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BACKGROUND: Hip fractures are associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality, and successful ambulation after surgery is an important outcome in this patient population. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration or the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) is associated with mortality or rates of walking in a patient cohort after hip fracture surgery. METHODS: Patients undergoing hip fracture repair from a multisite study in North America were included. Mortality and mobility were assessed at 30 and 60 d after surgery. Serum albumin, 25(OH)D, and intact parathyroid hormone were measured. Patients were characterized according to 25(OH)D

The REGAIN (Regional versus General Anesthesia for Promoting Independence after Hip Fracture) trial found similar ambulation and survival at 60 days with spinal versus general anesthesia for hip fracture surgery. Trial outcomes evaluating pain, prescription analgesic use, and patient satisfaction have not yet been reported.To compare pain, analgesic use, and satisfaction after hip fracture surgery with spinal versus general anesthesia.Preplanned secondary analysis of a pragmatic randomized trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02507505).46 U.S. and Canadian hospitals.Patients aged 50 years or older undergoing hip fracture surgery.Spinal or general anesthesia.Pain on postoperative days 1 through 3; 60-, 180-, and 365-day pain and prescription analgesic use; and satisfaction with care.A total of 1600 patients were enrolled. The average age was 78 years, and 77% were women. A total of 73.5% (1050 of 1428) of patients reported severe pain during the first 24 hours after surgery. Worst pain over the first 24 hours after surgery was greater with spinal anesthesia (rated from 0 [no pain] to 10 [worst pain imaginable]; mean difference, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.68]). Pain did not differ across groups at other time points. Prescription analgesic use at 60 days occurred in 25% (141 of 563) and 18.8% (108 of 574) of patients assigned to spinal and general anesthesia, respectively (relative risk, 1.33 [CI, 1.06 to 1.65]). Satisfaction was similar across groups.Missing outcome data and multiple outcomes assessed.Severe pain is common after hip fracture. Spinal anesthesia was associated with more pain in the first 24 hours after surgery and more prescription analgesic use at 60 days compared with general anesthesia.Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

The risks for anaphylaxis among intravenous (IV) iron products currently in use have not been assessed.To compare risks for anaphylaxis among 5 IV iron products that are used frequently.Retrospective cohort study using a target trial emulation framework.Medicare fee-for-service data with Part D coverage between July 2013 and December 2018.Older adults receiving their first administration of IV iron.The primary outcome was the occurrence of anaphylaxis within 1 day of IV iron administration, ascertained using a validated case definition. Analysis was adjusted for 40 baseline covariates using inverse probability of treatment weighting. The adjusted incidence rates (IRs) for anaphylaxis per 10 000 first administrations and odds ratios (ORs) were computed.The adjusted IRs for anaphylaxis per 10 000 first administrations were 9.8 cases (95% CI, 6.2 to 15.3 cases) for iron dextran, 4.0 cases (CI, 2.5 to 6.6 cases) for ferumoxytol, 1.5 cases (CI, 0.3 to 6.6 cases) for ferric gluconate, 1.2 cases (CI, 0.6 to 2.5 cases) for iron sucrose, and 0.8 cases (CI, 0.3 to 2.6 cases) for ferric carboxymaltose. Using iron sucrose as the referent category, the adjusted ORs for anaphylaxis were 8.3 (CI, 3.5 to 19.8) for iron dextran and 3.4 (CI, 1.4 to 8.3) for ferumoxytol. When cohort entry was restricted to the period after withdrawal of high-molecular-weight iron dextran from the U.S. market in 2014, the risk for anaphylaxis associated with low-molecular-weight iron dextran (OR, 8.4 [CI, 2.8 to 24.7]) did not change appreciably. Anaphylactic reactions requiring hospitalizations were observed only among patients using iron dextran or ferumoxytol.Generalizability to non-Medicare populations.The rates of anaphylaxis were very low with all IV iron products but were 3- to 8-fold greater for iron dextran and ferumoxytol than for iron sucrose.None.

BACKGROUND The number of red blood cell units transfused per capita in China is lower than in western countries and the reason(s) for the difference is unknown. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS We randomly chose 5050 transfused patients from five Chinese hospitals. We compared transfused cases to nontransfused controls matched for the same underlying diagnosis. We assessed the pretransfusion hemoglobin (Hb) trigger and other clinical characteristics associated with transfusion. After stratifying by underlying disease, we compared pretransfusion Hb level in Chinese hospitals to 12 US hospitals. RESULTS In 5050 patients who received transfusion, the pretransfusion Hb levels were lower in medical (6.3 g/dL) compared to surgical patients receiving transfusion postoperatively (8.1 g/dL). In patients with nonsurgical diagnoses, the pretransfusion Hb was much lower than that in the United States; the difference in mean Hb level varied by underlying diagnosis from 0.4 to 1.8 g/dL. In case-control analysis of cases (n = 1356) compared to controls (n = 1201), the pretransfusion Hb showed the strongest association with transfusion. Compared to 10 g/dL, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for pretransfusion Hb of 7 to 7.9 g/dL was 37.7 (24.8-57.4). CONCLUSION Transfusion triggers in five Chinese hospitals appear comparable to those in the United States for surgical patients; however, medical patients have lower pretransfusion Hb levels (approx. 6 g/dL). Of the factors assessed, the pretransfusion Hb was most strongly associated with transfusion. The clinical impact of lower transfusion thresholds used in China is unknown.

Background We studied risk factors, antibodies, and symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in a diverse, ambulatory population. Methods A prospective cohort (n = 831) previously undiagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection underwent serial testing (SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction, immunoglobulin G [IgG]) for 6 months. Results Ninety-three participants (11.2%) tested SARS-CoV-2-positive: 14 (15.1%) asymptomatic, 24 (25.8%) severely symptomatic. Healthcare workers (n = 548) were more likely to become infected (14.2% vs 5.3%; adjusted odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.4–3.3) and severely symptomatic (29.5% vs 6.7%). IgG antibodies were detected after 79% of asymptomatic infections, 89% with mild-moderate symptoms, and 96% with severe symptoms. IgG trajectories after asymptomatic infections (slow increases) differed from symptomatic infections (early peaks within 2 months). Most participants (92%) had persistent IgG responses (median 171 days). In multivariable models, IgG titers were positively associated with symptom severity, certain comorbidities, and hospital work. Dyspnea and neurologic changes (including altered smell/taste) lasted ≥ 120 days in ≥ 10% of affected participants. Prolonged symptoms (frequently more severe) corresponded to higher antibody levels. Conclusions In a prospective, ethnically diverse cohort, symptom severity correlated with the magnitude and trajectory of IgG production. Symptoms frequently persisted for many months after infection. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT04336215.

Background Healthcare workers (HCW) are presumed to be at increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection due to occupational exposure to infected patients. However, there has been little epidemiological research to assess these risks. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of HCW (n = 546) and non-healthcare workers (NHCW; n = 283) with no known prior SARS-CoV-2 infection who were recruited from a large U.S. university and two affiliated university hospitals. In this cross-sectional analysis of data collected at baseline, we examined SARS-CoV-2 infection status (as determined by presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in oropharyngeal swabs) by healthcare worker status and role. Results At baseline, 41 (5.0%) of the participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, of whom 14 (34.2%) reported symptoms. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was higher among HCW (7.3%) than in NHCW (0.4%), representing a 7.0% greater absolute risk (95% confidence interval for risk difference 4.7, 9.3%). The majority of infected HCW (62.5%) were nurses. Positive tests increased across the two weeks of cohort recruitment in line with rising confirmed cases in the hospitals and surrounding counties. Conclusions Overall, our results demonstrate that HCW had a higher prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection than NHCW. Continued follow-up of this cohort will enable us to monitor infection rates and examine risk factors for transmission.

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a critical concern among healthcare workers (HCWs). Other studies have assessed SARS-CoV-2 virus and antibodies in HCWs, with disparate findings regarding risk based on role and demographics. Methods We screened 3904 employees and clinicians for SARS-CoV-2 virus positivity and serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G at a major New Jersey hospital from April 28 to June 30, 2020. We assessed positive tests in relation to demographic and occupational characteristics and prior coronavirus disease 2019 symptoms using multivariable logistic regression models. Results Thirteen participants (0.3%) tested positive for virus and 374 (9.6%) tested positive for IgG (total positive: 381 [9.8%]). Compared with participants with no patient care duties, the odds of positive testing (virus or antibodies) were higher for those with direct patient contact: below-median patient contact, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.71 and 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.18–2.48; above-median patient contact, aOR = 1.98 and 95% CI = 1.35–2.91. The proportion of participants testing positive was highest for phlebotomists (23.9%), maintenance/housekeeping (17.3%), dining/food services (16.9%), and interpersonal/support roles (13.7%) despite lower levels of direct patient care duties. Positivity rates were lower among doctors (7.2%) and nurses (9.1%), roles with fewer underrepresented minorities. After adjusting for job role and patient care responsibilities and other factors, Black and Latinx workers had 2-fold increased odds of a positive test compared with white workers. Loss of smell, taste, and fever were associated with positive testing. Conclusions The HCW categories at highest risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection include support staff and underrepresented minorities with and without patient care responsibilities. Future work is needed to examine potential sources of community and nosocomial exposure among these understudied HCWs.

OBJECTIVES: Hip fractures are associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality, and successful ambulation after surgery is an important outcome in this patient population. This study aims to determine whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) or the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) is associated with short term mortality or ability to walk after hip fracture surgery. METHODS: Patients undergoing hip fracture repair were included in this study. Mortality and walking ability were assessed at 30 and 60 days after hip fracture surgery. Pre-operative serum albumin and 25(OH)D were measured. Patients were characterized with 25(OH)D

Background Patients with cancer or other diagnoses associated with chronic anemia often receive red blood cell (RBC) transfusion as outpatients, but the effect of transfusion on functional status is not well demonstrated. Study design and methods To estimate the effect of transfusion on functional status and quality of life, we measured 6-minute walk test distance and fatigue- and dyspnea-related quality-of-life scores before and 1 week after RBC transfusion in 208 outpatients age ≥50 with at least one benign or malignant hematology/oncology diagnosis. To account for potential confounding effects of cancer treatment, patients were classified into two groups based on cancer treatment within 4 weeks of the study transfusion. Minimum clinically important improvements over baseline were 20 meters in walk test distance, 3 points in fatigue score, and 2 points in dyspnea score. Results The median improvement in unadjusted walk test distance was 20 meters overall and 30 meters in patients not receiving recent cancer treatment. Fatigue scores improved overall by a median of 3 points and by 4 points in patients without cancer treatment. There was no clinically important change in dyspnea scores. In multiple linear regression analysis, patients who maintained hemoglobin (Hb) levels of 8 g/dL or greater at 1 week posttransfusion, who had not received recent cancer treatment, and who did not require hospitalization during the study showed clinically important increases in mean walk test distance. Conclusions Red blood cell transfusion is associated with a modest, but clinically important improvement in walk test distance and fatigue score outcomes in adult hematology/oncology outpatients.

Background:Randomized clinical trial findings support decreased red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and short-term tolerance of in-hospital anemia. However, long-term outcomes related to changes in transfusion practice have not been described. Objective:To describe the prevalence of anemia at and after hospital discharge and associated morbidity and mortality events. Design:Retrospective cohort study. Setting:Integrated health care delivery system with 21 hospitals serving 4 million members. Participants:445371 surviving adults who had 801261 hospitalizations between January 2010 and December 2014. Measurements:Hemoglobin levels and RBC transfusion, rehospitalization, and mortality events within 6 months of hospital discharge. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine trends over time, accounting for correlated observations and patient-level covariates. Results:From 2010 to 2014, the prevalence of moderate anemia (hemoglobin levels between 7 and 10 g/dL) at hospital discharge increased from 20% to 25% (P < 0.001) and RBC transfusion declined by 28% (39.8 to 28.5 RBC units per 1000 patients; P < 0.001). The proportion of patients whose moderate anemia had resolved within 6 months of hospital discharge decreased from 42% to 34% (P < 0.001), and RBC transfusion and rehospitalization within 6 months of hospital discharge decreased from 19% to 17% and 37% to 33%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). During this period, the adjusted 6-month mortality rate decreased from 16.1% to 15.6% (P= 0.004) in patients with moderate anemia, in parallel with that of all others. Limitation:Possible unmeasured confounding. Conclusion:Anemia after hospitalization increased in parallel with decreased RBC transfusion. This increase was not accompanied by a rise in subsequent RBC use, rehospitalization, or mortality within 6 months of hospital discharge. Longitudinal analyses support the safety of practice recommendations to limit RBC transfusion and tolerate anemia during and after hospitalization. Primary Funding Source:National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

More than 90% of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) patients receive red blood cell (RBC) or platelet transfusions in the peritransplant period. We tested the hypothesis that transfusions are associated with development of severe acute graft-versus-host disease (grade III/IV aGvHD) or mortality in allo-HSCT in a retrospective study of 322 consecutive patients receiving allogeneic bone marrow or G-CSF-mobilized blood stem cell grafts for hematological malignancies. Counting RBC and platelet units between day −7 pre-transplant and +27 post-transplant, but excluding transfusions administered after a diagnosis of aGvHD, yielded medians of 5 RBC and 2 platelet units transfused. 63 patients (20%) developed a maximal grade of III–IV aGvHD with onset up to day 150 post-transplant (median aGvHD onset of 28 days). HLA mis-match (HR 2.4 (1.2, 4.7), p=0.01), and transfusion of > median number of RBC units (HR 2.1 (1.1, 3.7), p=0.02) were independently associated with greater risk of grade III–IV aGvHD in a multivariable analysis model. Disease risk strata (HR 1.7 (1.2, 2.4) for high risk vs. low risk, p=0.005) and transfusion of > median RBC units (HR 1.4 (1.0, 2.0), p=0.054) were independently associated with inferior overall survival. These data support our hypothesis that peritransplant RBC transfusions are associated with the risk of developing severe aGvHD and worse overall survival following allo-HSCT, and suggest that strategies to reduce routine RBC transfusion may favorably reduce GvHD incidence and severity.

Background Several new trials evaluating transfusion strategies in patients with cardiovascular disease have recently been published, increasing the number of enrolled patients by over 30%. The objective was to evaluate transfusion thresholds in patients with cardiovascular disease. Methods We conducted an updated systematic review of randomized trials that compared patients assigned to maintain a lower (restrictive transfusion strategy) or higher (liberal transfusion strategy) hemoglobin concentration. We focused on new trial data in patients with cardiovascular disease. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Specific subgroups were patients undergoing cardiac surgery and with acute myocardial infarction. Results A total of 37 trials that enrolled 19,049 patients were appraised. In cardiac surgery, mortality at 30 days was comparable between groups (risk ratio 0.99; 95% confidence interval 0.74-1.33). In 2 small trials (n = 154) in patients with myocardial infarction, the point estimate for the mortality risk ratio was 3.88 (95% CI, 0.83-18.13) favoring the liberal strategy. Overall, from 26 trials enrolling 15,681 patients, 30-day mortality was not different between restrictive and liberal transfusion strategies (risk ratio 1.0, 95% CI, 0.86-1.16). Overall and in the cardiovascular disease subgroup, there were no significant differences observed across a range of secondary outcomes. Conclusions New trials in patients undergoing cardiac surgery establish that a restrictive transfusion strategy of 7 to 8 g/dL is safe and decreased red cell use by 24%. Further research is needed to define the optimal transfusion threshold in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

One might not have anticipated that lower hematocrit level is associated with bleeding in patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia as suggested in a secondary analysis by Uhl et al in this issue of Blood . 1 However, patients with hematocrit ≤25% were reported to have a fivefold higher risk of grade ≥3 bleeding (odds ratio [OR], 5.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.65-9.79) and a 1.2-fold higher risk of grade ≥2 bleeding (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.03-1.39) compared with patients with hematocrit ≥29%.

Objectives: To determine whether a higher blood transfusion threshold would prevent new or worsening delirium symptoms in the hospital after hip fracture surgery. Design: Ancillary study to a randomized clinical trial. Setting: Thirteen hospitals in the United States and Canada. Participants: One hundred thirty-nine individuals hospitalized with hip fracture aged 50 and older (mean age 81.5 ± 9.1) with cardiovascular disease or risk factors and hemoglobin concentrations of less than 10 g/dL within 3 days of surgery recruited in an ancillary study of the Transfusion Trigger Trial for Functional Outcomes in Cardiovascular Patients Undergoing Surgical Hip Fracture Repair. Intervention: Individuals in the liberal treatment group received one unit of packed red blood cells and as much blood as needed to maintain hemoglobin concentrations at greater than 10 g/dL; those in the restrictive treatment group received transfusions if they developed symptoms of anemia or their hemoglobin fell below 8 g/dL. Measurements: Delirium assessments were performed before randomization and up to three times after randomization. The primary outcome was severity of delirium according to the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS). The secondary outcome was the presence or absence of delirium defined according to the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). Results: The liberal group received a median two units of blood and the restrictive group zero units of blood. Hemoglobin concentration on Day 1 after randomization was 1.4 g/dL higher in the liberal group. Treatment groups did not differ significantly at any time point or over time on MDAS delirium severity (P = .28) or CAM delirium presence (P = .83). Conclusion: Blood transfusion to maintain hemoglobin concentrations greater than 10 g/dL alone is unlikely to influence delirium severity or rate in individuals with hip fracture after surgery with a hemoglobin concentration less than 10 g/dL.

Background There is considerable uncertainty regarding the optimal haemoglobin threshold for the use of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in anaemic patients. Blood is a scarce resource, and in some countries, transfusions are less safe than others because of a lack of testing for viral pathogens. Therefore, reducing the number and volume of transfusions would benefit patients. Objectives The aim of this review was to compare 30-day mortality and other clinical outcomes in participants randomized to restrictive versus liberal red blood cell (RBC) transfusion thresholds (triggers) for all conditions. The restrictive transfusion threshold uses a lower haemoglobin level to trigger transfusion (most commonly 7 g/dL or 8 g/dL), and the liberal transfusion threshold uses a higher haemoglobin level to trigger transfusion (most commonly 9 g/dL to 10 g/dL). Search methods We identified trials by searching CENTRAL (2016, Issue 4), MEDLINE (1946 to May 2016), Embase (1974 to May 2016), the Transfusion Evidence Library (1950 to May 2016), the Web of Science Conference Proceedings Citation Index (1990 to May 2016), and ongoing trial registries (27 May 2016). We also checked reference lists of other published reviews and relevant papers to identify any additional trials. Selection criteria We included randomized trials where intervention groups were assigned on the basis of a clear transfusion 'trigger', described as a haemoglobin (Hb) or haematocrit (Hct) level below which a red blood cell (RBC) transfusion was to be administered. Data collection and analysis We pooled risk ratios of clinical outcomes across trials using a random-effects model. Two people extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias. We conducted predefined analyses by clinical subgroups. We defined participants randomly allocated to the lower transfusion threshold as 'restrictive transfusion' and to the higher transfusion threshold as 'liberal transfusion'. Main results A total of 31 trials, involving 12,587 participants, across a range of clinical specialities (e.g. surgery, critical care) met the eligibility criteria. The trial interventions were split fairly equally with regard to the haemoglobin concentration used to define the restrictive transfusion group. About half of them used a 7 g/dL threshold, and the other half used a restrictive transfusion threshold of 8 g/dL to 9 g/dL. The trials were generally at low risk of bias .Some items of methodological quality were unclear, including definitions and blinding for secondary outcomes. Restrictive transfusion strategies reduced the risk of receiving a RBC transfusion by 43% across a broad range of clinical specialties (risk ratio (RR) 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49 to 0.65; 12,587 participants, 31 trials; high-quality evidence), with a large amount of heterogeneity between trials (I² = 97%). Overall, restrictive transfusion strategies did not increase or decrease the risk of 30-day mortality compared with liberal transfusion strategies (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.16, I² = 37%; N = 10,537; 23 trials; moderate-quality evidence) or any of the other outcomes assessed (i.e. cardiac events (low-quality evidence), myocardial infarction, stroke, thromboembolism (high-quality evidence)). Liberal transfusion did not affect the risk of infection (pneumonia, wound, or bacteraemia). Authors' conclusions Transfusing at a restrictive haemoglobin concentration of between 7 g/dL to 8 g/dL decreased the proportion of participants exposed to RBC transfusion by 43% across a broad range of clinical specialities. There was no evidence that a restrictive transfusion strategy impacts 30-day mortality or morbidity (i.e. mortality at other points, cardiac events, myocardial infarction, stroke, pneumonia, thromboembolism, infection) compared with a liberal transfusion strategy. There were insufficient data to inform the safety of transfusion policies in certain clinical subgroups, including acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction, neurological injury/traumatic brain injury, acute neurological disorders, stroke, thrombocytopenia, cancer, haematological malignancies, and bone marrow failure. The findings provide good evidence that transfusions with allogeneic RBCs can be avoided in most patients with haemoglobin thresholds above 7 g/dL to 8 g/dL.

Background The hemoglobin threshold at which postoperative red-cell transfusion is warranted is controversial. We conducted a randomized trial to determine whether a higher threshold for blood transfusion would improve recovery in patients who had undergone surgery for hip fracture. Methods We enrolled 2016 patients who were 50 years of age or older, who had either a history of or risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and whose hemoglobin level was below 10 g per deciliter after hip-fracture surgery. We randomly assigned patients to a liberal transfusion strategy (a hemoglobin threshold of 10 g per deciliter) or a restrictive transfusion strategy (symptoms of anemia or at physician discretion for a hemoglobin level of

The hospital can be an important opportunity for smoking cessation interventions. This is the first randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot trial utilizing varenicline and post-discharge, in-person behavioral treatment for hospitalized smokers.Seventy-nine smokers admitted to a university-based hospital with various diagnoses were enrolled from 2007 to 2009. The primary outcome was biochemically confirmed abstinence at 24 weeks following discharge. Secondary outcomes included withdrawal symptoms, motivation, utilization of treatment, and medical events.Overall abstinence at 24 weeks was 27% with no difference between varenicline and placebo treatment groups (23% vs. 31%). There were no significant differences in motivation to stop smoking or withdrawal symptoms. Over 40% of all subjects utilized post-discharge behavioral treatment with significantly higher abstinence rates compared with those who did not (53.1% vs. 8.5%, p0.01). Overall adverse events were similar in both treatment groups with the only significant difference being more nausea in the varenicline group (25% vs. 5%; p0.01). Twenty-three subjects were re-hospitalized with no significant differences between treatment groups (13 varenicline vs. 10 placebo).This pilot trial of varenicline in hospitalized smokers demonstrated feasibility of implementation, produced some hypothesis-generating findings, and suggested the potential benefit of face-to-face treatment following discharge.

In this episode of Annals On Call, Dr. Centor discusses patient outcomes following changes in recommendations about the management of anemia in hospitalized patients with Dr. Jeff Carson.

There is no available evidence from randomized trials that early detection of prostate cancer improves health outcomes, but the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is commonly used to screen men for prostate cancer.The objective of the study is to see if screening with PSA decreases mortality from prostate cancer.This is a case-control study using one-to-one matching on race, age, and time of availability of exposure to PSA screening. Decedents, 380, from New Jersey Vital Statistics 1997 to 2000 inclusive, 55-79 years of age at diagnosis were matched to living controls without metastatic prostate cancer. Medical records were obtained from all providers, and we abstracted information about PSA tests from 1989 to the time of diagnosis in each index case.Measurements consist of a comparison of screening (yes, no) between cases and controls. Measure of association was the odds ratio.Eligible cases were diagnosed each year from 1989 to 1999 with the median year being 1993. PSA screening was evident in 23.2-29.2% of cases and 21.8-26.1% of controls depending on the screening criteria. The unadjusted, matched odds ratio for dying of prostate cancer if ever screened was 1.09 (95% CI 0.76 to 1.60) for the most restrictive criteria and 1.19 (95% CI, 0.85 to 1.66) for the least restrictive. Adjustment for comorbidity and education level made no significant differences in these values. There were no significant interactions by age or race.PSA screening using an ever/never tabulation for tests from 1989 until 2000 did not protect New Jersey men from prostate cancer mortality.

Allogeneic transfusion has been thought to alter immune function for many years. Allogeneic blood transfusion has been demonstrated to promote tumour growth in experimental animals. 8,9 Renal allograft survival was better in patients receiving allogeneic blood transfusion prior to transplant 3,10 which is consistent with a reduction in immune function. The risk of recurrent cancer has not been demonstrated in randomized control trials. 11 However, it remains very controversial whether allogeneic blood transfusion increases the risk of bacterial infection. Ten randomized clinical trials have evaluated the effects of leukoreduction. 1 Scanning the results of clinical trials displayed in the table and figures in the article by Fergusson et al. reveals significant heterogeneity in the design and results of the studies. The majority of studies were performed in patients undergoing colorectal or cardiac surgery and used prestorage leukodepletion. Buffy-coated depleted blood was the standard RBC preparation used in many studies, which may make it more difficult to demonstrate a difference, since about 75% of leukocytes are removed by this process. Most of the individual studies did not demonstrate an improvement in outcome. In two of the three studies that showed differences, the observed effects were much larger than seems biologically plausible. 12,13 One trial found a reduction in mortality associated with leukoreduction, although infection rate was not significantly improved. 14 Thus, a meta-analysis is needed. This meta-analysis introduces a new concept into the controversy of the efficacy of leukoreduction. Fergusson and colleagues stratify the results by whether or not the patient received a transfusion. In the analysis

Blood conservation strategies effectively decrease red blood cell (RBC) use in specific patient groups.1-3 However, the impact of RBC transfusion reduction on mortality in a diverse inpatient population remains poorly described. We detail the impact of declining RBC use on 30-day mortality within Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), an integrated health care delivery system serving 3.5 million members at 21 hospitals.

Patients with heart failure have elevated levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines and commonly have iron deficiency anemia or anemia of chronic inflammation. Clinical trials in patients with congestive heart failure and iron deficiency have demonstrated that intravenous iron treatment appears to improve subjective and objective outcomes. Most patients in these trials were not anemic or only had mild anemia, and hemoglobin concentration rose only slightly after treatment with iron. Experimental evidence demonstrates that iron is a cofactor for muscle function, which could explain the improvement in clinical outcomes. Many questions remain to be answered to understand the role of iron therapy in patients with congestive heart failure.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between allogeneic blood transfusion and bacterial infection remains uncertain. An increased risk of bacterial infection would represent the most important risk of allogeneic transfusion, because viral disease transmission has become so rare. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 9598 consecutive hip fracture patients at least 60 years old who underwent surgical repair was performed. The primary outcome was serious bacterial infection, defined as bacteremia, pneumonia, deep wound infection, or septic arthritis or osteomyelitis. Secondary outcomes included two individual infections, pneumonia and urinary tract infection (UTI), and the cost of infection. Hospital cost of infection was assessed by linking the study population to Medicare data. RESULTS: Fifty-eight percent of patients received at least one transfusion. Serious bacterial infection occurred in 437 patients (4.6%); 28.8 percent of this group died during the hospital stay. Pneumonia occurred in 361 patients (3.8%) and UTI occurred in 1157 patients (12.1%). The adjusted risk of serious bacterial infection associated with transfusion was 1.35 (95% CI, 1.10-1.66). The adjusted risk for pneumonia was 1.52 (95% CI, 1.21-1.91), and that for UTI was 1.03 (95% CI, 0.91-1.17). A dose-response relationship was present for serious bacterial infection (p = 0.001) and pneumonia (p = 0.001). The cost of hospitalization was $14,000 greater for patients with serious infection than for patients without infection. CONCLUSION: Blood transfusion is associated with a 35-percent greater risk of serious bacterial infection and a 52-percent greater risk of pneumonia. Postoperative infections are costly. The risk of bacterial infection may be the most common life-threatening adverse effect of allogeneic blood transfusion.

Background Previous studies suggest that most patients with pulmonary embolism die of their underlying diseases and pulmonary embolism is itself responsible for a minority of deaths. It has not been determined whether pulmonary embolism is associated with increased mortality among patients with different specific diseases. Methods We assessed the mortality in 1, 487 patients who had lung scans to pursue the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. An outcome classification committee prospectively reviewed deaths occurring up to 1 year after each patient's entry into the study. Results Ninety-five (23.8%) patients with pulmonary embolism and 189 (18.9%) without pulmonary embolism died within 1 year of study entry (estimated relative risk, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.79). Mortality according to pulmonary embolism status was different among patients with COPD from mortality among patients who did not have COPD (interaction p=0.03). Of 45 patients with COPD and pulmonary embolism, 24 (53.3%; 95% confidence interval, 38.8 to 67.9%) died within 1 year. After adjustment for patient characteristics, the estimated risk of dying within 1 year was 1.94 times (95% confidence interval, 1.17 to 3.24) for patients with COPD and pulmonary embolism compared with those without pulmonary embolism, and 1.14 (95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 1.54) for patients without COPD (interaction p=0.08). Conclusions Patients with COPD and pulmonary embolism have an increased 1-year mortality. Further study is needed to clarify the reason(s) for the increase in mortality.

Guidelines have been offered on haemoglobin thresholds for blood transfusion in surgical patients. However, good evidence is lacking on the haemoglobin concentrations at which the risk of death or serious morbidity begins to rise and at which transfusion is indicated.A retrospective cohort study was performed in 1958 patients, 18 years and older, who underwent surgery and declined blood transfusion for religious reasons. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality and the secondary outcome was 30-day mortality or in-hospital 30-day morbidity. Cardiovascular disease was defined as a history of angina, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, or peripheral vascular disease.The 30-day mortality was 3.2% (95% CI 2.4-4.0). The mortality was 1.3% (0.8-2.0) in patients with preoperative haemoglobin 12 g/dL or greater and 33.3% (18.6-51.0) in patients with preoperative haemoglobin less than 6 g/dL. The increase in risk of death associated with low preoperative haemoglobin was more pronounced in patients with cardiovascular disease than in patients without (interaction p0.03). The effect of blood loss on mortality was larger in patients with low preoperative haemoglobin than in those with a higher preoperative haemoglobin (interaction p0.001). The results were similar in analyses of postoperative haemoglobin and 30-day mortality or in-hospital morbidity.A low preoperative haemoglobin or a substantial operative blood loss increases the risk of death or serious morbidity more in patients with cardiovascular disease than in those without. Decisions about transfusion should take account of cardiovascular status and operative blood loss as well as the haemoglobin concentration.

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most frequently used medications worldwide for the treatment of a variety of common chronic and acute inflammatory conditions. The association between NSAIDs and liver disease is poorly documented, the exceptions being sulindac and, to a lesser degree, diclofenac. The incidence of liver disease is very low and is relatively unimportant compared with the risk of peptic ulcer disease and gastrointestinal bleeding. Reports of hepatic injury range from insignificant and transient liver enzyme elevation to severe and fulminant hepatitis.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether there is a population of physicians who have consistently poor malpractice claims experiences over time. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. POPULATION 12,730 physicians insured in New Jersey from 1977 to 1991. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES After adjusting for specialty, the physicians were grouped according to who had the highest, very high, and high rates of malpractice claims, approximating 1%, 5%, and 10% respectively, of the insured population. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated comparing the physicians in these high-risk categories with the other physicians. RESULTS Of the 55 physicians who had the highest malpractice claims rates during the first four years, two (3.6%) were in the highest group during the subsequent three years (OR 2.8; 95% CI 0.7 to 10.8), five (9.1%) were in the very high group (OR 2.0; 95% CI 0.7 to 5.3), and 11 (20%) were in the high group (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 4.6). Of the 260 physicians in the very high group during the first four years, 11 (4.2%) were in the highest group during the subsequent three years (OR 3.6; 95% CI 1.8 to 6.4), 26 (10.0%) were in the very high group (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.5 to 3.6), and 46 (17.7%) were in the high group (OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.4 to 2.8). Of the 947 physicians in the high group during the first four years, 24 (2.5%) were in the highest group during the subsequent three years (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.4 to 3.7), 62 (6.6%) were in the very high group (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.9), and 118 (12.5%) were in the high group (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.6). Similar results were found when using awards as the outcome. CONCLUSIONS Most physicians who have high malpractice rates during their first four years improve over time. Physicians who have high rates of malpractice during one period should not be subjected to disciplinary action. However, carefully evaluating physicians who consistently have high rates of malpractice during two periods may represent an effective strategy for identifying problem physicians.

BACKGROUND : Cimetidine is perceived as sufficiently safe that it is being considered for over-the-counter use. However, because of residual concerns about cimetidine-induced neutropenia, a study was conducted to evaluate this association. METHODS : A population-based, case-control study was undertaken using a large database with Medicaid data from six states. Cases were defined as patients hospitalized with a discharge diagnosis of neutropenia. Medical records were sought to validate the diagnoses of neutropenia and to characterize the severity of disease. Four controls were randomly selected for each case, matched for age, sex, state, and year of diagnosis. The frequency of exposures to cimetidine in the 30 days prior to hospital admission in the cases was compared to that in the identical time periods in the controls. RESULTS : When investigators simultaneously controlled for multiple, potentially confounding variables by using conditional logistic regression, the odds ratio associated with the use of cimetidine was 1.2 (P = 0.33), with a one-sided upper 95% confidence limit of 2.6 for all patients over 20 years of age, and 0.6 (P = 0.30) with a one-sided upper 95% confidence limit of 3.1 for validated cases over 12 years of age. Neither a dose-response relationship nor a duration-response relationship was evident (P = 0.899 and P = 0.716, respectively, when excluding the nonusers, or P = 0.245 and P = 0.215, respectively, when including the nonusers). From these data, one can exclude the occurrence of hospitalization with neutropenia or agranulocytosis due to cimetidine occurring more often than once in every 116,000 patients and once in every 573,000 patients receiving a 6-week course of the drug, respectively. CONCLUSION : If there is an association between cimetidine and neutropenia, it appears to be very small.

Prior trials suggest it is safe to defer transfusion at hemoglobin levels above 7 to 8 g/dL in most patients. Patients with acute coronary syndrome may benefit from higher hemoglobin levels.We performed a pilot trial in 110 patients with acute coronary syndrome or stable angina undergoing cardiac catheterization and a hemoglobin10 g/dL. Patients in the liberal transfusion strategy received one or more units of blood to raise the hemoglobin level ≥10 g/dL. Patients in the restrictive transfusion strategy were permitted to receive blood for symptoms from anemia or for a hemoglobin8 g/dL. The predefined primary outcome was the composite of death, myocardial infarction, or unscheduled revascularization 30 days post randomization.Baseline characteristics were similar between groups except age (liberal, 67.3; restrictive, 74.3). The mean number of units transfused was 1.6 in the liberal group and 0.6 in the restrictive group. The primary outcome occurred in 6 patients (10.9%) in the liberal group and 14 (25.5%) in the restrictive group (risk difference = 15.0%; 95% confidence interval of difference 0.7% to 29.3%; P = .054 and adjusted for age P = .076). Death at 30 days was less frequent in liberal group (n = 1, 1.8%) compared to restrictive group (n = 7, 13.0%; P = .032).The liberal transfusion strategy was associated with a trend for fewer major cardiac events and deaths than a more restrictive strategy. These results support the feasibility of and the need for a definitive trial.

Background Payments for red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are separate from US Medicare bundled payments for dialysis-related services and medications. Our objective was to examine the economic burden for payers when chronic dialysis patients receive outpatient RBC transfusions. Methods Using Truven Health MarketScan® data (1/1/02-10/31/10) in this retrospective micro-costing economic analysis, we analyzed data from chronic dialysis patients who underwent at least 1 outpatient RBC transfusion who had at least 6 months of continuous enrollment prior to initial dialysis claim and at least 30 days post-transfusion follow-up. A conceptual model of transfusion-associated resource use based on current literature was employed to estimate outpatient RBC transfusion payments. Total payments per RBC transfusion episode included screening/monitoring (within 3 days), blood acquisition/administration (within 2 days), and associated complications (within 3 days for acute events; up to 45 days for chronic events). Results A total of 3283 patient transfusion episodes were included; 56.4% were men and 40.9% had Medicare supplemental insurance. Mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 60.9 (15.0) years, and mean Charlson comorbidity index was 4.3 (2.5). During a mean (SD) follow-up of 495 (474) days, patients had a mean of 2.2 (3.8) outpatient RBC transfusion episodes. Mean/median (SD) total payment per RBC transfusion episode was $854/$427 ($2,060) with 72.1% attributable to blood acquisition and administration payments. Complication payments ranged from mean (SD) $213 ($168) for delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction to $19,466 ($15,424) for congestive heart failure. Conclusions Payments for outpatient RBC transfusion episodes were driven by blood acquisition and administration payments. While infrequent, transfusion complications increased payments substantially when they occurred.

Description: Although approximately 85 million units of red blood cells (RBCs) are transfused annually worldwide, transfusion practices vary widely. The AABB (formerly, the American Association of Blood Banks) developed this guideline to provide clinical recommendations about hemoglobin concentration thresholds and other clinical variables that trigger RBC transfusions in hemodynamically stable adults and children. Methods: These guidelines are based on a systematic review of randomized clinical trials evaluating transfusion thresholds. We performed a literature search from 1950 to February 2011 with no language restrictions. We examined the proportion of patients who received any RBC transfusion and the number of RBC units transfused to describe the effect of restrictive transfusion strategies on RBC use. To determine the clinical consequences of restrictive transfusion strategies, we examined overall mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, cardiac events, pulmonary edema, stroke, thromboembolism, renal failure, infection, hemorrhage, mental confusion, functional recovery, and length of hospital stay. Recommendation 1: The AABB recommends adhering to a restrictive transfusion strategy (7 to 8 g/dL) in hospitalized, stable patients (Grade: strong recommendation; high-quality evidence). Recommendation 2: The AABB suggests adhering to a restrictive strategy in hospitalized patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease and considering transfusion for patients with symptoms or a hemoglobin level of 8 g/dL or less (Grade: weak recommendation; moderate-quality evidence). Recommendation 3: The AABB cannot recommend for or against a liberal or restrictive transfusion threshold for hospitalized, hemodynamically stable patients with the acute coronary syndrome (Grade: uncertain recommendation; very low-quality evidence). Recommendation 4: The AABB suggests that transfusion decisions be influenced by symptoms as well as hemoglobin concentration (Grade: weak recommendation; low-quality evidence).

We performed a case-control study with the aims of documenting the ability of Medicaid data to be used to study acute liver disease, to determine the incidence rate of idiopathic liver disease resulting in hospitalization, and to evaluate the relationship between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acute liver disease. We reviewed the medical records of 408 Medicaid patients age 20 or older with an ICD-9-CM inpatient billing code consistent with acute hepatitis. We calculated the incidence rate of acute hepatitis resulting in hospitalization. After excluding patients with other forms of liver disease or in whom a diagnosis could not be confirmed, 107 cases were eligible for the case-control analysis. The annual incidence rate (95 per cent confidence interval) of acute idiopathic symptomatic hepatitis resulting in hospitalization was 2.2 (2.0–2.4) per 100,000 per year. Nine cases (8.4 per cent) and 26 controls (6.1 per cent) were exposed to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, yielding an odds ratio of 1.4 (0.6–3.1). After adjustment for potential confounding variables, the odds ratio was 1.2 (0.5–2.8). We conclude that Medicaid billing data has high reliability and validity for the diagnosis of acute liver disease. However, primary medical records are essential for the study of drug-induced hepatitis. Acute symptomatic idiopathic liver disease severe enough to result in hospitalization is uncommon, and no association was evident between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acute hepatitis.

To determine the feasibility of the use of Medicaid data to study drug-induced acute liver disease, we reviewed the medical records of 414 patients receiving Medicaid, age 20 or older, with an ICD-9-CM inpatient billing code consistent with acute hepatitis. Of the patients whose records were reviewed, 15.9% were alcoholics, 31.9% had acute hepatitis A or B, 13.5% were intravenous drug users, 8.2% had acute cholecystitis or choledocholithiasis, and 4.1% had received a blood transfusion within the previous 6 months. No diagnosis of liver disease was found in 10.6% of the patients, and 5.7% had chronic liver disease. Of the 169 patients with idiopathic acute liver disease identified, many had very mild liver disease and were hospitalized for reasons other than liver disease. We conclude that Medicaid billing data has high reliability and validity for the diagnosis of acute liver disease. However, primary medical records are essential for the study of drug-induced hepatitis, to be able to exclude other causes of liver disease, and to obtain information not included in the computer data.

Objective:To study the design, method of implementation, perceived benefits, and problems associated with a night float system. Design:Self-administered questionnaire completed by program directors, which included both structured and open-ended questions. The answers reflect resident and student opinions as well as those of the program directors, since program directors regularly obtain feedback from these groups. Setting/participants:The 442 accredited internal medicine residency programs listed in the 1988–89 Directory of Graduate Medical Education Programs. Results:Of the 442 programs, 79% responded, and 30% had experience with a night float system. The most frequent methods for initiating a night float system included: decreasing elective time (42.3%), hiring more residents (26.9%), creating a non-teaching service (12.5%), and reallocating housestaff time (9.6%). Positive effects cited include decreased fatigue, improved housestaff morale, improved recruiting, and better attitude toward internal medicine training. The quality of medical care was considered the same or better by most programs using it. The most commonly cited problems were decreased continuity of care, inadequate teaching of the night float team, and miscommunication. Conclusion:Residency programs using a night float system usually observe a positive effect on housestaff morale, recruitment, and working hours and no detrimental effect on the quality of patient care. Miscommunication and inadequate learning experience for the night float team are important potential problems. This survey suggests that the night float represents one solution to reducing resident working hours.

Anemia is characterized by less than the normal number of red blood cells (RBCs) (as a result of underproduction, increased loss, or destruction) or decreased quantity of hemoglobin (Hgb) in the blood, thereby reducing the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity.

Anemia is common in patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit. Many unique issues must be considered in the treatment of the anemic cardiac patient. Coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction may significantly increase the risk of anemia. These patients have limited reserve because of a high extraction ratio of oxygen in the cardiac circulation. Left ventricular dysfunction increases the risk of complications from transfusion. Recent observational studies suggest that cardiac patients may benefit from a higher transfusion threshold. However, very few patients with cardiovascular disease have been included in clinical trials comparing high and low transfusion triggers. Experimental data and recent studies in humans suggest that cardiac patients may be intolerant of anemia. Pending definitive clinical trials in cardiac patients, we suggest a more aggressive transfusion trigger (9-10 g/dL) in patients with active cardiac disease. Pulmonary edema may be precipitated by transfusion in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. Large clinical trials are urgently needed to determine optimal transfusion thresholds in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Most evidence guiding perioperative medical risk management of patients undergoing hip fracture repair focuses on cardiac and thromboembolic risk. Little is known of the relative clinical importance of other complications.To systematically map incidence and outcomes of a broad spectrum of medical complications after hip fracture repair.Retrospective cohort study of patients 60 years or older in 20 academic, community, and Veterans Affairs hospitals. Data on complications and mortality were abstracted from medical records by trained abstractors using standardized, pretested forms or the National Death Index.Of 8930 patients, 1737 (19%) had postoperative medical complications. Cardiac and pulmonary complications were most frequent (8% and 4% of patients, respectively). Similar numbers of patients had serious cardiac or pulmonary complications (2% and 3%, respectively). Other complications were gastrointestinal tract bleeding (2%), combined cardiopulmonary complications (1%), venous thromboembolism (1%), and transient ischemic attack or stroke (1%). Renal failure and septic shock were rare. After the index complication, 416 patients had 587 additional complications. Mortality was similar for serious cardiac or pulmonary complications (30 day: 22% and 17%, respectively; 1 year: 36% and 44%, respectively) and highest for patients with multiple complications (30 day: 29%-38%; 1 year: 43%-62%). Complications and death occurred significantly earlier for serious cardiac than for serious pulmonary complications (1 vs 4 days, 2 vs 8 days, P.001); length of stay for patients surviving these complications was similar.Most patients had no medical complications after hip fracture repair. Serious cardiac and pulmonary complications were equally important in frequency, mortality, and survivors' length of stay. Patients with multiple complications had especially poor prognosis.

[Graphic][1] Introduction There are a large number of randomized clinical trials comparing short-term mortality between liberal and restrictive transfusion strategies. However, transfusion is thought to have long-term consequences related to alteration of immune function. These effects have been hypothesized to increase the risk of subsequent infections and recurrence of cancer. Thus, it is possible that transfusion will increase the risk of long-term mortality by increasing the deaths due to infections and recurrent cancer. Alternatively, more liberal transfusion might reduce cardiac complications by increasing oxygen to vulnerable myocardium and reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease. We hypothesized that liberal transfusion would affect cause specific mortality and might affect all-cause mortality, depending on the predominant impact of transfusion. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of the FOCUS trial that randomly allocated patients undergoing hip fracture repair with postoperative hemoglobin concentrations below 10 g/dL within 3 days of surgery. Patients were eligible for the trial if they had underlying cardiovascular disease (coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, peripheral vascular disease) or cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, tobacco use, or renal insufficiency). We randomly allocated patients to liberal transfusion where patients received blood transfusion to maintain hemoglobin 10 g/dL or greater, or restrictive transfusion where patients received blood transfusion when hemoglobin level was less than 8 g/dL or for symptoms. Long-term mortality was determined by linking the study subjects to national death registries in US and Canada. We compared survival time between the two transfusion treatment strategies using the unadjusted log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard models. The underlying cause of death was identified by the national death registries and grouped into seven categories: cardiovascular disease, cancer, infection, stroke, dementia, pulmonary, and other. Results There were 1007 subjects randomly allocated to the liberal transfusion strategy and 1009 to the restrictive transfusion strategy. The baseline clinical status was similar between the two groups; mean age of the study population was 81.6 years (range, 51 to 103). The liberal transfusion group were transfused a total of 1866 units and restrictive transfusion group 652 units. We established long-term survival for 2002 (99.3%) of the study population. The median follow-up was 3.1 years (interquartile range, 2.4 to 4.1 years) and there were 841 (42.0%) deaths. There was no difference in the long-term mortality between the liberal transfusion strategy (N=432 deaths) and restrictive transfusion strategy (N= 409 deaths); hazard ratio =1.09; 95% confidence interval 0.95 to 1.25 (Figure). The results were consistent across all subgroups including demographics and multiple co-morbidities. There was also no difference in the underlying cause of death between the transfusion strategies (p=0.99) (Table); Cardiovascular disease (liberal-32.6%, restrictive-33.5%), Cancer (liberal-12.5%, restrictive-12.0%), Infection (liberal-9.5%, restrictive 9.0%). Conclusions Liberal transfusion of 10 g/dL did not reduce or increase long-term mortality compared to restrictive transfusion strategy using an 8 g/dL threshold or symptoms in a high risk group of elderly patients with underlying cardiovascular disease or risk factors. The underlying causes of death were similar in both arms of the trial and liberal transfusion did not appear to increase risk of death from infection or cancer or reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. These results do not support the hypotheses that transfusion leads to long-term immunosuppression that is severe enough to influence mortality or cause of death. Our findings suggest that clinicians should primarily consider short-term effects of transfusion when deciding whom to transfuse. | | | | | | | || | | | Total N (%) | Liberal N (%) | Restrictive N (%) | | | | Cardiovascular Disease | 278 (33.1) | 141 (32.6) | 137 (33.5) | | | | Cancer | 103 (12.2) | 54 (12.5) | 49 (12.0) | | | | Infection | 78 (9.3) | 41 (9.5) | 37 (9.0) | | | | Stroke | 57 (6.8) | 27 (6.3) | 30 (7.3) | | | | Dementia | 108 (12.8) | 56 (13.0) | 52 (12.7) | | | | Pulmonary | 58 (6.9) | 29 (6.7) | 29 (7.1) | | | | Other | 147 (17.5) | 79 (18.3) | 68 (16.6) | | | | Unknown | 12 (1.4) | 5 (1.2) | 7 (1.7) | | | | Totals | 841 | 432 | 409 | | Table ![Figure 1][2] Figure 1 Disclosures Magaziner: Ammonett : Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Regeneron: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Eli Lilly: Consultancy; American Orthopedic Association: Consultancy. [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif [2]: pending:yes

The hematologic management of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding requires evaluation of the underlying cause of bleeding, associated diseases that can exacerbate the bleeding, and identification of related and unrelated coagulation abnormalities. Erythrocyte transfusions are given to increase oxygen carrying capacity; however, there is limited information on the level of anemia that places a patient at increased risk of adverse events after a GI bleed and when patients should receive erythrocyte transfusion. Isolated thrombocytopenia is uncommon in patients with GI bleeding, and there is little evidence documenting the degree of thrombocytopenia associated with an increased risk of bleeding. Platelets are often administered when the count is 50,000 per cu/mL in a bleeding patient. The coagulopathy of liver disease is the most common abnormality seen in the setting of GI bleeding. Fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) should be given in a dose equivalent to the underlying abnormality and the common practice of administering 2 units of FFP is often insufficient in a bleeding patient.

Purpose: Utilization report cards are commonly used to assess hospitals. However, in practice, they rarely account for differences in patient populations among hospitals. Our study questions were: (1) How does transfusion utilization for hip fracture patients vary among hospitals? (2) What patient characteristics are associated with transfusion and how do those characteristics vary among hospitals? (3) Is the apparent pattern of variation of utilization among hospitals altered by controlling for these patient characteristics? Subjects and Methods: We included consecutive hip fracture patients aged 60 years or older who underwent surgical repair between 1982 and 1993 in 19 hospitals from four states, excluding those who refused blood transfusion, had multiple trauma, metastatic cancer, multiple myeloma, an above the knee amputation, or were paraplegic or quadriplegic. The outcome of interest was postoperative blood transfusion. "Trigger hemoglobin" was the lowest hemoglobin recorded before transfusion or recorded at any time during the week before or after surgery for patients who were not transfused. Results: There was considerable variation in transfusion among hospitals postoperatively (range 31.2% to 54.0%, P = 0.001). Trigger hemoglobin also varied considerably among hospitals. In unadjusted analyses, four of nine teaching and two of nine nonteaching hospitals had postoperative transfusion rates significantly higher than the reference (teaching) hospital, while one nonteaching hospital had a lower rate. In an analysis controlling for trigger hemoglobin and multiple clinical variables, one of nine teaching and four of nine nonteaching hospitals had rates higher than the reference hospital, while four teaching hospitals and one nonteaching hospital had lower rates. Conclusions: The apparent pattern of variation of transfusion among hospitals varies according to how one adjusts for relevant patient characteristics. Utilization report cards that fail to adjust for these characteristics may be mixleading.

Acute renal failure has been associated with parenteral ketorolac tromethamine, but the risk that is associated with this therapy has not been quantified.To compare the risk for acute renal failure associated with ketorolac with that associated with opioids.Retrospective cohort study.35 hospitals in or near Philadelphia.Patients receiving 10,219 courses of parenteral ketorolac and patients receiving 10,145 courses of parenteral opioids.Acute renal failure was defined by 1) an increase in the serum creatinine concentration of 50% or more and 2) either an absolute increase of 44.2 mumol/L or more for concentrations that were less than 132.6 mumol/L at baseline or an absolute increase of 88.4 mumol/L or more for concentrations that were 132.6 mumol/L or more at baseline. In addition, a secondary definition required a diagnosis by a physician.The overall incidence of acute renal failure was 1.1% after therapy with either ketorolac or opioids. Multivariate-adjusted rate ratios comparing ketorolac with opioids for acute renal failure were 1.09 (95% CI, 0.83 to 1.42) overall, 1.00 (CI, 0.76 to 1.33) for less than 5 days of therapy, and 2.08 (CI, 1.08 to 4.00; P = 0.03) for more than 5 days of therapy. Similar results were obtained when the secondary definition of acute renal failure was used.Overall, acute renal failure was uncommon in this hospitalized population. Compared with opioids, ketorolac administered for 5 days or less did not increase the rate of renal failure. However, among patients who were treated with analgesics for more than 5 days, ketorolac may be associated with an elevated rate of acute renal failure.

The association between current use of oral contraceptives and increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been firmly established. Although data-sheets for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) carry similar warnings as regards VTE, evidence of an association is inconclusive. We carried out a hospital-based case-control study to investigate whether current use of HRT is associated with VTE.We screened all women aged 45-64 years admitted to hospitals in the area of the Oxford Regional Health Authority with a suspected diagnosis of VTE between February, 1993, and December, 1994. We recruited 81 cases of idiopathic VTE and 146 hospital controls with disorders of eyes, skin, ears, respiratory and alimentary tracts, kidneys, bones, and joints, and trauma; controls were matched to cases for age-group and date and district of admission. To increase the study power, an additional 22 cases of idiopathic VTE and 32 hospital controls admitted before February, 1993, were recruited retrospectively. Participants were questioned about medical and gynaecological history, use of oral contraceptives and HRT, use of other drugs within the previous 3 months, and lifestyle and socioeconomic characteristics. Detailed diagnostic data were extracted from the notes of eligible cases. Matched analyses, adjusted for body-mass Index, socioeconomic group, and history of varicose veins, were undertaken by conditional logistic regression.44 (42.7%) cases and 44 (24.7%) controls were current users of HRT. The adjusted odds ratio for VTE in current users of HRT compared with non-users (never-users and past users combined) was 3.5 (95% CI 1.8-7.0; p0.001). No association was found with past use, and risk appeared to be highest among short-term current users (adjusted likelihood ratio test of trend in odds ratios across different durations of current use, p = 0.011).Current HRT use is associated with risk of VTE. The increased risk may be concentrated in new users. The number of extra cases appears to be only about one in 5000 users per year. These findings need to be weighed against the probable benefits of long-term treatment, including reductions in risks of osteoporotic fracture and coronary heart disease, and the probable modest increase in risk of breast cancer.

Clinicians have few data on which to base a decision to transfuse a surgical patient. We reviewed animal and human data to evaluate the effects that anemia and comorbidity have on surgical outcome. Experimental evidence consistently demonstrates increased cardiac output, decreased peripheral vascular resistance, and increased release of oxygen by red blood cells in response to anemia. Normal animals tolerate hemoglobin (Hb) levels down to approximately 5 g/dL. Below this level, cardiac ischemia and decreased ventricular function develop. In animals with experimental coronary artery stenosis, cardiac ischemia develops at Hb levels of 7–10 g/dL. Coexisting left ventricular hypertrophy, use of β blockers, and hypoxemia also reduce animals' ability to tolerate anemia. The limited information on anemia tolerance of human surgical patients suggests that the presence of cardiac and pulmonary disease should influence transfusion decisions. A higher Hb threshold should be used in patients who have or are at risk of cardiac or pulmonary artery disease.