Louise Strauss

Protocol therapy for acute asthma: Therapeutic benefits and cost savings☆

BACKGROUND To evaluate the therapeutic and financial benefits of protocol therapy for acute asthma using standard medications. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study employed a sequential design in which the influence of an asthma care path on hospital admissions, length of stay (LOS) in the emergency department, and return visits were evaluated for 1 year. This information was contrasted with similar data obtained from the 8 months immediately before the protocol was implemented (preprotocol) and a 12-month period after strict adherence to it had declined (admixture). RESULTS In all, 526 acute exacerbations of asthma were treated with the care path, and 429 and 558 episodes were evaluated during the preprotocol and admixture periods, respectively. There were no significant differences between the presenting clinical or physiologic features of any group. With the protocol, 77% of the patients resolved their symptoms within 1:47 +/- 0.02 hours:minutes of arrival in the emergency department with a 2% return rate within 24 hours. The algorithms used quickly identified those needing hospitalization. Patients not meeting the criteria for discharge after receiving the treatments employed typically did not resolve their symptoms for days (average hospital stay 4.1 +/- 0.2 days). Compared with the preprotocol period, the care path significantly reduced the LOS by 50 minutes, the number of urgent and intensive care unit admissions by 27% and 41%, respectively, and the frequency of return visits within 24 hours by 66%. Charges to patients and third-party payors decreased

Relation of Serum Lipids and Lipoproteins with Progression of CKD: The CRIC Study

395,000. When adherence to the protocol diminished, LOS, admissions, and returns rose significantly toward preprotocol values and the financial benefits were lost. CONCLUSIONS Asthma protocol therapy, based primarily upon aggressive use of sympathomimetics in association with serial monitoring of key indices of improvement, provides prompt and efficient relief for acute exacerbations of asthma. Such an approach yields significant financial benefit while quickly identifying individuals who require hospitalization, and it also detects physician practice patterns that can have potentially detrimental impacts on patient care.

Comparison of two dosage regimens of albuterol in acute asthma

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Hyperlipidemia is common in patients with CKD. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether measures of plasma lipids and lipoproteins predict progression of kidney disease in patients with CKD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Prospective cohort study in adults (n=3939) with CKD aged 21-74 years recruited between 2003 and 2008 and followed for a median of 4.1 years. At baseline, total cholesterol, triglycerides, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), apoA-I , apoB, and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] were measured. The outcomes were composite end point of ESRD or 50% decline in eGFR from baseline (rate of change of GFR). RESULTS Mean age of the study population was 58.2 years, and the mean GFR was 44.9 ml/min per 1.73 m(2); 48% of patients had diabetes. None of the lipid or lipoprotein measures was independently associated with risk of the composite end point or rate of change in GFR. However, there were significant (P=0.01) interactions by level of proteinuria. In participants with proteinuria<0.2 g/d, 1-SD higher LDL-C was associated with a 26% lower risk of the renal end point (hazard ratio [HR], 0.74; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.59 to 0.92; P=0.01), and 1-SD higher total cholesterol was associated with a 23% lower risk of the renal end point (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.96; P=0.02). In participants with proteinuria>0.2 g/d, neither LDL-C (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.98 to 1.05) nor total cholesterol levels were associated with renal outcomes. Treatment with statins was reported in 55% of patients and was differential across lipid categories. CONCLUSIONS In this large cohort of patients with CKD, total cholesterol, triglycerides, VLDL-C, LDL-C, HDL-C, apoA-I, apoB, and Lp(a) were not independently associated with progression of kidney disease. There was an inverse relationship between LDL-C and total cholesterol levels and kidney disease outcomes in patients with low levels of proteinuria.

The Influence of Parasympatholytics on the Resolution of Acute Attacks of Asthma

BACKGROUND The standard therapy for acute episodes of asthma in the United States consists of three 2.5-mg doses of aerosolized albuterol given every 20 minutes. Whether this approach represents optimum therapy has never been tested. METHODS This study employed a prospective, sequential design in which the effects of two doses of 5.0 mg of aerosolized albuterol administered during 40 minutes (high dose) were contrasted with the standard dose (three 2.5-mg doses). Improvements in pulmonary function, clinical resolution of the asthma attacks, and admission rates were used as primary endpoints. Both regimens were part of an overall care plan that involved objective, pretested decision algorithms. RESULTS In an emergency department, 160 patients who presented with acute exacerbations of asthma received either standard (n = 80) or high-dose (n = 80) albuterol treatment. There were no significant baseline differences in gender, racial composition, clinical signs and symptoms, medication use, or peak expiratory flow (PEF) between the groups. Both treatment schedules were effective, but the high-dose regimen increased lung function more rapidly and to a greater extent than standard-dose therapy. It also resulted in lower charges to third party payers. More subjects attained the discharge criteria quicker and left the emergency department with peak expiratory flows closer to normal. Fewer patients in the high-dose group were admitted, but this trend did not quite reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS Two 5.0-mg treatments of aerosolized albuterol at a 40-minute interval provide effective therapy for acute exacerbations of asthma. This combination of dose and frequency promotes maximum bronchodilatation, increases efficiency, and reduces the risks of undertreatment.

Risk Factors for Peripheral Arterial Disease Among Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

PURPOSE To evaluate the role of parasympatholytics in the resolution of acute attacks of asthma. METHODS This study employed a prospective sequential design in which the influence of 0.5 and 1.0 mg of ipratropium bromide on peak expiratory flow rates (PEFR), hospital admissions, and length of stay (LOS) in the emergency department (ED) was evaluated. The parasympatholytic was added to a well-investigated standard therapeutic regimen that was anchored by the use of repetitive doses of albuterol, and employed pretested decision algorithms. RESULTS One hundred and thirty-one patients received ipratropium (l) and 123 who did not (NI) served as controls. There were no significant pretreatment between group differences in gender, racial composition clinical signs and symptoms, or PEFR. The presence of ipratropium in the regimen did not influence discharge/admission patterns, LOS, the rate of improvement of the patients, or the level of PEFR achieved. CONCLUSION Anticholinergic agents such as ipratropium are not first-line treatments for acute asthma. They do not add any therapeutic benefit to the effects of albuterol given in divided doses over 1 hour, nor do they facilitate recovery in patients whose immediate response to sympathomimetics is impaired.

Hemodynamic Correlates of Proteinuria in Chronic Kidney Disease

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk for developing peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The aim of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between novel risk factors and prevalent PAD in patients with CKD. A total of 3,758 patients with estimated glomerular filtration rates of 20 to 70 ml/min/1.73 m(2) who participated in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study were included in the present analysis. PAD was defined as an ankle-brachial index <0.9 or a history of arm or leg revascularization. After adjustment for age, gender, race, cigarette smoking, physical activity, history of hypertension and diabetes, pulse pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and CRIC clinical sites, several novel risk factors were significantly associated with PAD. For example, odds ratios for a 1-SD higher level of risk factors were 1.18 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08 to 1.29) for log-transformed high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, 1.18 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.29) for white blood cell count, 1.15 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.25) for fibrinogen, 1.13 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.24) for uric acid, 1.14 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.26) for glycosylated hemoglobin, 1.11 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.23) for log-transformed homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and 1.35 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.55) for cystatin C. In conclusion, these data indicate that inflammation, prothrombotic state, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and cystatin C were associated with an increased prevalence of PAD in patients with CKD. Further studies are warranted to examine the causal effect of these risk factors on PAD in patients with CKD.

Factors Associated With Depressive Symptoms and Use of Antidepressant Medications Among Participants in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) and Hispanic-CRIC Studies

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Brachial artery measures of BP are associated with increasing degrees of proteinuria. Whether central measures of BP or vascular stiffness are associated with increased risk of proteinuria in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unknown. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Measurements of central and brachial artery BP, and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) were performed in a cross-sectional cohort of patients with CKD (n = 2144) from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study to determine factors which predict increased risk of proteinuria. Multivariate analysis stratified by diabetes included age, ethnicity, gender, estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), waistline, smoking, heart rate, and medications to evaluate the relationship of hemodynamic factors and proteinuria. RESULTS Brachial artery systolic BP (SBP) was important as an explanatory factor for variations in proteinuria among both diabetics (R(2) = 0.40, P < 0.0001) and non diabetics (R(2) = 0.38, P < 0.001). Measures of peripheral pulse pressure (PP), central SBP, and central pulse pressure added little to the explained variation in proteinuria beyond brachial artery SBP, whereas PWV as a measure of vascular stiffness incrementally accounted for a significant portion of variation in proteinuria beyond that explained by brachial artery SBP in diabetics (R(2) = 0.42, P < 0.001) but not non diabetics. CONCLUSIONS Brachial artery SBP and PWV are both associated with variations in proteinuria in patients with CKD.

Atrial Fibrillation and Risk of ESRD in Adults with CKD

BACKGROUND Depressive symptoms are correlated with poor health outcomes in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The prevalence, severity, and treatment of depressive symptoms and potential risk factors, including level of kidney function, in diverse populations with CKD have not been well studied. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis. SETTINGS & PARTICIPANTS Participants at enrollment into the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) and Hispanic-CRIC (H-CRIC) Studies. CRIC enrolled Hispanics and non-Hispanics at 7 centers in 2003-2007, and H-CRIC enrolled Hispanics at the University of Illinois in 2005-2008. MEASUREMENT Depressive symptoms measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). PREDICTORS Demographic and clinical factors. OUTCOMES Elevated depressive symptoms (BDI score ≥11) and antidepressant medication use. RESULTS Of 3,853 participants, 27.4% had evidence of elevated depressive symptoms and 18.2% were using antidepressant medications; 31.0% of persons with elevated depressive symptoms were using antidepressants. The prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms varied by level of kidney function: 23.6% for participants with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 33.8% of those with eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m(2). Lower eGFR (OR per 10-mL/min/1.73 m(2) decrease, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.17), and non-Hispanic black race (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.16-1.74) were each associated with increased odds of elevated depressive symptoms after controlling for other factors. In regression analyses incorporating BDI score, whereas female sex was associated with greater odds of antidepressant use, Hispanic ethnicity, non-Hispanic black race, and higher urine albumin levels were associated with decreased odds of antidepressant use (P < 0.05 for each). LIMITATIONS Absence of clinical diagnosis of depression and use of nonpharmacologic treatments. CONCLUSIONS Although elevated depressive symptoms were common in individuals with CKD, use of antidepressant medications is low. Individuals of racial and ethnic minority background and with more advanced CKD had a greater burden of elevated depressive symptoms and lower use of antidepressant medications.

Traditional and non-traditional risk factors for incident peripheral arterial disease among patients with chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Atrial fibrillation frequently complicates CKD and is associated with adverse outcomes. Progression to ESRD is a major complication of CKD, but the link with atrial fibrillation has not been fully delineated. In this study, we examined the association of incident atrial fibrillation with the risk of ESRD in patients with CKD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS We studied participants in the prospective Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study without atrial fibrillation at entry. Incident atrial fibrillation was identified by study visit ECGs, self-report, and hospital discharge diagnostic codes, with confirmation by physician adjudication. ESRD through 2012 was ascertained by participant self-report, medical records, and linkage to the US Renal Data System. Data on potential confounders were obtained from self-report, study visits, and laboratory tests. Marginal structural models were used to study the potential association of incident atrial fibrillation with risk of ESRD after adjustment for time-dependent confounding. RESULTS Among 3091 participants, 172 (5.6%) developed incident atrial fibrillation during follow-up. During mean follow-up of 5.9 years, 43 patients had ESRD that occurred after development of incident atrial fibrillation (11.8/100 person-years) compared with 581 patients without incident atrial fibrillation (3.4/100 person-years). In marginal structural models with inverse probability weighting, incident atrial fibrillation was associated with a substantially higher rate of ESRD (hazard ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.9 to 5.2). This association was consistent across important subgroups by age, sex, race, diabetes status, and baseline eGFR. CONCLUSIONS Incident atrial fibrillation was associated with higher risk of developing ESRD in CKD. Additional study is needed to identify potentially modifiable pathways through which atrial fibrillation was associated with a higher risk of progression to ESRD. More aggressive monitoring and treatment of patients with CKD and atrial fibrillation may improve outcomes in this high-risk population.

Urinary Sodium Is a Potent Correlate of Proteinuria: Lessons from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study

BACKGROUND The risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is higher in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) compared with those without. However, reasons for this increased risk are not fully understood. METHODS We studied risk factors for incident PAD among 3169 participants in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study. Patients with CKD aged 21-74 years were recruited between 2003 and 2008 and followed for a median of 6.3 years. Incident PAD was defined as a new onset ankle-brachial index (ABI) of <0.9 or confirmed clinical PAD. RESULTS In a multivariate-adjusted model, older age, female sex, non-Hispanic Black, current smoking, diabetes, higher pulse pressure, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate were significantly associated with the increased risk of incident PAD. After adjustment for these traditional risk factors as well as use of medications and CRIC Study clinic sites, the following baseline novel risk factors were significantly associated with risk of incident PAD [hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) for a one standard deviation (SD) higher level]: log[C-reactive protein (CRP)] (1.16, 1.06-1.25, P < 0.001), white blood cell count (1.09, 1.01-1.18, P = 0.03), fibrinogen (1.15, 1.06-1.26, P = 0.002), log(myeloperoxidase) (1.12, 1.03-1.23, P = 0.01), uric acid (0.88, 0.80-0.97, P = 0.01), glycated hemoglobin (1.16, 1.05-1.27, P = 0.003), log(homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance) (1.21, 1.10-1.32, P < 0.001) and alkaline phosphatase (1.15, 1.07-1.24, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with CKD, inflammation, prothrombotic state, oxidative stress, glycated hemoglobin, insulin resistance and alkaline phosphatase are associated with an increased risk of PAD, independent of traditional risk factors.