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Biomedical subjects

Robert Goldberg

Publications and source records attributed to Robert Goldberg.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Use of do-not-resuscitate orders in patients with kidney disease hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Patients with kidney disease are at increased risk for adverse health outcomes in comparison to patients without kidney disease. Therefore, patients with kidney disease may have greater use of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders than patients without kidney disease in the setting of an acute illness. We examined the association between advanced kidney disease and use of DNR orders in patients admitted with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to all greater Worcester, MA, hospitals as part of an epidemiological study. METHODS: Use of DNR orders in 4,033 Worcester residents hospitalized with AMI at 11 greater Worcester medical centers during 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003 was examined. Advanced kidney disease was defined on the basis of serum creatinine level at the time of hospital admission. RESULTS: Forty-nine percent of patients with kidney disease and AMI had a DNR order in their medical records compared with 21% of patients without kidney disease. After controlling for a variety of potentially confounding factors, patients with kidney disease were more likely to have a DNR order than patients without kidney disease (adjusted odds ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.21 to 1.98). Patients with advanced kidney disease who received DNR orders were older, had more comorbid conditions, and were at greater risk for dying than patients with kidney disease without a DNR order. CONCLUSION: Advanced kidney disease is associated with greater rates of DNR orders in patients hospitalized with AMI. Awareness of kidney disease may be an important consideration for patients and health care providers in discussing the use of DNR measures.

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PubMed2006

Trends and outcomes associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Limited recent data are available describing the patterns of use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), particularly from the more generalizable population-based setting. The purpose of this study was to examine trends in the receipt of ACEIs and associated short-term outcomes in patients hospitalized with AMI in a large Northeastern community. METHODS: We conducted a community-wide study of 7991 patients hospitalized with AMI in all metropolitan Worcester, Massachusetts, medical centers during 8 annual periods between 1990 and 2003. RESULTS: Among all patients, 44% received ACEI therapy during their acute hospitalization. There was a marked increase in the use of ACEIs between 1990 (23%) and 2003 (68%), particularly among those who were not on ACEIs before hospitalization. Patients who were previously on ACEIs were more likely to receive this therapy during hospitalization for AMI than were patients who were not previously on this therapy. Patients treated with ACEIs were significantly less likely to die (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27-0.41) during hospitalization than were patients who did not receive this therapy, with benefits observed across all subgroups examined. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this observational study demonstrate marked increases in the use of ACEIs in patients with AMI in the community setting and demonstrate the benefits to be gained from use of this therapy. Despite these encouraging trends, there remains room for more optimal use of this therapy.

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PubMed2006

Factors associated with health service utilization patterns in low-income women.

Little is known about the relationship of demographic, health, and psychosocial factors with health services utilization over time among low-income female heads of household. In a case-control study conducted between 1991 and 1997, 273 homeless and low-income housed mothers living in Worcester, Massachusetts were interviewed at baseline and at a two-year follow-up. The use of outpatient and emergency department care in this study sample was examined. High usage patterns were found at baseline. At the two-year follow-up, poor health status, non-White race, and fewer supportive relationships were significantly associated with frequent emergency department visits. Women with higher rates of ongoing outpatient medical care visits were more likely to have fewer social supports and more bodily pain than women with lower rates of ambulatory care usage. Mental health and victimization were not associated with service use patterns. In order to address poor women's needs in a more effective and potentially less costly way, health programs must understand their need for social support and culturally responsive services.

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PubMed2005

Long-term survival after acute myocardial infarction is lower in more deprived neighborhoods.

BACKGROUND: As part of the Worcester Heart Attack Study, a community-wide study examining changes over time in the incidence and long-term case-fatality rates of greater Worcester, Mass, residents hospitalized with confirmed acute myocardial infarction (AMI), we investigated the hypothesis that census tract-level socioeconomic position is an important predictor of survival after hospital discharge for AMI, after adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were available for 3423 confirmed cases of AMI among metropolitan Worcester residents during the 4 study years of 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001 who were followed up through the end of 2002. The mean age among patients was 69 years, and 58% were men. Using a multilevel Cox proportional hazards regression model, we estimated a 30% higher death rate after AMI for patients living in census tracts with the most residents living below the poverty line compared with patients living in the wealthiest census tracts (relative risk=1.30; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.56). Similarly, patients living in census tracts with the highest proportion of residents with less than a high school education experienced a 47% higher death rate than patients living in census tracts with the lowest proportion of residents with less than a high school education (relative risk=1.47; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.88). CONCLUSIONS: Within a medium-sized urban area, there are important variations in survival after hospital discharge for AMI that are associated with socioeconomic position. These associations persist after adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics. Reasons for these differences warrant further investigation.

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PubMed2005

Cost-effectiveness of eplerenone compared with placebo in patients with myocardial infarction complicated by left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure.

BACKGROUND: In the Eplerenone Post-Acute Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure Efficacy and Survival Study (EPHESUS), aldosterone blockade with eplerenone decreased mortality in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and heart failure after acute myocardial infarction. The present study was performed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of eplerenone compared with placebo in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 6632 patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and heart failure after acute myocardial infarction were randomized to eplerenone or placebo and followed up for a mean of 16 months. The coprimary end points were all-cause mortality and the composite of cardiovascular mortality/cardiovascular hospitalization. The evaluation of resource use included hospitalizations, outpatient services, and medications. Eplerenone was priced at the average wholesale price, 3.60 dollars per day. Survival beyond the trial period was estimated from data from the Framingham Heart Study, the Saskatchewan Health database, and the Worcester Heart Attack Registry. The incremental cost-effectiveness of eplerenone in cost per life-year and quality-adjusted life-year gained compared with placebo was estimated. The number of life-years gained with eplerenone was 0.1014 based on Framingham (95% CI, 0.0306 to 0.1740), 0.0636 with Saskatchewan (95% CI, 0.0229 to 0.1038), and 0.1337 with Worcester (95% CI, 0.0438 to 0.2252) data. Cost was 1391 dollars higher over the trial period in the eplerenone arm (95% CI, 656 to 2165) because of drug cost. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was 13,718 dollars per life-year gained with Framingham (96.7% under 50,000 dollars per life-year gained), 21,876 dollars with Saskatchewan, and 10,402 dollars with Worcester. CONCLUSIONS: Eplerenone compared with placebo in the treatment of heart failure after acute myocardial infarction is effective in reducing mortality and is cost-effective in increasing years of life by commonly used criteria.

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PubMed2004

Patients with chest pain calling 9-1-1 or self-transporting to reach definitive care: which mode is quicker?

OBJECTIVE: We examined differences in transport times for patients with chest pain who used private transportation compared with patients who used emergency medical services (EMS) to reach definitive medical care. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study with data used from the Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment (REACT) trial conducted in 20 US cities. Elapsed time to care was examined through the use of (1) decision to seek care to initial care (emergency department [ED] arrival versus EMS arrival on scene [n=1209]); (2) decision to ED arrival (for both groups [n=2388]); (3) time to thrombolytic therapy once admitted to the ED (for both groups [n=309]); and (4) decision to seek care to thrombolytic therapy (n=276). Elapsed travel times were ranked within Zip Codes and submitted to a nested analysis of variance model to determine if elapsed times were different between modes of transport. RESULTS: Private transportation (35 minutes) resulted in faster ED arrival than using EMS (39 minutes, P =.0014). However, if one considers EMS treatment to be initial care, calling 9-1-1 (6 minutes) resulted in much quicker care than patients using private transportation to the ED (32 minutes, P <.001). Transport by EMS resulted in a shorter elapsed time to thrombolytic administration compared with patients using private transportation when considering ED "door-to-needle" time (32 vs 49 minutes, respectively [P <.001]) or time from decision to seek care until administration of thrombolytic therapy (75 vs 92 minutes, respectively, [P =.042]). CONCLUSIONS: Although private transportation results in a faster trip to the ED, quicker care is obtained with the use of EMS.

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PubMed2004

Recent trends in upper eyelid blepharoplasties in medicare patients in the United States from 1995 to 1999.

PURPOSE: To present data regarding the rate of upper eyelid blepharoplasty in the Medicare population at both the national and the regional levels from 1995 to 1999 and to analyze these data for any correlation with reimbursement, surgical criteria differences, or the number of ophthalmologists per capita. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. The subjects consisted of a 5% random sample of the Medicare population who had blepharoplasty from 1995 to 1999. Number, rate, and reimbursements of blepharoplasty of the 10 Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) regions were compared for the 5-year period. Number of ophthalmologists per capita and differences in the regional criteria for Medicare-approved upper eyelid blepharoplasty were compared among the 10 HCFA regions. RESULTS: Across the nation, there was a 13% annual increase in the rate of blepharoplasty from 1995 to 1999 in the Medicare-population after adjusting for age, race, sex, and HCFA regions. During the same period, the average reimbursement per surgery decreased by $26.50 annually. There was a statistically significant inverse correlation between reimbursement and rate of blepharoplasty at the national level (r= - 0.74, P< 0.001). On the regional level, this relation was less profound (r= -0.29, P= 0.039). There was no correlation between the rate of blepharoplasty and the number of ophthalmologists per capita or the differences in surgical criteria. CONCLUSIONS: The inverse relation between rate of Medicare-approved blepharoplasty and reimbursement between 1995 and 1999 was evident at both the national and regional levels. No relation between regional differences in the rates of blepharoplasty and regional differences in surgical criteria or the number of ophthalmologists per capita were identified. Though our study suggests no causal link between annual rate of blepharoplasty and Medicare reimbursement, such inverse correlation is interesting and may have been affected by other factors such as changing clinical indications for this procedure.

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PubMed2004

Risk and protective factors for adult and child hunger among low-income housed and homeless female-headed families.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to identify factors associated with adult or child hunger. METHODS: Low-income housed and homeless mothers were interviewed about socioeconomic, psychosocial, health, and food sufficiency information. Multinomial logistic regression produced models predicting adult or child hunger. RESULTS: Predictors of adult hunger included mothers' childhood sexual molestation and current parenting difficulties, or "hassles." Risk factors for child hunger included mothers' childhood sexual molestation, housing subsidies, brief local residence, having more or older children, and substandard housing. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the odds of hunger, although affected by resource constraints in low-income female-headed families, were also worsened by mothers' poor physical and mental health. Eliminating hunger thus may require broader interventions than food programs.

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PubMed2003

Usefulness of statin drugs in protecting against atrial fibrillation in patients with coronary artery disease.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is prevalent in the elderly, in patients with hypertension, and in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesized that statin therapy might be effective in preventing AF in patients with CAD and examined this hypothesis in a sample of patients with chronic stable CAD without AF, followed prospectively at a large outpatient cardiology practice. The association between statin use and the risk of developing AF was examined univariately and then with adjustment for potential confounding factors. Four hundred forty-nine men and women between the ages of 40 and 87 years were followed for an average of 5 years. Fifty-two patients (12%) developed AF during follow-up. Statin therapy was used by 59% of the patients during the study period and was associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing AF (crude odds ratio, 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.28 to 0.83). This association remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders, including age, hypertension, left ventricular systolic function, occurrence of heart failure or acute ischemic events, and baseline cholesterol and changes in cholesterol levels (adjusted odds ratio 0.37, 95% confidence interval 0.18 to 0.76). Use of statins in patients with chronic stable CAD appears to be protective against AF. The underlying mechanism for this effect is unknown but appears to be independent of the reduction in serum cholesterol levels.

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PubMed2002

Cardiologists' discussions about sexuality with patients with chronic coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Sexuality is an important factor influencing quality of life that may be altered for patients with coronary disease. Little is known about the extent to which patients want their cardiologists to counsel them about sexuality. PURPOSE: Our study evaluated the extent to which patients with known coronary disease expect cardiologists to discuss matters related to sexuality. A secondary goal was to determine the extent to which patients' preferences correspond to the realities of clinical practice. RESULTS: On the basis of the results of a questionnaire survey completed by 48 women and 188 men with known coronary disease in an outpatient cardiology practice, we found that most patients believed that their cardiologist should talk with them about sexual functioning. However, only a minority (3% men, 18% women) believed that they were adequately informed about their sexual functioning. Chart review demonstrated that most discussions occurred with male patients and that sexual dysfunction was also more likely to be discussed with men (43%) than with women (13%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that patients welcome the chance to talk with their cardiologist about sexual function. More attention should be given to this aspect of quality of life, especially for women with coronary disease.

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PubMed2002

Sildenafil in the cardiologist's office: patients' attitudes and physicians' practices toward discussions about sexual functioning.

Sildenafil is a medication increasingly prescribed to improve sexual function in patients who have erectile dysfunction. Because a major contraindication to the use of sildenafil is a history of coronary disease and the concomitant use of nitrates, it becomes increasingly important for cardiologists to prescribe this medication. We evaluated the nature of discussions in all 70 patients for whom sildenafil was prescribed in a cardiology practice between April and July 1998. We used a standardized questionnaire to determine the patients' perspective on the sexual history and the extent to which they wanted their physicians to take a detailed history about sexuality. A separate chart review evaluated the nature of physicians' discussions about sexual functioning before sildenafil was prescribed. Fifty-five of the 70 patients (79%) responded to the survey. The majority of patients (98%) felt that physicians should talk with patients about sexual functioning. However, only 73% of patients believed their doctor was comfortable talking with them about this subject. Sixty percent of patients reported that their doctor had ever talked with them about erectile function and only 15% had ever had a discussion with their doctors about specific difficulties during intercourse. Based on the results of the chart review, only 24% of the patients ever specifically discussed the used of sildenafil with their physician prior to the time that it was prescribed. The results of the study suggest that patients with coronary disease erectile dysfunction are comfortable talking with their physicians about sexual functioning, but these conversations occur infrequently.

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PubMed2002

Management of hyperglycemia and diabetes in an outpatient cardiology practice.

There is inadequate information about how well cardiologists manage overt or latent diabetes. We reviewed charts of patients who died in an academic outpatient cardiology practice in the period from January 1995 to December 1997 in order to determine the prevalence of hyperglycemia and diabetes, as well as whether their management had been according to the established guidelines. We found that of 128 decedents (mean age 78 years), 22 had had recognized diabetes and 27 undiagnosed hyperglycemia. Evaluation and management of glycemia in either group had not adhered to guidelines, despite the presence of concomitant cardiovascular disease. This was true for assessment of long-term glycemic control or end organ damage, prescription of proper diet, and/or management of other cardiovascular complications. These findings indicate the need for more involvement by cardiologists in the care of patients with overt or latent diabetes beyond the steps taken against their established cardiovascular disease.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Retained intra-orbital shotgun cartridge.

A 45-year-old man under the influence of alcohol sustained a gunshot wound to the right eye. The mechanism of the trauma was unclear. Radiography revealed the image of a shotgun cartridge in the right orbit. The patient underwent surgical removal of the foreign body and enucleation of the right eye.

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