Robert J. DiDomenico

A Trial of Automated Decision Support Alerts for Contraindicated Medications Using Computerized Physician Order Entry

BACKGROUND Automated clinical decision support has shown promise in reducing medication errors; however, clinicians often do not comply with alerts. Because renal insufficiency is a common source of medication errors, the authors studied a trial of alerts designed to reduce inpatient administration of medications contraindicated due to renal insufficiency. METHODS A minimum safe creatinine clearance was established for each inpatient formulary medication. Alerts recommending cancellation appeared when a medication order was initiated for a patient whose estimated creatinine clearance was less than the minimum safe creatinine clearance for the medication. Administration of medications in patients with creatinine clearances less than the medications minimum safe clearance were studied for 14 months after, and four months before, alert implementation. In addition, the impact of patient age, gender, degree of renal dysfunction, time of day, and duration of housestaff training on the likelihood of housestaff compliance with the alerts was examined. RESULTS The likelihood of a patient receiving at least one dose of contraindicated drug after the order was initiated decreased from 89% to 47% (p < 0.0001) after alert implementation. Analysis of the alerts seen by housestaff showed that alert compliance was higher in male patients (57% vs. 38%, p = 0.02), increased with the duration of housestaff training (p = 0.04), and increased in patients with worsening renal function (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION Alerts were effective in decreasing the ordering and administration of drugs contraindicated due to renal insufficiency. Compliance with the alerts was higher in male patients, increased with the duration of housestaff training, and increased in patients with more severe renal dysfunction.

Guidelines for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Treatment

OBJECTIVE To describe the development of guidelines for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in the emergency department/observation unit (ED-OU) setting for hospitals that are part of a group purchasing organization (GPO). DATA SOURCES A MEDLINE search (1966-March 2003) using the following search terms: cardiotonic agents; diuretic; dobutamine; heart failure, congestive; milrinone; natriuretic peptide, brain; nesiritide; nitroglycerin; vasodilator agents, was conducted. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION Relevant articles in the English language were identified. All randomized studies and meta-analyses for each category of drugs were included. DATA SYNTHESIS A group consensus method was used to develop guidelines. An expert panel reviewed and revised the guidelines. The final guidelines were approved June 1, 2003, and are described here. They are organized based upon a patients symptomatology at the time the diagnosis of ADHF is made. Patients with evidence of volume overload require intravenous diuretics and/or intravenous vasodilators to alleviate the symptoms of ADHF. Patients with signs and symptoms of low cardiac output require inotropic support to manage their ADHF. A timeline for diagnosis, treatment, reassessment, and disposition is provided and encourages an early, aggressive approach to treating patients with ADHF. CONCLUSIONS Hospitalization for ADHF is common and costly. Consensus guidelines for the treatment of ADHF did not previously exist, resulting in inconsistent and inefficient treatment. Consequently, hospitals struggling with the treatment of ADHF may find these guidelines and the process by which they were developed useful. THIS ARTICLE IS APPROVED FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT ACPE UNIVERSAL PROGRAM NUMBER: 407-000-04-015-H01

Impact of the cost of prescription drugs on clinical outcomes in indigent patients with heart disease

Study Objective. To measure the impact that economic relief for prescription drugs to indigent patients with cardiovascular disease has on indicators of disease control.

Cocaine-Induced Channelopathies: Emerging Evidence on the Multiple Mechanisms of Sudden Death

Sudden death due to cocaine in the absence of myocardial infarction has been attributed to the precipitation of life-threatening arrhythmias not unlike that due to antiarrhythmic drugs. Cocaine is a slow on-off sodium blocker and a fast on-off potassium blocker. Effects on repolarization are biphasic: At low concentrations, cocaine delays ventricular recovery, whereas at higher levels, cocaine hastens it. Two distinct clinical profiles emerge from case reports of electrocardiographically documented life-threatening arrhythmias attributed to cocaine. The first is monomorphic slow ventricular tachycardia or idioventricular rhythm that occurs in overdose situations and appears to reflect excessive sodium channel block; it may respond to sodium bicarbonate. The second is torsade de pointes that occurs in recreational users who have underlying risks for this tachycardia (such as fully or partially expressed congenital long QT syndrome) and reflects potassium channel blockade. These clinical observations can be explained by recent findings regarding the electrophysiologic effects of cocaine. Other patterns of severe arrhythmias due to cocaine may yet emerge.

Mechanisms, manifestations, and management of digoxin toxicity in the modern era.

Because of the common use of digoxin and because of its narrow therapeutic index, digoxin toxicity has been prevalent historically and, therefore, most clinicians are well aware of the classical dose/concentration-related signs and symptoms of toxicity. Yet, in the modern era the incidence of digoxin toxicity has been declining for a variety of reasons, including a new (lower) therapeutic range, the development of more effective drug therapies for heart failure, and more accurate dosing methods. In addition, digoxin toxicity, once commonly fatal, can now be quickly and effectively treated by the emergency administration of antidigoxin Fab fragments. Indeed, it may be possible to expand the use of Fab fragments to select patients with non-life-threatening digoxin toxicity, in order to save costs and improve patient comfort. Most cases of digoxin toxicity are caused by inappropriately high dosages, which are usually prescribed in the setting of renal dysfunction, while other cases can be attributed to system errors such as multiple prescriptions, poor patient counseling, or errors in transcribing. With modern computerized prescribing systems, such as direct physician order entry and prompts that alert the clinician to the potential for error, it is possible to decrease the incidence of digoxin toxicity even further. A realistic goal is to nearly eradicate once commonplace digoxin toxicity or at least make its occurrence a rare event.

A Trial of Automated Safety Alerts for Inpatient Digoxin Use with Computerized Physician Order Entry

OBJECTIVE Automated clinical decision support (CDS) has shown promise in improving safe medication use. The authors performed a trial of CDS, given both during computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and in response to new laboratory results, comparing the time courses of clinician behaviors related to digoxin use before and after implementation of the alerts. DESIGN Alerts were implemented to notify of the potential risk from low electrolyte concentrations or unknown digoxin or electrolyte concentrations during CPOE. Alerts were also generated in response to newly reported hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia in patients given digoxin. MEASUREMENTS Clinician responses to the alerts for six months were compared with responses to similar situations for six months prior to implementation. RESULTS During CPOE, checking for unknown serum values increased after implementation compared with control at one hour: 19% vs. 6% for digoxin, 57% vs. 9% for potassium, and 40% vs. 12% for magnesium as well as at 24 hours (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). Electrolyte supplementation increased with newly reported hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia after implementation at one hour: 35% vs. 6% and 49% vs. 5% for potassium and magnesium, respectively, as well as at 24 hours (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). During CPOE, supplementation for hypokalemia was not improved, whereas supplementation for hypomagnesemia improved at one hour (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Overall, the alerts improved the safe use of digoxin. During CPOE, alerts associated with missing levels were effective. For hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia, the alerts given during CPOE were not as effective as those given at the time of newly reported low electrolytes.

Interventions to Reduce Rehospitalizations after Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations. A Systematic Review

RATIONALE Approximately 20% of patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbations in the United States will be readmitted within 30 days. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has recently proposed to revise the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program to financially penalize hospitals with high all-cause 30-day rehospitalization rates after a hospitalization for COPD exacerbation on or after October 1, 2014. OBJECTIVES To report the results of a systematic review of randomized clinical trials evaluating interventions to reduce the rehospitalizations after COPD exacerbations. METHODS Multiple electronic databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies published between January 1966 and June 2013. Titles, abstracts, and, subsequently, full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Each study was appraised using predefined criteria. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Among 913 titles and abstracts screened, 5 studies (1,393 participants) met eligibility criteria. All studies had a primary outcome of rehospitalization at 6 or 12 months. No study examined 30-day rehospitalization as the primary outcome. Each study tested a different set of interventions. Two studies (one conducted in Canada and one conducted in Spain and Belgium) showed a decrease in all-cause rehospitalization over 12 months in the intervention group versus comparator group (mean number of hospitalizations per patient, 1.0 vs. 1.8; P = 0.01; percent hospitalized, 45 vs. 67%; P = 0.028; respectively). The only study conducted in the United States found a greater than twofold higher risk of mortality in the intervention group (17 vs. 7%, P = 0.003) but no significant difference in rehospitalizations. It was unclear which set of interventions was effective or harmful. CONCLUSIONS The evidence base is inadequate to recommend specific interventions to reduce rehospitalizations in this population and does not justify penalizing hospitals for high 30-day rehospitalization rates after COPD exacerbations.

Initiating Warfarin Therapy: 5 mg versus 10 mg

OBJECTIVE To review the literature investigating initial dosing of warfarin at 5 or 10 mg for treatment of acute venous thromboembolism. DATA SOURCES Articles were identified through searches of MEDLINE (1966–December 2003) using the key words warfarin, oral anticoagulation, warfarin dose, warfarin initiation, venous thromboembolism, and anticoagulation. Additional references were located through review of the bibliographies of the articles cited. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION Studies of the initial dosing of warfarin at 5 or 10 mg were evaluated and relevant information was included, as were those that identified known factors that influence the maintenance dose of warfarin. DATA SYNTHESIS For the treatment of acute venous thromboembolism, warfarin dosing is often provider dependent. Until recently, studies suggested that 5 mg initiation was as effective as 10 mg, without increasing the risk of bleeding. However, the most recent study comparing a 5- versus 10-mg initial dosing nomogram supports an initial dose of 10 mg. These results should be interpreted with caution, however, since patients at high risk for bleeding were excluded from the study. Several patient-specific factors will affect the maintenance dose, guiding clinicians to start with lower (<5 mg) or higher (>5 mg) doses. CONCLUSIONS Although recent evidence supports a 10-mg initiation nomogram, clinicians should consider patient-specific factors prior to deciding an initial warfarin dose. If a 10-mg loading dose is utilized, strict compliance with the protocol is necessary.

Comparison of Rate Control versus Rhythm Control for Management of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Coexisting Heart Failure: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Study Objective. To compare lifetime costs and health outcomes of rate control versus rhythm control for management of atrial fibrillation in patients with coexisting heart failure from the third‐party payer perspective.

The Effect of Cardiovascular Credentialed Pharmacists on Process Measures and Outcomes in Myocardial Infarction and Heart Failure

The purpose of this study was to determine if institutions with inpatient cardiovascular credentialed pharmacists exhibit improved quality measures for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and heart failure (HF) care compared with institutions without inpatient cardiovascular credentialed pharmacists.