Patient-related Characteristics Research Articles

Mortality and Associated Variables of Full-mouth Extractions

Full-mouth extractions (FMEs) are common procedures that are classically performed electively due to caries and periodontal disease. Up to 17% of adults over the age of 65 and 2% of adults aged 20-64 in the United States are edentulous. At the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, approximately 250 FMEs are performed annually with nearly half performed on adults over the age of 50. There is currently an absence of data on this patient population and their overall outcomes. The authors hypothesize that FMEs are often performed on socioeconomically and medically vulnerable populations, thereby further compromising their conditions and potentially contributing to their demise. The authors aim to describe patient-related characteristics and document post-FME time to death.The authors performed a single-center retrospective chart review from July 1, 2012, to January 1, 2020. Inclusion criteria included all patients who underwent FME at the institution due to caries, periodontal disease, and non-restorable dentition. Patients were excluded if there were insufficient data or identifiers. Recorded data included demographics, medical insurance, medical history, and social history. The primary outcome variable was post-FME time to death. Patient mortality was identified through chart review and inquiry of the National Death Index, a database of the National Center for Health Statistics. Statistical analysis was performed with SASv9.4 and included simple descriptive statistics and multivariate survival analysis.A total of 1829 patients were included in the study; 976 were female. Median age was 49 (IQR 38-58); 65% identified as Caucasian and the remaining African-American. Insurance coverage included Medicaid (59%), Medicare (30%), and private insurance (10%). In total, 1709 patients were diagnosed with more than 1 comorbidity at the time of FME. The most prevalent were psychiatric illness (50%), diabetes mellitus (20%), coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure (16%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema (14%). Overall, 1072 patients (59%) were identified as current smokers, 690 (38%) as alcohol users, and 394 (22%) had a history of illicit drug use; 85 (5%) patients were nursing home residents. As of December 31, 2019, a total of 170 patients (9.3%) were identified as dead; 51% of deaths occurred within the first 2 years of the procedure, and 87% occurred within 5 years. Median time to death was 2.0 years (IQR 0.9-3.8) at a median age of 56 (IQR 46-63). Mortality rate was higher in nursing home residents at 29%. Post-FME predictors of mortality included male gender (P-value < .02), ASA score > 3 (P-value < .0001), liver disease (P-value < .05), and oncologic disease (P-value < .0003), collectively estimating a median time to death of 4.2 years.FME patients are typically medically disadvantaged and likely to be on Medicaid or Medicare. Approximately 1 in 10 FME patients died within 5 years of the procedure at the center. This may suggest that FME exposure can lead to serious deterioration, comorbidities or death. Further studies are currently underway at the institution to assess FME-related complication rates and quality of life improvement. The authors recommend thoughtful consideration to the overall implications of such a procedure on the well-being of patients rather than strict adherence to traditional indications.

Demographic, Clinical and Immunogenetic Profiles of a Greek Cohort of COVID-19 Patients.

The present cross-sectional study consists of a comprehensive analysis of epidemiological, laboratory, and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients in relation to their immunogenetic profiles. We studied 125 COVID-19 patients comprising different stages of disease severity; non-hospitalized (mild n = 69) and hospitalized (n = 56). Analysis of disease characteristics revealed no major differences between males and females of each group of patients while hospitalized patients were older and presented with comorbidities. A positive allele association was observed for HLA-DRB1*01 in total COVID-19 patients versus healthy controls. Subgrouping of COVID-19 patients in mild and hospitalized further identified a statistically significant increase in HLA-DRB1*01 in mild COVID-19 patients versus controls. The frequency of A*11, A*23, and DRB1*09 alleles was higher, while the frequency of C*12 was lower, in hospitalized patients versus healthy controls albeit with uncorrected statistical significance. The identification of specific allele associations may provide useful future markers for disease susceptibility in order to allow successful clinical management of COVID-19 patients.

Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulator Implantation in an Ambulatory Surgery Center Versus Hospital

Hypoglossal nerve stimulator (HGNS) implantation is highly effective in treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in select patient populations that are intolerant of continuous positive airway pressure. Implantation surgery is traditionally performed in hospital outpatient departments (HOPD) due to concern about anesthetic effects and airway manipulation in an OSA population. In this study, we examined complications and efficiency of HGNS implantation in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) versus HOPD. Retrospective cohort study. Patients with HGNS implantation performed between May 2015-January 2021 at our HOPD or ACS were included. Patient-related characteristics, surgical times, and postoperative complications were obtained via chart review. Reimbursement data on a national level for Medicare patients were calculated based on publicly available data from the Center for Medicare Services. Patient characteristics, surgical times, and complications were summarized as medians with interquartile ranges (IQRs) and proportions in each surgical setting group as appropriate. These were compared between surgical setting groups via Wilcoxon rank-sum testing and χ2 testing. A total of 122 patients were included. Patients in the HOPD group had significantly higher median apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (42.0 [IQR 27.9-51.0]) compared to the ASC group (31.0 [IQR 21.0-44.2], P=.005). The intervals between in-room and case start, case finish and out-of-room, and time in the postoperative area were significantly shorter in the ASC group compared to the HOPD group. Reimbursement on a national level was estimated at 18% lower for patients with surgery performed at the ASC. There was no significant difference in postoperative complications. HGNS implantation in an ASC is safe and more efficient than in a HOPD, and may also be more cost-effective. 3 Laryngoscope, 132:706-710, 2022.

Factors Influencing the Severity of Acute Radiation-Induced Skin and Mucosal Toxicity in Head and Neck Cancer.

Background and purposeRadiotherapy is a crucial part of cancer therapy armamentarium, but it is associated with skin and mucosal toxicity in a substantial proportion of patients with head and neck cancer. Its extent, however, depends on several patient-related and treatment-related factors. In-depth knowledge of these is prudent for better patient management.AimThe aim of this study is to assess the factors influencing the severity of acute radiation-induced skin and mucosal toxicity in patients with head and neck cancer receiving external beam radiotherapy.Materials and methodsThis longitudinal observational study included all patients receiving curative external beam radiotherapy for head and neck cancer aged 18 years or above from January 2018 to December 2018. Patient-related and treatment-related characteristics including age, gender, type, staging and site of cancer, history of smoking and diabetes, surface area exposed, and concurrent chemotherapy were compared in patients experiencing severe and non-severe acute skin and mucosal toxicity using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) scoring system.ResultsHigher age (p = 0.002), TNM stage IV (p = 0.023), and concurrent administration of chemotherapy (p = 0.002) were statistically associated with severe acute radiation-induced skin and mucosa toxicity, whereas gender, surface area irradiated, history of smoking, and diabetes did not show such an association.ConclusionOlder patients with TNM stage IV malignancy receiving concurrent chemotherapy are at a high risk of developing skin and mucosal toxicity that might interfere with the treatment protocol and warrant hospitalization, compromising their quality of life.

Endoscopic management of colorectal polyps: From benign to malignant polyps.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer related death in the world. The early detection and removal of CRC precursor lesions has been shown to reduce the incidence of CRC and cancer-related mortality. Endoscopic resection has become the first-line treatment for the removal of most precursor benign colorectal lesions and selected malignant polyps. Detailed lesion assessment is the first critical step in the evaluation and management of colorectal polyps. Polyp size, location and both macro- and micro- features provide important information regarding histological grade and endoscopic resectability. Benign polyps and even malignant polyps with superficial submucosal invasion and favorable histological features can be adequately removed endoscopically. When compared to surgery, endoscopic resection is associated with lower morbidity, mortality, and higher patient quality of life. Conversely, malignant polyps with deep submucosal invasion and/or high risk for lymph node metastasis will require surgery. From a practical standpoint, the most appropriate strategy for each patient will need to be individualized, based not only on polyp- and patient-related characteristics, but also on local resources and expertise availability. In this review, we provide a broad overview and present a potential decision tree algorithm for the evaluation and management of colorectal polyps that can be widely adopted into clinical practice.

Refining neoadjuvant therapy clinical trial design for muscle-invasive bladder cancer before cystectomy: a joint US Food and Drug Administration and Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network workshop.

The success of the use of novel therapies in the treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma has contributed to growing interest in evaluating these therapies at earlier stages of the disease. However, trials evaluating these therapies in the neoadjuvant setting must have clearly defined study elements and appropriately selected end points to ensure the applicability of the trial and enable interpretation of the study results. To advance the development of rational trial design, a public workshop jointly sponsored by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network convened in August 2019. Clinicians, clinical trialists, radiologists, biostatisticians, patients, advocates and other stakeholders discussed key elements and end points when designing trials of neoadjuvant therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), identifying opportunities to refine eligibility, design and end points for neoadjuvant trials in MIBC. Although pathological complete response (pCR) is already being used as a co-primary end point, both individual-level and trial-level surrogacy for time-to-event end points, such as event-free survival or overall survival, remain incompletely characterized in MIBC. Additionally, use of pCR is limited by heterogeneity in pathological evaluation and the fact that the magnitude of pCR improvement that might translate into a meaningful clinical benefit remains unclear. Given existing knowledge gaps, capture of highly granular patient-related, tumour-related and treatment-related characteristics in the current generation of neoadjuvant MIBC trials will be critical to informing the design of future trials.

Comprehensive characterization of endometriosis patients and disease patterns in a large clinical cohort

PurposeIn many diseases, it is possible to classify a heterogeneous group into subgroups relative to tumor biology, genetic variations, or clinical and pathological features. No such classification is available for endometriosis. In our retrospective case–case analysis we defined subgroups of endometriosis patients relative to the type and location of the endometriosis lesion and relative to basic patient characteristics.MethodsFrom June 2013 to July 2017, a total of 1576 patients with endometriosis diagnosed at surgery were included in this study. The patients’ history and clinical data were documented using a web-based remote data entry system. To build subgroups, all possible combinations of endometriosis locations/types (peritoneal; ovarian endometriosis; deeply infiltrating endometriosis; adenomyosis) were used. Due to the variation in group sizes, they were combined into five substantial larger groups.ResultsAge, pregnancy rate, and live birth rate were identified as characteristics that significantly differed between the five patient groups that were defined. No significant differences were noted in relation to body mass index, length of menstrual cycle, age at menarche, reason for presentation, or educational level.ConclusionThis study describes basic patient characteristics in relation to common clinical subgroups in a large clinical cohort of endometriosis patients. Epidemiological information about different clinical groups may be helpful in identifying groups with specific clinical courses, potentially suggesting novel approaches to early detection and to surgical and systemic treatment.

Long-term effectiveness and drug survival of golimumab in patients affected by psoriatic arthritis with cutaneous involvement

ObjectivesTo determine the effectiveness of golimumab (GLM) in improving joint, periarticular structures and cutaneous manifestations in patients with moderate to severe psoriatic arthritis (PsA) with cutaneous psoriasis in different real-life clinical settings and 48-month drug survival.MethodsClinical and laboratory records were collected from PsA patients treated with GLM at baseline (T0) and after 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 months of treatment. Comparisons were performed using a paired t-test or Wilcoxon test. Drug survival rates were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier estimates. p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsData from 105 patients were collected. PsO occurred in 80% of patients and enthesitis in 78%, peripheral and axial arthritis in 63.8% and 35.3%, respectively, while erosions in 36.2%. The main comorbidities were cardiovascular diseases (31.4%) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) (19%). A statistically significant improvement in articular and cutaneous psoriasis was registered at T48 of GLM-therapy in clinical (DAPSA p < 0.0001; PASI p < 0.01; BASDAI p < 0.0001) and laboratory (CRP < 0.05) indexes. Gender (p = 0.652), BMI (p = 0.655), smoking habit (p = 0.466), and line of treatment (p = 0.208) did not affect treatment efficacy nor persistence. At T48, 42% of patients discontinued GLM: the most frequent reason was an insufficient response or loss of efficacy (28.6%).ConclusionA 48-month GLM high drug persistence of PsA patients was observed in real-life, in patients presenting high disease activity, elevated prevalence of comorbidities, and more than one line of treatment at baseline. Patients’ characteristics as gender, smoke, BMI, different lines of treatment, and concomitant methotrexate treatment affected treatment persistence, making GLM effective and safe in moderate-severe PsA in a long-term real-life setting.Key Points• Golimumab was effective in psoriatic arthritis, including both musculoskeletal and cutaneous manifestations. • Golimumab effectiveness and drug survival were not affected by comorbidities and patient-related characteristics. • The 4-year drug survival curves confirm the efficacy and safety of golimumab in psoriatic arthritis patients in a real-life setting.

Epilepsy and Pregnancy: An Audit of Specialized Care.

Caring for women with epilepsy (WWE) during pregnancy poses unique challenges. We conducted an audit of the care our epilepsy clinic provided to pregnant WWE. We performed a retrospective study on all pregnancies followed by an epileptologist at a Canadian tertiary care centre's epilepsy clinic between January 2003 and March 2021. Among 81 pregnancies in 53 patients, 72 pregnancies in 50 patients were analyzed to determine patient-related, follow-up-related, antiseizure-medication-related, and child-related pregnancy characteristics. Univariate analyses were performed to explore if these characteristics were associated with disabling seizure occurrence during pregnancy. Most pregnancies were intended (72%) and occurred in women who used folic acid pre-pregnancy (76%) and who followed recommended blood tests for antiseizure medication (ASM) levels (71%). In 49% of pregnancies, ASM dosage was modified; 53% of these modifications were made in response to ASM blood levels. Most often used ASMs were lamotrigine (43%), followed by carbamazepine (32%) and levetiracetam (13%). One child was born with a thyroglossal duct cyst; our congenital malformation rate was thus 2%. Disabling seizures occurred in 24% of pregnancies. Exploratory analyses suggested that disabling seizure occurrence during pregnancy was associated with younger patient age (p = 0.018), higher number of ASMs used during pregnancy (p = 0.048), lamotrigine usage in polytherapy (p = 0.008), and disabling seizure occurrence pre-pregnancy (p = 0.027). This Canadian audit provides an in-depth description of pregnancies benefiting from specialized epilepsy care. Our results suggest an association between disabling seizure occurrence during pregnancy and lamotrigine usage in polytherapy that warrants further evaluation.

Development of prognostic models for Health-Related Quality of Life following traumatic brain injury

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of impairments affecting Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). We aimed to identify predictors of and develop prognostic models for HRQoL following TBI.MethodsWe used data from the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury (CENTER-TBI) Core study, including patients with a clinical diagnosis of TBI and an indication for computed tomography presenting within 24 h of injury. The primary outcome measures were the SF-36v2 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health component summary scores and the Quality of Life after Traumatic Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) total score 6 months post injury. We considered 16 patient and injury characteristics in linear regression analyses. Model performance was expressed as proportion of variance explained (R2) and corrected for optimism with bootstrap procedures.Results2666 Adult patients completed the HRQoL questionnaires. Most were mild TBI patients (74%). The strongest predictors for PCS were Glasgow Coma Scale, major extracranial injury, and pre-injury health status, while MCS and QOLIBRI were mainly related to pre-injury mental health problems, level of education, and type of employment. R2 of the full models was 19% for PCS, 9% for MCS, and 13% for the QOLIBRI. In a subset of patients following predominantly mild TBI (N = 436), including 2 week HRQoL assessment improved model performance substantially (R2 PCS 15% to 37%, MCS 12% to 36%, and QOLIBRI 10% to 48%).ConclusionMedical and injury-related characteristics are of greatest importance for the prediction of PCS, whereas patient-related characteristics are more important for the prediction of MCS and the QOLIBRI following TBI.

A population-based survey of patients’ experiences with teleconsultations in cancer care in Denmark during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, teleconsultations (TC) have been increasingly used in cancer care as an alternative to outpatient visits. We aimed to examine patient-related and cancer-specific characteristics associated with experiences with TC among patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods This population-based survey included patients with breast, lung, gastrointestinal, urological, and gynaecological cancers with appointments in the outpatient clinics, Department of Clinical Oncology and Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, Denmark in March and April 2020. Age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression analyses were used to study associations of sociodemographics, cancer and general health, anxiety, and health literacy with patients’ experiences of TC in regards to being comfortable with TC, confident that the doctor could provide information or assess symptoms/side effects and the perceived outcome of TC. Results Of the 2119 patients with cancer receiving the electronic survey, 1160 (55%) participated. Two thirds of patients (68%) had consultations with a doctor changed to TC. Being male, aged 65–79 years, and having TC for test results were statistically significantly associated with more comfort, confidence, and perceived better outcome of TC. Having breast cancer, anxiety, low health literacy, or TC for a follow-up consultation were statistically significantly associated with less positive experiences with TC. Living alone, short education, disability pension, and comorbidity were statistically significantly associated with anxiety and low health literacy. Conclusions Most patients reported positive experiences with TC, but in particular patients with anxiety and low health literacy, who were also the patients with fewest socioeconomic and health resources, felt less comfortable and confident with and were more likely to perceive the outcome negatively from this form of consultation. TC may be suitable for increasing integration into standard cancer care but it should be carefully planned to meet patients’ different information needs in order not to increase social inequality in cancer.

Analysis of Factors Associated With Length of Stay of Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits.

Introduction and Objective: Emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) is an important indicator of the quality of care in ED and is associated with patients’ outcomes and healthcare costs. However, there is limited data on how the patient characteristics affect the ED LOS of opioid-related visits. This study aims to identify and quantify the effect of patient-related characteristics on LOS of opioid-related ED visits.Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of electronic health records (EHR) of patients with diagnoses of opioid abuse. The study included patients with a diagnosis of opioid abuse who visited the ED at Christiana Care Hospital from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018 (N=5,661). The opioid-related visits were identified using ICD-10 diagnosis codes. We used accelerated failure time (AFT) models, a time-to-event analysis approach to evaluate the relationships of different patient characteristics with ED LOS.Results: The mean age of the study population was 39 years. The study population had 40% female, 20% Black/African American, and 5% Hispanic or Latino. The prevalence of co-use of cocaine and co-use of alcohol was 11%, and 9%, respectively. Also, 58% had mental health comorbidity, and 1% were homeless. The distribution of ED LOS was right-skewed with a median of 4.3 (IQR: 2.6, 6.8). Co-use of alcohol (time ratio, TR: 1.31, CI: 1.23-1.40), co-use of cocaine (TR: 1.18, CI: 1.11-1.25), the presence of mental health comorbidity (TR: 1.05, CI 1.01-1.09), and homelessness (TR: 1.57, CI: 1.32-1.86) were associated with increased ED LOS.Conclusions: Co-use of alcohol, co-use of cocaine, homelessness, and mental health comorbidity are associated with the longer LOS of opioid-related ED visits.

Risk factors for symptomatic hardware removal after plate fixation of olecranon fractures: a retrospective chart review

Background: Risk factors for removal of symptomatic hardware after plate fixation of olecranon fractures are not well defined. We examined patient, fracture, and surgical characteristics in relation to hardware removal for symptomatic instrumentation after plate and screw fixation of isolated olecranon fractures in adults. Methods: Eighty-four patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of isolated olecranon fractures with a plate and screw construct were analyzed retrospectively. Those with subsequent hardware removal for symptomatic hardware were identified. Charts and radiographs were reviewed to gather patient, fracture, and surgical characteristics in relation to management of their olecranon fracture. Univariate analysis was performed to test for statistical significance between groups. Results: Seventeen of 84 patients (20.2%) underwent hardware removal for symptomatic instrumentation at an average of 326 days after ORIF. Compared to patients who retained hardware, those who underwent removal trended younger (40.0 vs. 49.4 yr, P=0.076), had a higher percentage of one particular plate design (35% vs. 8%, P=0.026), and had their plate fixated an average of 1.3 mm farther from the olecranon tip (3.4 vs. 2.1 mm; P=0.011). There was an 8.2 times increased likelihood of hardware removal for plates that were placed more than 2 mm from the olecranon tip [1.7 to 38.7, 95% confidence interval (CI); P=0.003]. Conclusions: This study resulted in approximately 20% rate of symptomatic hardware necessitating removal. Patients who request removal tend to be younger. Fixating the plate closer to the olecranon tip may decrease the incidence of symptomatic hardware and need for subsequent removal. Level of Evidence: Level III.

Pre-existing osteoarthritis remains a key feature of arthroscopy patients who convert to total hip arthroplasty

ObjectivesTo determine the rate of conversion to total hip arthroplasty following ipsilateral hip arthroscopy by a single surgeon in New Zealand and to describe patient-related and surgical characteristics of patients who converted.MethodsA retrospective cohort analysis of hip arthroscopy patients with 2 years of minimum follow-up identified the total hip arthroplasty conversion rate using the New Zealand National Joint Registry. Prospective data collected from patients who subsequently converted to hip arthroplasty included: sex, age at arthroscopy, body mass index, side of hip arthroscopy and arthroplasty, duration of symptoms and patient-reported outcome measures. Imaging (Tönnis grade and lateral centre-edge angle) and surgical findings (labral, ligamentum teres and osteochondral pathology) along with the arthroscopic procedures performed were also documented.ResultsSixty-six out of 1856 (3.56%) primary hip arthroscopies were followed by an ipsilateral hip arthroplasty during the follow-up period (mean 87±29 months). Most patients had pre-existing osteoarthritis and/or chondral lesions (n=51). Dysplasia and over-resection of the acetabulum were also identified as contributing factors.ConclusionConversion rate by a high-volume surgeon in New Zealand was relatively low. Most patients had pre-existing osteoarthritis and/or chondral lesions that became apparent at arthroscopy. Dysplasia is also a factor to be cautious of when selecting patients for arthroscopy. Acetabular resection must be approached cautiously.Level of evidenceLevel IV.

Diagnostic Time Lag of Pediatric Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and Patient Characteristics: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

The difficulties and challenges of applying the HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria to early identification and diagnosis of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis have been fully addressed in previous studies. However, the distribution of the diagnostic time lag of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and related patient characteristics remain unclear. This study investigated the time lags between symptom onset and diagnosis and between hospital admission and diagnosis among pediatric patients with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, and identified factors that associated with a shorter or longer diagnostic time lag. The cohort of patients with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis was drawn from a tertiary children's hospital and consisted of 122 pediatric patients. The distributions of symptom-to-diagnosis and admission-to-diagnosis time lags were assessed. Clinical characteristics within 48 h of admission and the fulfillment of HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria were compared among admission-to-diagnosis time lag categories. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with an admission-to-diagnosis time lag >3 days. The median interval from first symptom onset to HLH diagnosis was 12 days (range 4–71 days) and the median interval from hospital admission to HLH diagnosis was 2 days (range 0–23 days). The following factors were negatively associated with admission-to-diagnosis > 3 days: Epstein–Barr virus infection; admission through pediatric intensive care unit; diagnosis established without NK-cell activity and soluble CD25 tests; the performance of all readily available diagnostic tests for HLH (within 48 and 72 h); concurrent fever, splenomegaly, and cytopenias within 48 h; hemophagocytosis, hypertriglyceridemia and/or hypofibrinogenemia within 48 h; and elevated ferritin, total bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, and prothrombin time within 48 h. Our findings suggest that performance of adequate diagnostic tests for HLH is essential for early diagnosis of HLH. Once suspected, immediate and adequate diagnostic tests for HLH should be arranged for PICU patients. Improvements in diagnostic procedures and monitoring plans are needed to promote early diagnosis of HLH.

The Clinical Significance of DJ1 and L1CAM Serum Level Monitoring in Patients with Endometrial Cancer.

Circulating tumor markers are not routinely used in patients with endometrial cancer (EC). This pilot study evaluated the role of monitoring new biomarkers DJ1 and L1CAM, in correlation with CA125 and HE4, for the effects of anticancer treatment and preoperative management in EC patients. Serial serum levels of DJ1, L1CAM, CA125 and HE4 were collected in 65 enrolled patients. Serum DJ1, L1CAM, CA125 and HE4 levels were significantly higher at the time of diagnosis compared to those measured during follow-up (FU). In patients with recurrent disease, serum DJ1, CA125 and HE4 levels were significantly higher at the time of recurrence compared to levels in disease-free patients. Serum L1CAM levels were also higher in patients with recurrence but without reaching statistical significance. While DJ1 levels were not affected by any of the observed patient-related characteristics, L1CAM levels were significantly higher in patients with age ≥60 years who were overweight. At the time of EC diagnosis, DJ1 and L1CAM serum levels did not correlate with stage, histological type or risk of recurrence. This is a preliminary description of the potential of serial DJ1 and L1CAM serum level measurement for monitoring the effects of treatment in EC patients.

Exploring prevalence of wound infections and related patient characteristics in homecare using natural language processing.

We aimed to create and validate a natural language processing algorithm to extract wound infection‐related information from nursing notes. We also estimated wound infection prevalence in homecare settings and described related patient characteristics. In this retrospective cohort study, a natural language processing algorithm was developed and validated against a gold standard testing set. Cases with wound infection were identified using the algorithm and linked to Outcome and Assessment Information Set data to identify related patient characteristics. The final version of the natural language processing vocabulary contained 3914 terms and expressions related to the presence of wound infection. The natural language processing algorithm achieved overall good performance (F‐measure = 0.88). The presence of wound infection was documented for 1.03% (n = 602) of patients without wounds, for 5.95% (n = 3232) of patients with wounds, and 19.19% (n = 152) of patients with wound‐related hospitalisation or emergency department visits. Diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and skin ulcer were significantly associated with wound infection among homecare patients. Our findings suggest that nurses frequently document wound infection‐related information. The use of natural language processing demonstrated that valuable information can be extracted from nursing notes which can be used to improve our understanding of the care needs of people receiving homecare. By linking findings from clinical nursing notes with additional structured data, we can analyse related patients' characteristics and use them to develop a tailored intervention that may potentially lead to reduced wound infection‐related hospitalizations.

Pronator Quadratus Repair Does Not Affect Reoperation Rates Following Volar Locking Plate Fixation of Distal Radius Fractures.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of pronator quadratus (PQ) repair on reoperation rates after distal radius open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) using a volar locking plate. A retrospective study of all patients undergoing distal radius ORIF with a volar locking plate between January 2012 and December 2016 at 2 urban, academic level I trauma centers was performed. Patient demographics, fracture and procedure characteristics, surgeon subspecialty, PQ repair, and reoperations were recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to determine whether patient-related or injury-related characteristics were associated with PQ repair. Bivariate and multivariable regression analyses were used to assess the effect of PQ repair on subsequent reoperations. In total, 509 patients were included, including 31 patients with bilateral injuries. The average follow-up time was 3.7 ± 2.8 years. Patients undergoing PQ repair were younger (57 ± 17 years vs 61 ± 17 years) and were more likely to have a lower Soong grade (53% vs 44% with Soong grade 0) than patients without PQ repair. Pronator quadratus repair was not found to have a significant impact on hardware removal, reoperations for flexor tendon pathology, or overall reoperations. Pronator quadratus repair was more commonly performed in younger patients and in patients with a lower Soong grade. Hand-subspecialized surgeons are more likely to pursue PQ repair than trauma-subspecialized surgeons. This study did not detect statistically significant differences in hardware removal, flexor tendon pathology, or overall reoperations between groups.

Toward the Development of a Comprehensive Clinically Oriented Patient Profile: A Systematic Review of the Purpose, Characteristic, and Methodological Quality of Classification Systems of Adult Spinal Deformity.

BACKGROUNDExisting adult spinal deformity (ASD) classification systems are based on radiological parameters but management of ASD patients requires a holistic approach. A comprehensive clinically oriented patient profile and classification of ASD that can guide decision-making and correlate with patient outcomes is lacking.OBJECTIVETo perform a systematic review to determine the purpose, characteristic, and methodological quality of classification systems currently used in ASD.METHODSA systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science for literature published between January 2000 and October 2018. From the included studies, list of classification systems, their methodological measurement properties, and correlation with treatment outcomes were analyzed.RESULTSOut of 4470 screened references, 163 were included, and 54 different classification systems for ASD were identified. The most commonly used was the Scoliosis Research Society-Schwab classification system. A total of 35 classifications were based on radiological parameters, and no correlation was found between any classification system levels with patient-related outcomes. Limited evidence of limited quality was available on methodological quality of the classification systems. For studies that reported the data, intraobserver and interobserver reliability were good (kappa = 0.8).CONCLUSIONThis systematic literature search revealed that current classification systems in clinical use neither include a comprehensive set of dimensions relevant to decision-making nor did they correlate with outcomes. A classification system comprising a core set of patient-related, radiological, and etiological characteristics relevant to the management of ASD is needed.

P466 Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis in the modern era: biologic therapy-exposed patients and salvage therapy with intensified infliximab

Abstract Background Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis (ASUC) is still associated with significant morbidity and risk of colectomy, almost 70 years since the landmark study of Truelove-Witts established steroid efficacy and 15 years since the Järnerot study introduced infliximab as an effective rescue therapy. It remains unclear if management of ASUC in the modern era (biologic-exposed patients and intensified infliximab regimens) leads to different outcomes. Methods A retrospective review of all recently hospitalized ASUC patients was performed. We aimed to compare rates of colectomy, response to steroids, and response to salvage infliximab in bio-naive and bio-exposed patients. Intensified infliximab was used as salvage therapy: 10 mg/kg infusions, aiming a trough level of at least 10 μg/ml at Week 10. We also tried to identify disease and patient related characteristics predictive of colectomy or response to medical therapy. Results 50 patients were included (male 66%, mean age: 47.4 years) and followed up for a mean of 24.2 months. 24 patients (48%) experienced ASUC while on biologic therapy: 11 on infliximab, 6 on vedolizumab, 5 on adalimumab, 2 on golimumab. Endoscopy showed deep ulcers at 23 patients (47%). Fecal calprotectin was &amp;gt; 1800 ng/ml in all patients. Half the patients (25) received rescue therapy with Infliximab due to steroid refractoriness. Eleven patients (22%) underwent colectomy, 2 (4%) of which during the index hospitalization. Although colectomy rates were similar among bio-naïve and bio-exposed (20% vs 25%, p:0.675), bio-exposed patients were more refractory to steroids (0dds Ratio:3.6 ;95% CI:1.01–13.2, p:0.047). Response to rescue infliximab was similar (Odds Ratio:0.45 ;95% CI:0.13–1.5, p:0.215), even in patients failing standard dosed infliximab. High CRP levels (4.89 mg/dl vs 2.64 mg/dl, p:0.014) and low albumin levels (3.4 g/dl vs 3.9 g/dl, p:0.013) were predictive of colectomy in contrast to endoscopic severity and disease extent. Conclusion ASUC remains a therapeutic challenge in the modern era, with considerable refractoriness to medical therapy and colectomy risk: 50% of our group of ASUC patients responded to steroids and 22% underwent colectomy within two years of follow-up. High inflammatory burden, depicted by high CRP values and hypoalbuminemia can predict need for colectomy. Bio-exposed patients were more refractory to steroids but they showed comparable response to intensified infliximab, so they can be managed in the same way, at least until therapy with small molecules proves more efficient by future studies.