Association between perioperative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and cardiovascular complications after non-cardiac surgery in older adult patients.

Background: We investigated in older adult non-cardiac surgical patients whether receipt of perioperative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with increased incidence of postoperative cardiovascular complications.

Methods: We retrospectively extracted the information for patients with age ≥  65 years who had inpatient non-cardiac surgery with a duration of ≥  1 h from the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry data acquired at the University of Washington Medical Center. We compared patients who received NSAIDs perioperatively to those who did not receive NSAIDs, on the two composite outcomes: (1) the incidence of postoperative cardiovascular complications within 30 days of the surgery, and (2) the incidence of combined postoperative gastrointestinal and renal complications, and length of postoperative hospital stay.

Association Between Postoperative Methocarbamol and Postoperative Pain Opioid Dose Requirements: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that patients who received methocarbamol postoperatively experience less severe pain and require smaller doses of opioids than those who did not receive methocarbamol.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing surgery involving the musculoskeletal system. Of 9089 patients, 704 received methocarbamol during 48 hours postoperatively, while 8385 did not receive methocarbamol.

Postoperative respiratory depression in patients on sublingual buprenorphine: a retrospective cohort study for comparison between postoperative continuation and discontinuation of buprenorphine.

Background: We tested the hypothesis that patients who continued buprenorphine postoperatively experience postoperative respiratory depression less frequently than those who discontinued buprenorphine.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who were on buprenorphine preoperatively. The primary outcome was postoperative respiratory depression as defined by respiratory rate < 10/minute, oxygen saturation (SpO) < 90%, or requirement of naloxone for 48 h postoperatively.

Emergency Medical Services and Syndromic Surveillance: A Comparison With Traditional Surveillance and Effects on Timeliness.

Objective: Traditional public health surveillance of nonfatal opioid overdose relies on emergency department (ED) billing data, which can be delayed substantially. We compared the timeliness of 2 new data sources for rapid drug overdose surveillance-emergency medical services (EMS) and syndromic surveillance-with ED billing data.

Methods: We used data on nonfatal opioid overdoses in Kentucky captured in EMS, syndromic surveillance, and ED billing systems during 2018-2019.

Effect of Chronic Low Back Pain and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on the Risk for Separation from the US Army.

Introduction: Co-morbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and low back pain (LBP) are common reasons for increased disability in the Veteran communities. Medical discharge from the military represents a considerable financial cost to society. Little is currently known about the impact of LBP and PTSD as longitudinal risk factors for medical discharge from Active Duty military service.

Establishment of a comprehensive drug overdose fatality surveillance system in Kentucky to inform drug overdose prevention policies, interventions and best practices.

Background: According to the National Center for Health Statistics, Kentucky had the third highest drug overdose fatality rate in the nation in 2015 at 29.9 drug overdose fatalities per 100 000 population.

Objective: The elevated drug overdose fatality rate necessitated the development and implementation of a comprehensive multisource drug overdose fatality surveillance system (DOFSS).

Differential protective effects of motorcycle helmets against head injury.

Background: Although numerous observational studies have demonstrated a protective effect of motorcycle helmets against head injury, the degree of protection against specific head injury types remains unclear. Experimental biomechanics studies involving cadavers, animals, and computer models have established that head injuries have varying etiologies. This retrospective cross-sectional study compared helmet protection against skull fracture, cerebral contusion, intracranial hemorrhage, and cerebral concussion in a consecutive series of motorcycle operators involved in recent traffic crashes in Kentucky.

Nonlinear hierarchical modeling of experimental infection data.

In this paper, we propose a nonlinear hierarchical model (NLHM) for analyzing longitudinal experimental infection (EI) data. The NLHM offers several improvements over commonly used alternatives such as repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) and the linear mixed model (LMM). It enables comparison of relevant biological properties of the course of infection including peak intensity, duration and time to peak, rather than simply comparing mean responses at each observation time.

Body mass index, asthma and exhaled nitric oxide in U.S. adults, 2007-2010.

Objective: Increases in asthma and obesity over the past three decades have led to speculation about a causal link between the two diseases. However, investigations of the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) - a marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation - have produced mixed results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI), asthma and FeNO in a sample of U.

Comparison of incidence of hospital utilization for poisoning and other injury types.

Objectives: We investigated the incidence of hospital utilization for injuries and compared poisoning with other forms of injury. Previous studies have suggested poison control centers reduce health-care costs by decreasing hospital utilization.

Methods: We conducted a one-year retrospective study involving patients treated for injuries at acute-care hospitals in Kentucky in 2008.