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BACKGROUND: In acute ischemic stroke (AIS), cerebral autoregulation becomes dysfunctional, impacting the brain’s ability to maintain cerebral blood flow (CBF) at adequate levels. Reperfusion of affected and nearby brain tissue in AIS is currently the aim of treatment in AIS, but the effectiveness of fluid resuscitation on increasing the CBF is debated. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the hypothesis that early fluid resuscitation with normal saline bolus would improve CBF velocity in the initial resuscitation of patients with AIS. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, quasi-experimental study on 30 patients in the early stages of AIS management. Patients had a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 3 or higher. Patients met inclusion criteria if they were 18–90 years old and had time of stroke onset within 12 h. Patients with a severe underlying disability, hemorrhagic stroke, advanced directives for comfort care/hospice, as well as pregnant patients were excluded. Noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring was performed. We performed transcranial Doppler (TCD) insonation of the middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) to measure CBF velocity. Each patient received a 500-ml normal saline crystalloid bolus as a standardized intervention, then had hemodynamic and TCD measurements repeated. Analysis was limited to patients with stroke confirmed with neuroimaging. Mean flow velocity (MFV) was compared before and postreceiving the bolus in the MCA ipsilateral to the ischemic location. RESULTS: Thirty patients were analyzed who had confirmed AIS. The mean age was 53 ± 13 years, 50% were female, and the median NIHSS was 6 (interquartile range: 4–7). Outcomes measured included various cerebrovascular and cardiovascular parameters. Infusion of 500-mL normal saline bolus produced increases in systolic blood pressure (+7 mmHg, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.6–13 mmHg) and stroke volume (SV) index (+2.2 ml/m2, 95% CI 0.3–4.1 ml/m2). The mean change in MFV was not statistically significant (+0.3 cm/s, 95% CI-3.7–4.3 cm/s). An adjusted model showed higher age and lower baseline SV index were not associated with improved MFV following administration of the fluid bolus. CONCLUSION: Our prospective study of AIS patients revealed that a fluid bolus improves hemodynamic parameters, but did not significantly increase CBF velocity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT02056821).

Background: Patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with severe hypertension defined as a systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥180 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or diastolic (DBP) ≥120 (mm Hg) without evidence of acute end-organ damage are often deemed high risk and treated acutely in the ED. However, there is a dearth of evidence from large studies with long-term follow-up for the assessment of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). We conducted the largest study to date of patients presenting with severe hypertension to identify predictors of MACE and examine whether blood pressure at discharge is associated with heightened risk. Methods: We enrolled ED patients with a SBP of 180–220 mm Hg but without signs of end-organ damage and followed them for one year. The primary outcome was MACE within one year of discharge. Secondarily, we performed a propensity-matched analysis to test whether SBP ≤160 mm Hg at discharge was associated with reduced MACE at 30 days. Results: A total of 12,044 patients were enrolled. The prevalence of MACE within one year was 1,865 (15.5%). Older age, male gender, history of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, smoking, presentation with chest pain, altered mental status, dyspnea, treatment with intravenous and oral hydralazine, and oral metoprolol were independent predictors for one-year MACE. Additionally, discharge with an SBP ≤160 mm Hg was not associated with 30-day MACE-free survival after propensity matching (hazard ratio 0.99, 95% confidence interval 0.78–1.25, P = 0.92). Conclusion: One-year MACE was relatively common in our cohort of ED patients with severe hypertension without acute end-organ damage. However, discharge blood pressure was not associated with 30-day or one-year MACE, suggesting that BP reduction in and of itself is not beneficial in such patients.

Abstract Objectives We aimed to assess the attitudes and perceptions of scholarly activity (SA) practices among emergency medicine (EM) physicians who are engaged in training residents. This study examined the belief and need for modern‐day SA, potential barriers, and department resources provided. Methods We conducted a descriptive cross‐sectional survey study of EM physicians across the United States identified from the American College of Emergency Physicians and American College of Osteopathic Physicians directories. The survey consisted of 18 items regarding demographics, attitude toward SA, department support, and questions regarding residency programs. Results A total of 660 survey recipients completed the survey out of a possible pool of 4296 individuals (15% response rate), of which 530 (80%) indicated they were core faculty. Of core faculty, 428 (80.8%) were part of an allopathic program, whereas 102 (19.2%) were part of an osteopathic program. Department support was provided for protected time (385; 58.3%), research staff (346; 52.4%), Institutional Review Board preparation (240; 36.4%), and biostatistics (314; 47.6%). Of all the institutional roles, the largest percentage (82/125, 65.6%) of chair/vice chair/associate chairs strongly agreed or agreed (score of 5 or 4 of 5) with the statement, “Overall, I am satisfied with the scholarly support provided by my department.” There was no difference in agreement with this statement between respondents in an allopathic versus osteopathic program (210/428, 49.1% allopathic; 45/102, 44.1% osteopathic). Conclusion There is a need for increased departmental support for SA. To optimally implement the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) SA requirements into strategy and action, the ACGME should consider providing EM residency programs with an outline of best SA practices to foster a uniform consensus across academic institutions.

BackgroundHypertension affects one-third of adults in the United States and is the leading risk factor for death. Underserved populations are seen disproportionately in the emergency department (ED) and tend to have worse blood pressure (BP) control. For adults, a lack of hypertension knowledge is a common barrier to hypertension control, while social support is a strong facilitator, and providing information that is culturally sensitive and relevant is especially important in this context. The youth experience increased confidence when given the responsibility to provide health education and care navigation to others. As such, we planned a randomized controlled trial (RCT) for the effectiveness of a digital youth-led hypertension education intervention for adult patients in the ED with hypertension, focusing on change in BP and hypertension knowledge. ObjectiveIn preparation for an RCT, we conducted a formative study to determine acceptable and easily comprehensible ways to present hypertension information to adults with hypertension and optimal ways to engage youth to support adults on how to achieve better hypertension control. MethodsAfter creating an intervention prototype with 6 weekly self-guided hypertension online modules, we recruited 12 youth (adolescents, aged 15-18 years) for 3 focus groups and 10 adult ED patients with hypertension for individual online interviews to garner feedback on the prototype. After completing a brief questionnaire, participants were asked about experiences with hypertension, preferences for a hypertension education intervention, and acceptability, feasibility, obstacles, and solutions for intervention implementation with youth and adults. The moderator described and showed participants the prototyped intervention process and materials and asked for feedback. Questionnaire data were descriptively summarized, and qualitative data were analyzed using the template organizing style of analysis by 3 study team members. ResultsParticipants showed great interest in the intervention prototype, thought their peers would find it acceptable, and appreciated its involvement of youth. Youth with family members with hypertension reported that their family members need more support for their hypertension. Youth suggested adding more nutrition education activities to the intervention, such as a sodium tracker and examples of high-sodium foods. Adults discussed the need for a hypertension support intervention for themselves and the expected benefits to youth. They mentioned the overwhelming amount of hypertension information available and appreciated the intervention’s concise content presentation. They suggested adding more mental health and smoking cessation resources, information about specific hypertension medications, and adding active links for health care information. ConclusionsBased on focus groups and interviews with participants, a youth-led digital hypertension intervention is an acceptable strategy to engage both adults with hypertension and youth. Incorporating participant suggestions into the intervention may improve its clarity, engagement, and impact when used in a subsequent RCT.

BackgroundHypertension is one of the most important cardiovascular disease risk factors and affects >100 million American adults. Hypertension-related health inequities are abundant in Black communities as Black individuals are more likely to use the emergency department (ED) for chronic disease–related ambulatory care, which is strongly linked to lower blood pressure (BP) control, diminished awareness of hypertension, and adverse cardiovascular events. To reduce hypertension-related health disparities, we developed MI-BP, a culturally tailored multibehavior mobile health intervention that targeted behaviors of BP self-monitoring, physical activity, sodium intake, and medication adherence in Black individuals with uncontrolled hypertension recruited from ED and community-based settings. ObjectiveWe sought to determine the effect of MI-BP on BP as well as secondary outcomes of physical activity, sodium intake, medication adherence, and BP control compared to enhanced usual care control at 1-year follow-up. MethodsWe conducted a 1-year, 2-group randomized controlled trial of the MI-BP intervention compared to an enhanced usual care control group where participants aged 25 to 70 years received a BP cuff and hypertension-related educational materials. Participants were recruited from EDs and other community-based settings in Detroit, Michigan, where they were screened for initial eligibility and enrolled. Baseline data collection and randomization occurred approximately 2 and 4 weeks after enrollment to ensure that participants had uncontrolled hypertension and were willing to take part. Data collection visits occurred at 13, 26, 39, and 52 weeks. Outcomes of interest included BP (primary outcome) and physical activity, sodium intake, medication adherence, and BP control (secondary outcomes). ResultsWe obtained consent from and enrolled 869 participants in this study yet ultimately randomized 162 (18.6%) participants. At 1 year, compared to the baseline, both groups showed significant decreases in systolic BP (MI-BP group: 22.5 mm Hg decrease in average systolic BP and P

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease disproportionately affects African Americans. Psychosocial factors, including the experience of and emotional reactivity to racism and interpersonal stressors, contribute to the etiology and progression of cardiovascular disease through effects on health behaviors, stress-responsive neuroendocrine axes, and immune processes. The full pathway and complexities of these associations remain underexamined in African Americans. The Heart of Detroit Study aims to identify and model the biopsychosocial pathways that influence cardiovascular disease risk in a sample of urban middle-aged and older African American adults. Methods The proposed sample will be composed of 500 African American adults between the ages of 55 and 75 from the Detroit urban area. This longitudinal study will consist of two waves of data collection, two years apart. Biomarkers of stress, inflammation, and cardiovascular surrogate endpoints (i.e., heart rate variability and blood pressure) will be collected at each wave. Ecological momentary assessments will characterize momentary and daily experiences of stress, affect, and health behaviors during the first wave. A proposed subsample of 60 individuals will also complete an in-depth qualitative interview to contextualize quantitative results. The central hypothesis of this project is that interpersonal stressors predict poor cardiovascular outcomes, cumulative physiological stress, poor sleep, and inflammation by altering daily affect, daily health behaviors, and daily physiological stress. Discussion This study will provide insight into the biopsychosocial pathways through which experiences of stress and discrimination increase cardiovascular disease risk over micro and macro time scales among urban African American adults. Its discoveries will guide the design of future contextualized, time-sensitive, and culturally tailored behavioral interventions to reduce racial disparities in cardiovascular disease risk.

Dyads can be challenging to recruit for research studies, but detailed reporting on strategies employed to recruit adult–adolescent dyads is rare. We describe experiences recruiting adult–youth dyads for a hypertension education intervention comparing recruitment in an emergency department (ED) setting with a school-based community setting. We found more success in recruiting dyads through a school-based model that started with adolescent youth (19 dyads in 7 weeks with < 1 hour recruitment) compared to an ED-based model that started with adults (2 dyads in 17 weeks with 350 hours of recruitment). These findings can benefit future adult–youth dyad recruitment for research studies.

Summary: Background: While vaccines have established utility against COVID-19, phase 3 efficacy studies have generally not comprehensively evaluated protection provided by previous infection or hybrid immunity (previous infection plus vaccination). Individual patient data from US government-supported harmonized vaccine trials provide an unprecedented sample population to address this issue. We characterized the protective efficacy of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and hybrid immunity against COVID-19 early in the pandemic over three-to six-month follow-up and compared with vaccine-associated protection. Methods: In this post-hoc cross-protocol analysis of the Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, we allocated participants into four groups based on previous-infection status at enrolment and treatment: no previous infection/placebo; previous infection/placebo; no previous infection/vaccine; and previous infection/vaccine. The main outcome was RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 >7–15 days (per original protocols) after final study injection. We calculated crude and adjusted efficacy measures. Findings: Previous infection/placebo participants had a 92% decreased risk of future COVID-19 compared to no previous infection/placebo participants (overall hazard ratio [HR] ratio: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05–0.13). Among single-dose Janssen participants, hybrid immunity conferred greater protection than vaccine alone (HR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01–0.10). Too few infections were observed to draw statistical inferences comparing hybrid immunity to vaccine alone for other trials. Vaccination, previous infection, and hybrid immunity all provided near-complete protection against severe disease. Interpretation: Previous infection, any hybrid immunity, and two-dose vaccination all provided substantial protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 through the early Delta period. Thus, as a surrogate for natural infection, vaccination remains the safest approach to protection. Funding: National Institutes of Health.

Chest pain is one of the most common presenting concerns of patients seeking care in the emergency department, and the underlying etiology can range from acute coronary syndrome to various other non-cardiac causes. Initial evaluation should focus on characterizing symptoms and identifying risk factors, but further risk stratification using clinical decision pathways and biomarkers (cardiac troponin) is essential. The 2021 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines for the evaluation and diagnosis of chest pain represent the first ever guidelines for the evaluation of patients with acute chest pain. The contemporary risk stratification methods described in these guidelines allow for the identification of patient subgroups: patients who do not require further testing, patients who should proceed directly to the cath lab, and patients who will benefit from further anatomic or functional testing. In this review, we describe contemporary risk stratification methods for acute coronary syndrome and summarize the recommendations put forth by the guidelines.

Background Emergency department (ED) visits can be opportunities to address uncontrolled hypertension. We sought to compare short‐term blood pressure measures between the Vanderbilt Emergency Room Bundle (VERB) intervention and usual care plus education. Methods and Results We conducted a randomized trial of 206 adult patients with hypertension and elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) presenting to 2 urban emergency departments in Tennessee, USA. The VERB intervention included educational materials, a brief motivational interview, pillbox, primary care engagement letter, pharmacy resources, and 45 days of informational and reminder text messages. The education arm received a hypertension pamphlet. After 78 participants were enrolled, text messages requested confirmation of receipt. The primary clinical outcome was 30‐day SBP. The median 30‐day SBP was 122 and 126 mm Hg in the VERB and education arms, respectively. We estimated the mean 30‐day SBP to be 3.98 mm Hg lower in the VERB arm (95% CI, −2.44 to 10.4; P=0.22). Among participants enrolled after text messages were adapted, the respective median SBPs were 121 and 130 mm Hg, and we estimated the mean 30‐day SBP to be 8.57 mm Hg lower in the VERB arm (95% CI, 0.98‒16.2; P=0.027). In this subgroup, the median response rate to VERB text messages was 56% (interquartile range, [26%‒80%]). Conclusions This pilot study demonstrated feasibility and found an improvement in SBP for the subgroup for whom interactive messages were featured. Future studies should evaluate the role of interactive text messaging as part of a comprehensive emergency department intervention to improve blood pressure control. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02672787.

BackgroundNon-invasive finger-cuff monitors measuring cardiac index and vascular tone (SVRI) classify emergency department (ED) patients with acute heart failure (AHF) into three otherwise-indistinguishable subgroups. Our goals were to validate these "hemodynamic profiles" in an external cohort and assess their association with clinical outcomes.MethodsAHF patients (n = 257) from five EDs were prospectively enrolled in the validation cohort (VC). Cardiac index and SVRI were measured with a ClearSight finger-cuff monitor (formerly NexFin, Edwards Lifesciences) as in a previous study (derivation cohort, DC, n = 127). A control cohort (CC, n = 127) of ED patients with sepsis was drawn from the same study as the DC. K-means cluster analysis previously derived two-dimensional (cardiac index and SVRI) hemodynamic profiles in the DC and CC (k = 3 profiles each). The VC was subgrouped de novo into three analogous profiles by unsupervised K-means consensus clustering. PERMANOVA tested whether VC profiles 1-3 differed from profiles 1-3 in the DC and CC, by multivariate group composition of cardiac index and vascular tone. Profiles in the VC were compared by a primary outcome of 90-day mortality and a 30-day ranked composite secondary outcome (death, mechanical cardiac support, intubation, new/emergent dialysis, coronary intervention/surgery) as time-to-event (survival analysis) and binary events (odds ratio, OR). Descriptive statistics were used to compare profiles by two validated risk scores for the primary outcome, and one validated score for the secondary outcome.ResultsThe VC had median age 60 years (interquartile range {49-67}), and was 45% (n = 116) female. Multivariate profile composition by cardiac index and vascular tone differed significantly between VC profiles 1-3 and CC profiles 1-3 (p = 0.001, R2 = 0.159). A difference was not detected between profiles in the VC vs. the DC (p = 0.59, R2 = 0.016). VC profile 3 had worse 90-day survival than profiles 1 or 2 (HR = 4.8, 95%CI 1.4-17.1). The ranked secondary outcome was more likely in profile 1 (OR = 10.0, 1.2-81.2) and profile 3 (12.8, 1.7-97.9) compared to profile 2. Diabetes prevalence and blood urea nitrogen were lower in the high-risk profile 3 (pConclusionsHemodynamic profiles in ED patients with AHF, by non-invasive finger-cuff monitoring of cardiac index and vascular tone, were replicated de novo in an external cohort. Profiles showed significantly different risks of clinically-important adverse patient outcomes.

Early neurological improvement as assessed with the NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) at 24 h has been associated with improved long-term functional outcomes following acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Cardiac dysfunction is often present in AIS, but its association with outcomes is incompletely defined. We performed a pilot study to evaluate the association between non-invasively measured cardiac parameters and 24-h neurological improvement in prospectively enrolled patients with suspected AIS who presented within 12 h of symptom-onset and had an initial systolic blood pressure>140 mm Hg. Patients receiving thrombolytic therapy or mechanical thrombectomy were excluded. Non-invasive pulse contour analysis was used to measure mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), cardiac stroke volume index (cSVI), cardiac output (CO) and cardiac index (CI). Transcranial Doppler recorded mean middle cerebral artery flow velocity (MFV). We defined a decrease of 4 NIHSS points or NIHSS ≤ 1 at 24-h as neurological improvement. Of 75 suspected, 38 had confirmed AIS and did not receive reperfusion therapy. Of these, 7/38 (18.4%) had neurological improvement over 24 h. MAP was greater in those without improvement (108, IQR 96–123 mm Hg) vs. those with (89, IQR 73–104 mm Hg). cSVI, CO, and MFV were similar between those without and with improvement: 37.4 (IQR 30.9–47.7) vs. 44.7 (IQR 42.3–55.3) ml/m2; 5.2 (IQR 4.2–6.6) vs. 5.3 (IQR 4.7–6.7) mL/min; and 39.9 (IQR 32.1–45.7) vs. 34.4 (IQR 27.1–49.2) cm/s, respectively. Multivariate analysis found MAP and cSVI as predictors for improvement (OR 0.93, 95%CI 0.85–0.98 and 1.14, 95%CI 1.03–1.31). In this pilot study, cSVI and MAP were associated with 24-h neurological improvement in AIS.

Abstract Background The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between speckle-tracking-derived parameters left ventricular (LV) mechanical dispersion index (MDI), defined as the standard deviation of the time-to-peak longitudinal strain of all segments analyzed of the LV, and global longitudinal strain (GLS) and 30-day post-discharge outcomes (death and readmission to the hospital) in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Methods We performed a prospective observational study of selected emergency department patients with a primary diagnosis of AHF. Point-of-care echocardiograms were performed at baseline (prior to, or concurrent with the initiation of treatment) and 23 h post-enrollment. Offline speckle-tracking analysis was utilized to calculate GLS and MDI. The primary outcome was 30-day readmissions. Results A total of 31 patients were included, 13 of whom were readmitted within 30 days. Patients who were not readmitted to the hospital experienced an average relative improvement in MDI of 24% from baseline to 23 h (84 ms to 64 ms), while patients who were readmitted experienced an average relative worsening in MDI of 6% (66 ms to 70 ms) from baseline to 23 h. Conclusions MDI has promise as a treatment response variable in admitted patients with AHF; however, further study is needed.

Background: Protocols utilizing high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays for the evaluation of suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the emergency department (ED) have been gaining popularity across the US and the world. These protocols more rapidly rule-out ACS and more accurately identify the presence of acute myocardial injury. At this time, few randomized trials have evaluated the safety and operational impact of these assays, resulting in limited evidence to guide the use and implementation of hs-cTn in the ED. Objective: The main study objective is to test the effectiveness of a rapid ACS rule-out pathway using hs-cTnI in safely discharging patients from the ED for whom clinical suspicion for ACS exists. Design: This prospective, implementation trial (n = 11,070) will utilize a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial design. The design will allow for all participating sites to capture benefit from the implementation of the hs-cTnI pathway while providing data evaluating the effectiveness in providing safe and rapid evaluation of patients with clinical suspicion for ACS. Summary: Demonstrating that clinical pathways using hs-cTnI can be effectively implemented to rapidly rule-out ACS while conserving costly hospital resources has significant implications for the care of patients with possible acute cardiac conditions in EDs across the US. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04488913.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to validate and assess the performance of the Emergency Heart Failure Mortality Risk Grade (EHMRG) to predict seven-day mortality in US patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute congestive heart failure (CHF) exacerbation. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review on patients presenting to the ED with acute CHF exacerbation between January 2014–January 2016 across eight EDs in New York. We identified patients using codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10 Revisions, or who were diagnosed with CHF in the ED. Inclusion criteria were patients ≥ 18 years of age who presented to the ED for acute CHF. Exclusion criteria included the following: end-stage renal disease related heart failure; < 18 years of age; pregnancy; palliative care; renal failure; and “do not resuscitate” directive. The primary outcome was seven-day mortality. We used mixed-effects logistic regression models to estimate C-statistics and continuous net reclassification index for events and nonevents. Results: We identified 3,320 ED visits associated with suspected CHF among 2,495 unique patients. Of the 3,320 ED visits, 94.7% patients were admitted to the hospital and 3.4% were discharged. The median age was 78.6 (interquartile range 68.01 – 86.76). There was an overall seven-day mortality of 2%, an inpatient mortality rate of 2.4%, and no mortality among the discharge group. Adding EHMRG to the risk prediction model improved the C-statistic (from 0.748 to 0.772) and led to a higher degree of reclassification for both events and nonevents. Conclusion: The EHMRG can be used as a valuable and effective screening tool in the US while considering disposition decision for patients with acute CHF exacerbation. Emergency medical services transport and metolazone use is much higher in the US population as compared to the Canadian population. We observed minimal to no short-term mortality among discharged CHF patients from the ED.

Background: the incidence of novel coronavirus disease (COVID19) is elevated in areas with heightened socioeconomic vulnerability. Early reports from US hospitals also implicated social disadvantage and chronic disease history as COVID19 mortality risk factors. However, the relationship between race and COVID19 mortality remains unclear. Methods: we examined in-hospital COVID19 mortality risk factors in a multi-hospital tertiary health care system that serves greater Detroit, Michigan, a predominantly African American city with high rates of poverty and chronic disease. Consecutive adult patients who presented to emergency departments and tested positive for COVID19 from 3/11/2020 through 4/18/2020 were included. Using log-binomial regression, we assessed the relationship between in-hospital mortality and residence in census tracts that were flagged for extreme socioeconomic vulnerability, patient-level demographics, and clinical comorbidities. Findings: a total of 1,015 adults tested positive for COVID19 during the study period; 80% identified as Black people, 52% were male and 53% were ≥ 65 years of age. The median body mass index was 30•4 and the median Charlson Comorbidity Index score was 4. Patients from census tracts that were flagged for vulnerability related to socioeconomic status had a higher mortality rate than their peers who resided in less vulnerable census tracts (β 0.26, standard error (SE) 0.11, degrees of freedom (df) 378, t-value (t) 2.27, exp(β) 1.29, p-value 0.02). Adjustment for age category, Black race, sex and/or the Charlson Comorbidity Index score category reduced the magnitude of association by less than 10% [exp(β) 1.29 vs. 1.21]. Black race [p = 0.38] and sex [p = 0.62] were not associated with mortality in this sample. Interpretation: people who lived in areas flagged for extreme socioeconomic vulnerability had elevated mortality risk in our predominantly African-American cohort of COVID19 patients who were able to seek hospital care during the so-called ‘first wave’ of the pandemic. By contrast, Black race was not associated with mortality in our sample.

Objective Left ventricle (LV) rotational mechanics is an emerging tool to characterise LV function, but warrants further evaluation in neonates. The aim of this study was to compare LV rotational mechanics between term and extremely preterm babies over the first week of age.Methods In this prospective study, we serially assessed LV rotational parameters in 50 term infants and compared them with a historical dataset of 50 preterm infants born 0.05). LV twist and torsion were higher in preterm infants, and increased over time. In preterm infants, basal rotation evolved from anticlockwise to clockwise rotation. Apical rotation remained anticlockwise in both groups (all p>0.05). LV twist rate (LVTR) and untwist rate was higher in preterm infants and increased over the three time points (all p>0.05). There was a strong positive correlation between LV torsion and LV untwist rate (LVUTR) in the entire cohort during the third scan.Conclusion Term infants exhibit minimal LV twist which remains unchanged over the first week of age. This is in contrast to premature infants who demonstrate increasing indices of twist, torsion, LVTR and LVUTR over the first week, likely as a compensatory mechanism for reduced LV compliance.

This article describes our experience developing a novel mobile health unit (MHU) program in the Detroit, Michigan, metropolitan area. Our main objectives were to improve healthcare accessibility, quality and equity in our community during the novel coronavirus pandemic. While initially focused on SARS-CoV-2 testing, our program quickly evolved to include preventive health services. The MHU program began as a location-based SARS-CoV-2 testing strategy coordinated with local and state public health agencies. Community needs motivated further program expansion to include additional preventive healthcare and social services. MHU deployment was targeted to disease "hotspots" based on publicly available SARS-CoV-2 testing data and community-level information about social vulnerability. This formative evaluation explores whether our MHU deployment strategy enabled us to reach patients from communities with heightened social vulnerability as intended. From 3/20/20-3/24/21, the Detroit MHU program reached a total of 32,523 people. The proportion of patients who resided in communities with top quartile Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index rankings increased from 25% during location-based "drive-through" SARS-CoV-2 testing (3/20/20-4/13/20) to 27% after pivoting to a mobile platform (4/13/20-to-8/31/20; p = 0.01). The adoption of a data-driven deployment strategy resulted in further improvement; 41% of the patients who sought MHU services from 9/1/20-to-3/24/21 lived in vulnerable communities (Cochrane Armitage test for trend, p

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. The virus uses ACE2 receptor for viral entry. ACE2 is part of the counter-regulatory renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and is also expressed in the lower respiratory tract along the alveolar epithelium. There is, however, significant controversy regarding the role of ACE2 expression in COVID-19 pathogenesis. Some have argued that decreasing ACE2 expression would result in decreased susceptibility to the virus by decreasing available binding sites for SARS-CoV-2 and restricting viral entry into the cells. Others have argued that, like the pathogenesis of other viral pneumonias, including those stemming from previous severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) viruses, once SARS-CoV-2 binds to ACE2, it downregulates ACE2 expression. Lack of the favourable effects of ACE2 might exaggerate lung injury by a variety of mechanisms. In order to help address this controversy, we conducted a literature search and review of relevant preclinical and clinical publications pertaining to SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, ACE2, viral pneumonia, SARS, acute respiratory distress syndrome and lung injury. Our review suggests, although controversial, that patients at increased susceptibility to COVID-19 complications may have reduced baseline ACE2, and by modulating ACE2 expression one can possibly improve COVID-19 outcomes. Herein, we elucidate why and how this potential mechanism might work.

Introduction: AchieveBP is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an education intervention for patients with chronic hypertension who have uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) at discharge from an urban emergency department (ED). The study examined efficacy and moderators of an educational intervention in an RCT on BP control at 180-day post-intervention. Methods: Participants were recruited from a single, urban ED and randomized to receive or not to receive hypertension education. To minimize potential bias, participants were all started on an evidence-based anti-hypertensive regimen and medications were dispensed directly to participants by the study team. Bivariate analysis was performed to examine differences in sociodemographic characteristics between patients achieving BP control and those who did not. Paired t-test was used to compare the difference of systolic and diastolic BP between baseline and 180 days post-discharge. Multiple logistic regression analysis examined interaction of covariates and intervention on achieving BP control. Results: One hundred and thirty-nine participants were randomized into the study. All were African-American with a mean age of 47.6 (SD = 10.8) years; 51% were male, 63% had smoked cigarettes and 15% had diabetes. A total of 66 patients completed the study (47.4%), 44 of whom (67%) achieved BP control. However, there was no difference in BP reduction or control between the two groups. Age and smoking status showed moderation effects on intervention efficacy. Conclusion: Despite a neutral effect of our intervention, a high level of BP control was achieved overall, suggesting that the ED may be a viable location for efforts aimed at reducing the impact of chronic hypertension in predominantly African American communities.

Abstract Background Accurate predictive modeling in clinical research enables effective early intervention that patients are most likely to benefit from. However, due to the complex biological nature of disease progression, capturing the highly non-linear information from low-level input features is quite challenging. This requires predictive models with high-capacity. In practice, clinical datasets are often of limited size, bringing danger of overfitting for high-capacity models. To address these two challenges, we propose a deep multi-task neural network for predictive modeling. Methods The proposed network leverages clinical measures as auxiliary targets that are related to the primary target. The predictions for the primary and auxiliary targets are made simultaneously by the neural network. Network structure is specifically designed to capture the clinical relevance by learning a shared feature representation between the primary and auxiliary targets. We apply the proposed model in a hypertension dataset and a breast cancer dataset, where the primary tasks are to predict the left ventricular mass indexed to body surface area and the time of recurrence of breast cancer. Moreover, we analyze the weights of the proposed neural network to rank input features for model interpretability. Results The experimental results indicate that the proposed model outperforms other different models, achieving the best predictive accuracy (mean squared error 199.76 for hypertension data, 860.62 for Wisconsin prognostic breast cancer data) with the ability to rank features according to their contributions to the targets. The ranking is supported by previous related research. Conclusion We propose a novel effective method for clinical predictive modeling by combing the deep neural network and multi-task learning. By leveraging auxiliary measures clinically related to the primary target, our method improves the predictive accuracy. Based on featue ranking, our model is interpreted and shows consistency with previous studies on cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

Abstract Background Elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke but patients often discount recommended behavioral changes and prescribed medications. While effective interventions to promote adherence have been developed, cost-effectiveness from the patient’s perspective, has not been well studied. The valuation of patient time and out of pocket expenses should be included while performing cost effectiveness evaluation. The Achieve BP study uses the contingent valuation method to assess willingness to accept (WTA) and willingness to pay (WTP) among patients with a history of uncontrolled blood pressure discharged from an urban emergency department and enrolled in a larger randomized controlled trial. Methods WTA and WTP were assessed by asking patients a series of questions about time and travel costs and time value related to their study participation. A survey was conducted during the final study visit with patients to investigate the effectiveness of a kiosk-based educational intervention on blood pressure control. All study patients, regardless of study arm, received the same clinical protocol of commonly prescribed antihypertensive medication and met with research clinicians four times as part of the study procedures. Results Thirty-eight patients were offered the opportunity to participate in the cost-effectiveness study and all completed the survey. Statistical comparisons revealed these 38 patients were similar in representation to the entire RCT study population. All 38 (100.0%) were African-American, with an average age of 49.1 years; 55.3% were male, 21.1% were married, 78.9% had a high school or higher education, and 44.7% were working. 55.9% did not have a primary care provider and 50.0% did not have health insurance. Time price linear regression analysis was performed to estimate predictors of WTA and WTP. Conclusions WTP and WTA may generate different results, and the elasticities were proportional to the estimated coefficients, with WTP about twice as responsive as WTA. An additional feature for health services research was successful piloting in a clinical setting of a brief patient-centered cost effectiveness survey. Trial registration https://clinicaltrials.gov . Registration Number NCT02069015 . Registered February 19, 2014 (Retrospectively registered).

Background In 2002, the out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival rate in Detroit was the lowest in the nation. Concerted efforts sought to improve the city's chain of survival with a focus on emergency medical services (EMS). This study assesses the impact on OHCA survival rates and describe factors associated with survival. Methods and Results Data for non‐traumatic OHCA cases in Detroit from 2014 to 2016 were extracted from CARES (Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival). Chi‐squared tests, non‐parametric tests, and a multivariable logistic regression analysis were employed to examine the associations between overall survival and its covariates. A total of 2359 non‐traumatic OHCA cases were examined. The overall survival rate increased from 3.7% in 2014 to 5.4% in 2015, and 6.4% in 2016 (P

Introduction: Noninvasive hemodynamic (HD) assessments in the emergency department (ED) might assist in the diagnosis, therapeutic plan development and risk stratification of acutely ill patients. This multinational observational study was designed to initiate noninvasive HD measurements prior to any ED patient therapeutic interventions and broadly evaluate them for potential diagnostic, therapeutic and predictive value. Methods: We enrolled patients with suspected acute heart failure (AHF), sepsis or stroke. Continuous noninvasive HD monitoring was begun using the Nexfin finger cuff device (Edwards LifeSciences, BMEYE, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Beat-to-beat HD measurements were averaged for the initial 15 minutes, prior to therapeutic intervention. We performed suspected disease group comparisons and evaluated HD predictors of 30-day mortality. Results: Of 510 patients enrolled: 185 (36%) AHF, 194 (38%) sepsis and 131 (26%) stroke. HD variables were significantly different (p