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In many systems, patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes experience delays in transport to thrombectomy-capable centers. This pilot study examined use of a novel emergency medical services (EMS) protocol to expedite transfer of patients with LVOs to a comprehensive stroke center (CSC). From October 1, 2020 to February 22, 2021, Indianapolis EMS piloted a protocol, in which paramedics, after transporting a patient with a possible stroke remained at the patient's bedside until released by the emergency department or neurology physician. In patients with possible LVO, EMS providers remained at the bedside until the clinical assessment and CT angiography (CTA) were complete. If indicated, the paramedics at bedside transferred the patient, via the same ambulance, to a nearby thrombectomy-capable CSC with which an automatic transfer agreement had been arranged. This five-month mixed methods study included case-control assessment of use of the protocol, number of transfers, safety during transport, and time saved in transfer compared to emergent transfers via conventional interfacility transfer agencies. In qualitative analysis EMS providers, and ED physicians and neurologists at both sending and receiving institutions, completed e-mail surveys on the process, and offered suggestions for process improvement. Responses were coded with an inductive content analysis approach. The protocol was used 42 times during the study period; four patients were found to have LVOs and were transferred to the CSC. There were no adverse events. Median time from decision-to-transfer to arrival at the CSC was 27.5 minutes (IQR 24.5–29.0), compared to 314.5 minutes (IQR 204.0–459.3) for acute non-stroke transfers during the same period. Major themes of provider impressions included: incomplete awareness of the protocol, smooth process, challenges when a stroke alert was activated after EMS left the hospital, greater involvement of EMS in patient care, and comments on communication and efficiency. This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility, safety, and efficiency of a novel approach to expedite endovascular therapy for patients with LVOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have reported COVID-19 as an independent risk factor for arterial thromboemboli. Methods: From a cross-sectional sample, we determined the incidence and location of arterial thromboemboli (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, peripheral artery), stratified by COVID-19 status, in the RECOVER database, which included data on patients at 45 United States medical centers in 22 states. Epidemiological factors, clinical characteristics and outcomes were collected through a combination of individual chart review and automatic electronic query and recorded in REDCap®. We investigated the association of baseline comorbidities on the development of arterial thromboemboli and analyzed results based on the presence or absence of concomitant COVID-19 infection, testing this association with Chi-squared. We also described use of anticoagulants and statins. Results: Data were collected on 26,974 patients, of which 13,803 (51.17%) tested positive for COVID-19. Incidence of arterial thromboemboli during hospitalization was 0.13% in patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and 0.19% in patients who tested negative. Arterial thromboemboli tended to be more common in extremities than in core organs (heart, kidney, lung, liver) in patients with COVID-19, odds ratio 2.04 (95% CI 0.707 – 5.85). Patients with COVID-19 were less likely to develop an arterial thrombus when on baseline statin medication (p=0.014). Presence of metabolic syndrome predicted presence of core arterial thrombus (p=0.001) and extremity arterial thrombus (p=0.010) in those with COVID-19. Arterial thromboemboli were less common in patients with COVID-19 than in those who tested negative for COVID-19. Conclusions: Presence of a composite metabolic syndrome profile may be associated with arterial clot formation in patients with COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We described the change in drug overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic in one urban emergency medical services (EMS) system. Data was collected from Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis), including EMS calls for service (CFS) for suspected overdose, CFS in which naloxone was administered, and fatal overdose data from the County Coroner's Office. With two sample t tests and ARIMA time series forecasting, we showed changes in the daily rates of calls (all EMS CFS, overdose CFS, and CFS in which naloxone was administered) before and after the stay-at-home order in Indianapolis. We further showed differences in the weekly rate of overdose deaths. Overdose CFS and EMS naloxone administration showed an increase with the social isolation of the Indiana stay-at-home order, but a continued increase after the stay-at-home order was terminated. Despite a mild 4% increase in all EMS CFS, overdose CFS increased 43% and CFS with naloxone administration increased 61% after the stay-at-home order. Deaths from drug overdoses increased by 47%. There was no change in distribution of age, race/ethnicity, or zip code of those who overdosed after the stay-at-home order was issued. We hope this data informs policy-makers preparing for future COVID-19 responses and other disaster responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Opioids contributed to over 300,000 deaths in the United States in the past 10 years. Most research on drug use occurs in clinics or hospitals; few studies have evaluated the impact of opioid use on emergency medical services (EMS) or the EMS response to opioid use disorder (OUD). This study describes the perceived burden of disease, data collection, and interventions in California local EMS agencies (LEMSA). Methods: We surveyed medical directors of all 33 California LEMSAs with 25 multiple-choice and free-answer questions. Results were collected in RedCap and downloaded into Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond WA). This study was exempt from review by the Alameda Health System - Highland Hospital Institutional Review Board. Results: Of the 33 California LEMSAs, 100% responded, all indicating that OUD significantly affects their patients. Most (91%) had specific protocols directing care of those patients and repeat naloxone dosing. After naloxone administration, none permitted release to law enforcement custody, 6% permitted patient refusal of care, and 45% directed base hospital contact for refusal of care. Few protocols directed screening or treatment of OUD or withdrawal symptoms. Regular data collection occurred in 76% of LEMSAs, with only 48% linking EMS data with hospital or coroner outcomes. In only 30% did the medical director oversee regular quality improvement meetings. Of respondents, 64% were aware of public health agency-based outreach programs and 42% were aware of emergency department BRIDGE programs (Medication Assisted Treatment and immediate referral). Only 9% oversaw naloxone kit distribution (all under the medical director), and 6% had EMS-based outreach programs. In almost all (94%), law enforcement officers carried naloxone and administered it anywhere from a few times a year to greater than 200 in one LEMSA. Conclusion: This study represents an important description of EMS medical directors' approaches to the impact of OUD as well as trends in protocols and interventions to treat and prevent overdoses. Through this study, we can better understand the variable response to patients with OUD across California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Resuscitation of cardiac arrest involves invasive and traumatic interventions and places a large burden on limited EMS resources. Our aim was to identify prehospital cardiac arrests for which resuscitation is extremely unlikely to result in survival to hospital discharge.Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of all cardiac arrests in San Mateo County, California, for which paramedics were dispatched, from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018, using the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) database. We described characteristics of patients, arrests, and EMS responses, and used recursive partitioning to develop decision rules to identify arrests unlikely to survive to hospital discharge, or to survive with good neurologic function.Results: From 2015-2018, 1750 patients received EMS dispatch for cardiac arrest in San Mateo County. We excluded 44 patients for whom resuscitation was terminated due to DNR directives. Median age was 69 years (IQR 57-81), 563 (33.0%) patients were female, 816 (47.8%) had witnessed arrests, 651 (38.2%) received bystander CPR, 421 (24.7%) had an initial shockable rhythm, and 1178 (69.1%) arrested at home. A simple rule (non-shockable initial rhythm, unwitnessed arrest, and age 80 or greater) excludes 223 (13.1%) arrests, of whom none survived to hospital discharge.Conclusion: A simple decision rule (non-shockable rhythm, unwitnessed arrest, age ≥ 80) identifies arrests for which resuscitation is futile. If validated, this rule could be applied by EMS policymakers to identify cardiac arrests for which the trauma and expense of resuscitation are extremely unlikely to result in survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Assessment for pulmonary embolism (PE) in the emergency department (ED) remains complex, involving clinical decision tools, blood tests, and imaging.Objective: Our objective was to examine the test characteristics of the high-sensitivity d-dimer for the diagnosis of PE at our institution and evaluate use of the d-dimer and factors associated with a falsely elevated d-dimer.Methods: We retrospectively collected data on adult patients evaluated with a d-dimer and computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiogram or ventilation perfusion scan at two EDs between June 4, 2012 and March 30, 2016. We collected symptoms (dyspnea, unilateral leg swelling, hemoptysis), vital signs, and medical and social history (cancer, recent surgery, medications, history of deep vein thrombosis or PE, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking). We calculated test characteristics, including sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios for the assay using conventional threshold and with age adjustment, and performed a univariate analysis.Results: We found 3523 unique visits with d-dimer and imaging, detecting 198 PE. Imaging was pursued on 1270 patients with negative d-dimers, revealing 9 false negatives, and d-dimer was sent on 596 patients for whom negative Pulmonary Embolism Rule-Out Criteria (PERC) were documented with 2% subsequent radiographic detection of PE. The d-dimer showed a sensitivity of 95.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 91-98%), specificity of 40.0% (95% CI 38-42%), negative likelihood ratio of 0.11 (95% CI 0.06-0.21), and positive likelihood ratio of 1.59 (95% CI 1.53-1.66) for the radiographic detection of PE. With age adjustment, 347 of the 2253 CT scans that were pursued in patients older than 50 years with an elevated d-dimer could have been avoided without missing any additional PE. Many risk factors, such as age, history of PE, recent surgery, shortness of breath, tachycardia and hypoxia, elevated the d-dimer, regardless of the presence of PE.Conclusions: Many patients with negative d-dimer and PERC still received imaging. Our data support the use of age adjustment, and perhaps adjustment for other factors seen in patients evaluated for PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the United States, emergency medical services (EMS) protocols vary widely across jurisdictions. We sought to develop evidence-based recommendations for the prehospital evaluation and treatment of a patient with a suspected stroke and to compare these recommendations against the current protocols used by the 33 EMS agencies in the state of California. Methods: We performed a literature review of the current evidence in the prehospital treatment of a patient with a suspected stroke and augmented this review with guidelines from various national and international societies to create our evidence-based recommendations. We then compared the stroke protocols of each of the 33 EMS agencies for consistency with these recommendations. The specific protocol components that we analyzed were the use of a stroke scale, blood glucose evaluation, use of supplemental oxygen, patient positioning, 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and cardiac monitoring, fluid assessment and intravenous access, and stroke regionalization. Results: Protocols across EMS agencies in California varied widely. Most used some sort of stroke scale with the majority using the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS). All recommended the evaluation of blood glucose with the level for action ranging from 60 to 80mg/dL. Cardiac monitoring was recommended in 58% and 33% recommended an ECG. More than half required the direct transport to a primary stroke center and 88% recommended hospital notification. Conclusion: Protocols for a patient with a suspected stroke vary widely across the state of California. The evidence-based recommendations that we present for the prehospital diagnosis and treatment of this condition may be useful for EMS medical directors tasked with creating and revising these protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endothelial and mural cell interactions are vitally important for proper formation and function of blood vessels. These two cell types communicate to regulate multiple aspects of vessel function. In studying genes regulated by this interaction, we identified apolipoprotein D (APOD) as one gene that is downregulated in mural cells by coculture with endothelial cells. APOD is a secreted glycoprotein that has been implicated in governing stress response, lipid metabolism, and aging. Moreover, APOD is known to regulate smooth muscle cells and is found in abundance within atherosclerotic lesions. Our data show that the regulation of APOD in mural cells is bimodal. Paracrine secretion by endothelial cells causes partial downregulation of APOD expression. Additionally, cell contact-dependent Notch signaling plays a role. NOTCH3 on mural cells promotes the downregulation of APOD, possibly through interaction with the JAGGED-1 ligand on endothelial cells. Our results show that NOTCH3 contributes to the downregulation of APOD and by itself is sufficient to attenuate APOD transcript expression. In examining the consequence of decreased APOD expression in mural cells, we show that APOD negatively regulates cell adhesion. APOD attenuates adhesion by reducing focal contacts; however, it has no effect on stress fiber formation. These data reveal a novel mechanism in which endothelial cells control neighboring mural cells through the downregulation of APOD, which, in turn, influences mural cell function by modulating adhesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We thank Javaudin et al. for their thoughtful response to our recent publication A simple decision rule predicts futile resuscitation of cardiac arrest, in which they apply our decision rule to the French National Cardiac Arrest Registry. Javaudin et al.'s findings support the broad applicability of our rule for identifying potentially futile cardiac arrest resuscitations. [Extracted from the article]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor (HABC-M) as a patient-reported outcome tool to measure cognitive, functional, and psychological symptoms among older adults who sustained non-neurologic injuries requiring hospital admission. We used data from a multicenter randomized controlled trial to evaluate the utility of the HABC-M Self-Report version in older patients recovering from traumatic injuries. A total of 143 patients without cognitive impairment were included in the analysis. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure the internal consistency, and Spearman's rank correlation test was used to evaluate the relationship of the HABC-M with standard measures of cognitive, functional, and psychological outcomes. The HABC-M subscales and the total scale showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.64 to 0.77). The HABC-M cognitive subscale did not correlate with the Mini-Mental State Examination. The HABC-M functional and psychological subscales correlated with corresponding standard reference measures (| r s | = 0.24-0.59). The HABC-M Self-Report version is a practical alternative to administering multiple surveys to monitor functional and psychological sequelae in older patients recovering from recent non-neurologic injuries. Its clinical application may facilitate personalized, multidisciplinary care coordination among older trauma survivors without cognitive impairment. • The HABC-M was used in a randomized controlled trial to guide postinjury care. • The HABC-M may be a useful tool to monitor recovery after traumatic injuries. • The use of the HABC-M cognitive subscale requires validation in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with respiratory symptoms and renal effects. Data regarding fluid resuscitation and kidney injury in COVID-19 are lacking, and understanding this relationship is critical.Objectives: To determine if there is an association between fluid volume administered in 24 h and development of renal failure in COVID-19 patients.Methods: Retrospective chart review; 14 hospitals in Indiana. Included patients were adults admitted between March 11, 2020 and April 13, 2020 with a positive test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 within 3 days of admission. Patients requiring renal replacement therapy prior to admission were excluded. Volumes and types of resuscitative intravenous fluids in the first 24 h were obtained with demographics, medical history, and other objective data. The primary outcome was initiation of renal replacement therapy. Logistic regression modeling was utilized in creating multivariate models for determining factors associated with the primary outcome.Results: The fluid volume received in the first 24 h after hospital admission was associated with initiation of renal replacement therapy in two different multivariate logistic regression models. An odds ratio of 1.42 (95% confidence interval 1.01-1.99) was observed when adjusting for age, heart failure, obesity, creatinine, bicarbonate, and total fluid volume. An odds ratio of 1.45 (95% confidence interval 1.02-2.05) was observed when variables significant in univariate analysis were adjusted for.Conclusions: Each liter of intravenous fluid administered to patients with COVID-19 in the first 24 h of presentation was independently associated with an increased risk for initiation of renal replacement therapy, supporting judicious fluid administration in patients with this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the coronavirus pandemic progressed through the United States, Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services (IEMS) identified a gap between the health system capacity and the projected need to support an overwhelmed health care system. In addressing emergencies or special cases, each medical institution in a metropolitan area typically has a siloed process for capturing emergency patient records. These approaches vary in technical capabilities and may include use of an electronic medical record system (EMR) or a hybrid paper/EMR process. Given the projected volume of patients for the COVID-19 pandemic and the proposed multi-institutional team approach needed in case of significant provider illness, IEMS sought a simple, efficient, consolidated EMR solution to support planning for the potential capacity gap. IEMS approached Regenstrief Institute (RI), an established partner with experience in supporting OpenMRS, a global good EMR platform that had been deployed in multiple settings globally.Objective: The purpose of this project was to determine if OpenMRS, a global good, could be used to quickly stand up a system that would meet the needs for health emergency data collection and reporting.Design and Implementation Methods: The team used an "all hands on deck" approach, bringing together technical and subject matter experts, and a human-centered and iterative process to ensure the system met the key needs of IEMS. The OpenMRS Reference Application was adapted to the specific need and deployed as Docker containers to servers within the Indiana Health Information Exchange.Project Outcomes and Lessons Learned: In less than two weeks, the Regenstrief team was able to install, configure and set up a working version of OpenMRS to support the desired electronic record requirements for the IEMS disaster field clinics. Using a human-centered approach, the RI team developed, tested, and released a user-friendly, installation-ready solution complete with an end user manual and a base support plan. IEMS and RI are sharing this approach to demonstrate how a global good can quickly generate a solution for COVID-19 and other disaster responses.Conclusions: Open source global goods can rapidly be adapted to meet local needs in an emergency. OpenMRS can be adapted to meet the needs of basic emergency medical services registration, triage, and basic data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]