Re-Admission of COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized with Omicron Variant-A Retrospective Cohort Study

In accordance with previous publications, re-admission rates following hospitalization of patients with COVID-19 is 10%. The aim of the current study was to describe the rates and risk factors of hospital re-admissions two months following discharge from hospitalization during the fifth wave due to the dominant Omicron variant. A retrospective cohort study was performed in Rabin Medical Center, Israel, from November 2021 to February 2022. The primary outcome was re-admissions with any diagnosis; the secondary outcome was mortality within two months of discharge. Overall, 660 patients were hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Of the 528 patients discharged from a primary hospitalization, 150 (28%) were re-admitted. A total of 164 patients (25%) died throughout the follow-up period. A multi-variable analysis determined that elevated creatinine was associated with a higher risk of re-admissions. Rates of re-admissions after discharge during the Omicron wave were considerably higher compared to previous waves. A discharge plan for surveillance and treatment following hospitalization is of great importance in the management of pandemics.

Comparison of Efficacy of Ivabradine With Traditional Therapy in Patients With Left Ventricular Dysfunction

Background: Heart failure patients usually present with disease exacerbation that overburdens the hospitals and also increases the risk of mortality with increased heart rate being the main issue. Consideration is being given to drugs for sole heart rate control in addition to conventional therapy.

Objective: To compare the outcomes of ivabradine to traditional treatment in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Methodology: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Department of Cardiology, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar from November 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021. Patients aged 30-65 years of age and of either gender with heart failure were enrolled in the study. Patients were screened for New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and were enrolled into one of the two groups. In group 1, patients were started on traditional treatment, while group 2 patients were given ivabradine as an add-on therapy. Follow-up was made at the end of the second month for evaluation of the outcomes.

Results: Each group had 119 patients, with a mean age of 58.05±4.98 years. Group 1, consisted of 61.3% of the patients in NYHA 3, while 38.65% were in NYHA 4. In group 2, NYHA 3 and NYHA 4 patients were 59.6% and 40.3%, respectively. Upon follow-up, there were greater improvements in group 2 as compared to group 1 based on NYHA classifications, with NYHA 2 [47.05% (group 2) vs. 13.44% (group 1)], NYHA 3 [42.85% (group 2) vs. 61.34% (group 1)] and NYHA 4 [10.08% (group 2) vs. 25.21% (group 1)], p < 0.05.

Conclusions: Obtaining a more optimal heart rate with ivabradine in patients with congestive heart failure is reflected in an improvement in NYHA classification.

Amphetamine use and psychiatric admissions: a 10-year perspective

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to (i) describe the 10-year trend in admissions associated with amphetamine use, (ii) describe the distinguishing characteristics of people with an amphetamine-related diagnosis (ARD) and (iii) examine predictors of repeated admissions among people with an ARD.

METHOD

We conducted a retrospective cohort study. We (i) counted the number of admissions with an ARD and evaluated any trends, and using univariate and multivariate tests, (ii) compared those who had an ARD with those who did not and (iii) compared those with an ARD who had one, two to four, and five or more admissions.

RESULTS

Admissions associated with amphetamine use increased between 2009 and 2015. Those with an ARD had significant differences in demographics, diagnosis and pattern of service use relative to those without an ARD. Amongst those with an ARD, a higher number of admissions was positively associated with a schizophrenia diagnosis but inversely associated with a transient psychotic disorder diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The increase in admissions associated with amphetamine use indicates that people with an ARD posed major demands on inpatient services. Targeting amphetamine treatment to those with psychotic disorders, both schizophrenia and transient psychotic disorders, may reduce hospital-related costs and re-admissions.

Geriatrician-led care model in frail cardiology patients reduces re-admissions

Background

As the population admitted under cardiology is likely to become frailer, a geriatrician-led model of post-procedural care similar to that used in orthopaedic surgery may be beneficial.

Methods

In 2016, a new geriatrician-led ward was created in Hammersmith Hospital where frail cardiology patients could be transferred post-treatment. Using diagnostic coding, patients over the age of 65 years between 01 April and the 31 August for both 2016 and 2019 were identified, and data collected retrospectively from electronic patient records. An anonymised staff survey was completed following the introduction of the new service.

Results

Patients discharged from the geriatrician-led ward had fewer re-admissions than both cardiology-led wards in 2019 (chi-squared 5.46; p=0.02), and overall re-admissions in 2016 (chi-squared 4.34; p=0.037). The majority of surveyed respondents felt that this level of geriatrician input was useful.

Conclusion

Geriatrician-led post-procedural care in cardiology reduced 30-day re-admissions in an elderly cohort.

Risk of Mortality and Readmission among Patients with Pelvic Fracture and Urinary Tract Infection: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Patients with pelvic fractures could encounter various complications during or after treatments. This cohort study investigated the risk of mortality and readmissions in patients with pelvic fractures, with or without urinary tract infections (UTIs), within 30 days following the pelvic fractures. This retrospective cohort study examined claim records from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID2000). We selected patients hospitalized with pelvic fractures between 1997 and 2013 for study. Patients who had index data before 2000 or after 2010 (n = 963), who died before the index date (n = 64), who were aged <18 years (n = 94), or who had a pelvic injury (n = 31) were excluded. In total, the study cohort comprised 1623 adult patients; 115 had UTIs, and 1508 patients without UTIs were used as a comparison cohort. Multivariate analysis with a multiple Cox regression model and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were performed to analyze the data. Our results showed that the 1-year mortality rate (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.25-4.29) and readmission rate (adjusted HR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.26-3.34) of the UTI group were significantly higher than those of the non-UTI group. Moreover, the Kaplan-Meier curve for the 1-year follow-up indicated that the UTI group had a higher cumulative risk of both mortality and hospital readmission compared with the non-UTI group. In conclusion, among patients with pelvic fracture, patients with UTI were associated with increased risks of mortality and readmission. Physicians must pay more attention to such patients to prevent UTIs among patients with pelvic fractures during hospitalization and conduct a follow-up after discharge within at least 1 year.

Characterization of Re-admission and Emergency Department Visits Within 90 Days Following Lower-Extremity Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Acute care events including emergency department (ED) visits and unscheduled inpatient re-admissions following lower-extremity arthroplasty are not fully understood.

QUESTION/PURPOSES

The purpose of this study was to characterize acute care events occurring after discharge in patients who received a lower-extremity arthroplasty: the incidence, timing, and risk factors of inpatient admission and ED visits within 90 days of discharge.

METHODS

The New York State Inpatient and Emergency Department Databases were used to identify patients who underwent elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) from 2009 to 2013 (124,234 and 76,411 patients, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of and the most frequent reasons for unscheduled acute care within 90 days of discharge.

RESULTS

Unscheduled acute care was needed in 13.79% of patients (8.81% of inpatient re-admissions and 4.98% of ED visits), most often in the first week after discharge (61.05% of all inpatient re-admissions and 20.46% of all ED visits). Most of these visits were for musculoskeletal pain, peri-prosthetic joint or wound infection, cardiac complications, blood transfusion, psychiatric events, mechanical complications, and deep vein thrombosis. Predictors for the need for acute care after TKA included African American and Hispanic race or ethnicity, Medicaid coverage, and neuraxial anesthesia. Predictors for the need for acute care after THA included older age (over 85 years), African American race, and Medicaid coverage.

CONCLUSION

We identified demographic and procedure-related variables associated with an increased risk of ED visits and inpatient re-admissions after TKA or THA. Understanding these variables will contribute to improved care quality.

Interdisciplinary Rounds and Structured Communication Reduce Re-Admissions and Improve Some Patient Outcomes

Hospital communication is more than access to information. Among staff, it is about achieving situation awareness-an understanding of a patient's current condition and likely trajectory. In the multidisciplinary context of providing care, structure, consistency, and repeatability of communication will enable a shared understanding of the patient and plan, leading to improved patient satisfaction and outcomes. This was tested using the Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) protocol, a re-admissions risk assessment and daily interdisciplinary rounds (IDR) in the medical/surgical units of a hospital. The impact of these interventions on patient satisfaction, Foley catheter removal compliance, and patient re-admission rates was assessed. Over the 3 year period, Foley compliance improved from 78% to 94%, and re-admissions decreased from 14.5% to 2.1%, both significant. Patient satisfaction trended positively, but was not significant. These results support the value of SBAR and IDR, and are advocated to improve situation awareness and maintain focus on key patient data.