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Biomedical subjects

Eric L Grogan

Publications and source records attributed to Eric L Grogan.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Heart rate variability predicts trauma patient outcome as early as 12 h: implications for military and civilian triage.

BACKGROUND: Our previous work demonstrated dense physiological data capture in the intensive care unit (ICU), defined a new vital sign Cardiac Volatility Related Dysfunction (CVRD) reflecting reduced heart rate variability, and demonstrated CVRD predicts death during the hospital stay adjusting for age and injury severity score (ISS). We hypothesized a more precise definition of variability in integer heart rate improves predictive power earlier in ICU stay, without adjusting for covariates. METHODS: Approximately 120 million integer heart rate (HR) data points were prospectively collected and archived from 1316 trauma ICU patients, linked to outcome data, and de-identified. HR standard deviation was computed in each 5-min interval (HR(SD5)). HR(SD5) logistic regression identified ranges predictive of death. The study group was randomly divided. Integer heart rate variability (% time HR(SD5) in predictive distribution ranges) models were developed on the first set (N = 658) at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 h after ICU admission, and validated on the second set (N = 658). RESULTS: HR(SD5) is bimodal, predicts death at low (0.1-0.9 bpm) and survival at high (1.8-2.6 bpm) ranges. HRV predicts death as early as 12 h (ROC = 0.67). HRV in a moving 1-h window is a simple graphic display technique. CONCLUSIONS: Dense physiological data capture allows calculation of HRV, which: 1) Independently predicts hospital death in trauma patients at 12 h; 2) Shows early differences by mortality in groups of patients when viewed in a moving window; and 3) May have implications for military and civilian triage.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Cervical spine evaluation in urban trauma centers: lowering institutional costs and complications through helical CT scan.

BACKGROUND: In the evaluation of the cervical spine (c-spine), helical CT scan has higher sensitivity and specificity than plain radiographs in the moderate- and high-risk trauma population, but is more costly. We hypothesize that institutional costs associated with missed injuries make helical CT scan the least costly approach. STUDY DESIGN: A cost-minimization study was performed using decision analysis examining helical CT scan versus radiographic evaluation of the c-spine. Parameter estimates were obtained from the literature for probability of c-spine injury, probability of paralysis after missed injury, plain film sensitivity and specificity, CT scan sensitivity and specificity, and settlement cost of missed injuries resulting in paralysis. Institutional costs of CT scan and plain radiography were used. Sensitivity analyses tested robustness of strategy preference, accounted for parameter variability, and determined threshold values for individual parameters on strategy preference. RESULTS: C-spine evaluation with helical CT scan has an expected cost of US 554 dollars per patient compared with US 2,142 dollars for plain films. CT scan is the least costly alternative if threshold values exceed US 58,180 dollars for institutional settlement costs, 0.9% for probability of c-spine fracture, and 1.7% for probability of paralysis. Plain films are least costly if CT scan costs surpass US 1,918 dollars or plain film sensitivity exceeds 90%. CONCLUSIONS: Helical CT scan is the preferred initial screening test for detection of cervical spine fractures among moderate- to high-risk patients seen in urban trauma centers, reducing the incidence of paralysis resulting from false-negative imaging studies and institutional costs, when settlement costs are taken into account.

Cervical Vertebrae↗
PubMed2005

Physiologic properties of small intestine submucosa.

BACKGROUND: Porcine small intestine submucosa (SiS) has been introduced as a bioprosthesis in herniorrhaphy. This study evaluates in vivo properties of SiS that would affect clinical use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve pigs underwent implantation of SiS (perforated and nonperforated) on the peritoneal surface. Gross characteristics were evaluated and random samples harvested for histological study at 2 (n = 6) and 8 (n = 6) weeks. Collagen deposition was determined by polarized microscopy. Neovascularity (percent area blood vessels, %A(bv)) was determined by immunohistochemical staining with a polyclonal CD-31 antibody. RESULTS: Perforated SiS had a higher density of capillary ingrowth compared with nonperforated at both 2 (5.6%A(bv) versus 1.4%A(bv), P < 0.05) and 8 weeks (6.0%A(bv) versus 1.6%A(bv), P < 0.05). Compared with 2 weeks, 8-week SiS had a larger proportion of incorporation (25% versus 83%, P < 0.05) and new collagen deposition (50% versus 94%, P < 0.05). Significant contraction was observed in SiS 8 weeks after implantation (preimplant area 98 cm2 versus post-implant area 50 cm2, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SiS incorporated well 8 weeks after implantation, with deposition of new collagen. Perforated SiS demonstrated a more rapid and greater amount of neovascularity. The degree of contraction suggests that larger areas of SiS should be selected for herniorrhaphy than would be necessary if synthetic materials were used.

Absorbable Implants↗
PubMed2005

Crew resource management training--clinicians' reactions and attitudes.

Many health care organizations are adopting crew resource management (CRM) training from the aviation industry as a patient safety practice. Although CRM has high face validity, its effects have not been thoroughly evaluated in aviation or health care. Its potential to improve team communication, coordination, and patient safety, however, makes efforts to study CRM necessary and worthwhile. This article evaluates clinicians' attitudes about and reactions to CRM after they participated in an eight-hour, commercially developed training program.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2005

Volatility: a new vital sign identified using a novel bedside monitoring strategy.

BACKGROUND: SIMON (Signal Interpretation and Monitoring) monitors and archives continuous physiologic data in the ICU (HR, BP, CPP, ICP, CI, EDVI, SVO2, SPO2, SVRI, PAP, and CVP). We hypothesized: heart rate (HR) volatility predicts outcome better than measures of central tendency (mean and median). METHODS: More than 600 million physiologic data points were archived from 923 patients over 2 years in a level one trauma center. Data were collected every 1 to 4 seconds, stored in a MS-SQL 7.0 relational database, linked to TRACS, and de-identified. Age, gender, race, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and HR statistics were analyzed with respect to outcome (death and ventilator days) using logistic and Poisson regression. RESULTS: We analyzed 85 million HR data points, which represent more than 71,000 hours of continuous data capture. Mean HR varied by age, gender and ISS, but did not correlate with death or ventilator days. Measures of volatility (SD, % HR >120) correlated with death and prolonged ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Volatility predicts death better than measures of central tendency. 2) Volatility is a new vital sign that we will apply to other physiologic parameters, and that can only be fully explored using techniques of dense data capture like SIMON. 3) Densely sampled aggregated physiologic data may identify sub-groups of patients requiring new treatment strategies.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A three-part intervention to change the use of hormone replacement therapy in response to new evidence.

BACKGROUND: Slow adaptation of new information by providers may result in suboptimal care. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in prescriptions for combination hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after a multicomponent intervention to deliver new information to patients and providers. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental study with multiple baselines. SETTING: Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (VA-TVHS). PATIENTS: Female veterans age 50 to 79 years who had a prescription filled at the VA-TVHS for combination HRT between 1 January 2002 and 1 July 2002. MEASUREMENTS: Discontinuation of HRT. INTERVENTION: A 3-part intervention consisted of 1) notifying patients who were using combination HRT of the results of the Women's Health Initiative study (patient education component), 2) sending all providers an e-mail with the Women's Health Initiative study results (provider education component), and 3) placing an electronic alert in each eligible patient's chart (provider care component). The alert asked providers to reevaluate the need for combination HRT. The intervention was implemented at different VA-TVHS sites in a stepwise fashion to differentiate intervention effect from media effect. Study follow-up continued through 31 December 2002. RESULTS: The total rate of discontinuation of combination HRT was 70.3% in 2002. The proportion of discontinuation from time of media release until intervention was 23.3%. After initiation of the intervention, an additional 43% of the original cohort discontinued use of HRT; this percentage represents a 59% relative decrease in HRT use among patients. After adjustment for time, the discontinuation rate per day was 4.9 times higher after the multifacted intervention than after the media release (95% CI, 1.8 to 13.1). LIMITATIONS: A true control group is lacking. CONCLUSION: A multifaceted approach in an integrated health care system with standardized methods of communication is an effective way to implement patient-centered, effective, and timely care with changing medical knowledge.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Improving documentation of patient acuity level using a progress note template.

BACKGROUND: Accurately documenting patient comorbidities and complications improves case-mix representation, coding accuracy, and risk-adjusted mortality estimates for benchmarking. We hypothesized that a progress note template containing comorbidities and complications would improve documentation and teach residents to correctly document comorbidities and complications. STUDY DESIGN: Surgical residents and patients on three inpatient services were followed for a 1-year prospective cohort study. After a 6-month baseline period, a progress note template was developed and implemented for 6 months, and administrative data were retrieved. Residents were given three case examinations assessing documentation knowledge pre- and postintervention, and a satisfaction survey. Demographics, Charlson comorbidity score, ICD-9 codes, template-specific ICD-9 codes, All Patient Refined (APR)-DRG patient severity, DRG relative weight, predicted mortality (University Healthcare Consortium), pre- and postexam scores, and resident satisfaction were collected. RESULTS: No difference in age, gender, race, or Charlson comorbidity score existed between pre- and postintervention patient groups. The length of stay decreased from 5.5 days to 4.8 days (p = 0.013). In the intervention group, total ICD-9 codes, template-specific ICD-9 codes, APR-DRG, DRG weight, and UHC predicted mortality had significant increases. Residents exposed to the progress note template improved their knowledge scores from 52% to 63% (p < 0.001), and 73% agreed that the progress note template was an improvement over handwritten notes. Residents not exposed to the progress note template did not improve their scores. CONCLUSIONS: A progress note template improves documentation of comorbidities and complications, APR-DRG patient severity for benchmarking, and case-mix index, and increases patient-specific predicted mortality. The progress note template also improves surgical residents' documentation knowledge and satisfaction.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

The impact of aviation-based teamwork training on the attitudes of health-care professionals.

BACKGROUND: Both the Institute of Medicine and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality suggest patient safety can be enhanced by implementing aviation Crew Resource Management (CRM) in health care. CRM emphasizes six key areas: managing fatigue, creating and managing teams, recognizing adverse situations (red flags), cross-checking and communication, decision making, and performance feedback. This study evaluates participant reactions and attitudes to CRM training. STUDY DESIGN: From April 22, 2003, to December 11, 2003, clinical teams from the trauma unit, emergency department, operative services, cardiac catheterization laboratory, and administration underwent an 8-hour training course. Participants completed an 11-question End-of-Course Critique (ECC), designed to assess the perceived need for training and usefulness of CRM skill sets. The Human Factors Attitude Survey contains 23 items and is administered on the same day both pre- and posttraining. It measures attitudinal shifts toward the six training modules and CRM. RESULTS: Of the 489 participants undergoing CRM training during the study period, 463 (95%) completed the ECC and 338 (69%) completed the Human Factors Attitude Survey. The demographics of the group included 288 (59%) nurses and technicians, 104 (21%) physicians, and 97 (20%) administrative personnel. Responses to the ECC were very positive for all questions, and 95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed CRM training would reduce errors in their practice. Responses to the Human Factors Attitude Survey indicated that the training had a positive impact on 20 of the 23 items (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: CRM training improves attitudes toward fatigue management, team building, communication, recognizing adverse events, team decision making, and performance feedback. Participants agreed that CRM training will reduce errors and improve patient safety.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2004

Reduced heart rate volatility: an early predictor of death in trauma patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if using dense data capture to measure heart rate volatility (standard deviation) measured in 5-minute intervals predicts death. BACKGROUND: Fundamental approaches to assessing vital signs in the critically ill have changed little since the early 1900s. Our prior work in this area has demonstrated the utility of densely sampled data and, in particular, heart rate volatility over the entire patient stay, for predicting death and prolonged ventilation. METHODS: Approximately 120 million heart rate data points were prospectively collected and archived from 1316 trauma ICU patients over 30 months. Data were sampled every 1 to 4 seconds, stored in a relational database, linked to outcome data, and de-identified. HR standard deviation was continuously computed over 5-minute intervals (CVRD, cardiac volatility-related dysfunction). Logistic regression models incorporating age and injury severity score were developed on a test set of patients (N = 923), and prospectively analyzed in a distinct validation set (N = 393) for the first 24 hours of ICU data. RESULTS: Distribution of CVRD varied by survival in the test set. Prospective evaluation of the model in the validation set gave an area in the receiver operating curve of 0.81 with a sensitivity and specificity of 70.1 and 80.0, respectively. CVRD predict death as early as 24 hours in the validation set. CONCLUSIONS: CVRD identifies a subgroup of patients with a high probability of dying. Death is predicted within first 24 hours of stay. We hypothesize CVRD is a surrogate for autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Repair of giant abdominal hernias: does the type of prosthesis matter?

Closure of the abdominal wall after trauma or major surgery may be difficult due to visceral edema or fascial weakness; thus, the risk of developing a ventral hernia (VH) is high. Commonly, these hernias are repaired using a prosthetic mesh. Complications following mesh repair can develop. We hypothesize that the type of prosthetic material affects outcome. This is a retrospective chart review of patients admitted from 1996 to 2002 undergoing VH (> or = 20 x 10 cm) repair with prosthetic mesh. Data collected included age, sex, and race. Patients were stratified by prosthetic material as follows: Gore-Tex (GR), Marlex + Gore-Tex (MG), Marlex (MR), and Marlex + Vicryl (MV). For the purpose of clinical analysis, the groups were collapsed into subgroups: Gore-Tex exposure (GT) or non-Gore-Tex exposure (NG). Outcome measures were hernia recurrence (HR), wound infection (WI), and fistula formation (FF). Statistical analysis utilized chi2 test and Fisher's exact test. There were 55 VH repairs in 37 patients. The mean age was 43.9 (+/- 16.3), males out-numbered females 22 (59.5%) to 15 (40.5%). The majority of the patients were Caucasian (29; 78.4%). There were 30 trauma patients (81.1%), and 7 general surgery patients (18.9%). The HR for the study (n = 55) was 20 (36.4%), the WI was 17 (30.9%), and the FF was 3 (5.5%). GR group (6; 66.7%) had a significant higher wound IF rate than MR group (8; 26.7%) (Chi P = 0.02, Fisher P = 0.047). All other group comparisons (HR, WI, and FF) were N.S. The Gore-Tex versus non-Gore-Tex subgroup comparison results were as follows: GT (n = 18) had a WI 8 (44.4%), HR 6 (33.3%), and FF 0 (0%). NG (n = 37) had a WI 9 (24.3%), HR 14 (37.8%), and a FF 3 (8.1%). There was a trend toward a higher wound infection in the GT versus NG, but it did not reach statistical significance. We conclude that 1) the wound infection rate was higher in the Gore-Tex versus the Marlex group (Chi P = 0.02, Fisher P = 0.047). Wound infection in the presence of Gore-Tex usually mandates the removal of the mesh resulting in a hernia recurrence. 2) There was a trend toward a higher wound infection in the GT (44.4%) versus NG (24.3%), but it did not reach statistical significance.

Academic Medical Centers↗