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Wong YJ, Teng M, Sim A, Thet HM, Teoh X, De Roza MA, Sen Kew G, Koh JH, Loi PL, Lim K, Kang G, Kuang J, Low EXS, Ho JL, Cher LYG, Sze K, Wong GW, Kwek BYA, Yang WL, Abraldes JG, Chang J. Full adherence to cirrhosis quality indicators is associated with lower mortality in acute variceal bleeding: Nationwide audit. Hepatology 2024:01515467-990000000-00764. [PMID: 38381716 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Acute variceal bleeding (AVB) is a major complication in patients with cirrhosis. Using a nationwide AVB audit, we performed a nested cohort study to determine whether full adherence to the AVB quality indicator (QI) improves clinical outcomes in patients with cirrhosis and AVB. APPROACH AND RESULTS We assessed real-world adherence to AVB QI among patients with cirrhosis admitted for AVB in all public hospitals in Singapore between January 2015 and December 2020. Full adherence was considered when all 5 QIs were fulfilled: prophylactic antibiotics, vasoactive agents, timely endoscopy, endoscopic hemostasis during index endoscopy, and nonselective beta-blockers after AVB. We compare 6-week mortality between the full adherence and suboptimal adherence groups using a propensity-matched cohort.A total of 989 patients with AVB were included. Full adherence to all AVB QI was suboptimal (56.5%). Analysis of the propensity-matched cohort with comparable baseline characteristics showed that full adherence was associated with a lower risk of early infection (20.0% vs. 26.9%), early rebleeding (5.2% vs. 10.2%), and mortality at 6 weeks (8.2% vs. 19.7%) and 1 year (21.3% vs. 35.4%) ( p <0.05 for all). While full adherence was associated with a lower 6-week mortality regardless of the MELD score, nonadherence was associated with a higher 6-week mortality despite a lower predicted risk of 6-week mortality. Despite high adherence to the recommended process measures, patients with CTP-C remain at a higher risk of rebleeding, 6-week and 1-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS Full adherence to the AVB QI should be the target for quality improvement in patients with cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Jun Wong
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Academic Clinical Program, SingHealth, Singapore
- Liver unit, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, University of Alberta, Canada
| | - Margaret Teng
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Alyssa Sim
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Tan Tock Seng General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Htay Myat Thet
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ng Teng Fong Hospital, Singapore
| | - Xuhui Teoh
- Department of General Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore
| | | | - Guan Sen Kew
- Department of Medicine, Woodlands Health, Singapore
| | - Jia Hong Koh
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Pooi Ling Loi
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Kai Lim
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Garrett Kang
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Jonathan Kuang
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Tan Tock Seng General Hospital, Singapore
| | - En Xian Sarah Low
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ng Teng Fong Hospital, Singapore
| | | | - Liu Yuan Gabriel Cher
- Department of General Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore
| | - Kenny Sze
- Department of General Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore
| | - Guan Wee Wong
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ng Teng Fong Hospital, Singapore
| | - Boon Yew Andrew Kwek
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Academic Clinical Program, SingHealth, Singapore
| | - Wei Lyn Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Tan Tock Seng General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Juan G Abraldes
- Liver unit, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, University of Alberta, Canada
| | - Jason Chang
- Duke-NUS Academic Clinical Program, SingHealth, Singapore
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
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Hagström H, Shang Y, Tapper EB, Wester A, Widman L. Secondary Prevention of Esophageal Variceal Bleeding Is Often Imperfect: A National, Population-Based Cohort Study of 3592 Patients. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2023; 21:3336-3345.e2. [PMID: 37192714 DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2023.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Secondary prevention of esophageal variceal bleeding is important to improve prognosis, but uptake of guidelines is unknown in a real-world setting. Here, we determined the proportion of patients receiving appropriate nonselective beta-blocker treatment and repeat upper endoscopy after a first episode of esophageal variceal bleeding within a reasonable time frame. METHODS Population-based registers were used to identify all patients with a first episode of esophageal variceal bleeding in Sweden from 2006 to 2020. Crosslinkage between registers was performed to receive information on the cumulative incidence of patients with a dispensation of nonselective beta-blockers and repeat upper endoscopy within 120 days from baseline. Overall mortality was investigated using Cox regression. RESULTS In total, 3592 patients were identified, with a median age of 63 (interquartile range, 54-71) years. The cumulative incidence of a dispensation of nonselective beta-blockers and a repeat endoscopy within 120 days was 33%. A total of 77% received either of these treatments. Overall mortality was high, with 65% of patients dying after esophageal variceal bleeding during the full follow-up period (median 1.7 years). We observed an improved overall mortality during the later years of the study period (adjusted hazard ratio for the 2016-2020 period compared with the 2006-2010 period, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.89). Patients with receipt of nonselective beta-blockers and repeat upper endoscopy had better overall survival compared with those without (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-0.90). CONCLUSIONS Secondary prevention of esophageal variceal bleeding has not been widely undertaken, with many patients not receiving guideline-supported interventions within a reasonable time frame. This highlights a need to raise awareness on appropriate prevention strategies to clinicians and patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Hagström
- Division of Hepatology, Department of Upper GI Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Ying Shang
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elliot B Tapper
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Axel Wester
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Linnea Widman
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Adejumo AC, Yakovchenko V, Morgan TR, Spoutz P, Chia L, Bajaj JS, Chang MF, Dominitz JA, Rogal SS. The road to pandemic recovery: Tracking COVID-19's impact on cirrhosis care and outcomes among 111,558 Veterans. Hepatology 2023; 77:2016-2029. [PMID: 36705024 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS This study aimed to evaluate quarterly trends in process and health outcomes among Veterans with cirrhosis and assess the factors associated with cirrhosis outcomes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. APPROACH RESULTS US Veterans with cirrhosis were identified using the Veterans Health Administration Corporate Data Warehouse. Quarterly measures were evaluated from September 30, 2018, through March 31, 2022, including twice yearly screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC-6), new HCC, surveillance for or treatment of esophageal varices, variceal bleeding, all-cause hospitalization, and mortality. Joinpoint analyses were used to assess the changes in trends over time. Logistic regression models were used to identify the demographic and medical factors associated with each outcome over time. Among 111,558 Veterans with cirrhosis with a mean Model for End-stage Liver Disease-Sodium of 11±5, rates of HCC-6 sharply declined from a prepandemic peak of 41%, to a nadir of 28%, and rebounded to 36% by March 2022. All-cause mortality did not significantly change over the pandemic, but new HCC diagnosis, EVST, variceal bleeding, and all-cause hospitalization significantly declined over follow-up. Quarterly HCC diagnosis declined from 0.49% to 0.38%, EVST from 50% to 41%, variceal bleeding from 0.15% to 0.11%, and hospitalization from 9% to 5%. Rurality became newly, significantly associated with nonscreening over the pandemic (aOR for HCC-6=0.80, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.86; aOR for EVST=0.95, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.997). CONCLUSIONS The pandemic continues to impact cirrhosis care. Identifying populations at the highest risk of care disruptions may help to address ongoing areas of need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeyinka C Adejumo
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Vera Yakovchenko
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Timothy R Morgan
- Gastroenterology Section, VA Long Beach Healthcare System, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - Patrick Spoutz
- Pharmacy Benefits Management, Veterans Integrated Service Network 20, Vancouver, Washington, USA
| | - Linda Chia
- Pharmacy Benefits Management, Veterans Integrated Service Network 8, Bay Pines, Florida, USA
| | - Jasmohan S Bajaj
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- VA Richmond Health Care System, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Michael F Chang
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Jason A Dominitz
- VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Shari S Rogal
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Grassi G, Lenci I, Signorello A, Milana M, Baiocchi L. Gastrointestinal endoscopy in cirrhotic patient: Issues on the table. World J Gastrointest Endosc 2021; 13:210-220. [PMID: 34326942 PMCID: PMC8311468 DOI: 10.4253/wjge.v13.i7.210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with liver cirrhosis are fragile and present specific clinical hallmarks. When undergoing to gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, these subjects require an individual pre evaluation, taking into account: Level of haemostasis impairment, the individual risk of infection, the impact of sedation on hepatic encephalopathy and other factors. The overall assessment of liver function, employing common scoring systems, should be also assessed in the preprocedural phase. Beside some common general problems, regarding GI endoscopy in cirrhotic subjects, also specific issues are present for some frequent indications or procedures. For instance, despite an increased incidence of adenomas in cirrhosis, colon cancer screening remains suboptimal in subjects with this disease. Several studies in fact demonstrated liver cirrhosis as a negative factor for an adequate colon cleansing before colonoscopy. On the other hand, also the routine assessment of gastroesophageal varices during upper GI endoscopy presents some concern, since important inter-observer variability or incomplete description of endoscopic findings has been reported in some studies. In this review we discussed in details the most relevant issues that may be considered while performing general GI endoscopic practice, in patient with cirrhosis. For most of these issues there are no guidelines or clear indications. Moreover until now, few studies focused on these aspects. We believe that targeting these issues with corrective measures may be helpful to develop a tailored endoscopic approach for cirrhosis, in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Grassi
- Hepatology Unit, University of Tor Vergata, Rome 00100, Italy
| | - Ilaria Lenci
- Hepatology Unit, University of Tor Vergata, Rome 00100, Italy
| | | | - Martina Milana
- Hepatology Unit, University of Tor Vergata, Rome 00100, Italy
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An Y, Xu X, Ren T, Tong Z, Romeiro FG, Mancuso A, Guo X, Qi X. Adherence to Non-Selective Beta Blockers for Prevention of Variceal Bleeding in Cirrhotic Patients. Int J Gen Med 2021; 14:6713-6724. [PMID: 34675632 PMCID: PMC8520848 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s326192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Long-term use of non-selective beta blockers (NSBBs) is essential for the prevention of esophageal variceal bleeding in liver cirrhosis but may impair the patient's adherence. The present study aimed to investigate the adherence to NSBBs to prevent variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients. METHODS All patients who had an indication of NSBBs for the prophylaxis of variceal bleeding between February 2018 and June 2019 were screened. Clinical pharmacists gave pre-medication education and recorded the adherence to NSBBs during the patients' hospitalizations. Factors associated with poor adherence were evaluated by univariate logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The relationship between poor adherence during follow-up and variceal bleeding after discharge was also evaluated. RESULTS Overall, 108 patients were screened, of whom 12 were intolerant to NSBBs. Among the 96 remaining patients who could take NSBBs, the average change of heart rate after NSBBs was -10.49 b.p.m. Twenty-two (22.9%) patients had poor adherence to NSBBs due to their refusal to take NSBBs (n = 2), complete forgetfulness to take NSBBs (n = 10), and refusal or forgetfulness to monitor heart rate (n = 10). Univariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that only older age was significantly associated with poor adherence (OR: 1.065, 95% CI: 1.019-1.114, P = 0.005). Patients with poor adherence during follow-up were more likely to develop variceal bleeding after discharge. CONCLUSION A significant proportion of cirrhotic patients had poor adherence to NSBBs during their hospitalizations. Further studies should explore how to improve the patient's adherence to NSBBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang An
- Liver Cirrhosis Study Group, Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
- Postgraduate College, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pharmacy, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiangbo Xu
- Liver Cirrhosis Study Group, Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
- Postgraduate College, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pharmacy, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tianshu Ren
- Liver Cirrhosis Study Group, Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
- Postgraduate College, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pharmacy, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhenhua Tong
- Liver Cirrhosis Study Group, Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
- Section of Medical Service, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fernando Gomes Romeiro
- Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista. Av. Prof. Mário Rubens Guimarães Montenegro, s/n Distrito de Rubião Jr, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Andrea Mancuso
- Medicina Interna 1, ARNAS-Civico, Di Cristina-Benfratelli, Palermo, Italy
| | - Xiaozhong Guo
- Liver Cirrhosis Study Group, Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xingshun Qi
- Liver Cirrhosis Study Group, Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, 110840, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Xingshun Qi; Xiaozhong Guo Email ;
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Prevalence of drug-related problems using STOPP/START and medication reviews in elderly patients with dementia. Res Social Adm Pharm 2019; 16:308-314. [PMID: 31176652 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drug-related problems (DRPs) are common among elderly patients with dementia. STOPP/START is an explicit tool that has been used to detect DRPs among elderly patients. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to compare prevalence and type of DRPs identified by STOPP/START with DRPs identified by clinical pharmacists among the same population. Secondary objectives were to investigate factors associated with the use of DRPs using the two methods. METHOD Extracts from medical records were used to identify DRPs in 212 patients by using STOPP/START. The patients were ≥65 years of age with dementia or cognitive impairment. An earlier study was performed in the same study population in 2012-2014, where DRPs were identified by clinical pharmacists in order to decrease the number of rehospitalizations. RESULTS STOPP/START identified DRPs in 72.2% of the patients compared with 66.0% identified by the clinical pharmacists. The numbers of DRPs identified by the different methods were 326 and 310, respectively. Different types of DRPs were identified with the different tools. STOPP/START mainly identified DRPs in the categories "ineffective/inappropriate drug" and "needs additional drug therapy", whereas the clinical pharmacists identified DRPs in several categories. CONCLUSION Even though STOPP/START was able to identify a similar number of DRPs compared with DRPs identified by clinical pharmacists, STOPP/START failed to identify DRPs in several important categories. To cover all DRPs, STOPP/START might be used as a complement to implicit criteria.
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