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Objective To evaluate whether there is an association between an intervention to reduce medical bed occupancy and performance on the 4-hour target and hospital mortality. Methods This before-and-after study was undertaken in a large UK District General Hospital over a 32 month period. A range of interventions were undertaken to reduce medical bed occupancy within the Trust. Performance on the 4-hour target and hospital mortality (hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR), summary hospital-level mortality indicator (SHMI) and crude mortality) were compared before, and after, intervention. Daily data on medical bed occupancy and percentage of patients meeting the 4-hour target was collected from hospital records. Segmented regression analysis of interrupted time-series method was used to estimate the changes in levels and trends in average medical bed occupancy, monthly performance on the target and monthly mortality measures (HSMR, SHMI and crude mortality) that followed the intervention. Results Mean medical bed occupancy decreased significantly from 93.7% to 90.2% (p=0.02). The trend change in target performance, when comparing preintervention and postintervention, revealed a significant improvement (p=0.019). The intervention was associated with a mean reduction in all markers of mortality (range 4.5–4.8%). SHMI (p=0.02) and crude mortality (p=0.018) showed significant trend changes after intervention. Conclusions Lowering medical bed occupancy is associated with reduced patient mortality and improved ability of the acute Trust to achieve the 95% 4-hour target. Whole system transformation is required to create lower average medical bed occupancy.

Background: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare and progressive disease of young women with no effective treatment. Previous estimates of 10 year survival, based mostly on case series or patients from tertiary centres, have ranged from 40% to 79%; no data are available on the progression of respiratory disability. In order to provide data for patients and for planning intervention studies, we have looked at the time course of LAM using a national cohort. Methods: Time to death, time to MRC dyspnoea grades 2-5, and need for oxygen in patients on the UK LAM database were analysed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression. Results: Fifty seven of 72 patients responded with a median duration of follow up of 12.6 years (range 2.3-37) from the onset of symptoms. Ten year survival was 91% from onset of symptoms but varied widely with 11 patients alive after 20 years. Median time to MRC grade 3 dyspnoea (breathless walking on the flat) was 9.3 ?years (95% CI 5.1 to 13.4) from onset of symptoms. Conclusions: Survival from LAM appears to be better than that reported in early studies. These data should be helpful for patients and for planning clinical trials.

Background: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare disease affecting women, is caused by somatic mutations in the tuberous sclerosis complex genes. Methods: A case–control questionnaire study was carried out examining parental and family history, prenatal events, and early life events to try to shed light on the aetiology of the condition. Forty five patients identified from a national LAM register completed a questionnaire and 31 were compared with 117 age and sex matched control subjects using conditional logistic regression. Results: No differences were found in perinatal events, childhood infections, and parental or family history, except that patients were more likely to be an only child (odds ratio (OR) 4.3 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5 to 11.8)) and have a relative with uterine fibroids (OR 4.2 (1.4 to 13)). Patients with LAM had had fewer pregnancies and fewer children but no differences in miscarriage rates. A non-matched analysis using all 45 cases and 117 controls gave similar results. Conclusions: No features in the family history, perinatal events, or early life events were detected that were associated with having LAM. Being more likely to be an only child and having an increased family history of uterine fibroids may, if confirmed, indicate some differences in reproductive function within the families of affected individuals.