Search

BackgroundThe objective was to test if low-risk emergency department patients with vitamin K antagonist (venous thromboembolism [VTE]; including venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism [PE]) can be safely and effectively treated at home with direct acting oral (monotherapy) anticoagulation in a large-scale, real-world pragmatic effectiveness trial.MethodsThis was a single-arm trial, conducted from 2016 to 2019 in accordance with the Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies guideline in 33 emergency departments in the United States. Participants had newly diagnosed VTE with low risk of death based upon either the modified Hestia criteria, or physician judgment plus the simplified PE severity index score of zero, together with nonhigh bleeding risk were eligible. Patients had to be discharged within 24 hours of triage and treated with either apixaban or rivaroxaban. Effectiveness was defined by the primary efficacy and safety outcomes, image-proven recurrent VTE and bleeding requiring hospitalization >24 hours, respectively, with an upper limit of the 95% CI for the 30-day frequency of VTE recurrence below 2.0% for both outcomes.ResultsWe enrolled 1421 patients with complete outcomes data, including 903 with venous thrombosis and 518 with PE. The recurrent VTE requiring hospitalization occurred in 14/1421 (1.0% [95% CI, 0.5%-1.7%]), and bleeding requiring hospitalization occurred in 12/1421 (0.8% [0.4%-1.5%). The rate of severe bleeding using International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis criteria was 2/1421 (0.1% [0%-0.5%]). No patient died, and serious adverse events occurred in 2.5% of venous thrombosis patients and 2.3% of patients with PE. Medication nonadherence was reported by patients in 8.0% (6.6%-9.5%) and was associated with a risk ratio of 6.0 (2.3-15.2) for VTE recurrence. Among all patients diagnosed with VTE in the emergency department during the period of study, 18% of venous thrombosis patients and 10% of patients with PE were enrolled.ConclusionsMonotherapy treatment of low-risk patients with venous thrombosis or PE in the emergency department setting produced a low rate of bleeding and VTE recurrence, but may be underused. Patients with venous thrombosis and PE should undergo risk-stratification before home treatment. Improved patient adherence may reduce rate of recurrent VTE. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03404635.

ObjectiveLack of empathic communication between providers and patients may contribute to low value diagnostic testing in emergency care. Accordingly, we measured the perception of physician empathy and trust in patients undergoing low-value computed tomography (CT) in the emergency department (ED).MethodsMulticenter study of ED patients undergoing CT scanning, acknowledged by ordering physicians as unlikely to show an emergent condition. Near the end of their visit, patients completed the Jefferson Scale of Patient Perception of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE), Trust in Physicians Survey (TIPS), and the Group Based Medical Mistrust Scale (GBMMS). We stratified results by patient demographics including gender, race, and education.ResultsWe enrolled 305 participants across 9 sites with diverse geographic, racial, and ethnic representation. The median scores (interquartile ranges) for the JSPPPE, TIPS, and GBMMS for all patients were 29 (24-33.5), 55 (47-62), and 18 (12-29). Compared with white patients, nonwhite patients had similar JSPPPE and TIPS scores but had higher (worse) GBMMS scores. Females had significantly lower JSPPPE and TIPS scores than males, and scores were lower (worse) in females with college degrees. Patients in the lowest tier of educational status had the highest (better) JSPPPE and TIPS scores. Scores were invariant with physician characteristics.ConclusionAmong patients undergoing low-value CT scanning in the ED, the degree of patient perception of physician empathy and trust varied based on the patients' level of education and gender. Given this variation, an intervention to increase patient perception of physician empathy should contain individualized strategies to address these subgroups, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Introduction: Basilar artery occlusion (BAO) may be clinically occult due to variable and non-specific symptomatology. We evaluated the qualitative and quantitative determination of a hyperdense basilar artery (HDBA) on non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) brain for the diagnosis of BAO.Methods: We conducted a case control study of patients with confirmed acute BAO vs a control group of suspected acute stroke patients without BAO. Two EM attending physicians, one third-year EM resident, and one medical student performed qualitative and quantitative assessments for the presence of a HDBA on axial NCCT images. Our primary outcome measures were sensitivity and specificity for BAO. Our secondary outcomes were inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the qualitative and quantitative assessments.Results: We included 60 BAO and 65 control patients in our analysis. Qualitative assessment of the hyperdense basilar artery sign was poorly sensitive (54%–72%) and specific (55%–89%). Quantitative measurement improved the specificity of hyperdense basilar artery assessment for diagnosing BAO, with a threshold of 61.0–63.8 Hounsfield units demonstrating relatively high specificity of 85%–94%. There was moderate inter-rater agreement for the qualitative assessment of HDBA (Fleiss’ kappa statistic 0.508, 95% confidence interval: 0.435–0.581). Agreement improved for quantitative assessments, but still fell in the moderate range (Shrout-Fleiss intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.635). Intra-rater reliability for the quantitative assessments of the two attending physician reviewers demonstrated substantial consistency.Conclusion: Our results highlight the importance of carefully examining basilar artery density when interpreting the NCCT of patients with altered consciousness or other signs and symptoms concerning for an acute basilar artery occlusion. If the Hounsfield unit density of the basilar artery exceeds 61 Hounsfield units, BAO should be highly suspected.

Introduction: The COVID-19 Community Research Partnership is a population-based longitudinal syndromic and sero-surveillance study. The study includes over 17,000 participants from six healthcare systems in North Carolina who submitted over 49,000 serology results. The purpose of this study is to use these serology data to estimate the cumulative proportion of the North Carolina population that has either been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or developed a measurable humoral response to vaccination. Methods: Adult community residents were invited to participate in the study between April 2020 and February 2021. Demographic information was collected and daily symptom screen was completed using a secure, HIPAA-compliant, online portal. A portion of participants were mailed kits containing a lateral flow assay to be used in-home to test for presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM or IgG antibodies. The cumulative proportion of participants who tested positive at least once during the study was estimated. A standard Cox proportional hazards model was constructed to illustrate the probability of seroconversion over time up to December 20, 2020 (before vaccines available). A separate analysis was performed to describe the influence of vaccines through February 15, 2021. Results: 17,688 participants contributed at least one serology result. 68.7% of the population were female, and 72.2% were between 18 and 59 years of age. The average number of serology results submitted per participant was 3.0 (±1.9). By December 20, 2020, the overall probability of seropositivity in the CCRP population was 32.6%. By February 15, 2021 the probability among healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers was 83% and 49%, respectively. An inflection upward in the probability of seropositivity was demonstrated around the end of December, suggesting an influence of vaccinations, especially for healthcare workers. Among healthcare workers, those in the oldest age category (60+ years) were 38% less likely to have seroconverted by February 15, 2021. Conclusions: Results of this study suggest more North Carolina residents may have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 than the number of documented cases as determined by positive RNA or antigen tests. The influence of vaccinations on seropositivity among North Carolina residents is also demonstrated. Additional research is needed to fully characterize the impact of seropositivity on immunity and the ultimate course of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Estimating population prevalence and incidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection is essential to formulate public health recommendations concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. However, interpreting estimates based on sero-surveillance requires an understanding of the duration of elevated antibodies following SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially in the large number of people with pauci-symptomatic or asymptomatic disease.Methods: We examined > 30,000 serology assays for SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG and IgM assays acquired longitudinally in 11,468 adults between April and November 2020 in the COVID-19 Community Research Partnership.Results: Among participants with serologic evidence for infection but few or no symptoms or clinical disease, roughly 50% sero-reverted in 30 days of their initial positive test. Sero-reversion occurred more quickly for IgM than IgG and for antibodies targeting nucleocapsid protein compared with spike proteins, but was not associated with age, sex, race/ethnicity, or healthcare worker status.Conclusions: The short duration of antibody response suggests that the true population prevalence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection may be significantly higher than presumed based on earlier sero-surveillance studies. The impact of the large number of minimally symptomatic COVID-19 cases with only a brief antibody response on population immunity remains to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Screening for malaria in the returning traveler has often required repeat testing; however, audit data suggest that patients have not been reattending. We sought to ascertain if this was safe by examining the diagnostic efficacy of a single screen consisting of a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and a thin film. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with suspected malaria who attended in the past 5 years from two large teaching hospitals. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of a single screen, reporting measures of sensitivity and specificity. To establish a reference standard, we cross‐linked data with the national malaria registry held at Public Health England and regional centers. Results: The cohort consisted of 1365 patients, of whom 33 opted out of the research and one did not have a complete initial screen. Of those 1331 screens there were 74 cases of Plasmodium falciparum (prevalence of 5.6%) and 104 of any malaria species (prevalence of 7.8%). Sensitivity for the detection of P. falciparum was 100.00% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 95.1 to 100), with a specificity of 99.4% (95% CI = 98.9 to 99.8). For the detection of any species of malaria the sensitivity was slightly lower due to the presence of one false negative; sensitivity was 99.0% (95% CI = 94.8 to 100) and specificity was 99.5% (95% CI = 98.9 to 99.8). Conclusions: A single thin film and RDT is likely to be sufficient as a first screen for falciparum malaria in the returning traveler with important caveats. For those sent home from emergency departments, appropriate safety netting must be provided. Further prospective study is required to investigate this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic has led to devastating repercussions on health care systems worldwide. This viral infection has a broad clinical spectrum (ranging from influenza‐like disease, viral pneumonia, and hypoxemia to acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring prolonged intensive care unit stays). The prognostic impact of measuring viral load on nasopharyngeal swab specimens (by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction [RT‐PCR]) is yet to be elucidated. Methods: Between March 3 and April 5, 2020, we conducted a retrospective study on a cohort of COVID‐19 patients (mild or severe disease) who were hospitalized after presenting to the emergency department (ED) and had at least one positive nasopharyngeal swab during their hospital stay. We led our study at the University Hospitals of Strasbourg in the Greater East region of France, one of the pandemic's epicenters in Europe. Results: We have collected samples from a cohort of 287 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID‐19 who were included in our study. Nearly half of them (50.5%) presented a mild form of the disease, while the other half (49.5%) presented a severe form, requiring mechanical ventilation. Median (interquartile range) viral load on the initial upper respiratory swab at admission was 4.76 (3.29–6.06) log10 copies/reaction. When comparing survivors and nonsurvivors, this viral load measurement did not differ according to subgroups (p = 0.332). Additionally, we have found that respiratory viral load measurement was predictive of neither in‐hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.85 to 1.31, p = 0.637) nor disease severity (AOR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.73 to 1.06, p = 0.167). Conclusion: Respiratory viral load measurement on the first nasopharyngeal swab (by RT‐PCR) during initial ED management is neither a predictor of severity nor a predictor of mortality in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Host response to this viral infection along with the extent of preexisting comorbidities might be more foretelling of disease severity than the virus itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of changing the laboratory‐reported D‐dimer reference intervals to age‐adjusted reference intervals on the use of advanced chest imaging and 30‐day adverse events among emergency department (ED) encounters. Methods: A retrospective interrupted time‐series analysis of ED encounters for patients > 50 years evaluated for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) from April 2014 to April 2016. The primary outcome was use of advanced diagnostic imaging, and the secondary outcome was 30‐day mortality or PE diagnosis. Secondary analyses also quantified delayed PE diagnoses pre‐ and postintervention. A generalized estimating equation segmented logistic regression model, adjusting for patient and facility characteristics, was used to determine changes in odds of diagnostic imaging and 30‐day mortality or PE diagnoses. Results: A total of 10,534 (5,153 pre‐ and 5,381 postimplementation) ED encounters were included. Advanced imaging was obtained in 35.9% of pre‐ versus 33% of postimplementation encounters. Age‐adjusted D‐dimer (AADD) showed a small and nonsignificant decrease in month‐to‐month trends of advanced chest imaging postimplementation (odds ratio [OR] = 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.96 to 1.00). Use of advanced imaging in patients with D‐dimer values lower than 500 ng/mL fibrinogen‐equivalent units (FEU) was similar in the preintervention (5.8%) and postintervention (6.8%) periods. However, imaging was obtained in 30% of patients postintervention with a D‐dimer result less than AADD reference interval , but more than the historical 500 ng/mL FEU reference interval. Implementing an AADD threshold demonstrated no change in the rate of 30‐day adverse events (missed PE or mortality). Conclusion: Changing the laboratory‐reported D‐dimer reference intervals for evaluation of PE was not associated with reduction in advanced chest imaging and did not increase 30‐day adverse events. However, there was substantial noncompliance with the age‐adjusted reference intervals in the postintervention period likely blunting the impact of this intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Emergency medicine in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is hindered by lack of research into patient outcomes. Chief complaints (CCs) are fundamental to emergency care but have only recently been uniquely codified for an LMIC setting in Uganda. It is not known whether CCs independently predict emergency unit patient outcomes. Methods: Patient data collected in a Ugandan emergency unit between 2009 and 2018 were randomized into validation and derivation data sets. A recursive partitioning algorithm stratified CCs by 3‐day mortality risk in each group. The process was repeated in 10,000 bootstrap samples to create an averaged risk ranking. Based on this ranking, CCs were categorized as "high‐risk" (>2× baseline mortality), "medium‐risk" (between 2 and 0.5× baseline mortality), and "low‐risk" (<0.5× baseline mortality). Risk categories were then included in a logistic regression model to determine if CCs independently predicted 3‐day mortality. Results: Overall, the derivation data set included 21,953 individuals with 7,313 in the validation data set. In total, 43 complaints were categorized, and 12 CCs were identified as high‐risk. When controlled for triage data including age, sex, HIV status, vital signs, level of consciousness, and number of complaints, high‐risk CCs significantly increased 3‐day mortality odds ratio (OR = 2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.95 to 2.93, p < 0.001) while low‐risk CCs significantly decreased 3‐day mortality odds (OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.09 to 0.29, p < 0.001). Conclusions: High‐risk CCs were identified and found to predict increased 3‐day mortality independent of vital signs and other data available at triage. This list can be used to expand local triage systems and inform emergency training programs. The methodology can be reproduced in other LMIC settings to reflect their local disease patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]