Timing of referral for palliative radiation therapy and length of hospital stay.

57 Background: Palliative radiation therapy (PRT) offers effective symptomatic relief to cancer patients. Increased focus on quality of care and healthcare efficiency necessitate a better understanding of the temporal relationships between consultation for/initiation of PRT and length of hospital stay (LOS). This study aims to assess whether durations from admission to PRT consult/PRT initiation affect LOS. Methods: In an institutional review of patients who received PRT as inpatients between January 2017 and December 2018, 67 met inclusion criteria. Duration of time from admission to consultation or start of PRT were categorized using various thresholds. LOS was compared across groups using the Wilcoxon rank sum test and factors were evaluated as predictors of LOS using bivariate linear regression. Results: PRT was given for pain (37%), neurologic deficits/brain metastases (31%), and respiratory symptoms (19%). Multiple sites were treated in 31%; treatment sites included spine (45%), non-spine bone (27%), chest (22%), abdomen/pelvis (12%), brain (10%) and soft tissue (6%). At admission, patients had known metastases (66%), no prior cancer diagnosis (19%), or known primary cancer (15%). Median LOS was 12 days (IQR 7-18) for all patients. There was a significant difference in LOS for patients referred for PRT within 3 days of admission versus greater than 3 days (11 v. 21 days, p < 0.01). This difference was slightly greater using a threshold of 4 days (11 v. 25 days, p < 0.01) and 5 days (11 v. 26 days, p < 0.01), both of which remained significant when analyzing only patients with prior cancer diagnosis (n = 54). There was no difference in LOS using a threshold of 1 or 2 days. As a continuous variable, duration from admission to PRT was associated with LOS (OR 2.40, p < 0.01). Similar patterns were noted when analyzing by time from admission to PRT start. Conclusions: Earlier radiation oncology consultation for PRT is associated with shorter LOS in patients treated with PRT for symptomatic malignancy. Further research is needed to better define this relationship and improve systematic processes to facilitate early consultation and treatment. A palliative radiation oncology clinic was recently developed to address these issues at our institution.

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National Quality Improvement Participation Among US Radiation Oncology Facilities: Compliance with Guideline-Concordant Palliative Radiation Therapy for Bone Metastases

International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics ◽

10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.04.047 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 108 (3) ◽

pp. 564-571

Author(s):

Tru-Khang T. Dinh ◽

Eric Ford ◽

Lia M. Halasz ◽

Christoph I. Lee

Keyword(s):

Radiation Therapy ◽

Quality Improvement ◽

Bone Metastases ◽

Radiation Oncology ◽

Palliative Radiation ◽

National Quality ◽

Palliative Radiation Therapy

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Palliative care and palliative radiation therapy education in radiation oncology: A survey of US radiation oncology program directors

Practical Radiation Oncology ◽

10.1016/j.prro.2016.11.009 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 234-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Randy L. Wei ◽

Lauren E. Colbert ◽

Joshua Jones ◽

Margarita Racsa ◽

Gabrielle Kane ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Palliative Care ◽

Radiation Therapy ◽

Radiation Oncology ◽

Program Directors ◽

Palliative Radiation ◽

Palliative Radiation Therapy ◽

Therapy Education

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Effect of Chewing Gum on Bowel Motility in Women Undergoing Post-Operative Cesarean Section

International Journal of Innovative Research in Medical Science ◽

10.23958/ijirms/vol03-i06/04 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (06) ◽

Author(s):

Dr.Randa Mohammed AboBaker

Keyword(s):

Cesarean Section ◽

Hospital Stay ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Length Of Hospital Stay ◽

Chewing Gum ◽

Control Group ◽

Controlled Clinical Trial ◽

Bowel Motility ◽

Gum Chewing ◽

Significant Difference

Postoperative Ileus (POI) is one of the most common problems after obstetrics, gynecologic and abdominal surgeries. Sham feeding, such as gum chewing, accelerates the return of bowel function and the length of hospital stay. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of chewing gum on bowel motility in women undergoing post-operative cesarean section. Intervention study was used at the Postpartum Department of Maternity and Children Hospital, KSA. A randomized controlled clinical trial research design. Through a convenience technique, 80 post Caesarian Section (CS) women were included in the study. Data were collected through three tools: Tool (I): Socio-demographic data and reproductive history interview schedule. Tool (II): Postoperative Assessment Sheet. Tool (III): Outcomes of gum chewing and the length of hospital stay. Method: subjects were assigned randomly into two groups of (40) the experimental and (40) the control. Subjects in the study group were asked to chew two pieces of sugarless gum for 30 min/three times daily in the morning, noon, and evening immediately after recovery from anesthesia and in Postpartum Department; while subjects in the control group followed the hospital routine care. Each woman in both groups was tested abdominally using a stethoscope to auscultate the bowel sounds and asked to report immediately the time of either passing flatus or stool. Results: illustrated that a highly statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups concerning their gum chewing outcomes. Where, P = 0.000. The study concluded that gum chewing is safe, well tolerated and appears to be effective in reducing the incidence and consequences of POI following CS.

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Stereotactic Electroencephalography Is Associated With Reduced Pain and Opioid Use When Compared with Subdural Grids: A Case Series

Operative Neurosurgery ◽

10.1093/ons/opab040 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jonathan P Scoville ◽

Evan Joyce ◽

Joshua Hunsaker ◽

Jared Reese ◽

Herschel Wilde ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hospital Stay ◽

Chart Review ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Case Series ◽

Length Of Hospital Stay ◽

Retrospective Chart Review ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Pain Scores ◽

Surgical Methods ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract BACKGROUND Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been shown to decrease length of hospital stay and opioid use. OBJECTIVE To identify whether surgery for epilepsy mapping via MIS stereotactically placed electroencephalography (SEEG) electrodes decreased overall opioid use when compared with craniotomy for EEG grid placement (ECoG). METHODS Patients who underwent surgery for epilepsy mapping, either SEEG or ECoG, were identified through retrospective chart review from 2015 through 2018. The hospital stay was separated into specific time periods to distinguish opioid use immediately postoperatively, throughout the rest of the stay and at discharge. The total amount of opioids consumed during each period was calculated by transforming all types of opioids into their morphine equivalents (ME). Pain scores were also collected using a modification of the Clinically Aligned Pain Assessment (CAPA) scale. The 2 surgical groups were compared using appropriate statistical tests. RESULTS The study identified 43 patients who met the inclusion criteria: 36 underwent SEEG placement and 17 underwent craniotomy grid placement. There was a statistically significant difference in median opioid consumption per hospital stay between the ECoG and the SEEG placement groups, 307.8 vs 71.5 ME, respectively (P = .0011). There was also a significant difference in CAPA scales between the 2 groups (P = .0117). CONCLUSION Opioid use is significantly lower in patients who undergo MIS epilepsy mapping via SEEG compared with those who undergo the more invasive ECoG procedure. As part of efforts to decrease the overall opioid burden, these results should be considered by patients and surgeons when deciding on surgical methods.

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Effects of early corticosteroid use in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-021-06221-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jong Hoon Hyun ◽

Moo Hyun Kim ◽

Yujin Sohn ◽

Yunsuk Cho ◽

Yae Jee Baek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hospital Stay ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Case Fatality ◽

Length Of Hospital Stay ◽

Corticosteroid Treatment ◽

Threshold Value ◽

Steroid Use ◽

Corticosteroid Administration ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Early Use

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome, and corticosteroids have been considered as possible therapeutic agents for this disease. However, there is limited literature on the appropriate timing of corticosteroid administration to obtain the best possible patient outcomes. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study including patients with severe COVID-19 who received corticosteroid treatment from March 2 to June 30, 2020 in seven tertiary hospitals in South Korea. We analyzed the patient demographics, characteristics, and clinical outcomes according to the timing of steroid use. Twenty-two patients with severe COVID-19 were enrolled, and they were all treated with corticosteroids. Results Of the 22 patients who received corticosteroids, 12 patients (55%) were treated within 10 days from diagnosis. There was no significant difference in the baseline characteristics. The initial PaO2/FiO2 ratio was 168.75. The overall case fatality rate was 25%. The mean time from diagnosis to steroid use was 4.08 days and the treatment duration was 14 days in the early use group, while those in the late use group were 12.80 days and 18.50 days, respectively. The PaO2/FiO2 ratio, C-reactive protein level, and cycle threshold value improved over time in both groups. In the early use group, the time from onset of symptoms to discharge (32.4 days vs. 60.0 days, P = 0.030), time from diagnosis to discharge (27.8 days vs. 57.4 days, P = 0.024), and hospital stay (26.0 days vs. 53.9 days, P = 0.033) were shortened. Conclusions Among patients with severe COVID-19, early use of corticosteroids showed favorable clinical outcomes which were related to a reduction in the length of hospital stay.

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Safety and clinical activity of intratumoral MEDI9197 alone and in combination with durvalumab and/or palliative radiation therapy in patients with advanced solid tumors

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer ◽

10.1136/jitc-2020-001095 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. e001095 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lillian Siu ◽

Joshua Brody ◽

Shilpa Gupta ◽

Aurélien Marabelle ◽

Antonio Jimeno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radiation Therapy ◽

Solid Tumors ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Objective Response ◽

Clinical Activity ◽

Advanced Solid Tumors ◽

Palliative Radiation ◽

Cell Counts ◽

Palliative Radiation Therapy ◽

Grade 3

BackgroundMEDI9197 is an intratumorally administered toll-like receptor 7 and 8 agonist. In mice, MEDI9197 modulated antitumor immune responses, inhibited tumor growth and increased survival. This first-time-in-human, phase 1 study evaluated MEDI9197 with or without the programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitor durvalumab and/or palliative radiation therapy (RT) for advanced solid tumors.Patients and methodsEligible patients had at least one cutaneous, subcutaneous, or deep-seated lesion suitable for intratumoral (IT) injection. Dose escalation used a standard 3+3 design. Patients received IT MEDI9197 0.005–0.055 mg with or without RT (part 1), or IT MEDI9197 0.005 or 0.012 mg plus durvalumab 1500 mg intravenous with or without RT (part 3), in 4-week cycles. Primary endpoints were safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints included pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and objective response based on Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors version 1.1. Exploratory endpoints included tumor and peripheral biomarkers that correlate with biological activity or predict response.ResultsFrom November 2015 to March 2018, part 1 enrolled 35 patients and part 3 enrolled 17 patients; five in part 1 and 2 in part 3 received RT. The maximum tolerated dose of MEDI9197 monotherapy was 0.037 mg, with dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of cytokine release syndrome in two patients (one grade 3, one grade 4) and 0.012 mg in combination with durvalumab 1500 mg with DLT of MEDI9197-related hemorrhagic shock in one patient (grade 5) following liver metastasis rupture after two cycles of MEDI9197. Across parts 1 and 3, the most frequent MEDI9197-related adverse events (AEs) of any grade were fever (56%), fatigue (31%), and nausea (21%). The most frequent MEDI9197-related grade ≥3 events were decreased lymphocytes (15%), neutrophils (10%), and white cell counts (10%). MEDI9197 increased tumoral CD8+ and PD-L1+ cells, inducing type 1 and 2 interferons and Th1 response. There were no objective clinical responses; 10 patients in part 1 and 3 patients in part 3 had stable disease ≥8 weeks.ConclusionIT MEDI9197 was feasible for subcutaneous/cutaneous lesions but AEs precluded its use in deep-seated lesions. Although no patients responded, MEDI9197 induced systemic and intratumoral immune activation, indicating potential value in combination regimens in other patient populations.Trial registration numberNCT02556463.

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