Symptom-triggered therapy for assessment and management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in the emergency department short-stay clinical decision unit

2018 ◽  
pp. emermed-2017-206997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Fahmi Ismail ◽  
Kieran Doherty ◽  
Paula Bradshaw ◽  
Iomhar O’Sullivan ◽  
Eugene M Cassidy

IntroductionWe previously reported that benzodiazepine detoxification for alcohol withdrawal using symptom-triggered therapy (STT) with oral diazepam reduced length of stay (LOS) and cumulative benzodiazepine dose by comparison with standard fixed-dose regimen. In this study, we aim to describe the feasibility of STT in an emergency department (ED) short-stay clinical decision unit (CDU) setting.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, we describe our experience with STT over a full calendar year (2014) in the CDU. A retrospective chart review was conducted and data collection included demographics, clinical details, total cumulative dose of diazepam, receipt of parenteral thiamine, LOS and disposition.Results5% (n=174) of 3222 admissions to CDU required STT. Collapse or seizure (41%, n=71) and alcohol withdrawal (21%, n=37) were the most common reasons recorded for admission to CDU in those who required STT. Median Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score was 25 and 112 patients (64%) had at least one Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol revised measurement ≥10, triggering a dose of diazepam (20 mg). The median cumulative oral diazepam dose was 20 mg while 24 (15%) patients received a cumulative dose of 100 mg or more. Median time for STT was 12 hours (IQR=12, R=1–48). 3% (n=5) of patients required further general hospital admission and median LOS in CDU, was 22 hours (IQR=20, R=1–168).ConclusionSTT is potentially feasible as a rapid and effective approach to managing alcohol withdrawal syndrome in the ED/CDU short-stay inpatient setting where patient LOS is generally less than 24 hours.

CJEM ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-198
Author(s):  
Derin Karacabeyli ◽  
Garth D Meckler ◽  
David K Park ◽  
Quynh Doan

AbstractObjectivesOur objectives were to describe disposition decisions and emergency department return (EDR) rates following a clinical decision unit (CDU) stay; and to determine changes to short stay (<48 hour) hospitalization rates after CDU implementation.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of pediatric emergency department (PED) visits with a CDU stay from January 1 to December 31, 2015. Health records data were extracted onto standardized online forms, then used to determine disposition and 7-day EDR rates. Two trained investigators blindly reviewed EDR visits to determine if they were related to the index CDU stay. We compared short stay inpatient admission rates (i.e., hospital length of stay <48 hours) in 2013 and 2015, before and after CDU implementation.ResultsOf 1696 index CDU stays, 1503 (89%) were discharged, and 139 discharged patients (9.2%) had ≥1 clinically-related EDR. Median (IQR) CDU length of stay (LOS) was 4.4 hours (2.7-7.8) and total PED LOS (including CDU) was 7.8 hours (5.4-12.0). Asthma represented 31% of cases. Short stay hospitalization rate decreased from 3.62% in 2013 to 3.23% in 2015 (difference=0.39%; 95% CI=0.15-0.63; p=0.001).ConclusionsMost CDU patients were discharged, but 9% had a clinically-related ED revisit. CDU implementation was associated with a small but significant reduction in short stay hospitalization.


CJEM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S39-S39 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Borgundvaag ◽  
S.L. McLeod ◽  
T.E. Dear ◽  
S.M. Carver ◽  
N. Norouzi ◽  
...  

Introduction: Ideal management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) incorporates a symptom driven approach, whereby patients are regularly assessed using a standardized scoring system (Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised; CIWA-Ar) and treated according to severity. Among the domains assessed by the CIWA-Ar, tremor is the most objective indicator of withdrawal severity, however, the ability of clinicians to reliably quantify tremor is highly dependent on experience. The objective of this study was to prospectively validate an objective, reliable tool to standardize and quantify the severity of alcohol withdrawal tremor using the built-in accelerometer of an iOS application. Methods: A prospective observational study of patients ≥18 years presenting to an academic emergency department in alcohol withdrawal was conducted from Oct 2014 to Aug 2015. Assessments were videotaped by a research assistant and subsequently reviewed by 3 clinical experts, blinded to the primary clinical assessment. Tremor severity was scored using the 8-point CIWA scale (0=no tremor, 7=severe tremor). Accelerometer derived results were compared to expert assessments of each video. Inter-rater agreement was estimated using Cohen’s kappa (k) statistic. Results: 76 patients with 78 tremor recordings were included. Accelerometer derived tremor scores matched exactly with expert assessor scores in 36 (46.2%) cases, within 1 point for 73 (93.6%) cases and differed by ≥ 2 points in 5 (6.4%) cases. The overall kappa for agreement within 1 point for tremor severity was ‘very good’ 0.92 (95% CI: 0.86, 0.99). Conclusion: iOS accelerometer based assessment of the tremor component of the CIWA-Ar score is reliable and has potential to more accurately assess the severity of patients in alcohol withdrawal. We anticipate this resource will be easily disseminated and will impact and improve the care of patients with alcohol withdrawal.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Jek-Kahn Koh ◽  
Madeline Malczewska ◽  
Mary M. Doyle-Waters ◽  
Jessica Moe

Abstract Background Patients who experience harms from alcohol and other substance use often seek care in the emergency department (ED). Many ED patients with alcohol use disorder will require management of alcohol withdrawal. ED clinicians are responsible for risk-stratifying these patients under time and resource constraints and must reliably identify those who are safe for outpatient management versus those who require more intensive levels of care. Published guidelines for alcohol withdrawal are largely limited to the primary care and outpatient settings, and do not provide specific guidance for ED use. The purpose of this review was to synthesize published evidence on the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome specifically in the emergency department setting. Methods We conducted a rapid review by searching MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1980 to 2020). We also searched for grey literature on Google and hand-searched the conference abstracts of relevant addiction medicine and emergency medicine professional associations (2015 to 2020). We included interventional and observational studies that reported outcomes of clinical interventions aimed at treating alcohol withdrawal syndrome in adults in the ED. Results We identified 13 studies that met inclusion criteria for our review (7 randomized controlled trials and 6 observational studies). Most studies were at high/serious risk of bias. We divided studies based on intervention and summarized evidence narratively. Benzodiazepines decrease alcohol withdrawal seizure recurrence, but no clear evidence supports the use of one benzodiazepine over another. It is unclear if symptom-triggered benzodiazepine protocols are effective for use in the ED. More evidence is needed to determine if phenobarbital, with or without benzodiazepines, can be used safely and effectively to treat alcohol withdrawal in the ED. Phenytoin does not have evidence of effectiveness at preventing withdrawal seizures in the ED. Conclusions Few studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapies for alcohol withdrawal specifically in the ED setting. Benzodiazepines are the most evidence-based treatment for alcohol withdrawal in the ED. Pharmacotherapies that have demonstrated benefit for treatment of alcohol withdrawal in other inpatient and outpatient settings need to be evaluated in the ED setting before routine use.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Jek-Kahn Koh ◽  
Madeline Malczewska ◽  
Mary M. Doyle ◽  
Jessica Moe

Abstract Background Patients who experience harms from alcohol and other substance use often seek care in the emergency department (ED). ED visits related to alcohol withdrawal have increased across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. ED clinicians are responsible for risk-stratifying patients under time and resource constraints and must reliably identify those who are safe for outpatient management versus those who require more intensive levels of care. Published guidelines for alcohol withdrawal are largely limited to the primary care and outpatient settings, and do not provide specific guidance for ED use. The purpose of this review was to synthesize published evidence on the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in the ED. Methods We conducted a rapid review by searching MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1980 to 2020). We searched for grey literature on Google and hand-searched the conference abstracts of relevant addiction medicine and emergency medicine professional associations (2015 to 2020). We included interventional and observational studies that reported outcomes of clinical interventions aimed at treating alcohol withdrawal syndrome in adults in the ED. Results We identified 13 studies that met inclusion criteria for our review (7 randomized controlled trials and 6 observational studies). Most studies were at high/serious risk of bias. We divided studies based on intervention and summarized evidence narratively. Benzodiazepines decrease alcohol withdrawal seizure recurrence and treat other alcohol withdrawal symptoms, but no clear evidence supports the use of one benzodiazepine over another. It is unclear if symptom-triggered benzodiazepine protocols are effective for use in the ED. More evidence is needed to determine if phenobarbital, with or without benzodiazepines, can be used safely and effectively to treat alcohol withdrawal in the ED. Phenytoin does not have evidence of effectiveness at preventing withdrawal seizures in the ED. Conclusions Few studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapies for alcohol withdrawal specifically in the ED setting. Benzodiazepines are the most evidence-based treatment for alcohol withdrawal in the ED. Pharmacotherapies that have demonstrated benefit for treatment of alcohol withdrawal in other inpatient and outpatient settings should be evaluated in the ED setting before routine use.


CJEM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S40-S40
Author(s):  
B. Borgundvaag ◽  
S.L. McLeod ◽  
T.E. Dear ◽  
S.M. Carver ◽  
N. Norouzi ◽  
...  

Introduction: Of the domains assessed by the CIWA-Ar, tremor is the most objective, and reliable clinical symptom of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Even so, anecdotal evidence suggests that the ability of health care workers to reliably rate tremor severity is highly variable, and there is no high quality, readily available training to teach this competency. Improper evaluation and interpretation of tremor may result in under or over treatment, posing serious risks to patient safety, prolonging emergency department (ED) length of stay, and increasing the likelihood of complications/hospital admission. The objective of this study was to prospectively compare tremor assessment scores assigned by nurses and clinical experts for patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome in the ED. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted for patients ≥18 years presenting to an academic ED in alcohol withdrawal from Oct 2014 to Aug 2015. Individual tremor assessments were videotaped by a research assistant and subsequently reviewed by 3 clinical experts, blinded to the primary clinical assessment. Tremor severity was scored using the 8-point CIWA scale (0=no tremor, 7=severe tremor). Tremor severity scores assigned in real-time by the nurses were compared to expert assessments of each video. Inter-rater agreement was estimated using Cohen’s kappa (k) statistic. Results: 31 patients with 62 tremor recordings were included. Nurse-derived tremor scores matched exactly with expert assessor scores in 11 (17.7%) cases, within 1 point for 29 (46.8%) cases and differed by ≥ 2 points in 33 (53.3%) cases. The overall kappa for agreement within 1 point for tremor severity was ‘fair’ 0.39 (95% CI: 0.25, 0.53). Conclusion: These results confirm the high variability in the assessment of alcohol withdrawal tremor by health care workers. Future research should focus on ways to improve the accuracy of tremor in alcohol withdrawal patients, and the development and implementation of an educational program to improve the individual competencies of clinical staff in the recognition and treatment of alcohol withdrawal in the ED.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heva Saadatmand ◽  
Pochu Ho

Background: Alcohol use disorder represents a serious health problem worldwide which is increasing in pervasiveness. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a common clinical problem encountered in emergency departments and inpatient settings, including intensive care units. While benzodiazepines are the most widely used class of medication for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal, in recent years, there is renewed interest in using phenobarbital, a barbiturate, in the treatment of refractory alcohol withdrawal. Objective: This review provides an overview of phenobarbital in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal, as well as clinical outcomes in patients, while also outlining some of the limitations of existing studies in comparing phenobarbital to benzodiazepines. Methods: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases were searched using the terms phenobarbital, barbiturates, and alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Prospective and retrospective trials comparing phenobarbital with benzodiazepines to treat alcohol withdrawal in English were included. Results: Two prospective randomized controlled and eleven retrospective cohort trials were identified. Phenobarbital is safe alone and as an adjunct to benzodiazepine in the emergency department, intensive care units, general medical units and acute trauma surgery service. In a randomized controlled trial, one dose of phenobarbital in the emergency department significantly reduced the intensive care admission rate. There is some evidence that phenobarbital may be effective in the treatment of benzodiazepine-refractory alcohol withdrawal. Conclusion: Although existing knowledge and practice regarding phenobarbital for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal are increasing, there currently remains limited evidence in support of phenobarbital over benzodiazepines in superior efficacy and outcomes.


Author(s):  
М.С. Застрожин ◽  
А.С. Сорокин ◽  
Т.В. Агибалова ◽  
И.А. Бедина ◽  
Е.А. Гришина ◽  
...  

Введение: Имплементация систем поддержки принятия решений, способных формировать рекомендации по выбору лекарствен- ного средства и его дозы в соответствии с результатами фармакогенетического тестирования, является актуальной задачей, так как решение ее позволит повысить эффективность терапии и снизить риск развития нежелательных лекарственных реакций.Материалы и методы: В исследовании принимал участие 51 пациент (21 - основная группа, получавшая назначения в соответ- ствии с рекомендациями, основанными на результатах фармакогенетического тестирования, а 30 - группа сравнения, получавшая назначения без них) мужского пола с синдромом отмены алкоголя. Для оценки эффективности и безопасности терапии синдрома отмены алкоголя, которую осуществляли с использованием бензодиазепинового транквилизатора феназепама (бромдигидрохлор- фенилбензодиазепина), а также стандартной дезинтоксикационной и витаминотерапии, применялись международные психоме- трические шкалы и шкалы оценки выраженности нежелательных реакций. Определение полиморфизмов генов CYP2D6*4 (1846G>A, rs3892097), CYP2C19*2 (681G>A, rs4244285), CYP2C19*3 (636G>A, rs4986893), CYP2C19*17 (-806C>T, rs12248560), CYP3A5*3 (6986A>G, rs776746) и ABCB1*6 (3435C>T, rs1045642) осуществлялось методом полимеразной цепной реакции в реальном времени с аллель-специфиче- ской гибридизацией. Интерпретацию результатов фармакогенетического тестирования осуществляли с использованием свободно распространяемого программного обеспечения PharmacoGenomeX2 (www.pgx2.com).Результаты: Получены статистически значимые различия в количестве баллов по всем психометрическим шкалам у пациентов основной группы и группы сравнения. Например, по шкале оценки тяжести синдрома отмены алкоголя к 3-му дню исследования количество баллов в основной группе составляло 13,5 [11,2; 16,0], а в группе контроля - 18,0 [17,0; 22,0] (p < 0,001); к 5-му в основ- ной группе - 6,5 [4,2; 8,0], в группе контроля - 15,0 [14,0; 16,0] (p < 0,001). По шкале безопасности UKU также была получена стати- стически значимая разница. К 3-му дню исследования количество баллов по шкале UKU в основной группе составило 6,0 [5,0; 7,0], а в группе контроля - 7,0 [6,0; 8,0] (p = 0,030); к 5-му дню разница возрастала. В основной группе - 5,5 [3,0; 9,0], в группе контроля - 14,0 [12,0; 19,0] (p < 0,001). Группы были репрезентативны (при включении в исследование разница в количестве баллов отсутствовала). Выводы: Персонализация дозы лекарств в соответствии с фармакогенетическими алгоритмами у пациентов с синдромом отмены алкоголя, способна снизить риск развития нежелательных реакций и фармакорезистентности, что позволяет рекомендовать исполь- зование фармакогенетических систем поддержки принятия решений для подбора дозы лекарств. Introduction: Implementation of the clinical decision support systems capable of forming the recommendations on drug and dose selec- tion according to the results of pharmacogenetic testing is an urgent task. Fulfillment of this task will allow increasing the efficacy of ther- apy and decreasing the risk of undesirable side effects.Materials and methods: The study involved 51 patients (21 - the main group receiving appointments in accordance with the recommenda- tions based on the results of pharamogenetic testing, and 30 - the comparison control group receiving appointments without them) male with alcohol withdrawal syndrome. In order to assess the effectiveness and safety of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, which was performed with the benzodiazepine tranquilizer of phenazepam (bromodihydrochlorophenylbenzodiazepine), as well as standard detoxification and vitamin therapy, international psychometric scales and scales of assessment in expressions of adverse reactions. Genotyping Determination of genetic polymorphisms CYP2D6*4 (1846G>A, rs3892097), CYP2C19*2 (681G>A, rs4244285), CYP2C19*3 (636G>A, rs4986893), CYP2C19*17 (-806C>T, rs12248560), CYP3A5*3 (6986A>G, rs776746) and ABCB1*6 (3435C>T, rs1045642) were realized using real-time polymerase chain reaction with allele specific hybridization. Interpretation of the results of pharmacogenetic testing was carried out with the help of free soft- ware PharmacoGenomeX2 (www.pgx2.com)Results: Statistically significant differences in the number of scores for all psychometric scales in the patients of the main group and the comparison group were obtained. For example, on the scale of assessing the severity of alcohol withdrawal syndrome by the 3rd day of the study, the score in the main group was 13.5 [11.2; 16,0], and in the control group - 18,0 [17,0; 22.0] (p <0.001); to the 5th in the main group - 6.5 [4.2; 8.0], in the control group - 15.0 [14.0; 16.0] (p <0.001). On the UKU security scale, a statistically significant difference was also obtained. By the 3rd day of the study, the UKU score in the main group was 6.0 [5.0; 7,0], and in the control group - 7,0 [6,0; 8.0] (p = 0.030); by the 5th day the difference increased. In the main group, 5.5 [3.0; 9.0], in the control group - 14.0 [12.0; 19.0] (p <0.001). The groups were representative (when included in the study, the difference in the number of points was absent).Conclusion: Personalization of the dose of drugs in accordance with pharmacogenetic algorithms in patients with alcohol withdrawal syn- drome, can reduce the risk of unwanted reactions and pharmacoresistance, which allows to recommend the use of pharmacogenetic deci- sion support systems for drug dosage selection.


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