scholarly journals Emergency department crowding and mortality in 14 Swedish emergency departments, a cohort study leveraging the Swedish Emergency Registry (SVAR)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247881
Author(s):  
Björn af Ugglas ◽  
Per Lindmarker ◽  
Ulf Ekelund ◽  
Therese Djärv ◽  
Martin J. Holzmann

Objectives There is evidence that emergency department (ED) crowding is associated with increased mortality, however large multicenter studies of high quality are scarce. In a prior study, we introduced a proxy-measure for crowding that was associated with increased mortality. The national registry SVAR enables us to study the association in a more heterogenous group of EDs with more recent data. The aim is to investigate the association between ED crowding and mortality. Methods This was an observational cohort study including visits from 14 EDs in Sweden 2015–2019. Crowding was defined as the mean ED-census divided with expected ED-census during the work-shift that the patient arrived. The crowding exposure was categorized in three groups: low, moderate and high. Hazard ratios (HR) for mortality within 7 and 30 days were estimated with a cox proportional hazards model. The model was adjusted for age, sex, triage priority, arrival hour, weekend, arrival mode and chief complaint. Subgroup analysis by county and for admitted patients by county were performed. Results 2,440,392 visits from 1,142,631 unique patients were analysed. A significant association was found between crowding and 7-day mortality but not with 30-day mortality. Subgroup analysis also yielded mixed results with a clear association in only one of the three counties. The estimated HR (95% CI) for 30-day mortality for admitted patients in this county was 1.06 (1.01–1.12) in the moderate crowding category, and 1.11 (1.01–1.22) in the high category. Conclusions The association between crowding and mortality may not be universal. Factors that influence the association between crowding and mortality at different EDs are still unknown but a high hospital bed occupancy, impacting admitted patients may play a role.

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Pierre Ménager ◽  
Olivier Brière ◽  
Jennifer Gautier ◽  
Jérémie Riou ◽  
Guillaume Sacco ◽  
...  

Background. Vitamin K concentrations are inversely associated with the clinical severity of COVID-19. The objective of this cohort study was to determine whether the regular use of vitamin K antagonist (VKA) prior to COVID-19 was associated with short-term mortality in frail older adults hospitalized for COVID-19. Methods. Eighty-two patients consecutively hospitalized for COVID-19 in a geriatric acute care unit were included. The association of the regular use of VKA prior to COVID-19 with survival after 7 days of COVID-19 was examined using a propensity-score-weighted Cox proportional-hazards model accounting for age, sex, severe undernutrition, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prior myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, prior stroke and/or transient ischemic attack, CHA2DS2-VASc score, HAS-BLED score, and eGFR. Results. Among 82 patients (mean ± SD age 88.8 ± 4.5 years; 48% women), 73 survived COVID-19 at day 7 while 9 died. There was no between-group difference at baseline, despite a trend for more frequent use of VKA in those who did not survive on day 7 (33.3% versus 8.2%, p = 0.056). While considering “using no VKA” as the reference (hazard ratio (HR) = 1), the HR for 7-day mortality in those regularly using VKA was 5.68 [95% CI: 1.17; 27.53]. Consistently, COVID-19 patients using VKA on a regular basis had shorter survival times than the others (p = 0.031). Conclusions. Regular use of VKA was associated with increased mortality at day 7 in hospitalized frail elderly patients with COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel I. Paredes ◽  
Stephanie Lunn ◽  
Michael Famulare ◽  
Lauren A. Frisbie ◽  
Ian Painter ◽  
...  

Background: The COVID–19 pandemic is now dominated by variant lineages; the resulting impact on disease severity remains unclear. Using a retrospective cohort study, we assessed the risk of hospitalization following infection with nine variants of concern or interest (VOC/VOI). Methods: Our study includes individuals with positive SARS–CoV–2 RT PCR in the Washington Disease Reporting System and with available viral genome data, from December 1, 2020 to July 30, 2021. The main analysis was restricted to cases with specimens collected through sentinel surveillance. Using a Cox proportional hazards model with mixed effects, we estimated hazard ratios (HR) for the risk of hospitalization following infection with a VOC/VOI, adjusting for age, sex, and vaccination status. Findings: Of the 27,814 cases, 23,170 (83.3%) were sequenced through sentinel surveillance, of which 726 (3.1%) were hospitalized due to COVID–19. Higher hospitalization risk was found for infections with Gamma (HR 3.17, 95% CI 2.15–4.67), Beta (HR: 2.97, 95% CI 1.65–5.35), Delta (HR: 2.30, 95% CI 1.69–3.15), and Alpha (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.26–1.99) compared to infections with an ancestral lineage. Following VOC infection, unvaccinated patients show a similar higher hospitalization risk, while vaccinated patients show no significant difference in risk, both when compared to unvaccinated, ancestral lineage cases. Interpretation: Infection with a VOC results in a higher hospitalization risk, with an active vaccination attenuating that risk. Our findings support promoting hospital preparedness, vaccination, and robust genomic surveillance.


Author(s):  
I Karaiskos ◽  
G L Daikos ◽  
A Gkoufa ◽  
G Adamis ◽  
A Stefos ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Infections caused by KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) are associated with high mortality. Therefore, new treatment options are urgently required. Objectives To assess the outcomes and predictors of mortality in patients with KPC- or OXA-48-Kp infections treated with ceftazidime/avibactam with an emphasis on KPC-Kp bloodstream infections (BSIs). Methods A multicentre prospective observational study was conducted between January 2018 and March 2019. Patients with KPC- or OXA-48-Kp infections treated with ceftazidime/avibactam were included in the analysis. The subgroup of patients with KPC-Kp BSIs treated with ceftazidime/avibactam was matched by propensity score with a cohort of patients whose KPC-Kp BSIs had been treated with agents other than ceftazidime/avibactam with in vitro activity. Results One hundred and forty-seven patients were identified; 140 were infected with KPC producers and 7 with OXA-48 producers. For targeted therapy, 68 (46.3%) patients received monotherapy with ceftazidime/avibactam and 79 (53.7%) patients received ceftazidime/avibactam in combination with at least another active agent. The 14 and 28 day mortality rates were 9% and 20%, respectively. The 28 day mortality among the 71 patients with KPC-Kp BSIs treated with ceftazidime/avibactam was significantly lower than that observed in the 71 matched patients, whose KPC-Kp BSIs had been treated with agents other than ceftazidime/avibactam (18.3% versus 40.8%; P = 0.005). In the Cox proportional hazards model, ultimately fatal disease, rapidly fatal disease and Charlson comorbidity index ≥2 were independent predictors of death, whereas treatment with ceftazidime/avibactam-containing regimens was the only independent predictor of survival. Conclusions Ceftazidime/avibactam appears to be an effective treatment against serious infections caused by KPC-Kp.


2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 609-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Truong-Minh Pham ◽  
Yoshihisa Fujino ◽  
Tatsuhiko Kubo ◽  
Reiko Ide ◽  
Noritaka Tokui ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveWe investigated the relationship between the intake of fish and the risk of death from prostate cancer.DesignData were derived from a prospective cohort study in Japan. Fish consumption obtained from a baseline questionnaire was classified into the two categories of ‘low intake’ and ‘high intake’. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals.SubjectsData for 5589 men aged 30–79 years were analysed.ResultsA total of twenty-one prostate cancer deaths were observed during 75 072 person-years of follow-up. Mean age at baseline study of these twenty-one subjects was 67·7 years, ranging from 47 and 79 years old. Results showed a consistent inverse association of this cancer between the high v. low intake groups. The multivariate model adjusted for potential confounding factors and some other food items showed a HR of 0·12 (95 % CI 0·05, 0·32) for the high intake group of fish consumption.ConclusionsThese results support the hypothesis that a high intake of fish may decrease the risk of prostate cancer death. Given the paucity of studies examining the association between prostate cancer and fish consumption, particularly in Asian populations, these findings require confirmation in additional cohort studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 4091
Author(s):  
Björn Weiss ◽  
David Hilfrich ◽  
Gerald Vorderwülbecke ◽  
Maria Heinrich ◽  
Julius J. Grunow ◽  
...  

The benzodiazepine, midazolam, is one of the most frequently used sedatives in intensive care medicine, but it has an unfavorable pharmacokinetic profile when continuously applied. As a consequence, patients are frequently prolonged and more deeply sedated than intended. Due to its distinct pharmacological features, including a cytochrome P450-independent metabolization, intravenous lormetazepam might be clinically advantageous compared to midazolam. In this retrospective cohort study, we compared patients who received either intravenous lormetazepam or midazolam with respect to their survival and sedation characteristics. The cohort included 3314 mechanically ventilated, critically ill patients that received one of the two drugs in a tertiary medical center in Germany between 2006 and 2018. A Cox proportional hazards model with mortality as outcome and APACHE II, age, gender, and admission mode as covariates revealed a hazard ratio of 1.75 [95% CI 1.46–2.09; p < 0.001] for in-hospital mortality associated with the use of midazolam. After additionally adjusting for sedation intensity, the HR became 1.04 [95% CI 0.83–1.31; p = 0.97]. Thus, we concluded that excessive sedation occurs more frequently in critically ill patients treated with midazolam than in patients treated with lormetazepam. These findings require further investigation in prospective trials to assess if lormetazepam, due to its ability to maintain light sedation, might be favorable over other benzodiazepines for sedation in the ICU.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. e0009635
Author(s):  
Selma Regina Penha Silva Cerqueira ◽  
Patrícia Duarte Deps ◽  
Débora Vilela Cunha ◽  
Natanael Victor Furtunato Bezerra ◽  
Daniel Holanda Barroso ◽  
...  

Background Protective effects of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination and clofazimine and dapsone treatment against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection have been reported. Patients at risk for leprosy represent an interesting model for assessing the effects of these therapies on the occurrence and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We assessed the influence of leprosy-related variables in the occurrence and severity of COVID-19. Methodology/Principal findings We performed a 14-month prospective real-world cohort study in which the main risk factor was 2 previous vaccinations with BCG and the main outcome was COVID-19 detection by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A Cox proportional hazards model was used. Among the 406 included patients, 113 were diagnosed with leprosy. During follow-up, 69 (16.99%) patients contracted COVID-19. Survival analysis showed that leprosy was associated with COVID-19 (p<0.001), but multivariate analysis showed that only COVID-19-positive household contacts (hazard ratio (HR) = 8.04; 95% CI = 4.93–13.11) and diabetes mellitus (HR = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.04–4.06) were significant risk factors for COVID-19. Conclusions/Significance Leprosy patients are vulnerable to COVID-19 because they have more frequent contact with SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, possibly due to social and economic limitations. Our model showed that the use of corticosteroids, thalidomide, pentoxifylline, clofazimine, or dapsone or BCG vaccination did not affect the occurrence or severity of COVID-19.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michikazu Nakai ◽  
Makoto Watanabe ◽  
Kunihiro Nishimura ◽  
Misa Takegami ◽  
Yoshihiro Kokubo ◽  
...  

Objective: The positive relation between body mass index (BMI) and risk of incident hypertension (HT) has been reported mainly in the Western subjects with high BMI. However, there are a few reports in the Asian with relatively lower BMI. This study investigated the relation of BMI with risk of incident HT in the population-based prospective cohort study of Japan, the Suita study. Methods: Participants who had no HT at baseline (1,591 men and 1,973 women) aged 30-84 years were included in this study. BMI categories were defined as following: underweight (BMI<18.5), normal (18.5≤BMI<25.0), and overweight (BMI ≥ 25.0). The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of BMI categories for incident HT by sex. HRs were adjusted for age, cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking. The HRs according to quartiles of BMI were also estimated, using the lowest quartile of BMI as a reference. Results: During median follow-up of 7.2 years, 1,325 participants (640 men and 685 women) developed HT. The HR (95% CI) of 1kg/m2 increment of BMI for HT in men and women was 1.08 (1.05-1.11) and 1.10 (1.07-1.12), respectively. When we set a normal BMI as a reference, HR of overweight BMI in men and women was 1.37 (1.13-1.67) and 1.45 (1.18-1.77), whereas HR of underweight BMI in men and women was 0.63 (0.45-0.90) and 0.60 (0.45-0.80), respectively. In addition, compared to the lowest quartile, HR of the highest quartile of BMI in men and women was 1.67 (1.33-2.10, trend p<0.001) and 2.10 (1.67-2.64, trend p<0.001), respectively. Conclusion: In this study, we showed that higher BMI was associated with increased risk of hypertension in both Japanese men and women.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 3629-3629 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F Seymour ◽  
Pierre Fenaux ◽  
Lewis B. Silverman ◽  
Ghulam J Mufti ◽  
Eva Hellström-Lindberg ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. A recent phase III trial (AZA-001) showed AZA is the first treatment to significantly extend overall survival (OS) in higher-risk MDS patients (pts) (Blood2007;110:817). MDS incidence increases with age resulting in limited treatment options, particularly for those ≥75 years of age, given the poor tolerability and ineffectiveness of cytotoxic therapies. This subgroup analysis compared the effects of AZA vs CCR on OS, hematologic improvement (HI), transfusion independence (TI), and tolerability in pts ≥75 yrs of age. Methods. Higher-risk MDS (FAB: RAEB, RAEB-T, CMML and IPSS: Int-2 or High) pts were enrolled. All pts were pre-selected by site investigators – based on age, performance status, and comorbidities – to receive 1 of 3 CCR: best supportive care only (BSC); lowdose ara-C (LDAC), or intensive chemotherapy (IC). Pts were then randomized to AZA (75 mg/m2/d SC × 7d q 28d), or to CCR. Those randomized to AZA received AZA; those randomized to CCR received their pre-selected treatment. Randomization was stratified based on FAB subtype (RAEB and RAEB-T) and IPSS (Int-2 or High). Erythropoiesis stimulating agents were disallowed. OS was assessed using Kaplan-Meier (KM) methods and HI and TI were assessed per IWG 2000. To adjust for baseline imbalances, a Cox proportional hazards model was used, with ECOG status, LDH, number of RBC transfusions, Hgb, and presence or absence of -7/del(7q) at baseline as variables in the final model. Adverse events (AEs) were evaluated using NCI-CTC v. 2.0. Results. Of all enrolled pts (N=358, median age 69 yrs), 87 pts (24%) were ≥75 yrs of age (AZA n=38, CCR n=49 [BSC, n=33; LDAC, n=14; IC, n=2]). The majority of pts randomized to CCR received BSC only, suggesting clinicians are generally reticent to use active treatment in this population. Similar to the overall AZA-001 results, treatment with AZA was associated with prolonged survival in pts ≥75 yrs of age, with KM median OS in the AZA group not reached at 17.7 months of follow-up, vs KM median OS for CCR at 10.8 months (HR: 0.48 [95%CI: 0.26, 0.89]; p=0.0193). In these pts, OS rates at 2 years were significantly higher in the AZA group vs CCR: 55% vs 15% (p=0.0003). Two-fold more RBC transfusion-dependent pts at baseline in the AZA group achieved TI vs CCR: 10/23 (44%) vs 7/32 (22%), p=0.1386, respectively. Similarly, more pts in the AZA group achieved HI (major + minor) vs CCR: 58% vs 39%, (p=0.0875), respectively. As previously reported, AZA was generally well tolerated. Anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia were seen in 42%, 66%, and 71% of pts in the AZA group, respectively, vs 47%, 26%, and 40% in the CCR group, who were predominately receiving BSC only. Infections were reported by 79% and 60% of AZA and CCR pts, respectively. Discontinuations due to an AE occurred in 13% of AZA and 8% of CCR pts ≥75 yrs of age. Conclusion. Data from this subgroup analysis indicate pts ≥75 yrs of age with higher-risk MDS receiving active treatment with AZA experience significantly prolonged 2-year OS and reduced risk of death. AZA is generally well tolerated in this elderly patient population.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Stensheim ◽  
Bjørn Møller ◽  
Tini van Dijk ◽  
Sophie D. Fosså

Purpose To assess if cancers diagnosed during pregnancy or lactation are associated with increased risk of cause-specific death. Patients and Methods In this population-based cohort study using data from the Cancer Registry and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, 42,511 women, age 16 to 49 years and diagnosed with cancer from 1967 to 2002, were eligible. They were grouped as not pregnant (reference), pregnant, or lactating at diagnosis. Cause-specific survival for all sites combined, and for the most frequent malignancies, was investigated using a Cox proportional hazards model. An additional analysis with time-dependent covariates was performed for comparison of women with and without a postcancer pregnancy. The multivariate analyses were adjusted for age at diagnosis, extent of disease, and diagnostic periods. Results For all sites combined, no intergroup differences in cause-specific death were seen, with hazard ratio (HR) of 1.03 (95% CI, 0.86 to 1.22) and HR 1.02 (95% CI, 0.86 to 1.22) for the pregnant and lactating groups, respectively. Patients with breast (HR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.36 to 2.78) and ovarian cancer (HR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.05 to 4.73) diagnosed during lactation had an increased risk of cause-specific death. Diagnosis of malignant melanoma during pregnancy slightly increased this risk. For all sites combined, the risk of cause-specific death was significantly decreased for women who had postcancer pregnancies. Conclusion In general, the diagnosis of most cancer types during pregnancy or lactation does not increase the risk of cause-specific death. Breast and ovarian cancer diagnosed during lactation represents an exception. We confirmed the “healthy mother effect” for women with a postcancer pregnancy.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e021187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Te-Chun Shen ◽  
Chia-Hung Chen ◽  
Yu-Jhen Huang ◽  
Cheng-Li Lin ◽  
Ting-Chang Chang ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThoracic infection and pneumonia are prevalent in patients with schizophrenia; however, it is unclear whether patients with schizophrenia are at an increased risk of developing pleural empyema.DesignA retrospective cohort study with propensity-matched cohorts with and without schizophrenia.SettingUsing the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan.ParticipantsWe identified 55 888 patients with schizophrenia newly diagnosed in 2000–2011 and same number of individuals without schizophrenia as the comparison cohort, frequency matched by propensity scores estimated using age, sex, occupation, income, urbanisation, year of diagnosis and comorbidities.Primary outcome measuresWe assessed incident pleural empyema by the end of 2011 and used the Cox proportional hazards model to calculate the schizophrenia cohort to comparison cohort HR of pleural empyema.ResultsThe overall incidence of pleural empyema was 2.44-fold greater in the schizophrenia cohort than in the comparison cohort (4.39vs1.80 per 10 000 person-years), with an adjusted HR of 2.87(95% CI 2.14 to 3.84). Stratified analyses by age, sex, occupation, income, urbanisation and comorbidity revealed significant hazards for pleural empyema associated with schizophrenia in all subgroups.ConclusionsPatients with schizophrenia are at an increased risk of developing pleural empyema and require greater attention and appropriate support.


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