabetes Mellitus found the advantages of telemonitoring to outweigh the disadvantages. They experienced telemonitoring as time-saving and that telemonitoring decreased the level of stress. Moreover, telemonitoring supports positive collaboration with healthcare professionals.The women also experienced a lack of coordination of consultations between different departments at the hospital and challenges with timing, feedback, and technical issues. Moreover, the women requested an opportunity to discuss family formation and emotions. ConclusionsPregnant women with type 1 diabetes or Gestational Diabetes Mellitus benefit from the use of telemonitoring. To further improve the implementation and use of telemonitoring clinical implications, consider how timing and coordination of care, technical equipment, and feedback mechanisms could be improved.

The potential of volatile organic compounds to diagnose primary sclerosing cholangitis

IntroductionPrimary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by progressive inflammation and fibrosis of the bile ducts. PSC is a complex disease of largely unknown aetiology with a strong association with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Diagnosis, especially at early stage, is difficult and to date there is no diagnostic biomarker. The present study aimed to assess the diagnostic potential of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath to detect (early) PSC in an IBD population. MethodsBreath samples were obtained from 16 PSC, 47 PSC with IBD, and 53 IBD patients during outpatient clinic visit. Breath sampling was performed using the ReCIVA breath sampler and subsequently analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Random Forest modelling was performed to find discriminatory VOCs and create a predictive model that was tested using an independent test set. ResultsThe final model to discriminate PSC patients with or without IBD versus IBD only patients included twenty VOCs and achieved a sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating curve on the test set of 77%, 83%, and 0.84 respectively. Three VOCs (isoprene, 2-octanone and undecane) together correlated significantly to the Amsterdam-Oxford score for PSC disease prognosis. A sensitivity analysis showed stable results across early stage PSC including those with normal alkaline phosphatase levels, as well as further progressed PSC. ConclusionThe present study demonstrates that exhaled breath can distinguish PSC cases from IBD and has potential as a non-invasive clinical breath test for (early) PSC. Impact and ImplicationsPrimary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) is a complex chronic liver disease, which ultimately results in cirrhosis, liver failure, and death. Detection especially in early disease can be challenging, and therefore therapy typically starts when there is already some irreversible damage. The current study shows that metabolites in exhaled breath, so called Volatile Organic Compounds, hold promise to non-invasively detect PSC also at early stages.

A Novel Subcutaneous Furosemide Formulation for Outpatient Management of Heart Failure.

In patients with fluid overload and congestion, parenteral diuretic therapy is frequently utilized. However, administration of parenteral diuretic therapy commonly requires hospital admission or outpatient clinic visits. Furoscix (scPharmaceuticals, Burlington, MA), a subcutaneous formulation of furosemide designed for home use, offers new treatment possibilities with the potential for profound cost savings for patients and health systems. Currently, subcutaneous furosemide formulations have been studied in palliative care populations and outpatient clinics, however, new literature has evaluated utility in prescribing on discharge from the emergency department. This review aims to describe the pharmacokinetic profile and utilization of subcutaneous furosemide for treatment of congestion in patients with heart failure.

(701) - Home Spirometry Combined with Telehealth Reduces Lung Transplant Outpatient Clinic Visits and Patient Travel Costs Without Increasing Healthcare Utilization or Mortality

(701) - Home Spirometry Combined with Telehealth Reduces Lung Transplant Outpatient Clinic Visits and Patient Travel Costs Without Increasing Healthcare Utilization or Mortality

Characterization of Telerehabilitation Visits and Patient Satisfaction in Outpatient Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics From March 2020 to November 2021.

The aim of the study is to explore the usability of and satisfaction with telerehabilitation services provided to rehabilitation patients with various diagnoses at two large urban medical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a usability study and all patients that received telerehabilitation services from March 2020 to November 2021 were included. Of the 4070 surveys sent via mail or email links to REDCap, 405 were completed (10% response rate). Participants completed demographic surveys, surveys on the telerehabilitation visit characteristics, telerehabilitation usability, and overall satisfaction with the visit. Patients were mostly women (64.4%), White, non-Hispanic (74.3%), and English-speaking (99%). Most patients were seen via telerehabilitation due to COVID-19 restrictions (37.1%). Patients were generally satisfied with their telerehabilitation visit (3.64 out of 4). Additionally, patients generally found telerehab to be useful (6.4 out of 7), easy to use (6.3 out of 7), effective (6.2 out of 7), satisfactory (6.3 out of 7), and comparable to in-person visits (6.5 out of 7). Patients generally reported feeling satisfied and comfortable with telerehabilitation visits and felt that they were comparable to in-person visits. Future research should examine the impact of socioeconomic factors on telerehabilitation use, with a focus on education level and non-English speakers.

When all computers shut down: the clinical impact of a major cyber-attack on a general hospital.

Healthcare organizations operate in a data-rich environment and depend on digital computerized systems; thus, they may be exposed to cyber threats. Indeed, one of the most vulnerable sectors to hacks and malware is healthcare. However, the impact of cyberattacks on healthcare organizations remains under-investigated. This study aims to describe a major attack on an entire medical center that resulted in a complete shutdown of all computer systems and to identify the critical actions required to resume regular operations. This study was conducted on a public, general, and acute care referral university teaching hospital. We report the different recovery measures on various hospital clinical activities and their impact on clinical work. The system malfunction of hospital computers did not reduce the number of heart catheterizations, births, or outpatient clinic visits. However, a sharp drop in surgical activities, emergency room visits, and total hospital occupancy was observed immediately and during the first postattack week. A gradual increase in all clinical activities was detected starting in the second week after the attack, with a significant increase of 30% associated with the restoration of the electronic medical records (EMR) and laboratory module and a 50% increase associated with the return of the imaging module archiving. One limitation of the present study is that, due to its retrospective design, there were no data regarding the number of elective internal care hospitalizations that were considered crucial. The risk of ransomware cyberattacks is growing. Healthcare systems at all levels of the hospital should be aware of this threat and implement protocols should this catastrophic event occur. Careful evaluation of steady computer system recovery weekly enables vital hospital function, even under a major cyberattack. The restoration of EMR, laboratory systems, and imaging archiving modules was found to be the most significant factor that allowed the return to normal clinical hospital work.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices of parents regarding the red flags of developmental milestones in children aged 0–5 years in Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundDevelopmental delays in children are assessed in four basic domains: gross motor, fine motor, social, and language. Early years of life are crucial in a child’s development, so it is imperative that parents be aware of developmental milestones to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment in case of a developmental delay. This study assessed parental knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding children’s developmental milestones and associated “red flags”.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics at Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi. 390 parents, who had at least one child under 5 years of age, with no diagnosed developmental delay, were interviewed during outpatient clinic visits. The questionnaire consisted of three components to assess parental knowledge, attitude, and practices.Results59% and 54% of parents had poor knowledge of gross and fine motor milestones respectively; In the social domain, 56% of the respondents had inadequate knowledge. 42% had inadequate knowledge of language milestones; 29% of parents strongly agreed that their pediatricians provide satisfactory information regarding red flags of developmental milestones. 60% of parents strongly agreed that their child’s developmental delay would be a cause of concern for them. In the case of developmental delay, 55% of parents said they would consult a general pediatrician, 11% preferred a pediatric neurologist, 21% opted for a developmental pediatrician and 13% opted for a family physician. Residence and family systems were found to be associated with language-related milestones with significantly higher odds of knowledge among urban residents than rural ones and a significantly lower likelihood of language milestones knowledge among joint families than nuclear families. Female gender was found to be significantly associated with positive attitude.ConclusionThe majority of our respondents showed considerably poor knowledge regarding developmental milestones. This highlights the need to devise ways to educate parents on this subject to enable them to vigilantly monitor their child’s developmental status and any associated abnormalities and ultimately facilitate the right course of action.

The Global Hidradenitis Suppurativa Atlas Methodology: Combining Global Proportions in a Pooled Analysis

Introduction: Data concerning the global burden of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are limited. Reported prevalence estimates vary between 0.0003% and 4.1%, and data from various geographical regions are still to be collected. Previously reported prevalences have been limited by the methodological approach and source of data. This has resulted in great heterogeneity as prevalence data from physician-diagnosed cases poorly match those of self-reported apparent HS disease. Methods: The Global Hidradenitis Suppurativa Atlas (GHiSA) introduces an innovative approach to determine the global prevalence of HS. This approach involves using a previously validated questionnaire to screen apparently healthy adults accompanying a patient to a non-dermatological outpatient clinic visit in a hospital or a private/family medicine clinic. The screening questionnaire (i.e., the index test) is combined with a subsequent physician-based in-person validation (i.e., the reference standard) of the participants who screen positive. Approximately ten percent of the screen-negative participants are also clinically assessed to verify the diagnostic precision of the test. The local prevalence (pi) will be estimated from each country that submits the number of patients who are HS positive according to the index test and clinical examination (n), and the corresponding total number of observations (N). Conclusion: The GHiSA Global Prevalence studies are currently running simultaneously in 58 countries across six continents (Africa, Europe, Australia, North America, South America, and Asia). The goal of the combined global proportion is the generation of a single summary (i.e., proportional meta-analysis), which will be done after a logit transformation and synthesized using a random-effects model. The novel standardization of the Global Prevalence Studies conducted through GHiSA enables direct international comparisons, which were previously not possible due to substantial heterogeneity in past HS prevalence studies.