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PubMed2005

MRSA bacteraemia in patients on arrival in hospital: a cohort study in Oxfordshire 1997-2003.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and determinants of methicillin resistant and methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and MSSA) bacteraemia in patients presenting to acute hospitals. DESIGN: Anonymised record linkage study with information from hospital information systems and microbiology databases. SETTING: One teaching hospital and one district general hospital in Oxfordshire. PARTICIPANTS: All patients admitted to a teaching hospital 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2003 and to a district general hospital 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2003. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Detection of MRSA and MSSA from blood cultures taken during the first two days of admission to hospital. RESULTS: In the teaching hospital, there were 479 patients with MSSA and 116 with MRSA bacteraemia admitted from the community. Among this group, which comprised 24% of all hospital MRSA cases, 31% (36 cases) of patients had been admitted to renal, oncology, or haematology services for intensive day case therapy. The 69% remaining were most commonly patients admitted as medical or surgical emergencies. At least 91% had been in hospital previously; the median time since discharge was 46 days. About half of cases were in patients in whom MRSA had not been isolated before. Similar epidemiology was observed in the district general hospital. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic algorithms and policies on use of antibiotics need to reflect the fact that a quarter of hospital MRSA cases occur in patients who have previously been in hospital and are subsequently readmitted.

Bacteremia↗
PubMed2004

Evaluation of the Simplify D-dimer assay as a screening test for the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis in an emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the use in an emergency department of a new D-dimer assay (Simplify D-dimer) as a screening test for deep vein thrombosis (DVT). METHODS: 187 outpatients with clinical features suspicious of acute DVT were entered into this study. A Simplify D-dimer test was performed in the emergency department on all patients. A SimpliRED D-dimer test and a semi-automated latex agglutination assay (Auto-D-dimer 700 on a Thromboscreen 400C analyser) were performed in the haematology laboratory. All patients were investigated with contrast venography to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of DVT. RESULTS: The Simplify test had a sensitivity of 94.1% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 94.8%. These results compared favourably with the SimpliRED test (sensitivity 74.5%, NPV 89.7%) and the latex agglutination assay (sensitivity 90.2%, NPV 92.2%). This increased sensitivity was at the cost of a lower specificity, the specificity of the three d-dimer tests being Simplify 40.4%, SimpliRED 83.1%, and latex agglutination 43.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Simplify proved to be a rapid and easy to use test and may be useful for use in the emergency department as part of a diagnostic algorithm for deep vein thrombosis. Further larger scale studies are needed.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

How is deep vein thrombosis diagnosed and managed in UK and Australian emergency departments?

BACKGROUND: Recent research has identified technologies that may be of value in the diagnosis and management of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). We aimed to survey current practice in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia to determine the extent to which these technologies have been implemented in these two healthcare systems. METHODS: We undertook a postal survey of 255 hospitals in the UK and 89 hospitals in Australia, requesting details of individual diagnostic tests, use of diagnostic algorithms, and management of DVT. RESULTS: We received replies from 186/255 UK hospitals (73%) and 84/89 of Australian hospitals (94%). Ultrasonography and laboratory based D-dimer were the most commonly available tests. We received 43 different algorithms from 51 hospitals. With only a very few exceptions, DVT diagnosis was ruled in by positive venography or positive ultrasound without venographic confirmation. By contrast a variety of different criteria were used to rule out DVT. Most algorithms used a combination of low clinical risk and negative D-dimer to rule out DVT, but some required all patients to receive ultrasound or venography. Few ruled out on the basis of low clinical risk or negative D-dimer alone. Low molecular weight heparins were overwhelmingly the treatment of choice for established DVT. Most departments (214/264; 81%) offered outpatient treatment. CONCLUSION: Recently developed technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of DVT have been widely implemented in the UK and Australia. Variation in practice, and thus presumably uncertainty, seems to be greatest in relation with the criteria used to rule out DVT.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

Echo enhanced ultrasound: a new valid initial imaging approach for severe acute pancreatitis.

AIM: This prospective study aimed to compare the accuracy of echo enhanced ultrasound with spiral computed tomography (CT) in assessing acute pancreatitis and to explore the correlation between ultrasound findings and clinical outcome. METHODS: Thirty one patients (24 men and 7 women, median age 39 years, range 19-67 years) with acute pancreatitis were investigated by contrast enhanced CT and echo enhanced ultrasound within 72 hours after admission. Echo enhanced ultrasound (with intravenous injection of 2.4 ml SonoVue, pulse inversion technique, mechanical index 0.1 to 0.2, Siemens Elegra) was performed following conventional ultrasound. Balthazar's grading system was used to measure CT and ultrasound severity indices (CTSI and USSI). Correlations between CTSI and USSI and between USSI and clinical parameters were tested by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS: A strong correlation was demonstrated between CTSI and USSI (r = 0.807, p<0.01). Ultrasound correlated with the following: the Ranson score (r = 0.401, p<0.05), C-reactive protein levels 48 hours after admission (r = 0.536, p<0.01), duration of hospitalisation (r = 0.422, p<0.05), and clinical outcome regarding morbidity, including local and systemic complications (r = 0.363, p<0.05). Based on CT findings as the gold standard, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ultrasound for detecting severe acute pancreatitis based on imaging criteria (Balthazar score D or E and/or presence of hypoperfusion compatible with necrosis and/or SI>/=3) were, respectively, 82% (95% CI 61 to 93), 89% (95% CI 57 to 98), 95% (95% CI 75 to 99), and 67% (95% CI 39 to 86). CONCLUSION: Echo enhanced ultrasound produces excellent results in the staging of acute pancreatitis severity. The procedure is cheaper and has fewer contraindications than CT. Further multicentre studies need to be performed before including the method in the diagnostic algorithm of patients with acute pancreatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

Microbiological investigation of polyarthralgia.

Results of serological investigations on patients with joint pain, arthralgia or polyarthritis were analysed and this information was used to develop a diagnostic algorithm to ensure optimal utilisation of laboratory resources. Accordingly, all cases are now examined for parvovirus IgM, mycoplasma IgM and streptococcal antibodies. Further tests are undertaken by following the algorithm after obtaining supplementary information from a questionnaire. This approach is put forward as a preliminary standard which other laboratories may like to evaluate and develop according to local requirements.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Which measure of adolescent psychiatric disorder--diagnosis, number of symptoms, or adaptive functioning--best predicts adverse young adult outcomes?

OBJECTIVE: To test the ability of psychiatric diagnosis, symptom count, and adaptive functioning in adolescence to predict failure to complete secondary school and criminal involvement in young adulthood. DESIGN: Community-based cohort study. SETTING: Two counties in upstate New York, USA. PARTICIPANTS: 181 adolescents interviewed in 1983 and 1985-86 who were randomly selected in 1975 from a probability area sampling of representative families with 1-10 year old children. MAIN RESULTS: Compared with adolescents without psychiatric disorders, adolescents with depressive, anxiety, disruptive, and substance abuse disorders were 2.86-9.21 times more likely to fail to complete secondary school. Compared with adolescents without disruptive disorders, adolescents with disruptive disorders were 4.04 (1.96-8.32) times more likely to get in trouble with police during young adulthood. The positive predictive value of each measure of adolescent psychiatric disorder for school non-completion was higher in the lowest SES stratum and for young adult criminal involvement was higher for boys. Combining knowledge of symptom counts, age, gender, and social class in a logistic regression model yielded 89% sensitivity and 87% specificity for predicting future school non-completion at the p >or= 0.13 cut off. The optimal cut off value in a model incorporating knowledge of disruptive symptoms and demographic characteristics yielded 75% sensitivity and 76% specificity for predicting future criminal involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Screening children and adolescents for psychiatric disorders can identify those at high risk of adverse young adult outcomes. Future school and community adjustment can be predicted as easily and accurately on the basis of a simple count of psychiatric symptoms as by applying more complex diagnostic algorithms. Screening youth for psychiatric symptoms in neighbourhood, school, or primary care settings is a logical first step for early intervention to promote increased school completion and decreased criminal activity in young adulthood.

Achievement↗
PubMed2006

Pain tolerance in patients presenting to primary care and physiotherapy services with upper limb disorders.

BACKGROUND: Arm pain is a common cause of incapacity for work and is often attributed to occupational activities, but in many cases the pathogenesis is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether arm pain in the absence of identifiable underlying pathology is associated with reduced tolerance of painful sensory stimuli. METHODS: 133 incident cases of arm pain, recruited from primary care and physiotherapy services, were classified according to a validated diagnostic algorithm. Pain tolerance was measured at three sites in each arm in response to electrocutaneous stimulation. Associations with pain tolerance (the geometric mean of the six measurements at 5 Hz) were assessed by linear regression, and findings were summarised as proportional changes in pain tolerance. RESULTS: Pain tolerance was generally lower than in an earlier community survey. Women had a lower tolerance than men. After allowance for sex, age, use of analgesics and anatomical extent of pain, there was no indication of reduced tolerance in patients with non-specific pain relative to those with specific local pathology. CONCLUSIONS: Pain tolerance may be generally reduced in patients presenting to medical services with arm pain, but those with non-specific pain do not seem to have lower tolerance than those with identifiable local pathology.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Computed tomographic pulmonary angiography and prognostic significance in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE) present with a broad spectrum of prognoses. Computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) has progressively been established as a first line test in the APE diagnostic algorithm, but estimation of short term prognosis by this method remains to be explored. METHODS: Eighty two patients admitted with APE were divided into three groups according to their clinical presentation: pulmonary infarction (n = 21), prominent dyspnoea (n = 29), and circulatory failure (n = 32). CTPA studies included assessment of both pulmonary obstruction index and right heart overload. Haemodynamic evaluation was based on systolic aortic blood pressure, heart rate, and systolic pulmonary arterial pressure obtained non-invasively by echocardiography at the time of diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. RESULTS: The mortality rate was 0%, 13.8% and 25% in the three groups, respectively. Neither the pulmonary obstruction index nor the pulmonary artery pressure could predict patient outcome. In contrast, a significant correlation with mortality was found using the systolic blood pressure (p<0.001) and heart rate (p<0.05), as well as from imaging parameters including right to left ventricle minor axis ratio (p<0.005), proximal superior vena cava diameter (p<0.001), azygos vein diameter (p<0.001), and presence of contrast regurgitation into the inferior vena cava (p = 0.001). Analysis from logistic regression aimed at testing for mortality prediction revealed true reclassification of 89% using radiological variables. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that CTPA quantification of right ventricular strain is an accurate predictor of in-hospital death related to pulmonary embolism.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

Brain function in obstructive sleep apnea: results from the Brain Resource International Database.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is expected to impair vigilance and executive functioning, owing to the sensitivity of the prefrontal cortex to the effects of sleep fragmentation and intermittent hypoxia. Studies examining the pattern of cognitive dysfunction show variable results, with the heterogeneity in part due to small sample sizes in current studies and little consistency of the tests used. We examined a group of fifty subjects from the Brain Resource International Database (BRID), predicted to have OSA on the basis of the Multivariable Apnea Prediction Index, and compared them with 200 matched controls. On electrophysiological tests, the OSA group showed reduced eyes closed alpha power, increased auditory oddball N100 and P200 amplitude, but reduced N200 and P300 amplitude. The latency to P300 was not significantly different between groups, but latencies to N200 and P200 were prolonged in the OSA group. Performance testing of the executive function found that verbal interference and the switching of attention were impaired in the OSA group. We have demonstrated that a diagnostic algorithm based on apnea symptoms and demographic factors can be used to select a group with likely OSA manifesting deficits in information processing and executive function.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1990

Cystic lesions of the prostate.

As the use of ultrasound (US) for evaluating the prostate gland has grown, so has the variety of cystic prostatic lesions that can be identified with US. We review many of these cystic lesions seen in our department over the past several years. Lesions discussed include müllerian duct cyst, prostatic utricle cyst, ejaculatory duct cyst, cystic degeneration in benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatic retention cyst, cavitary prostatitis, and prostatic abscess. The defect from transurethral resection of the prostate gland, which may have a sonographic appearance similar to that of a cystic prostatic mass, is also discussed. A diagnostic algorithm based on a combination of sonographic findings and the results of transperineal needle aspiration is presented.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1983

A method of comparing the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves derived from the same cases.

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are used to describe and compare the performance of diagnostic technology and diagnostic algorithms. This paper refines the statistical comparison of the areas under two ROC curves derived from the same set of patients by taking into account the correlation between the areas that is induced by the paired nature of the data. The correspondence between the area under an ROC curve and the Wilcoxon statistic is used and underlying Gaussian distributions (binormal) are assumed to provide a table that converts the observed correlations in paired ratings of images into a correlation between the two ROC areas. This between-area correlation can be used to reduce the standard error (uncertainty) about the observed difference in areas. This correction for pairing, analogous to that used in the paired t-test, can produce a considerable increase in the statistical sensitivity (power) of the comparison. For studies involving multiple readers, this method provides a measure of a component of the sampling variation that is otherwise difficult to obtain.

Models, Theoretical↗
PubMed1984

Metastatic cervical adenopathy from tumors of unknown origin: the role of CT.

A prospective CT study of seventeen patients with metastatic cervical adenopathy from tumors at an unknown primary site, believed most likely to be in the upper aerodigestive tract, was performed. All patients had normal endoscopic examinations performed by an otolaryngologist before the CT study. CT suggested a primary site in ten cases, of which four were confirmed by surgery or biopsy. In four cases, CT did not identify a suspicious site and no primary site was identified during triple endoscopy, sometimes with blind biopsies. CT was able to suggest correct causes other than carcinoma in three cases and gave useful information about the extent of nodal disease. CT should be used as part of the routine evaluation of patients with this clinical problem. A diagnostic algorithm is suggested in which CT is integrated with modern endoscopic and aspiration cytologic techniques.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

Pulmonary thromboembolism: recent developments in diagnosis with CT and MR imaging.

Recent technical advances in computed tomography (CT; helical and electron beam) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging have spurred a renewed interest in these modalities for the diagnosis of acute and chronic pulmonary embolism (PE). These techniques can enable accurate clot detection down to segmental pulmonary arteries, with CT currently allowing more accuracy than that with MR imaging. Ongoing technical advances, particularly in MR angiography, will likely increase diagnostic accuracy. Inability to reliably detect subsegmental acute emboli may not prove to be a clinically significant limitation if lung imaging is coupled with evaluation for deep venous thrombosis. MR imaging can potentially accomplish this within a single examination. Incorporation of CT and MR imaging into diagnostic algorithms for suspected PE can be cost-effective. Evaluation of these new modalities should be based on patient outcome, not solely on clot detectability. Well-designed clinical trials are warranted before CT and MR imaging can be used routinely in the diagnosis of acute PE.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism with spiral CT: comparison with pulmonary angiography and scintigraphy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of spiral computed tomography (CT) in the noninvasive diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was performed in 75 patients who were evaluated with spiral CT and pulmonary angiography of each lung to detect central PE; 25 of the patients also underwent ventilation-perfusion (V-P) scanning. RESULTS: Spiral CT scans were technically suboptimal in three patients. CT and angiographic findings were negative for PE in 25 patients; one patient had false-negative CT findings. Findings from both studies were positive in 39 patients. CT findings of 188 central emboli corresponded exactly to those of angiography. Ten emboli were depicted only on CT scans, whereas seven emboli were identified only on angiograms because of inadequate depiction of the pulmonary arteries in the plane of the CT scans (n = 5) or because of misinterpretation of CT findings (n = 2). The prospective sensitivity of CT was 91%, the specificity was 78%, the positive predictive value was 100%, and the negative predictive value was 89%. Technical failures (n = 3) and inconclusive CT findings (n = 7) were the major limitations of spiral CT. Spiral CT enabled accurate classification of PE in 16 patients with indeterminate (n = 7) and low (n = 9) probability of PE on V-P scans. CT demonstrated central PE in two patients with normal V-P scans. CONCLUSION: Spiral CT can reliably depict central PE and may be introduced into the classic diagnostic algorithms.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Percutaneous abdominal biopsy: cost-identification analysis.

PURPOSE: To determine the difference in cost to providers of percutaneous abdominal biopsy as the first strategy versus surgical biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cost of tissue diagnosis determination with percutaneous biopsy as the first strategy in 439 patients with an abdominal mass was estimated. Costs included direct hospital costs and professional costs of initial and repeat biopsy, follow-up imaging and clinic visits, surgical biopsy (when needed), and treatment of complications. The sum of these costs was compared with the estimated cost had the same patients undergone surgical biopsy instead, with no complications or need for follow-up or repeat biopsy. RESULTS: The total estimated cost of percutaneous biopsy as the first strategy ($543,245) was less than the cost had surgical biopsy been used alone ($1,919,867). The average per patient direct hospital cost of percutaneous biopsy ($800) was lower than that of surgical biopsy ($3,419). The average per patient professional cost of percutaneous biopsy ($438) was also lower than that of surgical biopsy ($955). Savings averaged $3,136 per patient, or $1,376,622 for the study period. CONCLUSION: Substantial health care cost savings may result by using a diagnostic algorithm in which percutaneous biopsy is the first strategy for establishment of a diagnosis in patients suspected of having abdominal malignancy.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed2000

US characterization of ovarian masses: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of current ultrasonographic (US) techniques for characterizing ovarian masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Through a MEDLINE literature search, articles with imaging-histopathologic correlation and data that allowed calculation of contingency tables were identified. Results of morphologic assessment, Doppler US, color Doppler flow imaging, and combined techniques were compared. RESULTS: Among 89 data sets from 46 included studies (5,159 subjects), 35 sets used morphologic information, 36 measured Doppler US indexes, 10 assessed tumor vascularity with color Doppler flow imaging, and eight used combined techniques. Summary receiver operating characteristic curves revealed significantly higher performance for combined techniques than for morphologic information (P: =.003), Doppler US indexes (P: =.003), or color Doppler flow imaging alone (P: =.001). The Q* point (and 95% CI) for combined techniques was 0.92 (0.87, 0.96) versus 0. 85 (0.83, 0.88) for morphology, 0.82 (0.78, 0.86) for Doppler US, and 0.73 (0.58, 0.87) for color Doppler flow imaging. Morphologic assessment showed a trend toward better performance than color Doppler flow imaging (P: =.09) or Doppler US indexes (P: =.07). Doppler US index results were better in earlier studies (P: =.005). CONCLUSION: Combined US techniques and a diagnostic algorithm perform significantly better than morphologic assessment, color Doppler flow imaging, or Doppler US indexes alone in characterizing ovarian masses.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2006

Advanced MR imaging techniques in the diagnosis of intraaxial brain tumors in adults.

Intraaxial brain masses are a significant health problem and present several imaging challenges. The role of imaging is no longer limited to merely providing anatomic details. Sophisticated magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques allow insight into such processes as the freedom of water molecule movement, the microvascular integrity and hemodynamic characteristics, and the chemical makeup of certain compounds of masses. The role of the most commonly used advanced MR imaging techniques-perfusion imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and MR spectroscopy-in the diagnosis and classification of the most common intraaxial brain tumors in adults is explored. These lesions include primary neoplasms (high- and low-grade), secondary (meta-static) neoplasms, lymphoma, tumefactive demyelinating lesions, abscesses, and encephalitis. Application of a diagnostic algorithm that integrates advanced MR imaging features with conventional MR imaging findings may help the practicing radiologist make a more specific diagnosis for an intraaxial tumor.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2001

An approach to iron-deficiency anemia.

Iron-deficiency anemia is a common reason for referral to a gastroenterologist. In adult men and postmenopausal women, gastrointestinal tract pathology is often the cause of iron-deficiency anemia, so patients are frequently referred for endoscopic evaluation. Endoscopy may be costly and at times difficult for the patient. Therefore, physicians need to know what lesions can be identified reliably and, more importantly, the importance of ruling out life-threatening conditions such as occult malignancy. Over the past decade, a number of prospective studies have been completed that examined the yield of endoscopy in the investigation of iron-deficiency anemia. The present article provides a broad overview of iron-deficiency anemia, with particular emphasis on hematological diagnosis, etiology, the use of endoscopy in identifying lesions and iron-repletion therapy. Other clinical scenarios, including assessment of patients on anti-inflammatory or anticoagulation therapy and patients with bleeding of obscure origin, are also addressed. The present article provides a diagnostic algorithm to iron-deficiency anemia, which describes a more systematic manner in which to approach iron-deficiency anemia.

Anemia, Iron-Deficiency↗