The length of a short-term contract.
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Contract Services↗
Biomedical subjects
L Goldman
Publications and source records attributed to L Goldman.
The layman's guide to researching the law.
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Jurisprudence↗
Comparison of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey in black patients and white patients with acute chest pain.
Few data are available regarding the performance of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) in black patients. In this article, the reliability and validity of the MOS SF-36 is compared in a population of black patients and white patients with acute chest pain. The MOS SF-36 was administered to 1,160 patients (31% black) who presented to the emergency department of an urban teaching hospital with acute chest pain from October 1990 to May 1992. In unadjusted analyses, black patients had significantly lower scores compared with white patients for several dimensions of the SF-36. Correlations among the eight subscales were similar, and the internal consistency of each of the eight subscales was excellent for both groups (Cronbach's coefficient alpha range .64 to .93). Each subscale had similar clinical and nonclinical correlates in black patients and white patients. In multivariate models, race was not a significant independent correlate of any of the eight subscales. Thus, the MOS SF-36 had similar reliability and validity in this population of black patients and white patients with acute chest pain who presented to an urban teaching hospital. If these findings are confirmed in other populations, they suggest that results from the MOS SF-36 may be interpreted similarly in black patients and white patients, after adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic data. Whether these findings are generalizable to other conditions and less acute settings requires further investigation.
Acute Disease↗
Tobacco: the road to litigation, 1995.
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Duty to Warn↗
Using prediction models and cost-effectiveness analysis to improve clinical decisions: emergency department patients with acute chest pain.
Prediction models and cost-effectiveness analysis are two of the methodologies included in the broad definition of outcomes research. These methodologies are designed to improve physicians' abilities to identify clinical risks and to choose appropriate management strategies based on these risks. For the evaluation and management of patients with acute chest pain, prediction models have markedly improved our ability to estimate risk, and cost-effectiveness analyses have helped guide the development of new paradigms and the incorporation of new technologies. In the past decade, the management of patients who come to emergency departments with acute chest pain has fundamentally changed, with far fewer patients being admitted to coronary intensive care units and an increasing majority being admitted to nonintensive, observation units for shorter and shorter periods of time. These changes in management approaches actually allow more patients to be admitted, hence reducing the risk of inappropriate discharge, while still reducing the utilization of resources.
Chest Pain↗
Discrimination is bad news.
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Persons with Disabilities↗
The impact of serious illness on patients' families. SUPPORT Investigators. Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatment.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of illness on the families of seriously ill adults and to determine the correlates of adverse economic impact. DESIGN: Data were collected during the Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatment (SUPPORT), a prospective cohort study of outcomes, preferences, and decision making in seriously ill hospitalized adults and their families. SETTING: Five tertiary care hospitals in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: The 2661 seriously ill patients in nine diagnostic categories who survived their index hospitalization and were discharged home were eligible for this analysis. Surrogate and/or patient interviews about the impact of illness on the family were obtained for 2129 (80%) of these patients (mean age, 62 years; 43% women; 6-month survival, 75%). OUTCOME MEASURES: Surrogates and patients were surveyed to determine the frequency of adverse caregiving and economic burdens. Multivariable analyses were performed to determine correlates of loss of family savings. RESULTS: One third (34%) of patients required considerable caregiving assistance from a family member. In 20% of cases, a family member had to quit work or make another major life change to provide care for the patient. Loss of most or all of the family savings was reported by 31% of families, whereas 29% reported loss of the major source of income. Patient factors independently associated with loss of the family's savings on multivariable analysis included poor functional status (odds ratio [OR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10 to 1.78 for patients needing assistance with three or more activities of daily living), lower family income (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.37 to 2.21 for those with annual incomes below $25,000), and young age (OR, 2.85; 95% CI, 2.13 to 3.82 for those younger than 45 years compared with those 65 years or older). CONCLUSIONS: Many families of seriously ill patients experience severe caregiving and financial burdens. Families of younger, poorer, and more functionally dependent patients are most likely to report loss of most or all of the family's savings.
APACHE↗
The relationship of postoperative delirium with psychoactive medications.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of medications with known psychoactive properties in the development of postoperative delirium. DESIGN: Nested case-control study within a prospective cohort study. SETTING: General surgery, orthopedic surgery, and gynecology services at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass. PATIENTS: Cases (n = 91) were patients enrolled in a prospective cohort study who developed delirium during postoperative days 2 through 5. One or two controls (n = 154) were matched to each case by the calculated preoperative risk for delirium using a predictive model developed and validated in the prospective cohort study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Medication exposures were ascertained from the medical record by a reviewer blinded to the study hypothesis. Exposures to narcotics, benzodiazepines, and anticholinergics were recorded for the 24-hour period before delirium developed in the 91 cases and for the same 24-hour postoperative period for the 154 matched controls. RESULTS: Delirium was significantly associated with postoperative exposure to meperidine (odds ratio [OR], 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 to 5.5) and to benzodiazepines (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.3 to 6.8). Meperidine had similar associations with delirium whether administered via epidural or patient-controlled routes, although only the epidural route reached significance (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3 to 4.4; OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 0.4 to 10.7, respectively). For benzodiazepines, long-acting agents had a trend toward stronger association with delirium than did short-acting agents (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.0 to 29.2; vs 2.6; 1.1 to 6.5), and high-dose exposures had a trend toward slightly stronger association than low-dose exposures (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.0 to 11.0; vs 2.6; 0.8 to 9.1). Neither narcotics (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.5 to 4.3) nor anticholinergic drugs (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.6 to 3.4) were significantly associated with delirium as a class, although statistical power was limited because of the high use of narcotics and the low use of anticholinergics in the study population. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians caring for patients at risk for delirium should carefully evaluate the need for meperidine and benzodiazepines in the postoperative period and consider alternative therapies whenever possible.
Aged↗
Cost-effectiveness of a new short-stay unit to "rule out" acute myocardial infarction in low risk patients.
OBJECTIVES: This study attempted to determine the safety and costs of a new short-stay unit for low risk patients who may be admitted to a hospital to rule out myocardial infarction or ischemia. BACKGROUND: One strategy to reduce the costs of ruling out acute myocardial infarction in low risk patients is to develop alternatives to coronary care units. METHODS: The short-term and 6-month clinical outcomes and costs for 592 patients admitted to a short-stay coronary observation unit at Brigham and Women's Hospital with a low (< or = 10%) probability of acute myocardial infarction were compared with those for 924 consecutive comparison patients who were eligible for the same unit but were admitted to other hospital settings or discharged home. Actual costs were calculated using detailed cost-accounting methods that incorporated nursing intensity weights. RESULTS: The rate of major complications, recurrent myocardial infarction or cardiac death during 6 months after the initial presentation of the 592 patients admitted to the coronary observation unit was similar to that of the 924 comparison patients before and after adjustment for clinical factors influencing triage and initial diagnoses (adjusted relative risk 0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.49 to 1.53). Their median total costs (25th, 75th percentile) at 6 months ($1,927; 1,455, 3,650) were significantly lower than for comparison patients admitted to the wards $4,712; 1,868, 11,187), to stepdown or intermediate care units ($4,031; 2,069, 9,169) or to the coronary care unit ($9,201; 3,171, 20,011) but were higher than for comparison patients discharged home from the emergency department ($403; 403,927) before and after the same adjustments (all adjusted p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the coronary observation unit may be a safe and cost-saving alternative to current triage strategies for patients with a low risk of acute myocardial infarction admitted from the emergency department. Its replication in other hospitals should be tested.
Algorithms↗
Making medicine more scientific.
Modern biology has far-reaching implications for medicine. But a new type of medical training will be necessary if advances in scientific understanding are to become advances in treatment.
Education, Medical↗
Assessment of perioperative cardiac risk.
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Adult↗
A clinical prediction rule for delirium after elective noncardiac surgery.
OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a clinical prediction rule for postoperative delirium using data available to clinicians preoperatively. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: General surgery, orthopedic surgery, and gynecology services at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass. PATIENTS: Consenting patients older than 50 years admitted for major elective noncardiac surgery between November 1, 1990, and March 15, 1992 (N = 1341). MEASUREMENTS: All patients underwent preoperative evaluations, including a medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and assessments of physical and cognitive function using the Specific Activity Scale and the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Postoperative delirium was diagnosed using the Confusion Assessment Method or using data from the medical record and the hospital's nursing intensity index. Patients were followed up for the duration of hospitalization to determine major complication rates, length of stay, and discharge disposition. RESULTS: Postoperative delirium occurred in 117 (9%) of the 1341 patients studied. Independent correlates included age 70 years or older; self-reported alcohol abuse; poor cognitive status; poor functional status; markedly abnormal preoperative serum sodium, potassium, or glucose level; noncardiac thoracic surgery; and aortic aneurysm surgery. Using these seven preoperative factors, a simple predictive rule was developed. In an independent population, the rule stratified patients into groups with low (2%), medium (8%, 13%), and high (50%) rates of postoperative delirium. Patients who developed delirium had higher rates of major complications, longer lengths of stay, and higher rates of discharge to long-term care or rehabilitative facilities. CONCLUSIONS: Using data available preoperatively, clinicians can stratify patients into risk groups for the development of delirium. Since delirium is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes, patients with substantial risk for this complication could be candidates for interventions to reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium and potentially improve overall surgical outcomes.
Aged↗
Improved visual function and attenuation of declines in health-related quality of life after cataract extraction.
OBJECTIVE: To measure the effect of cataract extraction and lens implantation on elderly persons' health-related quality of life and on their ability to perform visual activities. DESIGN: Evaluations of health status were conducted preoperatively and at 3 and 12 months after surgery on patients scheduled for cataract extraction. SETTING: Patients were enrolled from the General Eye Service of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and 33 Boston practices. PATIENTS: The cohort consisted of 464 patients aged 65 years or older who were identified from the surgical schedule of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. At 3 to 12 months after surgery, 458 (99%) of the participants were successfully contacted. Health-related quality of life data were available for 419 (90%) to assess changes after surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ophthalmologic examinations were performed preoperatively and during the follow-up period. The Activities of Daily Vision Scale (ADVS) and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short from (SF-36) were administered before surgery and at 3 and 12 months postoperatively to assess changes in health status. RESULTS: At 12 months after surgery, 95% of patients had improved Snellen visual acuity, 80% had improved ADVS scores, but only 36% had improved SF-36 physical functioning. Average scores on seven of eight SF-36 subscales worsened at 12 months. Patients with improved ADVS scores had significantly smaller declines across all SF-36 dimensions except for role limitations due to emotional problems. CONCLUSION: Improved visual function after cataract surgery was associated with better health-related quality of life, suggesting that age-related declines in health may be attenuated by improvements in visual function.
Activities of Daily Living↗
Correlates of major complications and mortality in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain and more than bibasilar rales.
OBJECTIVE: To identify correlates of major complications and mortality in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain and more than bibasilar rales. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: The emergency departments of three university and four community hospitals. PATIENTS: Five hundred patients more than 30 years of age presenting to the emergency departments between 1984 and 1985 with a chief complaint of chest pain not explained by obvious trauma or chest x-ray abnormalities, and more than bibasilar rales on physical examination. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A standard data form was used to collect the history, physical examination, vital sign, and electrocardiographic findings. Chart review was carried out to record complications and mortality. One hundred eleven (22%) of the patients had a major complication (ventricular fibrillation, Mobitz II heart block, complete heart block, atrioventricular dissociation, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, endotracheal intubation, intra-aortic balloon pump) or died, 160 (32%) were diagnosed as having myocardial infarction, and 58 (12%) died. Of those patients who had major complications or who died, the first complication occurred within six hours of hospital admission for 32% of the patients and within 24 hours for 47% of the patients. Univariate correlates (p < 0.10) of a major complication or death were entered into a stepwise logistic regression model. In the multivariate model, ST elevation or Q waves not known to be old [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 5.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.0-11.1], ST-T changes of ischemia not known to be old (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.5-4.6), systolic blood pressure < or = 120 mm Hg (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.9-5.6), and age > 70 years (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.0) were correlates of a major complication or death. CONCLUSION: For patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain and more than bibasilar rales, major electrocardiographic changes, systolic blood pressure < or = 120 mm Hg, and age > 70 years were correlated with a higher risk of a major complication or death.
Aged↗
Physician response to a prediction rule for the triage of emergency department patients with chest pain.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the response of physicians to a noncoercive prediction rule for the triage of emergency department patients with chest pain. DESIGN: Prospective time-series intervention study. SETTING: A university hospital emergency department. PARTICIPANTS/PATIENTS: 68 physicians, all of whom were responsible for the triage of at least one of 252 patients presenting to the emergency department with a chief complaint of acute chest pain. INTERVENTION: A previously validated algorithmic prediction rule that was attached to the back of patient data forms in the emergency department. MEASUREMENTS: Patients' clinical data were recorded by the examining physician in the emergency department or by a research nurse blinded to patient outcome. The physicians recorded their own estimates of the risk of acute myocardial infarction and their reactions to the prediction rule in a self-administered questionnaire completed at the time of triage. MAIN RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The physicians reported that they looked at the prediction rule during the triage of 115 (46%) of the 252 patients. The likelihood of using the prediction rule decreased significantly with increasing level of physician training. The most common reasons given for disregarding the prediction rule were confidence in unaided decision making and lack of time. The physicians reported that of the 115 cases for which the prediction rule was used, only one triage decision (1%) was changed by it. Future research should explore how prediction rules can be designed and implemented to surmount the barriers highlighted by these data.
Algorithms↗
Echocardiographic correlates of survival in patients with chest pain.
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to identify echocardiographic predictors of survival in patients with chest pain and to assess the utility of qualitative echocardiographic data in the prognostic stratification of this cohort. BACKGROUND: The potential usefulness of echocardiographic data in prognostic stratification of patients with acute chest pain is unclear, in part because of the qualitative nature of routinely available echocardiographic readings. METHODS: The study group comprised 513 patients who underwent transthoracic two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography within 1 month of emergency department visits for acute chest pain. Clinical and electrocardiographic (ECG) data were recorded for these patients at the time of their initial evaluations, and echocardiographic data were subsequently obtained from the official hospital reports. Follow-up survival rate data were obtained from medical records or the Massachusetts Bureau of Vital Statistics. RESULTS: A mean of 28.5 months after the index visit, 102 patients (20%) had died, including 58 (57%) for whom the primary cause of death was cardiovascular. In analysis of routinely available qualitative echocardiographic data, left ventricular size and function, the presence of regional wall motion abnormalities, mitral regurgitation and structural abnormalities of the mitral valve were significant univariate correlates of both overall mortality and death from cardiovascular causes. Severe left ventricular dysfunction (adjusted rate ratio 3.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-7.5) and moderate or severe mitral regurgitation (adjusted rate ratio 2.4, 95% CI 1.5-3.7) were independent predictors of mortality in a multivariate Cox regression analysis that adjusted for clinical and ECG variables. Moderate or severe left ventricular dysfunction and mitral regurgitation were predictors of mortality in the subset of patients without acute myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative echocardiographic reports of left ventricular dysfunction and mitral regurgitation were independent correlates of prognosis in patients with acute chest pain, including patients without acute myocardial infarction. Further data are needed to assess the generalizability of these findings and the implications for use of this diagnostic technology.
Acute Disease↗
Clinical utility of transthoracic two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the value of contemporary echocardiography for patient diagnosis and management in clinical practice. BACKGROUND: Although the use of echocardiography is growing rapidly, there is little information about its clinical utility. METHODS: A prospective observational study was performed at a community-based, tertiary care teaching hospital. Physicians were interviewed before and after learning the result of their patients' echocardiographic examination. Chart reviews were performed to confirm reports of new diagnoses and treatments that resulted from echocardiography. RESULTS: Physician interviews were successfully completed for 244 (49%) of 497 inpatients and 101 (30%) of 336 outpatients. Among patients with moderate or greater mitral regurgitation, the diagnosis of "clinically significant" mitral regurgitation was unsuspected in 5 (31%) of 16 outpatients and 28 (60%) of 47 inpatients. Among the patients with left ventricular wall motion abnormalities, the result was unsuspected in 7 (50%) of 14 outpatients and 18 (22%) of 81 inpatients. As assessed by chart review, echocardiography produced a definite new diagnosis in 25 inpatients (10%) and 5 outpatients (5%) and was responsible for changes in pharmacologic treatment in at least 16 inpatients (7%) and 2 outpatients (2%). CONCLUSIONS: The echocardiogram commonly provided information that was unexpected. This information provided a definite new diagnosis or treatment in a smaller proportion of the patients. Further research is necessary to define the appropriate yield that would warrant echocardiography on the basis of both clinical and cost-effectiveness criteria.
Adult↗