Subclinical Cardiac Dysfunction Is Associated With Extracardiac Organ Damages

Background: Several studies conducted in America or Europe have described major cardiac remodeling and diastolic dysfunction in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). We aimed at assessing cardiac involvement in SCD in sub-Saharan Africa where SCD is the most prevalent.Methods: In Cameroon, Mali and Senegal, SCD patients and healthy controls of the CADRE study underwent transthoracic echocardiography if aged ≥10 years. The comparison of clinical and echocardiographic features between patients and controls, and the associations between echocardiographic features and the vascular complications of SCD were assessed.Results: 612 SCD patients (483 SS or Sβ0, 99 SC, and 19 Sβ+) and 149 controls were included. The prevalence of dyspnea and congestive heart failure was low and did not differ significantly between patients and controls. While left ventricular ejection fraction did not differ between controls and patients, left and right cardiac chambers were homogeneously more dilated and hypertrophic in patients compared to controls and systemic vascular resistances were lower (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Three hundred and forty nine SCD patients had extra-cardiac organ damages (stroke, leg ulcer, priapism, microalbuminuria or osteonecrosis). Increased left ventricular mass index, cardiac dilatation, cardiac output, and decreased systemic vascular resistances were associated with a history of at least one SCD-related organ damage after adjustment for confounders.Conclusions: Cardiac dilatation, cardiac output, left ventricular hypertrophy, and systemic vascular resistance are associated with extracardiac SCD complications in patients from sub-Saharan Africa despite a low prevalence of clinical heart failure. The prognostic value of cardiac subclinical involvement in SCD patients deserves further studies

Lumbar Erector Spinae Plane Block for Total Hip Arthroplasty Comparing 24-Hour Opioid Requirements: A Randomized Controlled Study

Study Objective. Neuraxial and regional anesthesia have become commonly utilized for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty to aid in postoperative analgesia, facilitating early ambulation and better functional recovery. This study investigated the efficacy of a lumbar erector spinae plane block (ESPB) on reducing postoperative opioid consumption in total hip arthroplasty performed under spinal anesthesia. Design. Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Patients. Sixty-three adult patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists Status I–III who are undergoing elective primary total hip arthroplasty. Interventions. Patients were randomized to the control group (no block) or the ESPB group (preoperative ultrasound-guided lumbar ESPB). Intraoperatively, all patients received spinal anesthesia with moderate sedation. Postoperatively, patients received a standardized multimodal analgesia protocol. Measurements. The primary outcome was cumulative opioid consumption at 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included cumulative opioid consumption at 8 hours and through 48 hours postoperatively and pain scores at 24 and 48 hours post surgery. Main Results. Thirty-one patients were randomized to the control group (spinal alone) and 32 patients to the ESPB group. The median opioid requirement in the first 8 hours after surgery was higher in the control group (28 mg of oral morphine equivalents (OME) versus 5 mg of OME in the ESPB group) (p=0.013). There was no statistically significant difference in opioid consumption between the groups at 24 hours (p=0.153) or 48 hours (p=0.357) postoperatively. There was no statistically significant difference in pain scores between the two groups through 24 hours (p=0.143) or 48 hours (p=0.617) after surgery. Conclusion. Lumbar ESPB reduces opioid utilization during the first 8 hours postoperatively after total hip arthroplasty but not thereafter. Evaluating the use of either adding a local anesthetic adjunct to the ESPB or using longer-acting local anesthetic warrants further investigation

Prior Authorization in Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Survey of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Membership

BACKGROUND: This study surveyed the impact that prior authorization has on the practices of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) members of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) METHODS: A 24-question survey was approved by the AAHKS Advocacy Committee and distributed to all 2,802 board-certified members of AAHKS. RESULTS: There were 353 survey responses (13%). Ninety-five percent of surgeons noted a 5-year increase in prior authorization. A majority (71%) of practices employ at least one staff member to exclusively work on prior authorization. Average time spent on prior authorization was 15 hours/week (range, 1 to 125) and average number of claims peer week was 18 (range, 1 to 250). Surgeries (99%) were the most common denial. These were denied because non-operative treatment had not been tried (71%) or had not been attempted for enough time (67%). Most (57%) prior authorization processes rarely/never changed the treatment provided. Most (56%) indicated that prior authorization rarely/never followed evidence-based guidelines. A majority (93%) expressed high administrative burden as well as negative clinical outcomes (87%) due to prior authorization including delays to access care (96%) at least sometimes. CONCLUSIONS: Prior authorization has increased in the past 5 years resulting in high administrative burden. Prior authorizations were most common for TJA surgeries because certain nonoperative treatments were not attempted or not attempted for enough time. Surgeons indicated that prior authorization may be detrimental to high value care and lead to potentially harmful delays in care without ultimately changing the management of the patient