AB1173 INCIDENT CASES OF COVID-19 AND VACCINATION ADHERENCE IN A MULTICENTRIC COHORT OF INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS IN BRAZIL

Background

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a worldwide health crisis. Patients with inflammatory arthritis are at higher risk of hospitalization and death by COVID-19 due to comorbidities or immunosuppressive treatments. Vaccination is one the most important strategies to control the pandemic.

Objectives

To evaluate the incident cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a multicentric cohort of inflammatory arthritis in Brazil.

Methods

BiobadaBrasil is a multicentric registry-based cohort study of Brazilian patients with rheumatic diseases starting their first bDMARD or tsDMARD (1). The present analysis is a retrospective evaluation of adult patients with inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis – RA, spondylarthritis -SpA and psoriatic arthritis-PsA) that were alive since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemics in Brazil in February 2020. We evaluated the incidence and severity of COVID-19 infection and the adherence to anti- SARS-CoV-2 vaccines schedules, up to January 2022.

Results

A total of 300 patients were interviewed and 69 (23.0%) reported confirmed anti-SARS-CoV infection and 5 (1.7%) had a second infection. Among known infected patients, 18.8% need hospitalization and oxygen support, 7.2% were admitted at ICU, and 5.8% died. After COVID-19 infection, 31.8% reported worsening of disease activity but only 6.1% had modification in medication due to disease activity. Distribution of cases followed the pattern of waves observed in Brazil (Figure 1). Regarding vaccination, 285 (95%) reported to have received at least one dose of any anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine: 43% received the first with the adenovirus ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca) adenovirus vaccine, 32% received the Sinovac-CoronaVac inactivated vaccine, 22% received the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNtech) mRNA vaccine and 3% received the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNtech) adenovirus vaccine. Almost all (98.1%) of these patients had already received the second dose of vaccine and after the first and second vaccine doses, 6% and 4% of patients, respectively, reported worsening of articular disease activity, while, after the third dose, no patient reported disease activity worsening.

Figure 1.

Conclusion

During the pandemics, patients with inflammatory arthritis had a pattern of distribution of cases very similar to general population. Adherence to vaccination is high and well tolerated.

References

[1]Bredemeier et al. J Rheumatol 2021;48:1519-27

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

POS0650 THE IMPACT OF OLD AGE ON THE PERSISTENCE AND SAFETY OF TREATMENT WITH BIOLOGIC AGENTS OR JAK INHIBITORS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Background

The effect of age on persistence and safety of treatment with biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in rheumatoid arthritis has been a subject to research interest. Two recently published studies did not observe significantly different survival of treatment with bDMARDs among older age (≥ 65 years) individuals (1,2); incidence of serious adverse events was higher in these patients (2).

Objectives

to evaluate association of the age with treatment survival and overall safety among patients receiving one or multiple courses of bDMARDs or targeted synthetic (ts-) DMARDs.

Methods

BiobadaBrasil is a multicentric registry-based cohort study of Brazilian patients with rheumatic diseases starting their first bDMARD or tsDMARD (3). The present analysis includes RA patients recruited from Jan 2009 to Oct 2019, followed-up over one or multiple (up to six) courses of treatment necessarily involving a bDMARD or tsDMARD (latest date, Nov 19, 2019). Treatment course is defined as a period during which the medication scheme does not change, except for dose adjustments. Primary outcome was the incidence treatment interruption for any reason (except for pregnancy or disease remission), while interruption due to adverse events (AEs; including death) and due to inefficacy served as secondary outcomes. Incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) also served as a secondary outcome. Extended (frailty) multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and negative binomial regression with generalized estimating equations (to calculate incidence rate ratios [IRRs]) were used for statistical analyses (both types of analyses including time-varying covariates over multiple courses of treatment).

Results

In total, 1316 patients (2335 treatment courses, 6508 patient-years [PY]) were enrolled. Of these, 160 patients (643 PY; 237 treatment courses) were ≥ 65 years old, mean age at starting treatment = 71 ± 5 yrs (84% female). Old age was not significantly associated with treatment interruption for any reason, but presented higher risk of interruption due to adverse events (after multivariate adjustment) and lower risk of stopping because of inefficacy (see Table 1). Older patients presented higher incidence of SAEs than younger ones (16.0 vs 8.4/100 PY, respectively; multivariate IRR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.51 to 2.80, P<0.001). Among old patients, tocilizumab (HR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.13 to 6.64, P=0.026), etanercept (2.13, 1.12 to 4.07, P=0.022), and infliximab (2.39, 1.19 to 4.79, P=0.014) presented higher risk of treatment termination as compared with adalimumab. In this subgroup (age ≥65 yrs), there was no significant difference in the risk of SAEs between different bDMARDs/tsDMARDs.

Table 1.

Univariate and multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) of interruption of treatment course comparing older (≥65 years) versus younger patients (reference category). Results are HRs, 95% CIs, and P values.

Cause of interruption (n of events)Crude analysisAdjusted covariates*Interruption - any reason (1321)0.96 (0.75 to 1.23), P=0.7601.09 (0.82 to 1.43), P=0.550Interruption - adverse events (368)1.33 (0.75 to 0.89), P=0.1601.59 (1.07 to 2.35), P=0.020Interruption - inefficacy (680)0.56 (0.39 to 0.80), P=0.0020.57 (0.38 to 0.87), P=0.009

* Age, baseline DAS28, disease duration, gender, smoking, RF or anti-CCP, previous malignancy, interstitial lung disease, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, renal failure, ischemic cardiomyopathy, COPD, heart failure, concomitant use of each cs-, b-, and tsDMARDs, corticosteroids, starting year, osteoporosis, hepatitis B,C, treatment sequence.

Conclusion

The overall risk of treatment interruption with biologic or targeted synthetic DMARDs is not higher in older patients. Higher risk of interruption due to AE was balanced by a lower risk of stopping treatment due to inefficacy. Older patients had a higher incidence of SAEs.

References

[1]Mathieu et al. Rheumatol Int 2021;41:879-85.

[2]Freitas et al. Drugs Aging 2020;37:899-907.

[3]Bredemeier et al. J Rheumatol 2021;48:1519-27.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

POS0242 THE EFFECT OF ANTIMALARIALS ON THE OVERALL SAFETY AND PERSISTENCE OF TREATMENT WITH BIOLOGIC AGENTS OR JAK INHIBITORS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Background

Antimalarials (AM) are frequently part of the initial scheme of conventional synthetic DMARDs in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and have been associated with lower incidence of diabetes and better lipid profile in these patients (1). However, the role of AM in schemes involving biologic (b-) or targeted synthetic (ts-) DMARDs has been much less extensively studied. In addition, a recent large scale study (2) and a consensus article (1) casted doubt on the long-term cardiovascular safety of AM.

Objectives

To evaluate the association of concomitant use of AM with the overall safety and survival of

treatment course among patients receiving one or multiple courses of bDMARDs or tsDMARDs

Methods

BiobadaBrasil is a multicentric registry-based cohort study of Brazilian patients with rheumatic diseases starting their first bDMARD or tsDMARD (3). The present analysis includes RA patients recruited from Jan 2009 to Oct 2019, followed-up over one or multiple (up to six) courses of treatment (latest date, Nov 19, 2019). A treatment course is defined as a period during which the medication scheme does not change. The primary outcome was the incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs). Total and system-specific adverse events (AEs), treatment interruption for any reason, interruption due to AEs and due to inefficacy served as secondary outcomes. Negative binomial regression with generalized estimating equations (to calculate the incidence rate ratios [ÌRRs]) and extended (frailty) Cox proportional hazards models were used for statistical analyses (both types of analyses including time-varying covariates over multiple courses of treatment).

Results

In total, 1316 patients (2335 treatment courses, 6711 patient-years [PY]) were enrolled. The overall incidence of serious adverse events was 9.2/100 PY. AM were used over 354 courses (1254.5 PY) of therapy. The IRRs for the primary and secondary outcomes are presented in Table 1. AM were also associated with better treatment course survival (Figure 1), reducing the risk of interruption due to AEs (multivariate hazard ratio: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.81, P=0.002) and inefficacy (0.65, 0.48 to 0.87, P=0.003).

Figure 1.Table 1.

Univariate and multivariate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of adverse events comparing use versus non-use (reference category) of antimalarials. Results are IRRs, 95% CIs, and P values.

Type of adverse event (n of events)Crude analysisAdjusted covariates*Serious adverse events (617)0.60 (0.41 to 0.87), P=0.0070.51 (0.37 to 0.69), P<0.001Any adverse event (3494)0.65 (0.54 to 0.77), P<0.0010.68 (0.57 to 0.81), P<0.001Cardiovascular‡Serious (52)1.04 (0.49 to 2.20), P=0.9241.06 (0.45 to 2.50), P=0.891Total (163)0.90 (0.59 to 1.38), P=0.6420.93 (0.59 to 1.45), P=0.737InfectionsSerious (277)0.78 (0.44 to 1.39), P=0.4040.53 (0.34 to 0.83), P=0.006Total (1400)0.77 (0.61 to 0.98), P=0.0330.75 (0.60 to 0.94), P=0.014Hepatic‡Total (66)0.20 (0.07 to 0.64), P=0.0070.16 (0.04 to 0.57), P=0.005Glicemic control-relatedTotal (34)0.74 (0.29 to 1.92), P=0.5400.73 (0.26 to 2.00), P=0.535DyslipidemiaTotal (83)0.60 (0.31 to 1.13), P=0.1140.55 (0.28 to 1.06), P=0.074

*Age, baseline DAS28, disease duration, gender, smoking, seropositivity (RF or anti-CCP), previous malignancy, interstitial lung disease, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, renal failure, ischemic cardiomyopathy, COPD, heart failure, concomitant use of each cs-, b-, and tsDMARDs, corticosteroids, starting year, osteoporosis, hepatitis B and C, and treatment sequence. ‡ Excluding infections.

Conclusion

Among RA patients on treatment with bDMARDs or tsDMARDs, concomitant use of antimalarials reduced the incidence of serious and total AEs, including infections and hepatic AEs, and prolonged treatment course survival. No significant increase in the risk of cardiovascular AEs was observed.

References

[1]Desmarais et al. Arthritis Rheumatol 2021;73:2151-60.

[2]Lane et al. Lancet Rheumatol 2020;2:e698–e711

[3]Bredemeier et al. J Rheumatol 2021;48:1519-27.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

POS0676 SURVIVAL OF THE FIRST COURSE OF BIOLOGIC OR JAK INHIBITOR IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: ASSOCIATION WITH THE CHOICE OF AGENT AND CONCOMITANT CONVENTIONAL SYNTHETIC DMARDS

Background:

After failure of conventional synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), treatment may be escalated to biologic (bDMARDs) or JAK inhibitors (JAKi) (1). Analysis of drug survival can provide useful information on the effectiveness of these therapeutic schemes.

Objectives:

to evaluate the association of the choice of therapeutic agent with the survival of treatment course in RA patients receiving their first bDMARD or JAKi.

Methods:

BiobadaBrasil is a multicentric registry-based cohort study of Brazilian patients starting their first bDMARD/JAKi (2). This analysis includes RA patients recruited from Jan 2009 to Oct 2019, followed-up over the first course of treatment with a bDMARD/JAKi until censoring (latest date, Nov 19, 2019) or occurrence of the outcome of interest. A treatment course is defined as a period during which the medication scheme does not change, except for dose adjustments. The primary outcome was the interruption of treatment course for any reason (except for pregnancy or disease remission); interruption of treatment due to adverse events (AEs) or death and due to inefficacy served as secondary outcomes. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used for analyses.

Results:

In total, 1177 patients (3800 patient-years [PY]) were enrolled. The overall incidence of treatment interruption was 17.5/100 PY. Adalimumab was the most frequently prescribed agent, followed by infliximab (n= 267). The hazards ratios (HR) of the primary and secondary outcomes are presented in Table 1. Figure 1 compares the survival of treatment curves of different bDMARDs/JAKi.

Table 1.

Hazard ratios (HR) of interruption of therapy course of each therapeutic agent (the reference category for bDMARDs/ JAKi is infliximab). Results are HR, 95% CIs, and P values*.

Agent (number of patients)Interruption for any reason (665 events)Interruption due to adverse events or death (196 events)Interruption due to inefficacy (319 events)Adalimumab (354)0.83 (0.68 to 1.01), P= 0.0620.68 (0.48 to 0.96), P=0.0291.08 (0.80 to 1.44), P=0.621Etanercept (257)0.81 (0.66 to 1.01), P=0.0630.56 (0.37 to 0.83), P=0.0040.93 (0.68 to 1.29), P=0.674Certolizumab (80)0.74 (0.47 to 1.16), P=0.1850.33 (0.13 to 0.86), P=0.0241.32 (0.74 to 2.35), P=0.350Golimumab (53)0.86 (0.53 to 1.38), P=0.5300.46 (0.18 to 1.19), P=0.1111.07 (0.53 to 2.15), P=0.849JAKi (tofacitinib) (59)0.54 (0.30 to 0.99), P=0.0470.19 (0.04 to 0.82), P=0.0260.89 (0.41 to 1.96), P=0.779Rituximab (48)0.87 (0.55 to 1.37), P=0.5400.48 (0.20 to 1.18), P=0.1090.58 (0.26 to 1.34), P=0.205Abatacept (30)0.52 (0.25 to 1.07), P=0.0770.46 (0.14 to 1.56), P=0.2150.46 (0.14 to 1.52), P=0.203Tocilizumab (29)0.29 (0.14 to 0.63), P=0.0020.40 (0.12 to 1.30), P=0.1260.28 (0.09 to 0.90), P=0.033Methotrexate (792)0.95 (0.79 to 1.14), P=0.5610.86 (0.62 to 1.19), P=0.3620.98 (0.75 to 1.28), P=0.860Leflunomide (497)1.17 (0.99 to 1.39), P=0.0611.44 (1.06 to 1.96), P=0.0201.02 (0.80 to 1.30), P=0.856Sulfasalazine (48)1.18 (0.80 to 1.75), P=0.4011.94 (1.07 to 3.54), P=0.0300.85 (0.45 to 1.59), P=0.605Antimalarials (230)0.80 (0.65 to 0.98), P=0.0270.67 (0.45 to 0.99), P=0.0430.67 (0.50 to 0.92), P=0.011

* All tests adjusted for other variables presented in the table and for age, baseline DAS28, disease duration, gender, smoking, seropositivity (RF/anti-CCP), previous malignancy, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, renal failure, ischemic cardiomyopathy, COPD, heart failure, use of corticosteroids, starting year, hypercholesterolemia, osteoporosis, hepatitis B and C.

Conclusion:

In our study, infliximab was related to an overall higher hazard of treatment course interruption than tolicizumab and tofacitinib, and higher hazard of interruption due to AEs than most other anti-TNF agents and tofacitinib. Maintaining antimalarials in patients receiving advanced therapies for RA may reduce interruption of treatment due to inefficacy and AEs.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

P6422Physician vs machine: an innovative ST-elevation myocardial infarction pathway through artificial intelligence

Background

The diagnosis of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) has traditionally relied on a cardiologist's interpretation of an Electrocardiogram (EKG). This cumbersome process is costly, inefficient and out of date. Artificial Intelligence (AI) -guided algorithms can provide point-of-care, accurate STEMI diagnosis that will facilitate STEMI management.

Purpose

To demonstrate the feasibility of an automated AI-guided EKG analysis for STEMI diagnosis.

Methods

An observational, retrospective, case-control study. Sample: 8,511 EKG cardiologist-annotated records, including 4,255 STEMI cases. Records excluded patient and medical information. The sample was derived from the private International Telemedical Systems (ITMS) database. LUMENGT-AI Algorithm was employed. Preprocessing: detection of QRS complexes by wavelet system, segmentation of each EKG into individual heartbeats (90,592 total beats) with fixed window of 0.4s to the left and 0.9s to the right of main QRS; Classification: A 1-D convolutional neural network was implemented, “STEMI” and “Not-STEMI” classes were considered for each heartbeat, individual probabilities were aggregated to generate the final label for each record. Training & Testing: 90% and 10% of the sample were used, respectively. Experiments: Intel PC i7 8750H processor at 2.21GHz, 16GB RAM, Windows 10 OS with NVidia GTX 1070 GPU, 8GB RAM.

Results

The model achieved an accuracy of 96.5%, with a sensitivity of 96.3%, and a specificity of 96.8%.

Conclusion(s)

1) AI-guided interpretation of the EKG can reliably diagnose STEMI; 2) AI algorithms can be incorporated into ambulance systems for pre-hospital diagnosis, single page activation, emergency department bypass, facilitating more efficient STEMI pathways.

P1524Women are from venus and face barriers for AMI treatment

Background

The Latin American Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN), a program for managing population-based AMI care, has utilized an innovative hub-spoke strategy and remote guidance to expand medical access in remote parts of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina. Based on the Global Lumen Organization for Women (GLOW) project, that has previously demonstrated gender inequalities and worse outcomes for women who undergo Primary PCI, our research explored the management of female patients in our network.

Purpose

To demonstrate gender disparities in a telemedicine-guided, population based AMI program.

Methods

Meta-analysis of >750,000 patients within LATIN. Telemedicine was employed as a screening tool to accurately diagnose AMI. According to the duration of chest pain and transfer time, AMI patients were triaged into guidelines-based pathways of thrombolysis, pharmaco-invasive management or Primary PCI. Resource allocation was identical for men and women.

Results

Data from 784,395 screened patients reveals broad gender disparities. The critical results yielded that female patients have a lower prevalence of STEMI diagnosis and treatment regardless of the technique – PCI, pharmaco-invasive or CABG (p<0.01). These findings assume more significance given the fact that more women than men, were screened through the Telemedicine pathway.

Conclusions

LATIN gender data signals the urgency to demand better AMI care for women.

P5241Balancing limited resources, infra-structure deficits & cultural differences in sustaining the growth of LATIN telemedicine program

Background

In resource-constrained nations, population-based AMI coverage is daunting. Telemedicine can transform with efficient, cost-effective and scalable programs. We present our data with screening >780,000 patients with innovative hub and spoke strategies.

Purpose

Scientifically pristine protocols, rigorous training, unflinching quality assurance, technology upgrades and education of broad stakeholders are essential attributes for creating population-based AMI programs.

Methods

Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN) required methodical groundwork during a 12-month pilot prior to its formal launch and sustenance for 5 years. It involved scrupulous site selection, technology, and telemedicine optimization and system-wide process metrics. Spokes are the LATIN nucleus and require constant (3-T) training: Triage, Telemedicine, and Transportation. Plus, a mandatory deconstruct of their role in LATIN, of urgent transfer and desist non-critical care. Telemedicine requires constant upgrading of platform, tele-equipment and cloud computing. Ambulance availability is a constant challenge as is the battle with payers. Data entry has required meticulous training and oversight. Strict QA processes have monitored critical metrics: Spokes (Door In Door Out, DIDO and Transport Times); Hubs (Door to Balloon Times, D2B); Telemedicine Platform (Time to Telemedicine Diagnosis, TTD).

Results

Linear growth is observed in the number of sites and telemedicine screenings with simultaneous and sustained improvements in D2B and TTD. 784,395 patients were screened at 350 LATIN centers (Brazil 143, Colombia 118, Mexico 82, Argentina 7). With expanded reach, 8,440 (1.08%) patients were diagnosed and 3,924 (46.5%) urgently reperfused, including 3,048 (77.7%) with PCI. Time to Telemedicine Diagnosis (TTD) was 3 min, tele-accuracy 98.9%, D2B 51 min and in-hospital morality 5.2%. Major reasons for non-treatment were insurance, lack of ICU beds and delayed presentation.

Conclusions

As other regions of the world develop large, population-based AMI management initiatives, LATIN can provide important lessons in the sustainability of these processes.

P1928Global telemedicine initiatives for combating ami

Background

Major disparities exist between developed and developing countries in Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) outcomes. Telemedicine has emerged as a powerful, cost-efficient, and scalable tool for population-based AMI management. We propose efficient telemedicine protocols as frontline AMI strategies for resource-constrained developing countries.

Purpose

To create a global template of using telemedicine protocols for treating AMI.

Methods

A hub and spoke strategy was utilized for Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN) to expand access in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina. Small clinics and primary care health centers in remote areas were strategically connected with 24/7 primary PCI facilities. Experts at 4 remote sites provided urgent EKG diagnosis and tele-consultation that triggered ambulance dispatch and implementation of standardized AMI protocols.

Results

784,947 patients were screened for AMI at 350 LATIN centers (Brazil 143, Colombia 118, Mexico 82, Argentina 7). With this expanded geographic reach, 8,448 (1.08%) patients were diagnosed with STEMI and 3,911 (46.3%) urgently reperfused, including 3,049 (78%) with Primary PCI. Time to Telemedicine Diagnosis (TTD) was 3 min, tele-accuracy 98.9%, D2B 51 min, and in-hospital mortality 5.2%. Major reasons for non-treatment were insurance denials, lack of ICU beds and chest pain >12 hours.

Conclusions

LATIN demonstrates the feasibility of a population-based and telemedicine guided AMI strategy that can hugely expand access. Telemedicine has important public health implications as a global approach to AMI care in developing countries.

P3352Telemedicine transcends national boundaries in quest of creating a behemoth ami program

Background

The Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN) has exploited the remarkable competence of telemedicine for remote guidance. In doing so, LATIN created a mammoth population-based AMI network that employed experts located several hundred miles away to guide the reperfusion strategies for almost 800,000 screened patients. In this pioneering project, telemedicine was initially utilized to guide AMI management within national confines. We speculated whether LATIN telemedicine navigation could outstrip countrywide borders.

Purpose

To maximally harness the vast possibilities of telemedicine for improving AMI care.

Methods

During its pilot phase, LATIN began as a hub and spoke, AMI system in Colombia where 20 spokes (small community health centers and rural clinics) were configured with 3 hubs that could perform Primary PCI. These sites were linked through web-based connectivity. Expert cardiologists, located 50–250 miles away in Bogota, Colombia, used sophisticated telemedicine platforms for urgent EKG diagnosis and teleconsultation of the entire AMI process. Based upon the duration of chest pain and travel time to the hub, these experts guided patients through guideline-based strategies of thrombolysis, pharmaco invasive management or primary PCI. Efficiency of the telemedicine process was measured with the new metric of time to telemedicine diagnosis (TTD). Cloud computing, GPS navigation, and numerous business intelligent tools were gradually incorporated into LATIN telemedicine. As systems became more scalable, the program was expanded to Brazil, where LATIN flourished. Over the last 18 months, LATIN telemedicine capabilities have been pressed across national boundaries. Presently, all 82 LATIN centers in Mexico are guided by experts located in Bogota, Colombia and the 7 Argentina centers channeled through Santiago, Chile.

Results

784,947 patients were screened for AMI at 350 LATIN centers (Brazil 143, Colombia 118, Mexico 82, Argentina 7). Navigation pathways are depicted in the attached figure. TTD remains extremely low in all four countries, and comparable efficiency and tele-accuracy have been achieved. With expanded geographic reach, 8,448 (1.08%) patients were diagnosed with STEMI and 3,911 (46.3%) urgently reperfused, including 3,049 (78%) with Primary PCI. Time to TTD ranged between 2.8 to 5.8 minutes, with a mean of 3.5 min. Tele-accuracy was 98.5%, D2B 51 min, and in-hospital mortality 5.2%. Various other comparative metrics for the 4 countries are being gathered and will be available at the time of presentation.

Conclusions

LATIN demonstrates the robust ability of telemedicine to transcend national boundaries to guide AMI management. This strategy can be adopted in under-developed countries in Asia and Africa to provide an umbrella of AMI care for the millions of disadvantaged patients.

P1742Is time to telemedicine diagnosis (TTD) analogous to door to balloon time?

Background

Telemedicine is a powerful, cost-efficient, and scalable tool for population-based AMI management. Traditional metrics of D2N, D2B do not gauge telemedicine effectiveness. We explored the utility of TTD in 784,947-screened patients within the Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN).

Purpose

To evaluate the competence of TTD as an efficiency indicator in telemedicine.

Methods

LATIN employed a spoke-hub strategy to expand access in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina. Small clinics (spokes) in remote areas were strategically connected to PCI-capable facilities (hubs). Experts at 4 remote locations provided urgent EKG diagnosis via tele-consultation, additionally, they triggered ambulance dispatch and implementation of guidelines-based protocols. Investing in updated telemedicine technology provided a system-wide TTD reduction.

Results

714,450 patients were screened for AMI at 350 LATIN centers (Brazil 143, Colombia 118, Mexico 82, Argentina 7). Within our territories 8,448 (1.08%) patients were diagnosed as STEMI; 3,911 (46.3%) were urgently reperfused, of those 3,049 (78%) underwent Primary PCI. TTD was 3 min, demonstrating 98.9% tele-accuracy. D2B was 51 min; in-hospital mortality 5.2%. We encountered a linear correlation between D2B and TTD. The latter was, also, inversely related to the number of screened patients - both associations are favorable for LATIN.

Conclusions

TTD is an important indicator of telemedicine efficiency. LATIN will continue to explore this value's strength and other important associations.

P1751LATIN - A template for effective AMI management in developing countries

Background

In resource-constrained nations, population-based AMI coverage is daunting. Telemedicine can transform the situation through an efficient, cost-effective and scalable program called the Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN). We present our innovative hub-spoke strategy, that has served >780,000 patients.

Purpose

To use telemedicine protocols to demonstrate appropriate access to quality AMI care, encompassing remote areas.

Methods

LATIN required technology and process metrics optimization as well as a scrupulous site selection, during a 12-month pilot. Spokes represent our strategy's nucleus; they consist of small, rural clinics and resource-limited facilities that are connected to PCI-capable hubs. Spokes require constant (3-T) training: Triage, Telemedicine, and Transportation. The latter two categories are the most challenging because they demand constant upgrading.

Results

784,395 patients were screened at 350 LATIN centers (Brazil 143, Colombia 118, Mexico 82, Argentina 7). A total of 8,440 (1.08%) patients were diagnosed with AMI; 3,924 (46.5%) were urgently reperfused including 3,048 (77.7%) who underwent PCI. Globally, Time to Telemedicine Diagnosis (TTD) was 3 min exhibiting 98.9% tele-accuracy, D2B was 51 min, additionally, in-hospital mortality was 5.2%. Major reasons for non-treatment of patients were insurance, lack of ICU beds and delayed presentation.

Conclusions

LATIN is a valuable healthcare system prototype for developing countries. Our hub-spoke strategy focuses on providing adequate AMI management for populations. However, aspects such as ambulance availability, insurance denial and lack of ICU beds must be targeted to improve performance.

P6417Increasing the accuracy of a machine learning algorithm for STEMI diagnosis by incorporating demographic variables

Background

Our previous work demonstrated the diagnostic value of Artificial Intelligence (AI) -driven algorithms for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). In the present research, we explore the importance of demographic data inclusion, in order to achieve a more accurate diagnosis.

Purpose

To demonstrate that incorporation of demographic variables into the sample records will augment the accuracy of AI-based protocols for STEMI diagnosis.

Methods

An observational, retrospective, case-control study. Demographic data (age and gender) male/female ratio 1.3, ages 98–18 years was added to the sample records. Sample: 8,511 EKG records, previously diagnosed as normal, abnormal (over 200 conditions) or STEMI. Records excluded other patient and medical information. The sample was derived from the private International Telemedical Systems (ITMS) database. LUMENGT-AI Algorithm was employed. Preprocessing: detection of QRS complexes by wavelet system, segmentation of each EKG into individual heartbeats (90,592 total beats) with fixed window of 0.4s to the left and 0.9s to the right of main QRS; Classification: A 1-D convolutional neural network was implemented, “STEMI” and “Not-STEMI” classes were considered for each heartbeat, individual probabilities were aggregated to generate the final label for each record. Training & Testing: 90% and 10% of the sample was used, respectively. Experiments: Intel PC i7 8750H processor at 2.21GHz, 16GB RAM, Windows 10 OS with Nvidia GTX 1070GPU, 8GB RAM.

Results

The model yielded an accuracy of 97.1%, a sensitivity of 96.8%, and a specificity of 97.5%.

Conclusions

The ability of AI-guided algorithms to diagnose STEMI is increased by expanding the morphological variables with demographic data. This approach may be applied to improve the EKG diagnosis of other cardiovascular entities and improve clinical management.

P6142LATIN telemedicine - expanded umbrella of cost-effective ami coverage for 100 million people

Background

AMI is a unique entity where the immediate diagnosis can be made by a single test, the EKG. Despite this matchless attribute of easy diagnosis, developing (and some developed) countries lack resources and efficient pathways for urgent and reliable diagnosis of AMI. With Latin Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN), we have previously presented Telemedicine as a pragmatic solution for urgent and accurate diagnosis of AMI. In this work, we reveal pathways of scalable population-based AMI management models.

Purpose

To utilize telemedicine as a foundation pillar for creating cost-effective and global models of AMI management.

Methods

LATIN pilot tested the hypothesis of remote guidance of AMI management and expanded access by creating a hub and spoke, STEMI systems of care that exploited regional resources. A highly efficient, web-based, cloud-computing prototype was developed and scrupulously monitored with a new metric of time to telemedicine diagnosis (TTD). STEMI systems of care were created to efficiently triage the diagnosed patients for being treated with thrombolysis, pharmaco-invasive management or Primary PCI. This stratagem had enormous provincial variability and was constrained mainly by ambulance structure. Telemedicine and IT costs were forced lower and enabled a cost-effective process to hugely provide access to 100 million patients located in poorer regions of Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. Education and training have formed the mantra for LATIN and stakeholder development, and ambulance systems development has remained immutable goals.

Results

Almost 800,000 patients were successfully screening through LATIN with a cost for accurate STEMI diagnosis of < $3, a tele accuracy that exceeded 95% and with TTD <4 minutes. A total of 8,440 (1.1%) of patients were diagnosed with AMI in this manner and 3,924 (46.5%) urgently reperfused, mainly with Primary PCI (3,048, 77.8%). D2B times have been lowered now to 51 minutes but this is fortuitous, as several PCI-capable facilities are small, and direct transfer to the catheterization laboratory is easy. Door in and Door out times and transport times remain high as a large number of patients are denied by insurance and other payers for treatment. Overall, mortality is 5.2%.

Conclusions

Global financial and philanthropic institutions should contemplate models analogous to LATIN for saving the lives of millions of poor patients in developing countries from AMI.

P2426Validating the diagnostic value of a machine learning algorithm for STEMI detection

Background

We have previously reported the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) guided EKG analysis for detection of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). To demonstrate the diagnostic value of our algorithm, we compared AI predictions with reports that were confirmed as STEMI.

Purpose

To demonstrate the absolute proficiency of AI for detecting STEMI in a standard12-lead EKG.

Methods

An observational, retrospective, case-control study. Sample: 5,087 EKG records, including 2,543 confirmed STEMI cases obtained via feedback from health centers following appropriate patient management (thrombolysis, primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), pharmacoinvasive therapy or coronary artery bypass surgery). Records excluded patient and medical information. The sample was derived from the International Telemedical Systems (ITMS) database. LUMENGT-AI Algorithm was employed. Preprocessing: detection of QRS complexes by wavelet system, segmentation of each EKG into individual heartbeats (53,667 total beats) with fixed window of 0.4s to the left and 0.9s to the right of main QRS; Classification: A 1-D convolutional neural network was implemented, “STEMI” and “Not-STEMI” classes were considered for each heartbeat, individual probabilities were aggregated to generate the final label for each record. Training & Testing: 90% and 10% of the sample were used, respectively. Experiments: Intel PC i7 8750H processor at 2.21GHz, 16GB RAM, Windows 10 OS with NVIDIA GTX 1070 GPU, 8GB RAM.

Results

The model yielded an accuracy of 97.2%, a sensitivity of 95.8%, and a specificity of 98.5%.

Conclusion(s)

Our AI-based algorithm can reliably diagnose STEMI and will preclude the role of a cardiologist for screening and diagnosis, especially in the pre-hospital setting.

P5237Continued financial benefits of LATIN telemedicine program from avoiding unnecessary transfer of patients

Background

Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN) employed telemedicine to construct a population-based AMI program in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina. It increased access, accuracy and guidelines-based care and addressed fiscal issues. Previously, we demonstrated a cost and benefit analysis (CBA) of LATIN based upon avoiding unnecessary transfers and hospitalization. We have performed a scrupulous follow up of this initial observation with a long-term follow up from all expanded LATIN sites.

Purpose

To demonstrate that telemedicine avoids unnecessary transfer of patients.

Methods

784,947 patients at LATIN spokes (small clinics in remote areas) were screened and CBA measured at hubs, spokes and telemedicine centers. Technology, transfer, inpatient, and procedure-related costs were included. A sensitivity analysis was performed for worst and best scenarios of costs, revenues, and savings. A comparison with Avera e-Emergency (Sioux Falls, SD) Telemedicine program, involving 85 rural hospitals in 7 states, is provided (13% transfer avoidance).

Results

Of 784,947 screened patients, 8,448 had STEMI (1.08%); 3,911 (46.3%) were urgently reperfused, 3,049 (78%) with PPCI. Time to Telemedicine Diagnosis was 3 min. With efficient triage, costs for non-AMI patients was controlled. LATIN expenses, including for IT and experts, were $272, and for transfer and indirect care, $1,068. Net savings/patient were $796. Savings, till date, range between $187.4 million and $62.4 million (Best scenario −30% transfer avoidance; Worse scenario −10% transfer avoidance).

Conclusions

Longitudinal analysis firms the trend of enormous cost savings with LATIN. Telemedicine avoids unnecessary transfers and hospitalization and it is a cost-effective strategy for population-based AMI programs.

P575Merging technologies to provide Mexico an innovative nationwide AMI management network

Background

“Cόdigo Infarto”, the vast patient-centric, app-based, educational crusade of the Mexican Society of Interventional Cardiology (SOCIME) has been combined with the Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN) to create a comprehensive, national AMI program for Mexico.

Purpose

To demonstrate the benefits of amalgamating educational initiatives of national cardiology societies with a global telemedicine program for improving AMI management.

Methods

“Cόdigo Infarto” App connects patients to a network of several hundred cardiologists and 250 Primary PCI-capable labs. LATIN provides the partnership with its robust telemedicine platform, a hub-spoke strategy that supports patient's access to appropriate medical management. Remotely located experts, in Colombia, provide urgent EKG diagnosis via tele-consultation to the entire LATIN Mexico network. They activate ambulance dispatch and implement guideline-based protocols.

Results

Numerous “Cόdigo Infarto” sites have incorporated LATIN to provide a simple and accelerated management of AMI patients. Currently, the partnership (7 hubs, 78 spokes) has screened 19,886 patients. A total of 359 STEMI cases (1.8%) have been diagnosed; 118 patients (33%) were urgently reperfused, Primary PCI was performed in 74% of the latter cases. D2B time was 41 min. Reasons for the lack of treatment include delayed presentation, lack of ICU beds and insurance denials. Currently, these constraints are being methodically probed. Updated results will be available at time of presentation.

Conclusions

The synergy of the AMI initiative for Mexico provides a template for similar initiatives in developing countries.

P1741Hitting the wall in converting diagnosed ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients to treating them: a humbling analysis from LATIN telemedicine

Background

The behemoth telemedicine program, Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN) has exponentially grown in 4 countries in Central and South America. It has provided AMI coverage to >100 million patients and it has contributed to transforming AMI care in the continent by its “halo” effect. We continue our meticulous search in evaluating the impact of LATIN and in doing so, we have confronted a sobering reality.

Purpose

To make continued improvements in population-based AMI management, the continued success of the initiative requires participation from healthcare policy makers, health economists, and payers.

Methods

LATIN was created as a hub and spoke model to hugely increase access (>100 million population coverage) to quality AMI treatment primarily with short door to balloon time (D2B) PCI. Innovative telemedicine platforms were created and networked at all 350 centers that were located in small clinics and primary health centers in poor sections of the countries (spokes) and at 24/7 PCI capable institutions (hubs). Remote cardiologists, located in 3 central locations, provided immediate EKG diagnosis (time to telemedicine diagnosis, TTD <3.5 minutes) and they provided expert guidance for the entire STEMI process, Door in Door Out (DIDO), and transport times (TT). LATIN performance metrics, under its strict control, and including process metrics at the hubs, spokes, and at the command telemedicine sites, were measured and plotted. The macroeconomic variables of insurance approvals, ambulance structure, and availability of ICU beds were determined and incorporated into performance variables of the LATIN program.

Results

784,395 patients were screened at 350 LATIN centers (Brazil 143, Colombia 118, Mexico 82, Argentina 7). With expanded reach, 8,440 (1.08%) patients were diagnosed and 3,924 (46.5%) urgently reperfused, including 3,048 (77.7%) with PCI. Time to Telemedicine Diagnosis (TTD) was 3 min, tele-accuracy 98.9%, D2B 51 min, and in-hospital mortality 5.2%. Over 4 years of operation, the proportion of reperfused STEMI patients has ranged between 41–48% - the major reasons for non-treatment were insurance, lack of ICU beds and delayed presentation.

Conclusions

Sustained improvements, as a result of stringent QA processes and continuous education, have resulted in reduced D2B, TTD, DIDO, TT, and in overall mortality. However, LATIN remains constrained with a large proportion of patients that are diagnosed but not treated, largely because of payer denials. Although this metric is showing improvement from broad dissemination of LATIN benefits, further gains from LATIN will result mainly from improved reimbursements.

Food formulation and not processing level: Conceptual divergences between public health and food science and technology sectors

Observed changes in eating and drinking behaviors in economically developing countries are associated with increase of obesity and related chronic diseases. Researchers from field of public health (PH) have attributed this problem to food processing and have created new food classification systems to support their thesis. These classifications conceptually differ from processing level concepts in food science, and state to people that food processing is directly related to nutritional impact of food. Our work aims to compare the concept of food processing from the standpoint of food science and technology (FST) and public health and to discuss differences related to formulation or level of processing of products and their impact on nutritional quality. There is a misconception between food processing/unit operation/food technology and formulation or recipes. For the public health approach, classification is based on food products selection and the use of ingredients that results in higher consumption of sugar, sodium, fat, and additives, whereas in FST, processing level is based on the intensity and amount of unit operations to enhance shelf life, food safety, food quality, and availability of edible parts of raw materials. Nutritional quality of a product or preparation is associated with formulation/recipe and not with the level of processing, with few exceptions. The impact of these recommendations on the actual comprehension of food processing and quality must be considered by the population.

'Being a foreigner, I may be punished if I make a small mistake': assessing transcultural experiences in caring for patients

BACKGROUND

Emotionally charged issues that arise during graduate medical education often are unrecognized and consequently not addressed by training programmes. Little attention has been given to the emotional challenges encountered by international medical graduates (IMG) in caring for patients transculturally.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to examine the value of qualitative approaches to assessing the transcultural experiences of IMG residents during primary care training.

METHODS

Two qualitative research techniques (the critical incident and the focus group) were used to assess the transcultural challenges in caring for patients of IMG and American medical graduates (AMG) resident in a primary care residency programme. Each resident wrote a narrative describing a challenging experience and facilitators then conducted a focus group to discuss these experiences. Key themes were identified from the written narratives and from the transcript of the videotaped focus group.

RESULTS

Previously unacknowledged feelings emerged during the assessment. Themes of struggles for acceptance, fear of rejection, and fear of disappointing patients were identified from analysis of the written narrative, while themes of struggle to express caring transculturally were identified from the focus group transcript. Based on these findings, significant changes were made to the residency training curriculum.

CONCLUSIONS

Qualitative methods are useful for assessing the transcultural experiences of IMG residents and for informing curricular changes in residency training. These methods may help other training programmes to identify the particular needs of their trainees in addressing emotionally laden experiences.