A retrospective study on use of palliative care for patients with alcohol related end stage liver disease in United States

BACKGROUND: Palliative care (PC) has been shown to be beneficial in end stage liver disease (ESLD), yet the hospitalization data for PC utilization is unknown. AIM: To identify the trend of PC utilization for the special population of alcohol-associated ESLD patients, factors affecting its use and ascertain its impact on healthcare utilization. METHODS: We analyzed around 78 million discharges from the 2007-2014 national inpatient sample and 2010-2014 national readmission database including adult patients admitted for decompensated alcohol-associated cirrhosis. We identified patients with PC consultation as a secondary diagnosis. Odds ratios (OR) and means were adjusted for confounders using multivariate regression analysis models. RESULTS: Out of the total 1421849 hospitalizations for decompensated liver cirrhosis, 62782 (4.4%) hospitalizations had a PC consult, which increased from 0.8% (1258) of all alcohol-associated ESLD hospitalizations in 2007 to 6.6% in 2014 ( CONCLUSION: Inpatient PC is sparingly used for patients with decompensated alcohol related liver disease, however it has increased over the past decade. PC consultation is associated with lower 30-d readmission rates on multivariate analysis, and lower hospitalization cost and length of stay in patients with ACLF score ≥ 2

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and attitude toward booster doses among US healthcare workers

Vaccine reluctance among healthcare workers (HCW) can have widespread negative ramifications, including modeling behavior for the general population and challenges with maintaining a healthy workforce so we can respond to a resurgence of the pandemic. We previously reported that only one-third of HCW were willing to take the vaccine as soon as it became available prior to its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Here, we re-examine the attitude toward COVID-19 vaccines among HCW several months after the vaccines have been made widely available. In this study, only 7.9% (n = 107) of respondents were hesitant to take the first or second dose of the vaccine. Younger age (18-40 years) and lower level of education attainment (GED or less) were associated with higher vaccine hesitancy, whereas self-identified Asian racial identity was associated with greater acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. Among the vaccine-hesitant group, more respondents noted mistrust of regulatory authorities (45.3%), government (48.6%), and pharmaceutical companies (50%) than mistrust of doctors (25.4%). Nearly two-thirds of respondents were concerned that vaccination may be ineffective against new strains and booster doses may be required; however, vaccine-hesitant respondents\u27 acceptance of a hypothetical booster dose was only 14.3%. Overall, vaccine hesitancy was observed to have demographic predictors similar to those previously reported; the hesitancy of some US HCW to receive booster doses may reflect a general hesitancy to receive other forms of vaccination

COVID-19 alcoholic cirrhosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis outcomes among hospitalized patients in the United States: Insight from National Inpatient Sample database

Patients with co-morbidities like cirrhosis are at risk of worse outcome from COVID-19 infection. Given limited prior studies, we evaluated outcomes associated with COVID-19 infection in alcoholic and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhotic (CC+) versus cirrhotic without COVID-19 (CC-). We performed retrospective analysis of 822,604 patients including 28,610 COVID-19 patients from the National Inpatient Sample database with alcoholic and NASH cirrhosis enrolled between 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020, with univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Primary outcome was mortality and secondary outcomes was mechanical ventilation, vasopressor use, length of stay, hospitalization expense and predictors of mortality. In-hospital mortality was three time higher in the CC+ group compared to those in the CC- group(18.6% vs. 5.96%

A Case of De Novo CD5+ Disseminated Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma Presenting as Multiorgan Failure

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma is an extremely rare extranodal lymphoma that proliferates in the lumen of the blood vessels while sparing the organ parenchyma. It usually presents with CNS and skin involvement. A 65-year-old Caucasian female presented with fevers and chills of 3-4 months’ duration. Bone marrow biopsy done 3 months prior showed no significant myelodysplasia or lymphoid aggregates. The patient later died due to multiorgan failure. A bone marrow biopsy showed 20–30% CD5+ B cells consistent with infiltrative large B-cell lymphoma. An autopsy performed revealed diffuse intravascular invasion by lymphoma cells. Multiorgan involvement by intravascular B-cell lymphoma is very rare. Based on our literature review and to the best of our knowledge, there are only 5 case reports describing the presentation of this lymphoma with multiorgan failure. The immunophenotypic studies performed revealed that our patient had de novo CD5+ intravascular large B-cell lymphoma which is known to be aggressive with very poor prognosis. Although it is an extremely rare lymphoma, it should be considered as a potential cause of multiorgan failure when no other cause has been identified. A prompt tissue diagnosis and high-dose chemotherapy followed by ASCT can sometimes achieve remission

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Attitude toward Booster Doses among US Healthcare Workers

Vaccine reluctance among healthcare workers (HCW) can have widespread negative ramifications, including modeling behavior for the general population and challenges with maintaining a healthy workforce so we can respond to a resurgence of the pandemic. We previously reported that only one-third of HCW were willing to take the vaccine as soon as it became available prior to its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Here, we re-examine the attitude toward COVID-19 vaccines among HCW several months after the vaccines have been made widely available. In this study, only 7.9% (n = 107) of respondents were hesitant to take the first or second dose of the vaccine. Younger age (18–40 years) and lower level of education attainment (GED or less) were associated with higher vaccine hesitancy, whereas self-identified Asian racial identity was associated with greater acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. Among the vaccine-hesitant group, more respondents noted mistrust of regulatory authorities (45.3%), government (48.6%), and pharmaceutical companies (50%) than mistrust of doctors (25.4%). Nearly two-thirds of respondents were concerned that vaccination may be ineffective against new strains and booster doses may be required; however, vaccine-hesitant respondents’ acceptance of a hypothetical booster dose was only 14.3%. Overall, vaccine hesitancy was observed to have demographic predictors similar to those previously reported; the hesitancy of some US HCW to receive booster doses may reflect a general hesitancy to receive other forms of vaccination

Time to Publication for Randomized Clinical Trials Presented as Abstracts at Three Gastroenterology and Hepatology Conferences in 2017

Background and Aims: Results of randomized clinical trials are often first presented as conference abstracts but these abstracts may be difficult to find, and trial results included in the abstract may not be followed by subsequent journal publications. In a review of abstracts submitted to 8 major medical and surgical conferences in 2017, we identified 237 abstracts reporting primary results of randomized clinical trials accepted for presentation at 3 major gastroenterology and hepatology conferences. The aims of this new analysis were to determine the publication rate for these abstracts and the proportion of publications that included trial registration numbers in the publication abstract. Methods: Clinical trial registries, PubMed, Europe PMC, and Google Scholar were searched through November 1, 2021 for publications reporting trial results for the selected abstracts. Publications were reviewed to determine if they included a trial registration number and if the registration number was in the abstract. Results: Publications were found for 157 abstracts (66%) within 4 years of the conference. Publications were found more frequently for the 194 abstracts reporting results of registered trials (144, 74%) than for the 43 abstracts reporting unregistered trials (13, 30%), but only 67% of these 144 publications included the registration number in the publication abstract. Ten unpublished trials had summary results posted on ClinicalTrials.gov. Conclusion: Clinical trial results could be more accessible if all trials were registered, authors included registration numbers in both conference and journal abstracts, and journal editors required the inclusion of registration numbers in publication abstracts for registered clinical trials

Roadmap to resuming care for liver diseases after coronavirus disease-2019.

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has led to significant disruptions in healthcare delivery. Patients with chronic liver diseases require a high level of care and are therefore particularly vulnerable to disruptions in medical services during COVID-19. Recent data have also identified chronic liver disease as an independent risk factor for COVID-19 related hospital mortality. In response to the pandemic, national and international societies have recommended interim changes to the management of patients with liver diseases. These modifications included the implementation of telehealth, postponement or cancelation of elective procedures, and other non-urgent patient care-related activities. There is concern that reduced access to diagnosis and treatment can also lead to increased morbidity in patients with liver diseases and we may witness a delayed surge of hospitalizations related to decompensated liver disease after the COVID-19 pandemic has receded. Therefore, it is paramount that liver practices craft a comprehensive plan for safe resumption of clinical operations while minimizing the risk of exposure to patients and health-care professionals. Here, we provide a broad roadmap for how to safely resume care for patients with chronic liver disease according to various phases of the pandemic with particular emphasis on outpatient care, liver transplantation, liver cancer care, and endoscopy