Stephen L. Jones

Validation of a screening tool for the early identification of sepsis.

BACKGROUND Sepsis is the leading cause of mortality in noncoronary intensive care units. Recent evidence based guidelines outline strategies for the management of sepsis and studies have shown that early implementation of these guidelines improves survival. We developed an extensive logic-based sepsis management protocol; however, we found that early recognition of sepsis was a major obstacle to protocol implementation. To improve this, we developed a three-step sepsis screening tool with escalating levels of decision making. We hypothesized that aggressive screening for sepsis would improve early recognition of sepsis and decrease sepsis-related mortality by insuring early appropriate interventions. METHODS Patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit were screened twice daily by our nursing staff. The initial screen assesses the systemic inflammatory response syndrome parameters (heart rate, temperature, white blood cell count, and respiratory rate) and assigns a numeric score (0-4) for each. Patients with a score of > or = 4 screened positive proceed to the second step of the tool in which a midlevel provider attempts to identify the source of infection. If the patients screens positive for both systemic inflammatory response syndrome and an infection, the intensivist was notified to determine whether to implement our sepsis protocol. RESULTS Over 5 months, 4,991 screens were completed on 920 patients. The prevalence of sepsis was 12.2%. The screening tool yielded a sensitivity of 96.5%, specificity of 96.7%, a positive predictive value of 80.2%, and a negative predictive value of 99.5%. In addition, sepsis-related mortality decreased from 35.1% to 23.3%. CONCLUSIONS The three step sepsis screening tool is a valid tool for the early identification of sepsis. Implementation of this tool and our logic-based sepsis protocol has decreased sepsis-related mortality in our SICU by one third.

Which skills really matter? proving face, content, and construct validity for a commercial robotic simulator

BackgroundA novel computer simulator is now commercially available for robotic surgery using the da Vinci® System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA). Initial investigations into its utility have been limited due to a lack of understanding of which of the many provided skills modules and metrics are useful for evaluation. In addition, construct validity testing has been done using medical students as a “novice” group—a clinically irrelevant cohort given the complexity of robotic surgery. This study systematically evaluated the simulator’s skills tasks and metrics and established face, content, and construct validity using a relevant novice group.MethodsExpert surgeons deconstructed the task of performing robotic surgery into eight separate skills. The content of the 33 modules provided by the da Vinci Skills Simulator (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) was then evaluated for these deconstructed skills and 8 of the 33 determined to be unique. These eight tasks were used for evaluating the performance of 46 surgeons and trainees on the simulator (25 novices, 8 intermediate, and 13 experts). Novice surgeons were general surgery and urology residents or practicing surgeons with clinical experience in open and laparoscopic surgery but limited exposure to robotics. Performance was measured using 85 metrics across all eight tasks.ResultsFace and content validity were confirmed using global rating scales. Of the 85 metrics provided by the simulator, 11 were found to be unique, and these were used for further analysis. Experts performed significantly better than novices in all eight tasks and for nearly every metric. Intermediates were inconsistently better than novices, with only four tasks showing a significant difference in performance. Intermediate and expert performance did not differ significantly.ConclusionThis study systematically determined the important modules and metrics on the da Vinci Skills Simulator and used them to demonstrate face, content, and construct validity with clinically relevant novice, intermediate, and expert groups. These data will be used to develop proficiency-based training programs on the simulator and to investigate predictive validity.

Sepsis in general surgery: a deadly complication

BACKGROUND Sepsis is a deadly and potentially preventable complication. A better understanding of sepsis in general surgery patients is needed to help direct resources to those patients at highest risk for death from sepsis. METHODS We identified risk factors for sepsis in general surgery patients by using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database. RESULTS Analysis of the database identified 3 major risk factors for both the development of sepsis and death from sepsis in general surgery patients. These risk factors are age older than 60 years, need for emergency surgery, and the presence of comorbid conditions. CONCLUSIONS Risk factors for death from sepsis or septic shock in general surgery patients include age older than 60 years, need for emergency surgery, and the presence of preexisting comorbidities. These findings emphasize the need for early recognition through aggressive sepsis screening and rapid implementation of evidence-based interventions for sepsis and septic shock in general surgery patients with these risk factors.

Cross-terminology mapping challenges

Standardized terminological systems for biomedical information have provided considerable benefits to biomedical applications and research. However, practical use of this information often requires mapping across terminological systems-a complex and time-consuming process. This paper demonstrates the complexity and challenges of mapping across terminological systems in the context of medication information. It provides a review of medication terminological systems and their linkages, then describes a case study in which we mapped proprietary medication codes from an electronic health record to SNOMED CT and the UMLS Metathesaurus. The goal was to create a polyhierarchical classification system for querying an i2b2 clinical data warehouse. We found that three methods were required to accurately map the majority of actively prescribed medications. Only 62.5% of source medication codes could be mapped automatically. The remaining codes were mapped using a combination of semi-automated string comparison with expert selection, and a completely manual approach. Compound drugs were especially difficult to map: only 7.5% could be mapped using the automatic method. General challenges to mapping across terminological systems include (1) the availability of up-to-date information to assess the suitability of a given terminological system for a particular use case, and to assess the quality and completeness of cross-terminology links; (2) the difficulty of correctly using complex, rapidly evolving, modern terminologies; (3) the time and effort required to complete and evaluate the mapping; (4) the need to address differences in granularity between the source and target terminologies; and (5) the need to continuously update the mapping as terminological systems evolve.

Cross-sectional and case-control analyses of the association of kidney function staging with adverse postoperative outcomes in general and vascular surgery.

Objective:This study aimed to assess kidney dysfunction in general surgical patients and examine the effect on postoperative mortality and morbidity. Background:An estimated 13% of the US population has chronic kidney disease (CKD), but awareness among patients and caregivers is lacking. Methods:The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) data sets for 2005–2007 were analyzed. Preoperative kidney function was assessed by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and staged according to National Kidney Foundation. Cross-sectional analyses were performed for 30-day mortality (Cox proportional hazard) and incidence of major complications (nominal logistic regression). A case-control cohort of colectomy cases was analyzed comparing patients in the stage 4 CKD group and the no CKD group (no-CKD). Results:Sixty-four percent of evaluable patients had reduced eGFR, but eGFR was not evaluable in 28% of the surgical cases. In the 260,352 evaluable cases, adjusted hazard ratio for 30-day mortality was 2.30 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.11–2.51] for stage 3 CKD; 3.37 (95% CI, 3.01–3.76) for stage 4 CKD; and 3.05 (95% CI, 2.68–3.47) for stage 5 CKD compared with no-CKD (P < 0.0001). CKD was an independent risk factor for having major complications postsurgery [stage 3, odds ratio (OR) = 1.24 (95% CI, 1.19–1.29); stage 4, OR = 1.65 (95% CI, 1.52–1.78); and stage 5 CKD, OR = 1.40 (95% CI, 1.30–1.51); P < 0.0001]. The case-control for colectomy was confirmatory: increased 30-day mortality in stage 4 CKD versus no-CKD (hazard ratio = 2.58, 95% CI, 1.13–5.92; P = 0.025). Conclusions:Renal insufficiency may be underrecognized in the general and vascular (noncardiac) surgery population, is a leading independent predictor of poor early postoperative outcomes, and should be routinely assessed in the preoperative setting.

The mean dietary protein intake at different stages of chronic kidney disease is higher than current guidelines

The actual dietary protein intake of adults without and with different stages of chronic kidney disease is not known. To evaluate this we performed cross-sectional analyses of 16,872 adults (20 years of age and older) participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2008 who completed a dietary interview by stage of kidney disease. Dietary protein intake was assessed from 24-h recall systematically collected using the Automated Multiple Pass Method. Complex survey analyses were used to derive population estimates of dietary protein intake at each stage of chronic kidney disease. Using dietary protein intake of adults without chronic kidney disease as the comparator, and after adjusting for age, the mean dietary protein intake was 1.30 g/kg ideal body weight/day (g/kgIBW/d) and was not different from stage 1 or stage 2 (1.28 and 1.25 g/kgIBW/d, respectively), but was significantly different in stage 3 and stage 4 (1.22 and 1.13 g/kgIBW/d, respectively). These mean values appear to be above the Institute of Medicine requirements for healthy adults and the NKF-KDOQI guidelines for stages 3 and 4 chronic kidney disease. Thus, the mean dietary protein intake is higher than current guidelines, even after adjusting for age.

Availability of acute care surgeons improves outcomes in patients requiring emergent colon surgery

BACKGROUND The need for emergent colon surgery is a common cause of severe sepsis/septic shock and mortality among surgical patients. We wanted to benchmark our outcomes against those of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP). We hypothesized that having acute care surgeons to provide comprehensive perioperative care and rapid source control surgery would improve outcome. METHODS We queried the 2005 to 2007 NSQIP dataset and our prospective database for patients with severe sepsis/septic shock requiring emergency colon surgery. Demographics, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, sepsis source, and hospital mortality data were obtained for all patients. RESULTS Both cohorts were similar with regard to age and sex. The overall mortality rate for patients in our dataset was 28.3% compared with 40.1% in the NSQIP dataset (P = .06). The average Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score for our patients was 31 ± 8.2 with a predicted mortality rate of 73% (P < .0001 when compared with actual mortality rate of 28.3%). CONCLUSIONS Patients with severe sepsis/septic shock requiring emergent colon surgery have a high mortality rate. Delivery of comprehensive emergency surgical care by acute care surgeons appears to improve survival.

Effect of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on plasma endothelin in congestive heart failure

The influence of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor therapy on elevated plasma endothelin concentrations in chronic heart failure was investigated by measuring plasma endothelin immunoreactivity in 22 patients with severe but stable chronic heart failure before and after 16 weeks of therapy with quinapril (n = 12) or captopril (n = 10). Plasma endothelin immunoreactivity in the patients (10.2 +/- 34 pg/ml) was significantly higher than a control group (5.9 +/- 1.8 pg/ml). Quinapril improved symptoms and haemodynamics but did not affect plasma endothelin immunoreactivity (11.9 +/- 2.9 pg/ml at baseline and 12.3 +/- 3.4 pg/ml after 16 weeks of quinapril). Captopril also had no effect on endothelin levels (8.1 +/- 2.9 at baseline and 8.1 +/- 3.8 pg/ml after 16 weeks of captopril). The vasodilatory effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in heart failure are not mediated by, or associated with, changes in plasma endothelin immunoreactivity.

Reductions in Sepsis Mortality and Costs After Design and Implementation of a Nurse-Based Early Recognition and Response Program

BACKGROUND Sepsis is a leading cause of death, but evidence suggests that early recognition and prompt intervention can save lives. In 2005 Houston Methodist Hospital prioritized sepsis detection and management in its ICU. In late 2007, because of marginal effects on sepsis death rates, the focus shifted to designing a program that would be readily used by nurses and ensure early recognition of patients showing signs suspicious for sepsis, as well as the institution of prompt, evidence-based interventions to diagnose and treat it. METHODS The intervention had four components: organizational commitment and data-based leadership; development and integration of an early sepsis screening tool into the electronic health record; creation of screening and response protocols; and education and training of nurses. Twice-daily screening of patients on targeted units was conducted by bedside nurses; nurse practitioners initiated definitive treatment as indicated. Evaluation focused on extent of implementation, trends in inpatient mortality, and, for Medicare beneficiaries, a before-after (2008-2011) comparison of outcomes and costs. A federal grant in 2012 enabled expansion of the program. RESULTS By year 3 (2011) 33% of inpatients were screened (56,190 screens in 9,718 unique patients), up from 10% in year 1 (2009). Inpatient sepsis-associated death rates decreased from 29.7% in the preimplementation period (2006-2008) to 21.1% after implementation (2009-2014). Death rates and hospital costs for Medicare beneficiaries decreased from preimplementation levels without a compensatory increase in discharges to postacute care. CONCLUSION This program has been associated with lower inpatient death rates and costs. Further testing of the robustness and exportability of the program is under way.

Outcomes and Resource Use of Sepsis-associated Stays by Presence on Admission, Severity, and Hospital Type.

Objective:To establish a baseline for the incidence of sepsis by severity and presence on admission in acute care hospital settings before implementation of a broad sepsis screening and response initiative. Methods:A retrospective cohort study using hospital discharge abstracts of 5672 patients, aged 18 years and above, with sepsis-associated stays between February 2012 and January 2013 at an academic medical center and 5 community hospitals in Texas. Results:Sepsis was present on admission in almost 85% of cases and acquired in-hospital in the remainder. The overall inpatient death rate was 17.2%, but was higher in hospital-acquired sepsis (38.6%, medical; 29.2%, surgical) and Stages 2 (17.6%) and 3 (36.4%) compared with Stage 1 (5.9%). Patients treated at the academic medical center had a higher death rate (22.5% vs. 15.1%, P<0.001) and were more costly (