Palliative care outpatients in a German comprehensive cancer center-identifying indicators for early and late referral

PURPOSE

Despite that early integration of palliative care is recommended in advanced cancer patients, referrals to outpatient specialised palliative care (SPC) frequently occur late. Well-defined referral criteria are still missing. We analysed indicators associated with early (ER) and late referral (LR) to SPC of an high volume outpatient unit of a comprehensive cancer center.

METHODS

Characteristics, laboratory parameters and symptom burden of 281 patients at first SPC referral were analysed. Timing of referral was categorized as early, intermediate and late (> 12, 3-12 and < 3 months before death). Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors related to referral timing. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine symptom severity and laboratory parameter in each referral category.

RESULTS

LRs (50.7%) had worse scores of weakness, loss of appetite, drowsiness, assistance of daily living (all p < 0.001) and organisation of care (p < 0.01) in contrast to ERs. The mean symptom sum score was significantly higher in LRs than ERs (13.03 vs. 16.08; p < 0.01). Parameters indicative of poor prognosis, such as elevated LDH, CRP and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (p < 0.01) as well as the presence of ascites (p < 0.05), were significantly higher (all p < 0.001) in LRs. In univariable analyses, psychological distress (p < 0.05) and female gender (p < 0.05) were independently associated with an ER.

CONCLUSION

A symptom sum score and parameters of poor prognosis like NLR or LDH might be useful to integrate into palliative care screening tools.

The psychological and subjective experience of catatonia: a qualitative study

Background

Catatonia is a severe psychomotor disorder that presents as abnormality of movement which may also be excessive or severely slowed. It often inhibits communication when protracted or severe. In this study we investigated the emotive and cognitive experience of patients with catatonia during a prevalence study in an acute mental health unit from August 2020 to September 2021. The value of this study is the addition of the inner and often unexplored cognitive and emotive experience of patients in the description of the catatonic state, which lends an additional dimension to complement the medical and psychopathological descriptors that have been the focus of most studies on catatonia.

Methods

Ethical approval was received from the Nelson Mandela University Human Research Committee and convenience sampling was undertaken to recruit participants admitted into an acute mental health unit with catatonia, four to eight weeks after discharge, following admission. The BFCSI and BFCRS and a pre-designed data collection sheet were used to assess n = 241 participants, and collect data on descriptions of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours they experienced during the catatonic episode.

Results

Forty-four (18.3%) of the total 241 participants who were assessed had catatonia. Thirty (68.2%) of the 44 participants with catatonia provided data on their experience of catatonia. Twenty-three were males (76.7% of 30) and seven were females (23.3% of 30). All were within the age range of 17 to 65 years. The dominant themes of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors described centered around yearning for or missing loved ones, heightened fear, intense anxiety, negative affect, aggression, obedience, and withdrawal.

Conclusions

The common themes that emerged from this study were overwhelming anxiety, fear, and depression. These were found to occur frequently in patients with catatonia when describing their psychological experience. These experiences may possibly relate to the flight, fight, freeze and fawn response, as described in prior studies on the subjective experience of catatonia.

Trial registration: Not applicable.

Management and outcomes of catatonia: A prospective study in urban South Africa

Objectives:

Rapid intervention for catatonia with benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy can prevent fatal complications. We describe the management and treatment response of 44 patients with catatonia in a psychiatric unit in urban South Africa. The objective was to screen admissions for catatonia and investigate management, treatment response, and treatment outcomes.

Method:

We used a prospective, descriptive, observational study design and collected data using a data collection sheet, the Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument, the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale, and the Diagnostic Statistical Manual-5 to assess catatonia in new admissions from September 2020 to August 2021.

Results:

Of the 241 participants screened on admission, 44 (18.3% of 241) screened positive for catatonia on the Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument, while 197 (81.7% of 241) did not. Thirty-eight (86.4% of 44) received lorazepam, seven (15.9%) received clonazepam, and two (4.6%) received diazepam, implying that three (6.8%) of the 44 participants with catatonia received more than one benzodiazepine sequentially. Ten (22.7% of 44) patients received electroconvulsive therapy. Seven of those treated with electroconvulsive therapy (15.9% of 44 and 70% of 10) responded well and were discharged, whereas 22 (50% of 44 and 64.7% of 34) of those given lorazepam were discharged. Patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy had a higher initial Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale score. One patient (2.3%) relapsed within 4 weeks of discharge. Twenty (45.5%) of the 44 patients with catatonia had low average iron levels, 14 (31.8%) had low vitamin B12, and 24 (54.6%) had high creatinine kinase.

Conclusion:

Both lorazepam and electroconvulsive therapy were found to be effective treatments for catatonia with good response and outcomes. The length of hospital stay of patients with catatonia was similar to that of patients without catatonia. Treatment guidelines for catatonia need to include the role and timing of electroconvulsive therapy to augment current treatment protocols for the use of lorazepam.

A prospective descriptive study on prevalence of catatonia and correlates in an acute mental health unit in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa

Catatonia is a psychomotor abnormality caused by neurological, medical or severe psychiatric disorders and substances. Its prevalence ranges from less than 10% to just above 60%. Diagnosis may be influenced by the screening tools used. Screening of new admissions to a mental health unit for catatonia was undertaken using three instruments to determine prevalence of catatonia. Participants ranged from age 16 years and over. Recruitment took place from September 2020 to August 2021. The setting was a mental health unit within a general hospital in Nelson Mandela Metro, South Africa. Five assessors were trained by the principal investigator to apply the Bush Francis Screening Instrument (BFCSI), the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5), to assess participants. Clinical and demographic data were collected using a specially designed datasheet. Data analysis was performed to identify significant associations between presence or absence of catatonia and clinical and demographic data. Up to 241 participants were screened and 44 (18.3%) had catatonia. All 44 cases were identified through the BFCSI while the DSM-5 identified only 16 (6.6%%) of the 44 cases even though the remaining 28 (63.6%) participants still required treatment for catatonic symptoms. The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria excluded staring, which was the commonest sign of catatonia identified through the BFCSI [n = 33 (75%)]. Close to half (21; 47.7%) of those with catatonia on the BFCSI had schizophrenia. The rest had bipolar disorder (12; 27.3%), substance-induced psychotic disorder (7; 15.9%) and no specified diagnosis in one (1; 2.6%). The BFCSI was very effective at identifying catatonia while the DSM-5 was inadequate, missing close to 64% (28 of 44) of cases. Predictors of catatonia in this sample were a younger age and being male. A prevalence of 18.3%, indicates that assessment for catatonia should be routinely conducted in this and similar settings.

Prenatal diagnosis of rhombencephalosynapsis: neuroimaging features and severity of vermian anomaly

OBJECTIVES

To describe the prenatal neuroimaging spectrum of rhombencephalosynapsis (RES) and criteria for its classification according to the severity of vermian anomaly.

METHODS

In this multicenter retrospective study of fetuses with RES between 2002 and 2020, the medical records and brain ultrasound and magnetic resonance images were evaluated comprehensively to determine the severity of the vermian anomaly and the presence of associated brain findings. RES was classified, according to the pattern of vermian agenesis and the extent of the fusion of the hemispheres, as complete RES (complete absence of the vermis) or partial RES (further classified according to the part of the vermis that was missing and, consequently, the region of hemispheric fusion, as anterior, posterior, severe or mixed RES). Findings were compared between cases with complete and those with partial RES.

RESULTS

Included in the study were 62 fetuses with a gestational age ranging between 12 and 37 weeks. Most had complete absence of the vermis (complete RES, 77.4% of cases), a 'round-shaped' cerebellum on axial views (72.6%) and a transverse cerebellar diameter (TCD) < 3^rd centile (87.1%). Among the 22.6% of cases with partial RES, 6.5% were classified as severe partial, 6.5% as partial anterior, 8.1% as partial mixed and 1.6% as partial posterior. Half of these cases presented with normal or nearly normal cerebellar morphology and 28.5% had a TCD within the normal limits. Infratentorially, the fourth ventricle was abnormal in 88.7% of cases overall, and anomalies of the midbrain and pons were frequent (93.5% and 77.4%, respectively). Ventriculomegaly was observed in 80.6% of all cases, being more severe in cases with complete RES than in those with partial RES, with high rates of parenchymal and septal disruption.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides prenatal neuroimaging criteria for the diagnosis and classification of RES, and identification of related features, using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. According to our findings, a diagnosis of RES should be considered in fetuses with a small TCD (severe cerebellar hypoplasia) and/or a round-shaped cerebellum on axial views, during the second or third trimester, especially when associated with ventriculomegaly. Partial RES is more common than previously thought, but presents an extreme diagnostic challenge, especially in cases with normal or nearly-normal cerebellar morphobiometric features. © 2021 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Random Controlled Trial of Sham Electroconvulsive Therapy and Other Novel Therapies: Historical Notes

ABSTRACT

Critics of electroconvulsive therapy argue that the treatment's efficacy is unproven by random controlled trial comparisons with sham treatments. Their reviews fail to consider sham and random controlled trial studies completed in 1950s, the data republished here.

Expanding the Catatonia Tent: Recognizing Electroconvulsive Therapy Responsive Syndromes

ABSTRACT

Catatonia is a motor and mood disorder of behavior increasingly recognized in systemic medically ill. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome, delirious mania, self injurious behaviors in autism, and limbic encephalitis are conditions in which ECT-responsive catatonia is increasingly recognized and effectively treated.

[Evaluation of outpatient medical pain management in Germany : Results of an internet-based cross-sectional survey among pain specialists in outpatient departments]

Hintergrund

Nach den Kriterien der Qualitätssicherungsvereinbarung Schmerztherapie (QSV) nahmen zum Stichtag 31.12.2016 1206 Ärztinnen und Ärzte an der ambulanten Versorgung chronischer Schmerzpatienten teil. Bei in weiten Teilen bestehender Unterversorgung chronischer Schmerzpatienten fehlen Daten zur Einschätzung der ambulanten Schmerztherapie durch die Schmerztherapeuten selbst.

Methoden

In einem Hybrid-Delphi-Verfahren wurde ein Fragebogen zur inhaltlichen, strukturellen und persönlichen Bewertung der ambulanten Schmerztherapie in Deutschland entwickelt.

Mit diesem Instrument wurde eine internetbasierte Querschnittsbefragung von 281 QSV-Schmerzmedizinern aus vier Bundesländern (Berlin, Niedersachsen, Sachsen, Baden-Württemberg) und aller universitären Schmerzambulanzleiter (n = 36) in Deutschland durchgeführt.

Ergebnisse

Die Befragung erzielte eine bereinigte Rücklaufquote von insgesamt 35,9 %. Bei den Schmerzambulanzleitern antworteten 66,7 %. Bei 91 % der Befragten lag der Anteil an chronisch Schmerzkranken in der Praxis bei über 70 %. 67,3 % geben an, mit ihrer Praxissituation zufrieden zu sein, auf der anderen Seite äußern 63,4 % ihre Unzufriedenheit mit der aktuellen Organisation der Schmerzmedizin in Deutschland insgesamt. Diese Unzufriedenheit zeigt sich vor allem in Bezug auf die Budgetregelungen (69,3 %), die Kooperation mit Psychotherapeuten (69,3 %) und die interdisziplinäre Vernetzung (50,5 %). Als gute Vorbereitung für den späteren Beruf werden die einjährige Weiterbildung bei einem Weiterbildungsbefugten (87,1 %) und die Teilnahme an dem Kurs „Psychosomatische Grundversorgung“ (90,1 %) bewertet. Vielfältige Freitextkommentare weisen darauf hin, dass die Ausbildung zu kurz und nicht ausreichend sei. Die Mehrheit der Befragten hält es sowohl aus Arztsicht (61,4 %) wie auch aus Patientensicht (54,5 %) für sinnvoll, einen Facharzt für Schmerzmedizin als Versorgungsmodell zu etablieren. 70,8 % der Schmerzambulanzleiter sprechen sich für eigenständige Strukturen mit eigenem Budget aus, 75,0 % geben an, dass ihre Ambulanz unter den aktuellen Bedingungen nicht kostendeckend arbeitet. In Bezug auf die aktuelle Ausbildungssituation berichten nur 39,7 % der QSV-Schmerztherapeuten in der Niederlassung, dass sie auch Ärzte ausbilden, 57,6 % von ihnen planen zudem, ihre Tätigkeit innerhalb der nächsten 10 Jahre aufzugeben.

Schlussfolgerungen

Die mangelnde Eigenständigkeit der Schmerzmedizin und die unzureichend ausgebauten ambulanten Versorgungsnetzwerke tragen dazu bei, dass Schmerztherapeuten mit vielen Aspekten ihrer Tätigkeit unzufrieden sind. Die Etablierung eines Facharztes für Schmerztherapie wird als eine gute Lösung für eine bessere schmerzmedizinische Versorgung und für die Nachwuchsproblematik gesehen.

Protocol for a prospective descriptive prevalence study of catatonia in an acute mental health unit in urban South Africa

INTRODUCTION

Catatonia arises from serious mental, medical, neurological or toxic conditions. The prevalence range depends on the setting and the range is anything from 7% to 63% in other countries. South African prevalence rates are currently unknown. The proposed study is a quantitative descriptive study using the Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument as a screening tool with a data capturing information sheet to extract clinical information from patient folders. The study will investigate: (1) prevalence of catatonia, (2) clinical and demographic correlates associated with catatonia, (3) predictors of catatonia, (4) response to treatment and (5) subjective experience of catatonia.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The setting is an acute mental health unit (MHU) within a regional, general medical hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, which accepts referrals from within the hospital and from outlying clinics. Participants will be recruited from inpatients in the MHU from beginning of September 2020 to end of August 2021. Most admissions are involuntarily, under the Mental Health Care Act of 2002 with an age range of 13 to over 65 years. Participants who screen positive for catatonia will be followed up after discharge for 3 months to measure outcomes. Primary outcomes will include the 12-month prevalence rate of catatonia, descriptive and other data on presentation and assessment of catatonia in the MHU. Secondary outcomes will include data on treatment response, participants' report of their subjective experience of catatonia and predictors of catatonia. Descriptive statistics, multivariate binomial logistic regression and univariate analyses will be conducted to evaluate associations between catatonia and clinical or demographic data which could be predictors of catatonia. Survival analysis will be used to examine the time to recovery after diagnosis and initiation of treatment. The 95% CI will be used to demonstrate the precision of estimates. The level of significance will be p≤0.05.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study has received ethical approval from the Research and Ethics Committees of the Eastern Cape Department of Health, Walter Sisulu University and Nelson Mandela University. The results will be disseminated as follows: at various presentations and feedback sessions; as part of a PhD thesis in Psychology at Nelson Mandela University; and in a manuscript that will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

Active Control of the Spoof Plasmon Propagation in Time Varying and Non-reciprocal Metamaterial

We present an efficient concept based on time varying and non reciprocal metamaterials to achieve an active control of the spoof plasmon (SP) propagation at sub-wavelength scale. An experimental demonstration of non-reciprocal guiding device based on split ring resonator is proposed as an application of this concept in the microwave regime. We show that this device is able to blue-shift the propagated SP waves and to achieve an active steering of these SPs at sub-wavelength scale by controlling the modulation frequency of the time varying metamaterial. This approach could be extended plainly to infrared and optical regimes by considering suitable technologies.