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Objective: Publication of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study has changed our understanding on the effects of hormone replacement therapy. This study was designed to evaluate patterns of antiosteoporosis medication (AOM) use in a Medicaid population before and after the release of the WHI study results. Methods: A descriptive time series analysis was conducted among women 50 years of age and older who were enrolled in the Pennsylvania Medicaid program from December 1, 2001, through December 31, 2002. All AOMs were identified, including estrogens, bisphosphonates, selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), and calcitonin. The monthly prevalence of each AOM and drug class was estimated. Comparisons between pre-WHI (December 1, 2001–July 30, 2002) and post-WHI (August 1, 2002–December 31, 2002) study periods were made for overall AOM use by AOM drug class as well as by recipient characteristics. Results: The overall prevalence of AOM did not change between pre-WHI and post-WHI study publication. However, there were significant changes in the prevalence of certain AOM drug classes. Estrogen use decreased significantly after the WHI study release for all age and racial groups. The prevalence for bisphosphonates and SERM increased significantly in the post-WHI period. Conclusions: The WHI study influenced patterns of use of all types of AOM, decreasing estrogen and increasing nonestrogen use among postmenopausal women in a Medicaid program. These results suggest that the WHI study affected patterns of use of bone protective pharmacotherapy, with a shift in bone protection therapy use from estrogen to nonestrogen AOMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients in the US receive disproportionally higher amounts of opioids after operations compared with their non-US counterparts. We aimed to assess the relationship between perceived pain severity after operation and the amount of opioid medications prescribed at discharge in US vs non-US patients.Methods: We conducted a post-hoc analysis of the International Patterns of Opioid Prescribing multicenter study. Patients 16 years and older who underwent appendectomy, cholecystectomy, or inguinal herniorrhaphy in 1 of 14 participating hospitals across 8 countries between October 2016 and March 2017 were included. In hospitals where pain severity was assessed using a 0 to 10 visual analog scale before hospital discharge, patients were stratified into the following groups, depending on the pain severity: none, mild (1 to 3), moderate (4 to 6), and severe (7 to 10). The number of opioid prescriptions, total number of pills, and oral morphine equivalents prescribed were calculated for each group and US and non-US patients were compared.Results: A total of 2,024 patients were included. Eighty-three percent of US patients without pain were prescribed opioids compared with 8.7% of non-US patients without pain (p < 0.001). The number of opioid prescriptions, number of pills, and oral morphine equivalents prescribed were similar across the 4 pain severity groups in US patients (p > 0.05). In contrast, the number of opioid prescriptions, number of opioid pills, and oral morphine equivalents prescribed among non-US patients were incrementally higher as the pain severity progressed from no pain to severe pain (all, p < 0.05).Conclusions: US patients are prescribed opioids at high rates and doses regardless of pain severity. Additional efforts should be directed toward tailoring opioid prescriptions to patients' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at centers without cardiothoracic surgery is a contentious issue. Although this practice allows greater access to care, there are safety concerns. The aim was to assess the requirement for emergent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) after PCI and characterize patients at highest risk using independent predictors. The study population consisted of 21,957 unselected patients who underwent PCI from August 1994 (Food and Drug Administration stent approval) to January 2008 at a single medical center. Patients requiring emergent CABG (defined as within 24 hours of the index procedure) were identified. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess for independent correlates of emergent CABG. Emergent CABG was required in 90 patients (cumulative incidence 0.41%). Indications for CABG included triple-vessel disease, dissection, acute closure, perforation, and failure to cross. These patients had significantly higher in-hospital cardiac death rates (7.8% vs 0.7%; p <0.01) and higher rates of Q-wave myocardial infarction, neurologic events, and renal insufficiency. Independent correlates of emergent CABG after PCI were acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction presentation, cardiogenic shock, triple-vessel disease, and type C lesion. Risk assessment based on these predictors identified 0.3% of the patient population to have a 9.3% cumulative incidence of emergent CABG. In conclusion, the need for emergent CABG after PCI in the stent era was low and was associated with poor in-hospital outcomes. Risk was nonuniform, with 0.3% of the study population, characterized by acute presentation and complex coronary disease, at heightened risk of emergent surgery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]