Association of blood pressure documentation with adverse outcomes in an emergency department in Brazil

Background: Recent data advocate adoption of a more intensive treatment strategy for management of blood pressure (BP). Objective: We investigated whether the overall effects of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) are applicable to cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients. Methods: In a post hoc analysis we analyzed data from SPRINT that randomly assigned 9361 individuals to a systolic BP (SBP) target of <120 mmHg (intensive treatment) or <140 mmHg (standard treatment). 1562 patients had clinically evident CVD (age=70.3±9.3 years, 24% females) at study entry and were followed for 3.1 years. Further, we assessed the effect of low (<150 mmHg) baseline SBP on outcome. Results: In CVD patients, there was no benefit from the intensive treatment regarding all endpoints, except for a marginally significant benefit on all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45 to 1.00; p=0.0509). Further, while there was no increase in serious adverse events (SAE) in the intensive group, there was increased risk for study-related SAE, acute renal failure and electrolyte abnormalities. In patients with low baseline SBP there was a beneficial effect on allcause mortality (HR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.96; p=0.033), but with greater stroke incidence (HR: 2.94; 95% CI: 1.04 to 8.29; p=0.042). Conclusion: We confirm the beneficial effect of the intensive strategy in SPRINT study on all-cause mortality and the harmful effect on specific adverse outcomes in patients with CVD. However, in patients with low baseline SBP stroke may increase.

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The Road to Better Management in Resistant Hypertension–Diagnostic and Therapeutic Insights

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics13050714 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 714

Author(s):

Elisabeta Bădilă ◽

Cristina Japie ◽

Emma Weiss ◽

Ana-Maria Balahura ◽

Daniela Bartoș ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Resistant Hypertension ◽

Renin Angiotensin System ◽

Drug Regimen ◽

Secondary Hypertension ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Uncontrolled Hypertension ◽

White Coat Hypertension ◽

Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist ◽

Mortality And Morbidity

Resistant hypertension (R-HTN) implies a higher mortality and morbidity compared to non-R-HTN due to increased cardiovascular risk and associated adverse outcomes—greater risk of developing chronic kidney disease, heart failure, stroke and myocardial infarction. R-HTN is considered when failing to lower blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg despite adequate lifestyle measures and optimal treatment with at least three medications, including a diuretic, and usually a blocker of the renin-angiotensin system and a calcium channel blocker, at maximally tolerated doses. Hereby, we discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to a better management of R-HTN. Excluding pseudoresistance, secondary hypertension, white-coat hypertension and medication non-adherence is an important step when diagnosing R-HTN. Most recently different phenotypes associated to R-HTN have been described, specifically refractory and controlled R-HTN and masked uncontrolled hypertension. Optimizing the three-drug regimen, including the diuretic treatment, adding a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist as the fourth drug, a β-blocker as the fifth drug and an α1-blocker or a peripheral vasodilator as a final option when failing to achieve target blood pressure values are current recommendations regarding the correct management of R-HTN.

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SPMSQ for risk stratification of older patients in the emergency department

Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie ◽

10.1007/s00391-019-01626-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 52 (S4) ◽

pp. 222-228 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A. Schönstein ◽

H.-W. Wahl ◽

H. A. Katus ◽

A. Bahrmann

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Nursing Home ◽

Risk Stratification ◽

Predictive Validity ◽

Older Patients ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Composite Endpoint ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Nursing Home Admission ◽

Initial Contact

Abstract Background Risk stratification of older patients in the emergency department (ED) is seen as a promising and efficient solution for handling the increase in demand for geriatric emergency medicine. Previously, the predictive validity of commonly used tools for risk stratification, such as the identification of seniors at risk (ISAR), have found only limited evidence in German geriatric patient samples. Given that the adverse outcomes in question, such as rehospitalization, nursing home admission and mortality, are substantially associated with cognitive impairment, the potential of the short portable mental status questionnaire (SPMSQ) as a tool for risk stratification of older ED patients was investigated. Objective To estimate the predictive validity of the SPMSQ for a composite endpoint of adverse events (e.g. rehospitalization, nursing home admission and mortality). Method This was a prospective cohort study with 260 patients aged 70 years and above, recruited in a cardiology ED. Patients with a likely life-expectancy below 24 h were excluded. Follow-up examinations were conducted at 1, 3, 6 and 12 month(s) after recruitment. Results The SPMSQ was found to be a significant predictor of adverse outcomes not at 1 month (area under the curve, AUC 0.55, 95% confidence interval, CI 0.46–0.63) but at 3 months (AUC 0.61, 95% CI 0.54–0.68), 6 months (AUC 0.63, 95% CI 0.56–0.70) and 12 months (AUC 0.63, 95% CI 0.56–0.70) after initial contact. Conclusion For longer periods of observation the SPMSQ can be a predictor of a composite endpoint of adverse outcomes even when controlled for a range of confounders. Its characteristics, specifically the low sensitivity, make it unsuitable as an accurate risk stratification tool on its own.

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Prolonged Emergency Department Length of Stay as a Predictor of Adverse Outcomes in Patients with Intracranial Hemorrhage

Journal of Critical Care Medicine ◽

10.1155/2015/526319 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Erica M. Jones ◽

Amelia K. Boehme ◽

Aimee Aysenne ◽

Tiffany Chang ◽

Karen C. Albright ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Length Of Stay ◽

Adverse Outcome ◽

Independent Predictor ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Significant Independent Predictor ◽

Prolonged Length ◽

Stroke Center ◽

Shift Change

Objectives. Extended time in the emergency department (ED) has been related to adverse outcomes among stroke patients. We examined the associations of ED nursing shift change (SC) and length of stay in the ED with outcomes in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods. Data were collected on all spontaneous ICH patients admitted to our stroke center from 7/1/08–6/30/12. Outcomes (frequency of pneumonia, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at discharge, NIHSS score at discharge, and mortality rate) were compared based on shift change experience and length of stay (LOS) dichotomized at 5 hours after arrival. Results. Of the 162 patients included, 60 (37.0%) were present in the ED during a SC. The frequency of pneumonia was similar in the two groups. Exposure to an ED SC was not a significant independent predictor of any outcome. LOS in the ED ≥5 hours was a significant independent predictor of discharge mRS 4–6 (OR 3.638, 95% CI 1.531–8.645, and P = 0.0034) and discharge NIHSS (OR 3.049, 95% CI 1.491–6.236, and P = 0.0023) but not death. Conclusions. Our study found no association between nursing SC and adverse outcome in patients with ICH but confirms the prior finding of worsened outcome after prolonged length of stay in the ED.

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Optimal blood pressure for patients with chronic kidney disease: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-81328-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

You-Bin Lee ◽

Ji Sung Lee ◽

So-hyeon Hong ◽

Jung A. Kim ◽

Eun Roh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Chronic Kidney Disease ◽

Kidney Disease ◽

Cardiovascular Events ◽

Antihypertensive Treatment ◽

Antihypertensive Agents ◽

Population Based ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Optimal Blood Pressure ◽

Stage Renal Disease

AbstractThe effect of blood pressure (BP) on the incident cardiovascular events, progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and mortality were evaluated among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with and without antihypertensive treatment. This nationwide study used the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort data. The hazards of outcomes were analysed according to the systolic BP (SBP) or diastolic BP (DBP) among adults (aged ≥ 40 years) with CKD and without previous cardiovascular disease or ESRD (n = 22,278). The SBP and DBP were ≥ 130 mmHg and ≥ 80 mmHg in 10,809 (48.52%) and 11,583 (51.99%) participants, respectively. During a median 6.2 years, 1271 cardiovascular events, 201 ESRD incidents, and 1061 deaths were noted. Individuals with SBP ≥ 130 mmHg and DBP ≥ 80 mmHg had higher hazards of hypertension-related adverse outcomes compared to the references (SBP 120–129 mmHg and DBP 70–79 mmHg). SBP < 100 mmHg was associated with hazards of all-cause death, and composite of ESRD and all-cause death during follow-up only among the antihypertensive medication users suggesting that the BP should be < 130/80 mmHg and the SBP should not be < 100 mmHg with antihypertensive agents to prevent the adverse outcome risk of insufficient and excessive antihypertensive treatment in CKD patients.

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Quick Looks Into the Acute Abdomen- Findings from A 1 Year Audit of Asian Emergency Department Ct Scans

10.21203/rs.3.rs-399261/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Siang Hiong Goh ◽

Calvin Yit-Kun Goh ◽

Hong Choon Oh ◽

Narayan Venkataraman ◽

Ling Tiah

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Abdominal Pain ◽

Clinical Performance ◽

Biliary Tract Disease ◽

Renal Stones ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Ct Scans ◽

Lower Quadrant ◽

Lengths Of Stay ◽

The Common

Abstract BackgroundMuch of the literature regarding Emergency Department CT scan usage for abdominal pain has been in American and European settings, and less so in the rest of the world. We performed an audit for this in our Southeast Asian hospital to see how we compare with international data, also to glean some insights into optimising its use locally.Results – An anonymised de-identified electronic database of all ED patients had been set up since 2020 with the aim of capturing 10 years of ED retrospective data for audit of our clinical performance. From this master database, a subset of all CTAPs done in 2020 was created and then extracted for analysis. Costs, length of stay in the ED and wards, CT reports, disposal from ED, and other data were captured for study. A description was made of the common conditions found, with a subgroup analysis of the elderly, and disposal outcomes from the ED. Specific analysis was done for appendicitis using Mann-Whitney U tests. For 2020, 1860 patients (56% male, and ages 14 to 99 years) had ED CTAPs done. Top indications included right upper and lower quadrant pains, flank pains, persistent abdominal pain despite analgesia, and suspicion for intestinal obstruction. Acute appendicitis, biliary tract disease, renal stones, ovarian disease, and bowel disease were the common diagnoses. 16.2% of CTAPs revealed no abnormality. Malignancies were uncommon diagnoses. For the patients that were discharged from the ED after a negative CTAP, no patient returned within 72 hours nor were there any adverse outcomes. When analysed using Mann-Whitney U tests, patients who had ED CTAPs done for appendicitis had significantly faster time to CT and surgery than those with inpatient imaging, with lower inpatient costs and lengths of stay.Conclusion – CT scans in the ED for appendicitis patients reduces costs, time to surgery, and lengths of stay. Generally, ED CTAPs allows better siting and disposition of patients. Presence of RLQ pain increases the likelihood of a positive scan. Our negative scan rate of 16.2% is comparable to other studies. Protocols and senior inputs can improve accuracy of this important ED resource.

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Abstract P301: Evaluating the Impact of a Pharmacist-Managed Hypertension Collaborative Care Model in Vascular Neurology Patients in an Inpatient Acute Care Setting

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.p301 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Ann Smith ◽

Kathleen Bledsoe ◽

Thomas Madden ◽

Jamie Artale ◽

Ted Sindlinger

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Acute Care ◽

Care Setting ◽

Management Practice ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Acute Care Setting ◽

Percentage Reduction ◽

Improvement Project ◽

The Impact

Introduction: The utility of pharmacist-managed collaborative practice agreements (CPA) in the management of hypertension is well established in the outpatient setting. There has been little evaluation of the use of CPAs in the inpatient acute care setting, and none described specifically in the vascular neurology population. Treatment of hypertension is a critical intervention for the secondary prevention of acute ischemic stroke. This quality improvement project evaluated the implementation of a CPA for the inpatient acute care management of hypertension in vascular neurology patients at University of Virginia Health. Methods: A CPA was developed between the neurosciences clinical pharmacist group and the inpatient vascular neurology service, legally vetted, and implemented in June 2019. All vascular neurology patient charts in which an electronic CPA referral was placed from June 2019 through June 2020 were reviewed. Patients were excluded if they were discharged within 24 hours of the referral being placed. The primary objective was to describe and evaluate the implementation of a pharmacist-driven hypertension management practice in the inpatient acute care setting. All patient demographic and clinical data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Secondary safety outcomes included documented hypotensive events (SBP <90) and acute kidney injury (AKI, increase in SCr by 0.3 mg/dl within 48 hours). Results: During the study period, 26 referrals were placed, and 19 patients were included for review. On average, patients were on 2 anti-hypertensive medications prior to admission. From the time of referral to discharge (mean 6 days), systolic blood pressure (SBP) was reduced on average by 36 mmHg (mean percentage reduction 20%) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 12 mmHg (mean percentage reduction 7%). Ten patients (53%) met the goal of SBP < 140 at discharge. There were 5 hypotensive events and 4 instances of AKI, all of which were mild and recovered prior to discharge. Conclusion: A pharmacist-managed hypertension CPA was successfully implemented in vascular neurology patients in the inpatient acute care setting. The practice demonstrated improved blood pressure control and minimal adverse outcomes.

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Foreign Body Ingestions in Children: Risk of Complication Varies With Site of Initial Health Care Contact

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.91.1.121 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 91 (1) ◽

pp. 121-127 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ronald I. Paul ◽

Katherine Kaufer Christoffel ◽

Helen J. Binns ◽

David M. Jaffe ◽

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Foreign Body ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Pediatric Emergency ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Pediatric Emergency Department ◽

Parent Supervision ◽

Tertiary Care Hospitals ◽

Patient Enrollment

Current recommendations for the management of pediatric foreign body ingestions are based on studies of patients cared for at tertiary care hospitals; they call for aggressive evaluation because of a high incidence of complications. Two hundred forty-four children with suspected foreign body ingestions were prospectively followed to analyze adverse outcomes, ie, procedures, complications, and hospitalizations. Patient enrollment into the study was from three sources: (1) patients who referred themselves to a tertiary pediatric emergency department, (2) patients referred to the same tertiary pediatric emergency department after an initial evaluation by another hospital or physician, and (3) Patients who reported their foreign body ingestions to a private pediatric practitioner participating in the study. Most children were well toddlers in normal circumstances, under parent supervision at the time of ingestion. Coins were the most common item ingested (46%). Procedures were done in 53 (24%) of 221 patients and complications occurred in 48 (22%) of 221. Complications were higher in patients referred to the emergency department (63%) than in emergency department self-referred patients (13%) or private practice patients (7%) (x2, P < .01). These findings demonstrate the risk of drawing conclusions regarding a universal standard of care from studies involving only hospital-based patients.

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