Are Medicare's Nursing Home Compare Ratings Accurate Predictors of 90-Day Complications,Readmission, and Bundle Cost for Patients Undergoing Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty?

Background

Nursing Home Compare (NHC) ratings, created and maintained by Medicare, are used by both hospitals and consumers to aid in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) selection process. To date, no studies have linked NHC ratings to actual episode-based outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether NHC ratings are valid predictors of 90-day complications, readmission, and bundle costs for patients discharged to an SNF after primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA).

LONG‐TERM FOLLOW UP OF PATIENTS WITH SMALL GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMORS IN THE STOMACH USING ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASONOGRAPHY‐GUIDED FINE‐NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are one of the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. GIST are defined by positive immunohistochemical staining for KIT or CD34 and thus are generally diagnosed after surgery. Because small GIST are rarely diagnosed before surgery, the clinical course of these small tumors is not clear. The aim of the present study was to follow changes in size and configuration of small GIST that were pathologically confirmed using endoscopic ultrasonography‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (EUS‐FNAB). Methods: Between July 1997 and December 2003, 16 tumors in 16 patients (10 men and 6 women) with an immunohistochemical diagnosis of GIST were regularly followed in our hospital. The median patient age when EUS‐FNAB was performed was 62 years (range 26–82 years) and the median follow‐up period was 4.9 years (range 0.5–9.6 years). Results: Fourteen tumors showed no remarkable changes in size and shape during follow up compared with the initial diagnosis. Two tumors enlarged: one tumor approximately doubled its diameter in 8 years and the other tumor increased from 1.8 cm at diagnosis to up to 10 cm after only 2 years. Doubling time of the latter tumor was calculated as 3.1 months. Conclusions: We conclude that EUS‐FNAB might be a good modality for final diagnosis of GIST without surgery, and that GIST without rapid growth on follow up can be endoscopically followed.     

Assessment of fetal well-being with magnetic resonance.

The application of magnetic resonance techniques in the assessment of fetal growth, fetal growth patterns and fetal health was assessed. Eighty-four sets of fetal images were obtained using a fast-scan magnetic resonance imaging technique. Measurements were made of fetal subcutaneous fat thickness, uterine cavity length and width, fetal and uterine cross-sectional areas and fetal volume. Fetal area and fetal volume measurements were found to correlate well with birth weight. Measurement of subcutaneous fat thickness may prove to be a means of differentiating between those fetuses who are constitutionally as opposed to pathologically large or small. Thirteen women had additional spectroscopic studies carried out. Twelve of the women had normal pregnancies. One woman had a twin pregnancy in which one twin died. 31P phosphorus spectra were obtained from seven of the normal pregnancies. In the remainder, the depth of the abdominal wall prevented spectra being obtained from the placenta. Differences in phosphorus metabolites were obtained from the placenta of the dead twin compared to those from the healthy pregnancies.     

Anesthesia and/or Sedation for Pulsed Dye Laser Therapy

One of the most exciting developments in pediatric dermatology has been the use of the flashlamp-pumped, 585-nm, pulsed dye laser for treatment of vascular birthmarks. In many cases the results are miraculous. The increase in self-esteem and happiness of many children and adolescents has been overwhelming; for some, depression has been lifted, stuttering has ceased, social involvement has increased, and antidepressants have been discontinued. There are many success stories to tell.
Despite the remarkable effects of the pulsed dye laser and the medical and psychosocial indications for its use, the issue of pain control remains significant. We have no perfect outpatient pediatric anesthetic. Most methods carry either some risk or, if not hazardous, often are not very effective for controlling pain. Needless to say, a diversity of opinions exist on how to manage discomfort from this treatment modality. Therefore, we thought it would be useful to share the experiences and opinions of several dermatologists who have extensive experience with the pulsed dye laser.     

Pulsed dye laser (577 nm) treatment of portwine stains: ultrastructural evidence of neovascularization and mast cell degranulation in healed lesions

Portwine stains were examined before, immediately after, and 1 yr after successful clearance by a pulsed dye laser (577 nm) using ultrastructural techniques. Dilated vascular channels and mast cell hypoplasia characterized lesional skin before treatment. Immediately after treatment, widespread selective vessel necrosis, similar to changes previously described, was observed. One year after laser irradiation, the abnormally ectatic portwine stain vessels had been replaced by small venules and arterioles, similar in number and diameter to blood vessels in normal skin; the only difference noted was that these new vessels were surrounded by easily identifiable mast cells. Many of these mast cells exhibited evidence of activation and degranulation. We conclude that mast cells may play an important role in the neovascularization of portwine stains treated by 577-nm dye laser irradiation.     

The effect of respiratory activity,non-invasive respiratory support and facemasks on aerosol generation and its relevance to COVID-19

Respirable aerosols (< 5 µm in diameter) present a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Guidelines recommend using aerosol precautions during aerosol-generating procedures, and droplet (> 5 µm) precautions at other times. However, emerging evidence indicates respiratory activities may be a more important source of aerosols than clinical procedures such as tracheal intubation. We aimed to measure the size, total number and volume of all human aerosols exhaled during respiratory activities and therapies. We used a novel chamber with an optical particle counter sampling at 100 l.min^-1 to count and size-fractionate close to all exhaled particles (0.5–25 µm). We compared emissions from ten healthy subjects during six respiratory activities (quiet breathing; talking; shouting; forced expiratory manoeuvres; exercise; and coughing) with three respiratory therapies (high-flow nasal oxygen and single or dual circuit non-invasive positive pressure ventilation). Activities were repeated while wearing facemasks. When compared with quiet breathing, exertional respiratory activities increased particle counts 34.6-fold during talking and 370.8-fold during coughing (p < 0.001). High-flow nasal oxygen 60 at l.min^-1 increased particle counts 2.3-fold (p = 0.031) during quiet breathing. Single and dual circuit non-invasive respiratory therapy at 25/10 cm.H₂O with quiet breathing increased counts by 2.6-fold and 7.8-fold, respectively (both p < 0.001). During exertional activities, respiratory therapies and facemasks reduced emissions compared with activities alone. Respiratory activities (including exertional breathing and coughing) which mimic respiratory patterns during illness generate substantially more aerosols than non-invasive respiratory therapies, which conversely can reduce total emissions. We argue the risk of aerosol exposure is underappreciated and warrants widespread, targeted interventions.     

Prophylactic treatment of patients with esophageal varices: Is it ever indicated?

The prognosis of patients who bleed from esophageal varices is dismal. Prophylactic treatment of the varix or the elevated portal venous pressure offers a possibility of improving the outlook for these patients. However, as only approximately one-third of patients with varices bleed during their lifetime, correct identification of high-risk patients is vital before embarking on prophylaxis. At present, neither European or Japanese selection criteria are perfect in this respect. The documented incidence of initial variceal bleeding varies between 27% and 48%, and most bleeding episodes occur within the first year after varices are diagnosed. Data from six randomized controlled trials comparing prophylactic -blockers with placebo demonstrated a decreased incidence of bleeding in propranolol-treated patients, which in large measure may depend on patient compliance and did not significantly affect survival in all but one study. Early randomized studies of prophylactic sclerotherapy have shown significant reductions in both the incidence of bleeding and mortality, but this promise has not been sustained by subsequent trials, and indeed sclerotherapy was detrimental in two studies. The impressive results in highly selected patients treated in Japan by prophylactic surgery are unlikely to be repeated in a Western setting, involving patient populations that consist predominantly of alcoholic cirrhotics. At present prophylaxis with -blockade seems to offer the best therapeutic option, but the future may lie in the development of new interventional techniques such as tranjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunting (TIPS) or variceal banding, and ultimately with hepatic transplantation.

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Resumen El pronóstico de los pacientes que sangran como consecuencia de várices esofágicas es sombró. El tratamiento profiláctico de las várices o de la elevada presión portal ofrece una posibilidad de mejorar el futuro de estos pacientes.Sin embargo, como apenas aproximadamente un tercio de los pacientes con várices sangran en el curso de su vida, la correcta identificación de los casos de alto riesgo es de vital importancia antes de embarcarse en tratamiento profiláctico.En la actualidad ni los criterios de selección europeos ni los japoneses pueden considerarse como perfectos a este respecto. La frecuencia del sangrado varicoso inicial oscila entre 27% y 48%, y la mayoría de los episodios hemorrágicos ocurren dentro del primer año después de establecido el diagnóstico de las várices. Los resultados de seis (6) ensayos clinicos randomizados en que compararon los beta-bloqueadores con placebeo demuestran una disminución en la incidencia de sangrado en los pacientes tratados con propranolol, lo cual en gran parte depende de la obediencia del paciente, pero afectó en forma significativa la sobrevida, excepto en uno de los estudios.Anteriores estudios randomizados sobre escleroterapia profiláctica han demostrado reducciones significativas tanto en la incidencia de sangrado como en la mortalidad, pero ésto no ha sido reproducido en ensayos clínicos subsiguientes, y en realidad la escleroterapia pareció ser nociva en dos estudios. Los impresionantes resultados en pacientes altamente seleccionados logrados en el Japón con la cirugía profiláctica muy probablemente no lograrán ser reproducidos en Occidente, donde las poblaciones de pacientes están conformadas predominantemente por cirróticos alcohólicos. En el momento actual la profilaxis con beta-bloqueadores parece ser la mejor opción terapéutica, pero el futuro puede bien ser el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas intervencionistas tales como shunts transyugulares intrahepáticos (TIPS) o la ligadura endoscópica de las várices y, por último, el trasplante de hígado.

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Résumé Le pronostic des patients ayant saigné de varices oesophagiennes est médiocre. Le traitement prophylactique des varices ou d'une hypertension portale permet une amélioration potentielle du pronostic de ces patients. Cependant, comme seulement un tiers des patients avec des varices saignent pendant leur vie, l'identification correcte des patients à risque élevé est capitale avant d'envisager une politique prophylactique généralisée. Actuellement, ni les critères européens ni les critères japonais ne sont suffisants pour déterminer cette population à risque. L'incidence d'hémorragie par rupture des varices initiale va de 27% à 48% dans la littérature et la plupart des hémorragies se produisent pendant la première année après le diagnostic de varices oesophagiennes. Les résultats provenant de six études comparant les béta bloqueurs à un placebo ont démontré une baisse de l'incidence de l'hémorragie chez les patients traités par le propranol. Ce résultat peut certes être attribué à une différence de coopération parmi les patients: la survie n'est pas différente d'une étude à l'autre sauf une. Les études randomisées de sclérothérapie prophylactique ont démontré une réduction significative dans l'incidence d'hémorragie et de la mortalité, mais cet espoir n'a pas été retrouvé par les essais suivants et la sclérothérapie a été néfaste dans deux de ces essais. Il est peu probable que les résultats impressionnants recueillis au Japon puissent être reproduits en Occident où la population est composée en grand majorité par des cirrhotiques d'origine alcoolique. Actuellement, la prophylaxie par béta-bloqueurs semble être le meilleur des traitements mais à l'avenir, la meilleure option thérapeutique pourrait être le shunt intrahépatique transjugulaire ou le wrapping périoesophagien et ultérieurement la transplantation hépatique.

     

Preliminary results of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 97-03: a randomized phase ii trial of concurrent radiation and chemotherapy for advanced squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck.

PURPOSE: To define further the role of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for patients with advanced squamous carcinoma of the head and neck. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group developed this three-arm randomized phase II trial. Patients with stage III or IV squamous carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, or hypopharynx were eligible. Each of three arms proposed a radiation schedule of 70 Gy in 35 fractions. Patients on arm 1 were to receive cisplatin 10 mg/m(2) daily and fluorouracil (FU) 400 mg/m(2) continuous infusion (CI) daily for the final 10 days of treatment. Treatment on arm 2 consisted of hydroxyurea 1 g every 12 hours and FU 800 mg/m(2)/d CI delivered with each fraction of radiation. Arm 3 patients were to receive weekly paclitaxel 30 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 20 mg/m(2). Patients randomly assigned to arms 1 and 3 were to receive their treatments every week; patients on arm 2 were to receive their therapy every other week. RESULTS: Between 1997 and 1999, 241 patients were entered onto study; 231 were analyzable. Ninety-two percent, 79%, and 83% of patients on arms 1, 2, and 3, respectively, were able to complete their radiation as planned or with an acceptable variation. Fewer than 10% of patients had unacceptable deviations or incomplete chemotherapy in the three arms. Estimated 2-year disease-free and overall survival rates were 38.2% and 57.4% for arm 1, 48.6% and 69.4% for arm 2, and 51.3% and 66.6% for arm 3. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that three different approaches of concurrent multiagent chemotherapy and radiation were feasible and could be delivered to patients in a multi-institutional setting with high compliance rates.