Association of Suicidality and Depression With 5α-Reductase Inhibitors

IMPORTANCE There have been concerns raised by patients and regulatory agencies regarding serious psychiatric adverse effects associated with 5α-reductase inhibitors. OBJECTIVE To determine if there is an increased risk of suicide, self-harm, or depression among older men starting a 5α-reductase inhibitor for prostatic enlargement. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A population-based, retrospective, matched cohort study using linked administrative data for 93 197 men ages 66 years or older (median [IQR] age, 75 [70-80] years) in Ontario, Canada, who initiated a new prescription for a 5α-reductase inhibitor during the study period (2003 through 2013). Participants were matched (using a propensity score that included 44 of our 96 covariates that included medical comorbidities, medication usage, and health care system utilization) to an equal number of men not prescribed a 5α-reductase inhibitor. EXPOSURES Duration of finasteride or dutasteride usage. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Suicide. Secondary outcomes were self-harm and depression. RESULTS Men who used 5α-reductase inhibitors were not at a significantly increased risk of suicide (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.53-1.45). Risk of self-harm was significantly increased during the initial 18 months after 5α-reductase inhibitor initiation (HR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.34-2.64), but not thereafter. Incident depression risk was elevated during the initial 18 months after 5α-reductase inhibitor initiation (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.73-2.16), and continued to be elevated, but to a lesser degree, for the remainder of the follow-up period (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.08-1.37). The absolute increases in the event rates for these 2 outcomes were 17 per 100 000 patient-years and 237 per 100 000 patient-years, respectively. The type of 5α-reductase inhibitor (finasteride or dutasteride) did not significantly modify the observed associations with suicide, self-harm, and depression. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In a large cohort of men ages 66 years or older, we did not demonstrate an increased risk of suicide associated with 5α-reductase inhibitor use. However, the risk of self-harm and depression were increased compared with unexposed men. This is in keeping with postmarketing experience and patient concerns, and discontinuation of the medication in these circumstances may be appropriate

Effect of electronic medication reconciliation at the time of hospital discharge on inappropriate medication use in the community: an interrupted time-series analysis

BACKGROUND: It is unclear if enhanced electronic medication reconciliation systems can reduce inappropriate medication use and improve patient care. We evaluated trends in potentially inappropriate medication use after hospital discharge before and after adoption of an electronic medication reconciliation system. METHODS: We conducted an interrupted time-series analysis in 3 tertiary care hospitals in London, Ontario, using linked health care data (2011-2019). We included patients aged 66 years and older who were discharged from hospital. Starting between Apr. 13 and May 21, 2014, physicians were required to complete an electronic medication reconciliation module for each discharged patient. As a process outcome, we evaluated the proportion of patients who continued to receive a benzodiazepine, antipsychotic or gastric acid suppressant as an outpatient when these medications were first started during the hospital stay. The clinical outcome was a return to hospital within 90 days of discharge with a fall or fracture among patients who received a new benzodiazepine or antipsychotic during their hospital stay. We used segmented linear regression for the analysis. RESULTS: We identified 15 932 patients with a total of 18 405 hospital discharge episodes. Before the implementation of the electronic medication reconciliation system, 16.3% of patients received a prescription for a benzodiazepine, antipsychotic or gastric acid suppressant after their hospital stay. After implementation, there was a significant and immediate 7.0% absolute decline in this proportion (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.5% to 9.5%). Before implementation, 4.1% of discharged patients who newly received a benzodiazepine or antipsychotic returned to hospital with a fracture or fall within 90 days. After implementation, there was a significant and immediate 2.3% absolute decline in this outcome (95% CI 0.3% to 4.3%). INTERPRETATION: Implementation of an electronic medication reconciliation system in 3 tertiary care hospitals reduced potentially inappropriate medication use and associated adverse events when patients transitioned back to the community. Enhanced electronic medication reconciliation systems may allow other hospitals to improve patient safety

Development of a novel classification system for anatomical variants of the puboprostatic ligaments with expert validation

Introduction: We propose a novel classification system with a validation study to help clinicians identify and typify commonly seen variants of the puboprostatic ligaments (PPL). Methods: A preliminary dissection of 6 male cadavers and a prospective dataset of over 300 robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomies (RARP) recorded on video were used to identify 4 distinct ligament types. Then the prospectively collected database of surgical videos was used to isolate images of the PPL from RARP. Over 300 surgical videos were reviewed and classified with 1 to 5 pictures saved for reference of the type of PPL. To validate the new classification system, we selected 5 independent, blinded expert robotic surgeons to classify 100 ligaments based on morphology into a 4-type system: parallel, V-shaped, inverted V-shape, and fused. One week later, a subset of 25 photographs was sent to the same experts and classified. Statistical analyses were performed to determine both the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the proposed system. Results: Inverted V-shaped ligaments were noted most frequently (29.97%), parallel and V-shaped ligaments were found at 19.19% and 11.11%, respectively and fused ligaments were noted less frequently (6.06%). There was good intra-rater agreement (ê = 0.66) and inter-rater agreement (ê = 0.67) for the classification system. Conclusions: This classification system provided standardized descriptions of ligament variations that could be adopted universally to help clinicians categorize the variants. The system, validated by several blinded expert surgeons, demonstrated that surgeons were able to learn and correctly classify the variants. The system may be useful in helping to predict peri- and postoperative outcomes; however, this will require further study

Association of suicidality and depression with 5α-reductase inhibitors

IMPORTANCE There have been concerns raised by patients and regulatory agencies regarding serious psychiatric adverse effects associated with 5α-reductase inhibitors. OBJECTIVE To determine if there is an increased risk of suicide, self-harm, or depression among older men starting a 5α-reductase inhibitor for prostatic enlargement. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A population-based, retrospective, matched cohort study using linked administrative data for 93 197 men ages 66 years or older (median [IQR] age, 75 [70-80] years) in Ontario, Canada, who initiated a new prescription for a 5α-reductase inhibitor during the study period (2003 through 2013). Participants were matched (using a propensity score that included 44 of our 96 covariates that included medical comorbidities, medication usage, and health care system utilization) to an equal number of men not prescribed a 5α-reductase inhibitor. EXPOSURES Duration of finasteride or dutasteride usage. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Suicide. Secondary outcomeswere self-harm and depression. RESULTS Men who used 5α-reductase inhibitors were not at a significantly increased risk of suicide (HR, 0.88; 95%CI, 0.53-1.45). Risk of self-harm was significantly increased during the initial 18 months after 5α-reductase inhibitor initiation (HR, 1.88; 95%CI, 1.34-2.64), but not thereafter. Incident depression risk was elevated during the initial 18 months after 5α-reductase inhibitor initiation (HR, 1.94; 95%CI, 1.73-2.16), and continued to be elevated, but to a lesser degree, for the remainder of the follow-up period (HR, 1.22; 95%CI, 1.08-1.37). The absolute increases in the event rates for these 2 outcomes were 17 per 100 000 patient-years and 237 per 100 000 patient-years, respectively. The type of 5α-reductase inhibitor (finasteride or dutasteride) did not significantly modify the observed associations with suicide, self-harm, and depression. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In a large cohort of men ages 66 years or older, we did not demonstrate an increased risk of suicide associated with 5α-reductase inhibitor use. However, the risk of self-harm and depression were increased compared with unexposed men. This is in keeping with postmarketing experience and patient concerns, and discontinuation of the medication in these circ umstancesmay be appropriate

Ureteral Stent Microbiota Is Associated with Patient Comorbidities but Not Antibiotic Exposure

Ureteral stents are commonly used to prevent urinary obstruction but can become colonized by bacteria and encrusted, leading to clinical complications. Despite recent discovery and characterization of the healthy urinary microbiota, stent-associated bacteria and their impact on encrustation are largely underexplored. We profile the microbiota of patients with typical short-term stents, as well as over 30 atypical cases (all with paired mid-stream urine) from 241 patients. Indwelling time, age, and various patient comorbidities correlate with alterations to the stent microbiota composition, whereas antibiotic exposure, urinary tract infection (UTI), and stent placement method do not. The stent microbiota most likely originates from adhesion of resident urinary microbes but subsequently diverges to a distinct, reproducible population, thereby negating the urine as a biomarker for stent encrustation or microbiota. Urological practice should reconsider standalone prophylactic antibiotics in favor of tailored therapies based on patient comorbidities in efforts to minimize bacterial burden, encrustation, and complications of ureteral stents