The impact of inpatient palliative care on end-of-life care among older trauma patients who die after hospital discharge

Palliative Intervention for Malignant Bowel Obstruction Comes at a Cost: A National Inpatient Study

Background: Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) due to peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is associated with poor outcomes. Optimal management for palliation remains unclear. This study aims to characterize nonoperative, procedural, and operative management strategies for MBO and evaluate its association with mortality and cost.Materials and Methods: ICD-10 coding identified patient admissions from the 2018 to 2019 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for MBO with PC from gastrointestinal or ovarian primary cancers. Management was categorized as nonoperative, procedural, or surgical. Multivariate analysis was used to associate treatment with mortality and cost.Results: 356,316 patient admissions were identified, with a mean age of 63 years. Gender, race, and insurance status were similar among groups. Length of stay (LOS) was longest in the surgical group (surgical: 17 days; procedural: 14 days; nonoperative: 7 days; P = .001). In comparison to nonoperative, procedural and surgical patients had statistically higher hospital charges, post-discharge medical needs, palliative care consults, and admission to rehab centers. Mortality was 7% in nonoperative, 9% in procedural, and 8% in surgical (P = .007) groups. In adjusted analyses, older age, palliative care consult, and non-Medicare payer status were associated with higher mortality. Compared to nonoperative, procedural and surgical groups resulted in increased costs (procedural: $17K more; surgical: $30K more).Conclusions: Admissions for procedural and surgical treatment of MBO are associated with increased LOS, hospital costs, and discharge needs. Optimal management remains challenging. Clinicians must examine all options prior to recommending palliative interventions given a trend towards higher resource utilization and mortality.

Futility in acute care surgery: first do no harm

The consequences of the delivery of futile or potentially ineffective medical care and interventions are devastating on the healthcare system, our patients and their families, and healthcare providers. In emergency situations in particular, determining if escalating invasive interventions will benefit a frail and/or severely critically ill patient can be exceedingly difficult. In this review, our objective is to define the problem of potentially ineffective care within the specialty of acute care surgery and describe strategies for improving the care of our patients in these difficult situations.

Poor utilization of palliative care among Medicare patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia

OBJECTIVE

Patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) experience high annual mortality and would benefit from timely palliative care intervention. We sought to better characterize use of palliative care among patients with CLTI in the Medicare population.

METHODS

Using Medicare data from 2017 to 2018, we identified patients with CLTI, defined as two or more encounters with a CLTI diagnosis code. Palliative care evaluations were identified using ICD-10-CM Z51.5 "Encounter for palliative care." Time intervals between CLTI diagnosis, palliative consultation, and death or end of follow-up were calculated. Associations between patient demographics, comorbidities, and palliative care consultation were assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 12,133 Medicare enrollees with complete data were categorized as having CLTI. Of these, 7.4% (894) underwent a palliative care evaluation at a median of 170 days (interquartile range, 45-352 days) from their CLTI diagnosis. Compared with those who did not undergo evaluation, palliative patients were more likely to be dual eligible for Medicaid (45.2% vs 38.1%; P < .001) and had more comorbid conditions (P < .001). After controlling for gender and race, age (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.04), dual eligibility (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.22-1.62), solid organ malignancy (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.92-4.14), hematologic malignancy (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.27-3.98), congestive heart failure (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.15-1.88), complicated diabetes (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.11-1.65), dementia (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.04-1.66), and severe renal failure (OR, 1.56; 85% CI. 1.24-1.98) were independently associated with palliative care evaluation. During mean follow up of 410 ± 220 days, 16.9% (2044) of patients died at a mean of 268 (±189) days after their CLTI diagnosis. Among living patients, only 3.2% (325) underwent palliative evaluation. Comparatively, 27.8% (569) of patients who died received palliative care at a median of 196 days (interquartile range, 55-362 days) after their diagnosis and 15 days (interquartile range, 5-63 days) prior to death.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite high mortality, palliative care services were rarely provided to Medicare patients with CLTI. Age, medical complexity, and income status may play a role in the decision to consult palliative care. When obtained, evaluations occurred closer to time of death than to time of CLTI diagnosis, suggesting misuse of palliative care as end-of-life care.

The burden of pre-admission pain, depression, and caregiving on palliative care needs for seriously ill trauma patients

INTRODUCTION

Increasing numbers of individuals admitted to hospitals for trauma are older adults, many of whom also have underlying serious illnesses. Older adults with serious illness benefit from palliative care, but the palliative care needs of seriously ill older adults with trauma have not been elucidated. We hypothesize that older adults with serious illness have a high prevalence of pain, depression, and unpaid caregiving hours before trauma admission.

METHODS

Using Health and Retirement Study data (2008-2018) linked to Medicare claims, we identified patients 66 years or older who met an established definition of serious illness in surgery and were admitted with trauma. Descriptive analyses were performed for baseline patient characteristics, pre-admission pain (dichotomized as none/mild vs. moderate/severe), depression (dichotomized as no, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale [CES-D] < 3 vs. yes, CES-D ≥ 3), and unpaid caregiving hours (dichotomized as low (<30 h/month), high (≥30 h/month)).

RESULTS

We identified 1741 patients, 67.4% were female and 86.8% White. Mean age was 83 (SD 7.5), and 60.3% had ≥4 comorbidities. The majority (62.9%) were admitted due to falls, 33.5% had isolated hip fracture. The prevalence of baseline moderate/severe pain and depression were 38.1% and 42.6%, respectively. Among the cohort, 42.2% had unpaid caregiving, of those 27.7% had ≥30 h/week of unpaid caregiving hours.

CONCLUSIONS

Prior to trauma admission, older adults with serious illness have a high prevalence of pain, depression, and unpaid caregiving hours. These findings may inform targeted palliative care interventions to reduce symptom burden and post-discharge healthcare utilization.

Components, Models of Integration, and Outcomes Associated with Palliative/ end-of-Life Care Interventions in the Burn Unit: A Scoping Review

Objective: To scope the literature to ascertain the components of palliative care (PC) interventions for burn patients, models of integration, and outcomes. Methods: Arksey and O'Malley scoping review design with narrative synthesis was employed and reported following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Primary studies reporting PC interventions in the burn unit were considered for inclusion. CINAHL via EBSCO, PubMed, EMBASE via OVID, Web of Science, and gray literature sources were searched from inception to June 2021. Results: Fifteen studies emerging from high-income settings were retained. Data were organized around three concepts: components of palliative/ end of life care in the burn unit; models of integration; and outcomes. The components of interventions based on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Critical Care End-of Life Group domains include decision-making, communication, symptom management and comfort care, spiritual support, and emotional and practical support for families. Consultative and integrative models were noted to be the strategies for integrating PC in the burn unit. The outcomes were varied with only few studies reporting healthcare staff related outcomes. Conclusion: PC may have the potential of improving end-of-life care in the burn unit albeit the limited studies and lack of standardized outcomes makes it difficult to draw stronger conclusions regarding what is likely to work best in the burn unit.

What If We Do Not Operate? Outcomes of Nonoperatively Managed Emergency General Surgery Patients

INTRODUCTION

Although two-thirds of patients with emergency general surgery (EGS) conditions are managed nonoperatively, their long-term outcomes are not well described. We describe outcomes of nonoperative management in a cohort of older EGS patients and estimate the projected risk of operative management using the NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator (SRC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We studied single-center inpatients aged 65 y and more with an EGS consult who did not undergo an operation (January 2019-December 2020). For each patient, we recorded the surgeon's recommendation as either an operation was "Not Needed" (medical management preferred) or "Not Recommended" (risk outweighed benefits). Our main outcome of interest was mortality at 30 d and 1 y. Our secondary outcome of interest was SRC-projected 30-day postoperative mortality risk (median % [interquartile range]), calculated using hypothetical low-risk and high-risk operations.

RESULTS

We included 204 patients (60% female, median age 75 y), for whom an operation was "Not Needed" in 81% and "Not Recommended" in 19%. In this cohort, 11% died at 30 d and 23% died at 1 y. Mortality was higher for the "Not Recommended" cohort (37% versus 5% at 30 d and 53% versus 16% at 1 y, P < 0.05). The SRC-projected 30-day postoperative mortality risk was 3.7% (1.3-8.7) for low-risk and 5.8% (2-11.8) for high-risk operations.

CONCLUSIONS

Nonoperative management in older EGS patients is associated with very high risk of short-term and long-term mortality, particularly if a surgeon advised that risks of surgery outweighed benefits. The SRC may underestimate risk in the highest-risk patients.

Establishing the research priorities for major trauma in the United Kingdom: A Delphi study of nurses and allied health professionals

BACKGROUND

Research prioritisation exercises are used to determine which areas of research are important. In major trauma care, nurses and allied health professionals are central to the delivery of evidence-based care but their opinions on research priorities are under-represented in the literature. We aimed to identify the research priorities of major trauma nurses and allied health professionals in the UK.

METHODS

A three-round electronic Delphi study was conducted in the UK between November 2019 and May 2021. Round one aimed to generate research questions with rounds two and three questions in order of priority. In stages two and three responses were analysed using descriptive statistics to compute frequencies and proportions for the ranking of each question.

RESULTS

Survey rounds were completed by 180, 100 and 91 respondents respectively. The first round generated 285 statements that were condensed into 71 research questions. Analysis of rankings in subsequent rounds prioritised 54 research questions across themes of adult / children's acute care, psychological care and workforce, training and education.

DISCUSSION

Nurses and AHPs are well-positioned to determine research priorities in major trauma care. Focusing on these priorities will guide future research and help to build an evidence-base in trauma care.

Frailty Screening in Geriatric Trauma: A Pilot Feasibility Study

BACKGROUND

Frailty in older adult trauma patients is associated with increased complications and worsened outcomes. Frailty screening can help guide care. Yet, trauma center assessment of frailty is relatively new, can be challenging to implement, and is not yet standard practice.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this pilot feasibility study is to assess the impact of implementing frailty screening for older adult trauma patients and to evaluate the effect of frailty screening on palliative care consultation, inhospital complications, hospital length of stay, and discharge disposition.

METHODS

We conducted a 3-month (July 2019 to September 2019) prospective observational pilot feasibility study of geriatric trauma patients 65 years and older presenting to a Level I trauma center. The Trauma-Specific Frailty Index score was completed within 24 hr of patient admission. Inferential statistics were used to assess the relationships.

RESULTS

Fifty subjects were included. Between frail and nonfrail patient groups, there was no significant correlation between mean Trauma-Specific Frailty Index score and palliative care consultation, χ2(1,N=50) = 2.32, p = .149; inpatient complications, χ2(1,N=50) = 0.000, p = 1.000; hospital length of stay, t(48) = 0.95, p = .345; or discharge disposition (receiver operating characteristic curve, p = .337). There was a significant negative relationship between Trauma-Specific Frailty Index Scores and Injury Severity Scores, t(15) = 2.33, p = .035.

CONCLUSION

This pilot study demonstrates that frailty screening can be implemented to help guide older adult trauma care but is not without challenges. Barriers to frailty screening should be addressed to ensure trauma team engagement. Additional research with a larger sample size is warranted to explore the benefits of frailty screening in guiding care.

What do we know about experiencing end-of-life in burn intensive care units? A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this article is to review and synthesize the evidence on end-of-life in burn intensive care units.

METHODS

Systematic scoping review: Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews extension for Scoping Reviews was used as a reporting guideline. Searches were performed in 3 databases, with no time restriction and up to September 2021.

RESULTS

A total of 16,287 documents were identified; 18 were selected for analysis and synthesis. Three key themes emerged: (i) characteristics of the end-of-life in burn intensive care units, including end-of-life decisions, decision-making processes, causes, and trajectories of death; (ii) symptom control at the end-of-life in burn intensive care units focusing on patients' comfort; and (iii) concepts, models, and designs of the care provided to burned patients at the end-of-life, mainly care approaches, provision of care, and palliative care.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

End-of-life care is a major step in the care provided to critically ill burned patients. Dying and death in burn intensive care units are often preceded by end-of-life decisions, namely forgoing treatment and do-not-attempt to resuscitate. Different dying trajectories were described, suggesting the possibility to develop further studies to identify triggers for palliative care referral. Symptom control was not described in detail. Palliative care was rarely involved in end-of-life care for these patients. This review highlights the need for early and high-quality palliative and end-of-life care in the trajectories of critically ill burned patients, leading to an improved perception of end-of-life in burn intensive care units. Further research is needed to study the best way to provide optimal end-of-life care and foster integrated palliative care in burn intensive care units.

Retrospective Review of Trauma ICU Patients With and Without Palliative Care Intervention

BACKGROUND

Older trauma patients present with poor preinjury functional status and more comorbidities. Advances in care have increased the chance of survival from previously fatal injuries with many left debilitated with chronic critical illness and severe disability. Palliative care (PC) is ideally suited to address the goals of care and symptom management in this critically ill population. A retrospective chart review was done to identify the impact of PC consults on hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS, and surgical decisions.

STUDY DESIGN

A Level 1 Trauma Center Registry was used to identify adult patients who were provided PC consultation in a selected 3-year time period. These PC patients were matched with non-PC trauma patients on the basis of age, sex, race, Glasgow Coma Scale, and Injury Severity Score. Chi-square tests and Student's t-tests were used to analyze categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Any p value >0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

PC patients were less likely to receive a percutaneous endoscopic gastric tube or tracheostomy. PC patients spent less time on ventilator support, spent less time in the ICU, and had a shorter hospital stay. PC consultation was requested 16.48 days into the patient's hospital stay. Approximately 82% of consults were to assist with goals of care.

CONCLUSION

Specialist PC team involvement in the care of the trauma ICU patients may have a beneficial impact on hospital LOS, ICU LOS, and surgical care rendered. Earlier consultation during hospitalization may lead to higher rates of goal-directed care and improved patient satisfaction.

Palliative Care in the Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Settings: A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND

We aimed to conduct a narrative review of available literature to understand the use of palliative care in the trauma and surgical critical care setting.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies investigating the use of palliative care in the trauma and surgical critical care setting. The search included all studies published through January 9th, 2022. The risk of bias of included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist tools. Outcomes were summarized in tables and synthesized qualitatively.

RESULTS

A total of 22 studies were included in this review. Key elements of successful palliative care include communication, shared decision-making, family involvement, pain control, establishing a patient's prognosis, and end-of-life management. Approaches to implementation based upon these key elements include best-case/worst-case scenarios, consultation trigger systems, and integrated institutional palliative care programs. Palliative care may reduce hospital length of stay, improve symptom management, and increase patient satisfaction, but the impact on mortality is unclear.

CONCLUSION

The core elements of palliative care have been identified and palliative care has been shown to improve outcomes in trauma and surgical critical care. However, the approaches for implementation still require development. The underutilization of palliative care for trauma patients reveals the need for refining criteria for use of palliative care and improvement in the education of surgical critical care teams to provide primary palliative care services.

Narrative review of palliative care in trauma and emergency general surgery

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this article is to discuss the goals of palliative care with regards to acute care surgery patients and review the literature regarding administration and implementation of palliative programs.

BACKGROUND

For patients who experience unexpected and sometimes catastrophic life changes related to trauma or emergency general surgery, palliative care is a crucial adjunct that can help ensure the provision of optimal symptom management, communication, and goal-concordant care provided.

METHODS

Palliative care is medical specialty with a philosophy of care focused on improving the quality of life for patients with serious injury or illness and their loved ones. Palliative care provides significant benefit across the entire spectrum of illness and injury, regardless of prognosis. We will discuss palliative care topics related to trauma and emergency general surgery patients, including symptom management, goal setting, end of life care, communication strategies, addressing implicit/explicit bias, trauma-specific and emergency general surgery-specific considerations, and implementation strategies to reduce barriers for utilization of palliative care.

CONCLUSIONS

Unfortunately, palliative care is often underutilized in the trauma and emergency general surgery population. Acute care surgeons should be familiar with principles of primary palliative care, as well as understand the added benefits that be provided by consultant palliative care specialists.

Developing a measure of overall intensity of injury care: A latent class analysis

BACKGROUND

While injury is a leading cause of death and debility in older adults, the relationship between intensity of care and trauma remains unknown. The focus of this analysis is to measure the overall intensity of care delivered to injured older adults during hospitalization.

METHODS

We used Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare fee-for-service claims data (2013-2014), to identify emergency department-based claims for moderate and severe blunt trauma in age-eligible beneficiaries. Medical procedures associated with care intensity were identified using a modified Delphi method. A latent class model was estimated using the identified procedures, intensive care unit length of stay, demographics, and injury characteristics. Clinical phenotypes for each class were explored.

RESULTS

A total of 683,398 cases were classified as low- (73%), moderate- (23%), and high-intensity care (4%). Greater age and reduced injury severity were indicators of lower intensity, while males, non-Whites, and nonfall mechanisms were more common with high intensity. Intubation/mechanical ventilation was an indicator of high intensity and often occurred with at least one other procedure or an extended intensive care unit stay.

CONCLUSION

This work demonstrates that, although heterogeneous, care for blunt trauma can be evaluated using a single novel measure.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

For prognostic/epidemiological studies, level III.

A Culture Change in Geriatric Traumatology: Holistic and Patient-Tailored Care for Frail Patients with Fractures

Medical decision-making for frail geriatric trauma patients is complex, especially toward the end of life. The goal of this paper is to review aspects of end-of-life decision-making, such as frailty, cognitive impairment, quality of life, goals of care, and palliative care. Additionally, we make recommendations for composing a patient-tailored treatment plan. In doing so, we seek to initiate the much-needed discussion regarding end-of-life care for frail geriatric patients.

Opportunities to Improve Palliative Care Delivery in Trauma Critical Illness

BACKGROUND

Despite recommendations to integrate palliative care (PC) into care for critically ill trauma patients, little is known about current PC practices in trauma care to inform opportunities for improvement.

OBJECTIVE

Describe patterns of PC delivery among a large, critically ill trauma cohort.

SETTING/SUBJECTS

Retrospective cohort study of adult (≥18 years) trauma patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) at an urban, level one trauma center in the United States from March 1, 2017 to March 1, 2019.

METHODS

We linked the electronic medical record with the institutional trauma registry. PC process measures included a PC consult order, advance care planning (ACP) note, and hospice use. Unadjusted results are reported for the total population, decedents, and subgroups at risk for poor outcomes (age ≥55 years, Black race ≥1 pre-existing comorbidity, and severe injury) after trauma.

RESULTS

Among 1309 eligible admissions, 902 (68.9%) were male, 640 (48.9%) were Black, and 654 (50.0%) were ≥55 years old. Eighty-one (6.2%) patients received a PC consult order, 66 (5.0%) had an ACP note, and 13 (1.1%) were discharged to hospice. Among decedents (N = 91; 7%), 28 (30.8%) received a PC consult order and 36 (39.6%) had an ACP note. For high-risk subgroups, PC consult orders and ACP note rates ranged from 4.5-12.8% and 4.5-11.8%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

PC delivery was rare among this cohort, including those at high risk for poor outcomes. Urgent efforts are needed to identify barriers to and develop targeted interventions for high quality PC delivery in trauma ICU care.

Underutilization of Palliative Care for Patients with Advanced Peripheral Arterial Disease

BACKGROUND

Advanced peripheral arterial disease is associated with an overall annual mortality between 20-40%. Amputees are at particularly high risk for perioperative and long-term mortality and may benefit from palliative care programs to improve quality of life and to align medical treatments with their goals of care. As studies of palliative care in vascular patients are scarce, we sought to examine palliative care utilization using below knee amputation (BKA) as a surrogate for advanced peripheral arterial disease.

METHODS

All patients who underwent below knee amputation over a 5-year period at a single large academic medical center were identified through chart review. Demographics, preoperative conditions, intraoperative factors, and perioperative outcomes were recorded. The primary outcome was palliative care consultation at the time of the amputation. The secondary outcomes included one-year mortality and palliative care consultation prior to death.

RESULTS

The cohort comprised 111 patients (76 men, 35 women) who received BKA for chronic limb threatening ischemia. Three patients (2.7%) received palliative care consultations at the time of their amputation. Of these, one had been obtained remotely for an oncologic condition and the others for surgical decision-making. Follow-up was available for 73 patients. One-year mortality was 21.9% (n = 16) at a mean of 102 ± 86 days after BKA. Among patients who died within 1 year of their amputation, 37.5% (n = 6) received palliative care consultations prior to their death. The median interval between amputation and palliative consultation was 26 (IQR 14-81) days. The median interval between palliative consultation and death was 9 (IQR 4-39) days.

CONCLUSION

Palliative care services were rarely provided to patients with advanced peripheral arterial disease. When obtained, consultations occurred closer to death than to amputation suggesting a missed opportunity to receive the benefits of early evaluation. Future studies can be aimed at identifying a cohort of vascular patients who would most benefit from early palliative evaluation and determining if palliative consultations alter health care utilization patterns and outcomes for vascular patients.

Implementation of a Surgical Intensivist Model Increases Palliative Care Consultation in the Care of Trauma ICU Patients

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated patient outcomes of care before and after transitioning to a surgical intensivist-led trauma-intensive care unit (ICU) team. The intensivist team provided daily multidisciplinary rounds and continuity of care. Prior to an intensivist model, general surgeons cared for trauma patients admitted to the unit.

METHODS

Outcomes of 1,078 trauma patients, admitted to the ICU at a Level II trauma center, under care of general surgeons (1/2011-8/2012, n = 449) were retrospectively compared with care managed by a surgical intensivist team (1/2013-5/2015, n = 629) by Pearson Chi-squared and Wilcoxon tests. A multivariable logistic regression technique was used to control for covariates. Demographics and injury severity were analyzed. The primary outcome was ICU mortality. The secondary outcomes were length of stay (LOS), ventilator-free and ICU-free days, and ICU readmission rate. Other data collected included palliative care consultation. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in ICU mortality (P = 0.055), hospital LOS (P = 0.481), ventilator-free days (P = 0.174), or ICU readmission rate (P = 0.587). The surgical intensivist team consulted palliative care more frequently (4.0% vs 13.5%, P < 0.001), while managing more trauma patients who were older than 65 years (P < 0.001) with lower Glasgow Coma Scale (P = 0.048) and higher injury severity (P = 0.025) and abbreviated injury scale (P < 0.001) scores.

DISCUSSION

There were no differences in outcomes. However, incorporating palliative care consultation in the ICU is essential in the support of critically ill patients and their families. These data demonstrate that a surgical intensivist team utilized palliative care more often in the management of trauma patients admitted to the ICU.

Comparison of Geriatric Versus Non-geriatric Trauma Patients With Palliative Care Consultations

BACKGROUND

Palliative care in trauma patients is still evolving. The goal was to compare characteristics, outcomes, triggers and timing for palliative care consultations (PCC) in geriatric (≥65 y.o.) and non-geriatric trauma patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective study included 432 patients from two level 1 trauma centers who received PCC between December 2012 and January 2019. Non-geriatric (n = 61) and geriatric (n = 371) groups were compared for: mechanism of injury (MOI), Injury Severity Score (ISS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) orders, futile interventions (FI), duration of mechanical ventilation (DMV), ICU admissions, ICU and hospital lengths of stay (ICULOS; HLOS), timing to PCC, and mortality. Further propensity matching (PM) analysis compared 59 non-geriatric to 59 Geriatric patients matched by ISS, GCS, and DNR.

RESULTS

Geriatric patients were older (85.2 versus 49.7), with falls as predominant MOI. Non-geriatric patients comprised 14.1% of all patients with PCC and were more severely injured than Geriatrics: with statistically higher ISS (24.1 versus 18.5), lower RTS (5.4 versus 7.0), GCS (7.1 versus 11.5), with predominant MOI being traffic accidents, all P < 0.01. Non-Geriatrics had more ICU admissions (96.7% versus 88.1%), longer ICULOS (10.2 versus 4.7 days), DMV (11.1 versus 4.1 days), less DNR (57.4% versus 73.9%), higher in-hospital mortality (12.5% versus 2.6%), but double the time admission-PCC (11.3 versus 4.3 days) compared to Geriatrics, all P < 0.04. In PM comparison, despite same injury severity, Non-geriatrics had triple the time to PCC, five times the HLOS of geriatrics, and more FI (25.4% versus 3.4%), all P < 0.001.

CONCLUSIONS

PCC remains underutilized in non-geriatric trauma patients. Despite higher injury severity, non-geriatrics received more aggressive treatment, and had three times longer time to PCC, resulting in higher rate of FI than in Geriatrics.

Palliative care and aggressive interventions after falling: A Nationwide Inpatient Sample analysis

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to identify whether there is an opportunity for improvement to provide palliative care services after a serious fall. We hypothesized that (1) palliative care services would be utilized in less than 10% of patients over the age of 65 who fall and (2) more than 20% of patients would receive aggressive life-sustaining treatments (LSTs) prior to death.

METHODS

Using the 2017 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we identified patients who were admitted to the hospital with a fall (ICD-10 W00-W19) and were hospitalized at least two days with valid discharge data. Palliative care services (Z51.5) or LSTs (cardiopulmonary resuscitation, ventilation, reintubation, tracheostomy, feeding tube placement, vasopressors, transfusion, total parenteral nutrition, and hemodialysis) were identified with ICD-10 codes. We examined the use of palliative care or LSTs by discharge destination (home, facility, and death). Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with palliative care.

RESULTS

In total, 155,241 patients were identified (median 82 years old, interquartile range 74-88); 2.5% died in hospital, and 69.4% were transferred to a facility. Palliative care occurred in 4.5% of patients, and LST occurred in 15.1%. Patients who died were significantly more likely to have had palliative care (50.1% vs. 3.4% of home or facility discharges) and were more likely to have an LST [53.0% vs. 9.8% (home) vs. 15.9% (facility)]. Palliative care was associated with both death [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 19.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 18.39-21.41, p < 0.001] and LST (AOR 1.36, 95% CI 1.27-1.46, p < 0.001).

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

Palliative care is associated with both death and LST, suggesting that physicians use palliative care as a last resort after aggressive measures have been exhausted. Patients who fall would likely benefit from the early use of palliative care to align future goals of care.

Comparing satisfaction of trauma patients 55 years or older to their caregivers during palliative care: Who faces the burden?

BACKGROUND

Many studies report on the patient-caregiver relationship during palliative care (PC); however, this relationship has yet to be examined following traumatic injury.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study included trauma patients (≥55 years) and their primary caregivers admitted at two level I trauma centers for 2 years (November 2016 to November 2018), who received PC and who completed satisfaction surveys before discharge; surveys were analyzed by four domains: information giving, availability of care, physical care, and psychosocial care, and by PC assessments: consultations, prognostications, formal family meetings (FFMs), and advanced goals of care discussions. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients and caregivers who were satisfied (defined as ≥80%) and was analyzed using McNemar's test. Adjusted mixed models identified PC assessments that were associated with satisfaction scores ≥80% for patients and caregivers.

RESULTS

Of the 441-patient and 441-caregiver pairs, caregivers were significantly less satisfied than patients during prognostications (information giving, physical care), FFMs (information giving, physical care), and consultations (physical care), while caregivers were significantly more satisfied than patients during advanced goals of care discussions (availability of care, psychosocial care). After adjustment, significant predictors of caregiver satisfaction (≥80%) included longer patient hospital length of stay (>4 days), caring for a male patient (physical care, availability of care), higher caregiver age (≥55 years; availability of care), and higher patient age (≥65 years; psychosocial care). Conversely, all PC assessments decreased odds of satisfaction for caregivers in every domain except physical care. Significant predictors of higher patient satisfaction included FFMs (for every domain) and PC consultations (psychosocial care), and decreased odds included advanced goals of care discussions and prognostication assessments (information giving, psychosocial care).

CONCLUSIONS

Palliative care increased satisfaction of patients, especially family meetings and consultations, while assessments were predictive of lower caregiver satisfaction, suggesting that caregivers may be experiencing some of the patient burden.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic/Care Management, level IV.

Palliative Care Services in the NeuroICU: Opportunities and Persisting Barriers

BACKGROUND

End-of-life (EOL) supportive care, including palliative and hospice services, is an area of increasing importance in critical care. Neurointensivists face unique challenges in providing timely supportive care to terminally ill patients expected to expire in the NeuroICU.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored the extent of effective utilization of, and recorded barriers to, palliative and hospice services in a dedicated 30-bed NeuroICU at a large academic medical center.

DESIGN

A retrospective chart review of patients who expired in the NeuroICU was conducted. The timeline from patient admission to arrival of palliative care services was traced. Qualitative review of chart notes was used to identify barriers to provision of palliative services.

SETTING

A total of 330 patients expired in the NeuroICU during the study period, including 176 from the neurology and 154 from the neurosurgical service.

RESULTS

Across services, 146 expired patients were never referred to palliative care or hospice services. Of those referred, over one-third were referred more than 4 days past admission to the NeuroICU. On average, patients were referred with less than 1 day before expiration. Common barriers to referral for supportive services were documented (e.g., patient expected to expire, family declined service).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite benefits of palliative care and an in-hospital hospice opportunity, we identified lack of referral, and particularly delays in referral to services as significant barriers. Our study highlights these as missed opportunities for patients and families to receive maximum benefits from these services. Future research should solidify triggers for EOL services in this setting.

Early Palliative Care Services and End-of-Life Care in Medicare Beneficiaries with Hematologic Malignancies: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) often receive aggressive care at the end of life (EOL). Early palliative care (PC) has been shown to improve EOL care outcomes, but its benefits are less established in HM than in solid tumors. Objectives: We sought to describe the use of billed PC services among Medicare beneficiaries with HM. We hypothesized that receipt of early PC services (rendered >30 days before death) may be associated with less aggressive EOL care. Design: Retrospective cohort analysis Setting/Subjects: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare registry, we studied patients with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, or myeloproliferative neoplasm who died between 2001 and 2015. Measurements: We described trends in the use of PC services and evaluated the association between early PC services and metrics of EOL care aggressiveness. Results: Among 139,191 decedents, the proportion receiving PC services increased from 0.4% in 2001 to 13.3% in 2015. Median time from first encounter to death was 10 days and 84.3% of encounters occurred during hospitalizations. In patients who survived >30 days from diagnosis (N = 120,741), the use of early PC services was more frequent in acute leukemia, women, and black patients, among other characteristics. Early PC services were associated with increased hospice use and decreased health care utilization at the EOL. Conclusion: Among patients with HM, there was an upward trend in PC services, and early PC services were associated with less aggressive EOL care. Our results support the need for prospective trials of early PC in HM.

Reduction in Potentially Inappropriate Interventions in Trauma Patients following a Palliative Care Consultation

Background: Palliative care is expanding as part of treatment, but remains underutilized in trauma settings. Palliative care consultations (PCC) have shown to reduce nonbeneficial, potentially inappropriate interventions (PII), as decision for their use should always be made in the context of both the patient's prognosis and the patient's goals of care. Objective: To characterize trauma patients who received PCC and to analyze the effect of PCC and do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders on PII in severely injured patients. Setting/Subjects: Retrospective cohort study of 864 patients admitted to two level 1 trauma centers: 432 patients who received PCC (PCC group) were compared with 432 propensity score match-controlled (MC group) patients who did not receive PCC. Measurements: PCC in a consultative palliative care model, PII (including tracheostomy and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) rate and timing, DNR orders. Results: PCC rate in trauma patients was 4.3%, with a 5.3-day average time to PCC. PII were done in 9.0% of PCC and 6.0% of MC patients (p = 0.09). In the PCC group, 74.1% of PII were done before PCC, and 25.9% after. PCC compared with MC patients had significantly higher mechanical ventilation (60.4% vs. 18.1%, p < 0.001) and assisted feeding requirements (14.1% vs. 6.7%, p < 0.001). We observed a statistically significant reduction in PII after PCC (p = 0.002). Significantly less PCC than MC patients had PII following DNR (26.3% vs. 100.0%, p = 0.035). Conclusions: PCC reduced PII in severely injured trauma patients by factor of two. Since the majority of PII in PCC patients occurred before PCC, a more timely administration of PCC is recommended. To streamline goals of care, PCC should supplement or precede a DNR discussion.

The Impact of Frailty on Long-Term Patient-Oriented Outcomes after Emergency General Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

Few studies examine the impact of frailty on long-term patient-oriented outcomes after emergency general surgery (EGS). We measured the prevalence of frailty among older EGS patients and examined the impact of frailty on 1-year outcomes.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study using 2008 to 2014 Medicare claims.

SETTING

Acute care hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients 65 years or older who received one of the five EGS procedures with the highest mortality burden (partial colectomy, small bowel resection, peptic ulcer disease repair, adhesiolysis, or laparotomy).

MEASUREMENTS

A validated claims-based frailty index (CFI) identified patients who were not frail (CFI < .15), pre-frail (.15 ≤ CFI < .25), mildly frail (.25 ≤ CFI < .35), and moderately to severely frail (CFI ≥ .35). Multivariable Cox regression compared 1-year mortality. Multivariable Poisson regression compared rates of post-discharge hospital encounters (hospitalizations, intensive care unit stay, emergency department visit) and home time over 1 year after discharge. All regression models adjusted for age, sex, race, admission from facility, procedure, sepsis, inpatient palliative care delivery, trauma center designation, hospital bed size, and teaching status, and they were clustered by patient and hospital referral region.

RESULTS

Among 468 459 older EGS adults, 37.4% were pre-frail, 12.4% were mildly frail, and 3.6% were moderately to severely frail. Patients with mild frailty experienced a higher risk of 1-year mortality compared with non-frail patients (hazard ratio = 1.97; confidence interval [CI] = 1.94-2.01). In the year after discharge, patients with mild and moderate to severe frailty had more hospital encounters compared with non-frail patients (7.8 and 11.5 vs 2.0 per person-year; incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 4.01; CI = 3.93-4.08 vs IRR = 5.89; CI = 5.70-6.09, respectively). Patients with mild and moderate to severe frailty also had fewer days at home in the year after discharge compared with non-frail patients (256 and 203 vs 302 mean days; IRR = .97; CI = .96-.97 vs IRR = .95; CI = .94-.95, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Older EGS patients with frailty are at increased risk for poor 1-year outcomes and decreased home time. Targeted interventions for older EGS patients with frailty during the index EGS hospitalization are urgently needed to improve long-term outcomes. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1037-1043, 2020.

Natural Language Processing Accurately Measures Adherence to Best Practice Guidelines for Palliative Care in Trauma

CONTEXT

The Trauma Quality Improvement Program Best Practice Guidelines recommend palliative care (PC) concurrent with restorative treatment for patients with life-threatening injuries. Measuring PC delivery is challenging: administrative data are nonspecific, and manual review is time intensive.

OBJECTIVES

To identify PC delivery to patients with life-threatening trauma and compare the performance of natural language processing (NLP), a form of computer-assisted data abstraction, to administrative coding and gold standard manual review.

METHODS

Patients 18 years and older admitted with life-threatening trauma were identified from two Level I trauma centers (July 2016-June 2017). Four PC process measures were examined during the trauma admission: code status clarification, goals-of-care discussion, PC consult, and hospice assessment. The performance of NLP and administrative coding were compared with manual review. Multivariable regression was used to determine patient and admission factors associated with PC delivery.

RESULTS

There were 76,791 notes associated with 2093 admissions. NLP identified PC delivery in 33% of admissions compared with 8% using administrative coding. Using NLP, code status clarification was most commonly documented (27%), followed by goals-of-care discussion (18%), PC consult (4%), and hospice assessment (4%). Compared with manual review, NLP performed more than 50 times faster and had a sensitivity of 93%, a specificity of 96%, and an accuracy of 95%. Administrative coding had a sensitivity of 21%, a specificity of 92%, and an accuracy of 68%. Factors associated with PC delivery included older age, increased comorbidities, and longer intensive care unit stay.

CONCLUSION

NLP performs with similar accuracy with manual review but with improved efficiency. NLP has the potential to accurately identify PC delivery and benchmark performance of best practice guidelines.

Predictors of Advance Care Planning Documentation in Patients With Underlying Chronic Illness Who Died of Traumatic Injury

CONTEXT

Advance care planning (ACP) is difficult in the setting of a life-threatening trauma but may be equally important in this context, especially with increasing numbers of trauma victims being elderly or having multimorbidity.

OBJECTIVES

Identify predictors of absent ACP documentation in the electronic health records of patients with underlying chronic illness who died of traumatic injury.

METHODS

We used death records and electronic health records to identify decedents with chronic life-limiting illness who died of traumatic injury between 2010 and 2015 and to evaluate factors associated with documentation of living wills, durable powers of attorney, or physician orders for life-sustaining treatment.

RESULTS

Only 22% of decedents had ACP documentation at time of injury. Among those without preinjury ACP documentation, 4% completed ACP documentation after injury. In multipredictor analyses, patients were less likely to have ACP documentation at the time of injury if they were younger (P < 0.001), had fewer chronic illnesses (P = 0.002), and had fewer nonsurgical hospitalizations (P = 0.042) in the year before injury. Among patients without ACP documentation before injury, those with fewer postinjury nonsurgical hospitalizations were less likely to complete ACP documentation after injury (P = 0.019).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that patient characteristics play an important role in the completion of ACP among patients with chronic life-limiting illness and who died from sudden severe injury. Interventions to improve ACP completion by patients with serious chronic conditions have the potential for increasing goal-concordant care in the event of traumatic injury.

Hospice utilization among Medicare beneficiaries dying from pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Use of hospice services among patients with pancreatic cancer following pancreatic resection remains unknown.

METHODS

Patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent resection were identified in the Medicare Standard Analytic Files. Outcomes included overall hospice use, early hospice enrollment (≥4 weeks before death), late hospice enrollment (initiation within 3 days of death), and Medicare expenditures.

RESULTS

Among the 4369 deceased individuals, three-fourths of patients (n = 3252, 74.4%) used hospice at the time of death. Patients who did not use hospice were more likely to be male, have a complication on index admission and receive life sustaining treatments on subsequent admissions (P < .05). Only one-third (32.2%) of patients initiated hospice services early. Medicare expenditure during the last month of life was $10 000 lower among patients who initialized hospice services at least 1 month before death versus within 3 days of death (late: $10 581 [$5454-$17 200], early: $221 [$46-$733]; P < .001) CONCLUSION: While three-fourths of patients utilized hospice services after pancreatic resection, only one-third of patients initiated hospice services at least one-month before death. Late hospice use was associated with higher Medicare expenditures during the last month of life. Further research is needed to understand barriers to early hospice utilization.