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Abstract
OBJECTIVES Identify diagnostic yield and frequency of echocardiograms for palpitation-related indications at outpatient paediatric cardiology clinics in relation to the 2014 ACC/AAP/AHA/ASE/HRS/SCAI/SCCT/SCMR/SOPE appropriate use criteria for Initial Transthoracic Echocardiography in Outpatient Paediatric Cardiology. STUDY DESIGN A single-centre, retrospective study of children presenting for evaluation of a chief complaint of palpitations to outpatient paediatric cardiology clinics from 2015 to 2017. Palpitations were defined as an unpleasant sensation of rapid, irregular, and/or forceful beating of the heart. Indications for echocardiogram in patients were retrospectively classified based on the appropriate use criteria as "appropriate," "may be appropriate," or "rarely appropriate." The incidence of abnormal and incidental echocardiographic findings for each category was determined. RESULTS A total of 286 patients presented with palpitations, with 128 (52% female) meeting inclusion criteria. Exclusion criteria included patients with additional cardiac complaints, prior echocardiogram, or history of congenital heart disease. Echocardiograms were performed on 36 (28%) patients. The appropriate use criteria were retrospectively applied, and indications for their performance were classified as "appropriate" (n = 4), "may be appropriate" (n = 17), or "rarely appropriate" (n = 15). Minor echocardiographic abnormalities were present in 22% (n = 8) of echocardiograms obtained for all appropriate use criteria classifications. No moderate or severe echocardiographic abnormalities were found. Incidental findings were noted in eight echocardiograms. CONCLUSION Echocardiography in the evaluation of "rarely appropriate" and "may be appropriate" palpitation-related indications is of low diagnostic yield.
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Anderson S, Figueroa J, McCracken CE, Cochran C, Slesnick TC, Border WL, Sachdeva R. Factors Influencing Temporal Trends in Pediatric Inpatient Imaging Utilization. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2020; 33:1517-1525. [PMID: 32919851 DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2020.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Concern exists over exponential growth in cardiac imaging in adults, but there is paucity of such data for cardiac imaging trends in pediatric patients. The aims of this study were to determine temporal trends in the use of noninvasive cardiac imaging and compare these with trends in the use of noncardiac imaging and to identify factors influencing those trends using the Pediatric Health Information Service database. METHODS Pediatric inpatient encounter data from January 2004 to December 2017 at 35 pediatric hospitals were extracted from the Pediatric Health Information Service database. Temporal imaging utilization trends in cardiac and noncardiac ultrasound or echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) were assessed using linear mixed-effects models. Models were adjusted for case-mix index, complex chronic conditions, patient age, length of stay, payer source, and cardiac surgical volume. RESULTS A total of 5,869,335 encounters over 14 years were analyzed (median encounters per center per year, 11,411; median patient age, 4 years; median length of stay, 3 days). From 2004 to 2017, the rates of pediatric inpatient cardiac and noncardiac ultrasound and MRI increased, whereas the rate of noncardiac CT decreased. Cardiac CT use increased beginning in 2014 (+0.264 cardiac CT encounters per 1,000 encounters per year), surpassing the rate of rise of cardiac MRI. Case-mix index, cardiac surgical volume, and payer source affected the largest number of imaging trends. CONCLUSIONS Among pediatric inpatients, utilization of cardiac and noncardiac ultrasound and MRI has steadily increased. Noncardiac CT use declined and cardiac CT use increased after 2014. Factors influencing imaging trends include case-mix index, cardiac surgical volume, and payer source. This study lays a foundation for investigations of imaging-related resource utilization and outcomes among pediatric inpatients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shae Anderson
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Sibley Heart Center Cardiology, Atlanta, Georgia.
| | - Janet Figueroa
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Charles Cochran
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Sibley Heart Center Cardiology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Timothy C Slesnick
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Sibley Heart Center Cardiology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - William L Border
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Sibley Heart Center Cardiology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ritu Sachdeva
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Sibley Heart Center Cardiology, Atlanta, Georgia
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Stern KWD, McCracken CE, Gillespie SE, Lang SM, Statile CJ, Lopez L, Verghese GR, Choueiter NF, Sachdeva R. Physician variation in ordering of transthoracic echocardiography in outpatient pediatric cardiac clinics. Echocardiography 2020; 37:1056-1064. [DOI: 10.1111/echo.14756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kenan W. D. Stern
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Children’s Heart Center Kravis Children’s Hospital New York New York USA
| | | | - Scott E. Gillespie
- Department of Pediatrics Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta GeorgiaUSA
| | - Sean M. Lang
- The Heart Institute Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati Ohio USA
| | - Christopher J. Statile
- The Heart Institute Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati Ohio USA
| | - Leo Lopez
- Stanford School of Medicine Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Palo Alto California USA
| | - George R. Verghese
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine The Heart Center Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Chicago Illinois USA
| | - Nadine F. Choueiter
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine Pediatric Heart Center The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Bronx New York USA
| | - Ritu Sachdeva
- Sibley Heart Center Cardiology Emory University School of Medicine Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta Georgia USA
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Heart murmur in children less than 2 years-old: Looking for a safe and effective referral strategy. An Pediatr (Barc) 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anpede.2018.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Dalal NN, Dzelebdzic S, Frank LH, Clauss SB, Mitchell SJ, Aljohani OA, Bradley-Hewitt T, Harahsheh AS. Recurrent Cardiology Evaluation for Innocent Heart Murmur: Echocardiogram Utilization. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2018; 57:1436-1441. [PMID: 29993270 DOI: 10.1177/0009922818787280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
We conducted a retrospective study to identify electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiogram utilization among patients presenting for a follow-up cardiology evaluation with innocent heart murmur between 2012 and 2014. The 2014 echocardiogram Appropriate Use Criteria was applied. We observed high rates of ordering ECGs and echocardiograms on follow-up visits (79% and 36%); only 1 patient had an appropriate indication for echocardiogram while the rest had rarely appropriate indication. Having had an ECG done did not affect echocardiogram ordering behavior. Older patient age was the only factor associated with a higher likelihood for ordering echocardiograms on follow-up visit (odds ratio = 1.016, P = .021). In this small sample study, we noticed high rates of test utilization and low-probability utilization of echocardiogram in the recurrent evaluation of children with innocent heart murmur. A larger, multicenter prospective study to investigate patterns and drivers of test utilization in children with innocent heart murmur presenting for a follow-up cardiology visit is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nupur N Dalal
- 1 Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA.,2 The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Lowell H Frank
- 1 Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA.,2 The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Sarah B Clauss
- 1 Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA.,2 The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Othman A Aljohani
- 1 Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA.,2 The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Tyler Bradley-Hewitt
- 1 Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA.,2 The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ashraf S Harahsheh
- 1 Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA.,2 The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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Rodríguez-González M, Alonso-Ojembarrena A, Castellano-Martínez A, Estepa-Pedregosa L, Benavente-Fernández I, Lubián López SP. [Heart murmur in children less than 2 years-old: looking for a safe and effective referral strategy]. An Pediatr (Barc) 2018; 89:286-293. [PMID: 29803643 DOI: 10.1016/j.anpedi.2018.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Revised: 12/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Current guidelines in Spain recommend performing transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in all children under 2 years of age with a heart murmur. In 2014, the American Paediatric Association published the first appropriate use criteria (AUC) for outpatient paediatric transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to promote its cost-efficient use. The aim of this article is to analyse the AUC and other clinical factors as predictors of congenital heart disease (CHD) in children less than 2 years of age with a heart murmur, and to develop a safe and efficient referral strategy. PATIENTS AND METHOD Case-control study conducted with children less than 2 years of age, referred from Paediatric Primary Care to Paediatric Cardiology during a 4-year study. A predictive model for CHD was determined using multivariate analysis. RESULTS A total of 688 patients were included, with 129 (19%) cases of CHD. An age less than 3 months (adjusted odds ratio [ORa] 3.8 [1.5-8.4], p=.030) and fulfilling AUC (ORa 16.3 [9.4-28.3], p<.001) were predictors of CHD. Concurrent infection (ORa 0.6 [0.2-0.8], p<.001) and a negative neonatal screening with pulse oximetry (ORa 0.1 [0.05-0.4], p=.001) decreased the risk of CHD. The referral strategy that included these criteria had a 98% sensitivity, 39% specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 27% and 99%, respectively. It could not diagnose 2% of CHD (all mild), and showed a 32% TTE reduction rate compared to our current strategy. CONCLUSION To refer children less than 3 months old, fulfilling AUC, without a concurrent infection, or without negative neonatal pulse oximetry screening, is a safe and efficient strategy for the management of heart murmur in children under 2 years of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moisés Rodríguez-González
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Pediatría, Sección de Cardiología Pediátrica, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España.
| | - Almudena Alonso-Ojembarrena
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Pediatría, Sección de Cardiología Pediátrica, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España
| | - Ana Castellano-Martínez
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Pediatría, Sección de Cardiología Pediátrica, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España
| | - Lorena Estepa-Pedregosa
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Pediatría, Sección de Cardiología Pediátrica, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España
| | - Isabel Benavente-Fernández
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Pediatría, Sección de Cardiología Pediátrica, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España
| | - Simon P Lubián López
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Pediatría, Sección de Cardiología Pediátrica, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España
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Stern KWD, Gulesserian T, Choi J, Lang SM, Statile CJ, Michelfelder EC, McLaughlin ES, Nguyen T, Lopez L, Verghese GR, Hsu DT, Sachdeva R. Factors Influencing Pediatric Outpatient Transthoracic Echocardiography Utilization Before Appropriate Use Criteria Release: A Multicenter Study. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2017; 30:1225-1233. [PMID: 29202952 DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2017.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although pediatric appropriate use criteria (AUC) for outpatient transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) are available, little is known about TTE utilization patterns before their release. The aims of this study were to determine the relation between AUC and TTE utilization and to identify patient and physician factors associated with discordance between the AUC and clinical practice. METHODS A retrospective review of 3,000 initial outpatient pediatric cardiology encounters at six centers was performed. Investigator-determined indications were classified using AUC definitions. Concordance between AUC and TTE utilization was determined. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify patient and physician factors associated with TTE's being performed for rarely appropriate and TTE's not being performed for appropriate indications. RESULTS Concordance between AUC and TTE utilization was 88%. TTE was performed for rarely appropriate indications in 9% and was associated with patient age < 3 months, indications of murmur, noninvasive imaging physician subspecialty, and physician volume. No TTE was ordered for appropriate indications in 3% and was associated with indications including prior test result (primarily abnormal electrocardiographic findings), older patients, and physician subspecialty other than generalist or imaging. There was high variability in TTE utilization among centers. CONCLUSIONS There was a reasonable degree of concordance between AUC and clinical practice before AUC publication. Several patient and physician factors were associated with discordance with the AUC. These findings should be considered in efforts to disseminate the AUC and in the development of future iterations. The causes for variation among centers deserve further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenan W D Stern
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York.
| | - Talin Gulesserian
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York
| | - Jaeun Choi
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Sean M Lang
- Pediatric Cardiology Section, Arkansas Children's Hospital, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Christopher J Statile
- Cincinnati Children's Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Erik C Michelfelder
- Cincinnati Children's Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Ericka S McLaughlin
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine and Sibley Heart Center Cardiology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Tuan Nguyen
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Florida International University College of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - Leo Lopez
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Florida International University College of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - George R Verghese
- Section of Pediatric Cardiology, Brenner Children's Hospital, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Daphne T Hsu
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York
| | - Ritu Sachdeva
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine and Sibley Heart Center Cardiology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
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Kourtidou S, Evers PD, Jorgensen NW, Kronmal RA, Lewin MB, Schultz AH. Pediatric Appropriate Use Criteria for Outpatient Echocardiography: Practice Variations among Pediatric Cardiologists, Noncardiologist Subspecialists, and Primary Care Providers. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2017; 30:1214-1224. [DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2017.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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