Cardiopulmonary Impact of Particulate Air Pollution in High-Risk Populations: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

Fine particulate air pollution <2.5 μm in diameter (PM(2.5)) is a major environmental threat to global public health. Multiple national and international medical and governmental organizations have recognized PM(2.5) as a risk factor for cardiopulmonary diseases. A growing body of evidence indicates that several personal-level approaches that reduce exposures to PM(2.5) can lead to improvements in health endpoints. Novel and forward-thinking strategies including randomized clinical trials are important to validate key aspects (e.g., feasibility, efficacy, health benefits, risks, burden, costs) of the various protective interventions, in particular among real-world susceptible and vulnerable populations. This paper summarizes the discussions and conclusions from an expert workshop, Reducing the Cardiopulmonary Impact of Particulate Matter Air Pollution in High Risk Populations, held on May 29 to 30, 2019, and convened by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Focal Spot, Winter 2005/2006

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/focal_spot_archives/1101/thumbnail.jp

Sustaining the Medical Home: How PROMETHEUS Payment Can Revitalize Primary Care

Argues for reforming the current fee-for-service payment system on the PROMETHEUS model of budgeting for a comprehensive episode of care for a condition. Analyzes the implications for a sustainable patient-centered medical home model of care delivery

Clinical presentation and diagnostic work up of suspected pulmonary embolism in a district hospital emergency centre serving a high HIV/TB burden population

Introduction: The diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is challenging to make and is often missed in the Emergency Centre. The true incidence of PE in South Africa is unknown. The diagnostic work-up of PE has been improved by the use of Clinical decision rules (CDRs) and CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) in high-income countries. Currently used CDRs have not been validated in the South African environment, where HIV and TB are highly prevalent. Both conditions are known to induce a hyper-coagulable state. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of patients with suspected PE that had CTPAs performed from October 2013 to October 2015 at Mitchell’s Plain Hospital in South Africa. Data was collected on demographics, presenting symptoms and signs, vitals, bedside investigations, HIV and TB status, use of CDRs and CTPA result. A Revised Geneva Score was calculated retrospectively and compared to the CTPA result. Results: The median age of patients with confirmed PE was 45 years and 68% were female. The CTPA yield for PE in our study population was 32%. The most common presenting complaint was dyspnoea (83%), followed by cough and chest pain. 29% of patients also had clinical features of DVT. No sign or symptom was seen to be markedly different in those with confirmed PE compared to those without. Among patients with confirmed PE, 37% were HIV positive and 52% had current TB. The retrospective revised Geneva Scores compared poorly with the CTPA results. Discussion: PE remains a diagnostic challenge. Worldwide, the use of CDRs has shown to improve the utilization of CTPA. In our study, the retrospectively calculated CDR was not predictive of PE in a population with a high prevalence of HIV and TB. Emergency physicians should be cautious when making a clinical probability assessment of PE in this setting. However, further studies are needed to determine whether HIV and TB could be independent risk factors for PE

Clinical presentation and diagnostic work up of suspected pulmonary embolism in a district hospital emergency centre serving a high HIV/TB burden population

Introduction: The diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is challenging to make and is often missed in the Emergency Centre. The true incidence of PE in South Africa is unknown. The diagnostic work-up of PE has been improved by the use of Clinical decision rules (CDRs) and CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) in high-income countries. Currently used CDRs have not been validated in the South African environment, where HIV and TB are highly prevalent. Both conditions are known to induce a hyper-coagulable state. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of patients with suspected PE that had CTPAs performed from October 2013 to October 2015 at Mitchell’s Plain Hospital in South Africa. Data was collected on demographics, presenting symptoms and signs, vitals, bedside investigations, HIV and TB status, use of CDRs and CTPA result. A Revised Geneva Score was calculated retrospectively and compared to the CTPA result. Results: The median age of patients with confirmed PE was 45 years and 68% were female. The CTPA yield for PE in our study population was 32%. The most common presenting complaint was dyspnoea (83%), followed by cough and chest pain. 29% of patients also had clinical features of DVT. No sign or symptom was seen to be markedly different in those with confirmed PE compared to those without. Among patients with confirmed PE, 37% were HIV positive and 52% had current TB. The retrospective revised Geneva Scores compared poorly with the CTPA results. Discussion: PE remains a diagnostic challenge. Worldwide, the use of CDRs has shown to improve the utilization of CTPA. In our study, the retrospectively calculated CDR was not predictive of PE in a population with a high prevalence of HIV and TB. Emergency physicians should be cautious when making a clinical probability assessment of PE in this setting. However, further studies are needed to determine whether HIV and TB could be independent risk factors for PE