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Richard Kamin

Publications and source records attributed to Richard Kamin.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Interrater reliability and accuracy in identifying ischemic strokes using computed tomography scans in people with dementia.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the reliability and interobserver agreement of stroke identification on neuroimaging in patients presenting with dementia. DESIGN: Comparison study between neurologists, radiology reports, and autopsy. SETTING: Dementia registry within a health maintenance organization. PARTICIPANTS: Dementia patients with computed tomography (CT) scans obtained near the time of diagnosis and postmortem neuropathological examinations (N=99). MEASUREMENTS: Three neurologists independently read CT scans for the presence and locations of strokes. Radiology reports from these scans were reviewed. The results from neurologists, radiologists, and autopsies were compared. RESULTS: The positive predictive value for CT-observed strokes compared with their presence on autopsy was 0.44 to 0.49, regardless of the specialty of the observer. Strokes were present at autopsy in 46 of 99 cases. Agreement between neurologists on the presence of strokes was fair to moderate (kappa=0.27-0.56). Less agreement was found between neurologists and radiologists (kappa=0.00-0.11). Results improved slightly when each case was evaluated as any stroke present versus no stroke on imaging (kappa=0.34-0.75) or for the presence of multiple strokes (kappa=0.17-0.69). CONCLUSION: There is only fair to moderate agreement between observers regarding the identification of strokes on CT scans in patients presenting with dementia. Furthermore, strokes identified on imaging were present on pathology only half the time.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

The effect of diabetes on B-type natriuretic peptide concentrations in patients with acute dyspnea: an analysis from the Breathing Not Properly Multinational Study.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes has been implicated in reduced myocardial compliance and changes in the intercellular matrix of the myocardium. We determined the effect of diabetes on B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations in patients presenting to the emergency department with dyspnea. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Breathing Not Properly Multinational Study was a prospective evaluation of 1,586 patients. A subset of 922 patients was obtained and subdivided into the following groups: group 1 (n = 324), neither diabetes nor heart failure; group 2 (n = 107), diabetes and no heart failure; group 3 (n = 247), no diabetes and heart failure; group 4 (n = 183), both diabetes and heart failure; group 5 (n = 41), heart failure history with no diabetes; and group 6 (n = 20), heart failure history with diabetes. Patients from groups 1, 3, and 5 were matched to groups 2, 4, and 6, respectively, to have the same mean age, sex distribution, BMI, renal function, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification (for heart failure). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in median BNP levels between diabetes and no diabetes among no heart failure patients (32.4 vs.32.9 pg/ml), heart failure patients (587 vs. 494 pg/ml), and those with a heart failure history (180 vs. 120 pg/ml). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis of the area under the curve for BNP was not different in diabetic versus nondiabetic patients (0.888 vs. 0.878, respectively). However, in a multivariate model, diabetes was an independent predictor of a final diagnosis of heart failure (odds ratio 1.51, 95% CI 1.03-2.02; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: History of diabetes does not impact BNP levels measured in patients with acute dyspnea in the emergency department. Despite the impact of diabetes on the cardiovascular system, diabetes does not appear to confound BNP levels in the emergency department diagnosis of heart failure.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2003

Bedside B-Type natriuretic peptide in the emergency diagnosis of heart failure with reduced or preserved ejection fraction. Results from the Breathing Not Properly Multinational Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in patients with systolic versus non-systolic dysfunction presenting with shortness of breath. BACKGROUND: Preserved systolic function is increasingly common in patients presenting with symptoms of congestive heart failure (CHF) but is still difficult to diagnose. METHODS: The Breathing Not Properly Multinational Study was a seven-center, prospective study of 1,586 patients who presented with acute dyspnea and had BNP measured upon arrival. A subset of 452 patients with a final adjudicated diagnosis of CHF who underwent echocardiography within 30 days of their visit to the emergency department (ED) were evaluated. An ejection fraction of greater than 45% was defined as non-systolic CHF. RESULTS: Of the 452 patients with a final diagnosis of CHF, 165 (36.5%) had preserved left ventricular function on echocardiography, whereas 287 (63.5%) had systolic dysfunction. Patients with non-systolic heart failure (NS-CHF) had significantly lower BNP levels than those with systolic heart failure (S-CHF) (413 pg/ml vs. 821 pg/ml, p < 0.001). As the severity of heart failure worsened by New York Heart Association class, the percentage of S-CHF increased, whereas the percentage of NS-CHF decreased. When patients with NS-CHF were compared with patients without CHF (n = 770), a BNP value of 100 pg/ml had a sensitivity of 86%, a negative predictive value of 96%, and an accuracy of 75% for detecting abnormal diastolic dysfunction. Using Logistic regression to differentiate S-CHF from NS-CHF, BNP entered first as the strongest predictor followed by oxygen saturation, history of myocardial infarction, and heart rate. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that NS-CHF is common in the setting of the ED and that differentiating NS-CHF from S-CHF is difficult in this setting using traditional parameters. Whereas BNP add modest discriminatory value in differentiating NS-CHF from S-CHF, its major role is still the separation of patients with CHF from those without CHF.

Adolescent↗