Risk Assessment of the Door-In-Door-Out Process at Primary Stroke Centers for Patients With Acute Stroke Requiring Transfer to Comprehensive Stroke Centers.

Background Patients with acute stroke at non- or primary stroke centers (PSCs) are transferred to comprehensive stroke centers for advanced treatments that reduce disability but experience significant delays in treatment and increased adjusted mortality. This study reports the results of a proactive, systematic, risk assessment of the door-in-door-out process and its application to solution design. Methods and Results A learning collaborative (clinicians, patients, and caregivers) at 2 PSCs and 3 comprehensive stroke centers in Chicago, Illinois participated in a failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis to identify steps in the process; failures of each step, underlying causes; and to characterize each failure's frequency, impact, and safeguards using standardized scores to calculate risk priority and criticality numbers for ranking.

Spironolactone Reduces Aortic Stiffness in Patients With Resistant Hypertension Independent of Blood Pressure Change.

Background Aortic stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in patients with arterial hypertension. Resistant hypertension is often linked to hyperaldosteronism and associated with adverse outcomes. Spironolactone, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, has been shown to reduce both the arterial blood pressure (BP) and aortic stiffness in resistant hypertension.

Defining an Ultrasound-guided Regional Anesthesia Curriculum for Emergency Medicine.

Objectives: Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) can be a powerful tool in the treatment of painful conditions commonly encountered in emergency medicine (EM) practice. UGRA can benefit patients while avoiding the risks of procedural sedation and opioid-based systemic analgesia. Despite these advantages, many EM trainees do not receive focused education in UGRA and there is no published curriculum specifically for EM physicians.

Standardized Feeding Protocol Improves Delivery and Acceptance of Enteral Nutrition in Children Immediately After Liver Transplantation.

Delivery of adequate nutrition after liver transplantation (LT) surgery is an important goal of postoperative care. Existing guidelines recommend early enteral nutrition after abdominal surgery and in the child who is critically ill but data on nutritional interventions after LT in children are sparse. We evaluated the impact of a standardized postoperative feeding protocol on enteral nutrition delivery in children after LT.

Hepatic Steatosis in Patients With Single Ventricle and a Fontan Circulation.

Background Hepatic steatosis, caused by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, is a leading cause of chronic liver disease. The interplay between hepatic steatosis and the development of liver disease following the Fontan procedure is not well understood. This study examined the prevalence and associations of hepatic steatosis in patients with a Fontan circulation.

A Descriptive Analysis of the Cumulative Experiences of Emergency Medicine Residents in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

Objectives: Most children seeking emergency care are evaluated in general emergency departments (EDs). The cumulative pediatric clinical experiences of emergency medicine (EM) residents are largely unknown. This study examined EM resident pediatric clinical experience through the lens of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements and the Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine.

Fontan-Associated Dyslipidemia.

Background Hypocholesterolemia is a marker of liver disease, and patients with a Fontan circulation may have hypocholesterolemia secondary to Fontan-associated liver disease or inflammation. We investigated circulating lipids in adults with a Fontan circulation and assessed the associations with clinical characteristics and adverse events. Methods and Results We enrolled 164 outpatients with a Fontan circulation, aged ≥18 years, in the Boston Adult Congenital Heart Disease Biobank and compared them with 81 healthy controls.

Body Composition and Exercise Performance in Youth With a Fontan Circulation: A Bio-Impedance Based Study.

Background Adults with a Fontan circulation tend to have myopenia and elevated adiposity when measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Bioelectrical impedance analysis is an alternative validated approach to assess body composition. We used bioelectrical impedance analysis to compare body composition between pediatric patients with a Fontan circulation and control individuals without heart disease.

Molecular mechanism of inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 cell entry facilitator TMPRSS2 with camostat and nafamostat.

The entry of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 into human lung cells can be inhibited by the approved drugs camostat and nafamostat. Here we elucidate the molecular mechanism of these drugs by combining experiments and simulations. assays confirm that both drugs inhibit the human protein TMPRSS2, a SARS-Cov-2 spike protein activator.

Serum Matrix Metalloproteinase 7 Is a Diagnostic Biomarker of Biliary Injury and Fibrosis in Pediatric Autoimmune Liver Disease.

In autoimmune liver disease (AILD), including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and overlap syndrome of AIH and PSC (ASC), the presence of biliary injury portends a worse prognosis. We studied serum matrix metalloproteinase 7 (sMMP7) as a biomarker for pediatric sclerosing cholangitis (SC). We prospectively enrolled 54 children (median age, 16 years) with AILD (AIH, n = 26; ASC, n = 16; and PSC, n = 12) at our center.

Decreasing Interstage Mortality After the Norwood Procedure: A 30-Year Experience.

Background The superior cavo-pulmonary connection was introduced at our institution in 1988 for infants undergoing surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome remain at high risk for mortality in the time period between the Norwood procedure and the superior cavo-pulmonary connection. The primary objectives of this study were to compare interstage mortality across 4 eras and analyze factors that may impact interstage mortality.

Natural Course of Pediatric Portal Hypertension.

The etiology of portal hypertension (pHTN) in children differs from that of adults and may require different management strategies. We set out to review the etiology, management, and natural history of pHTN at a pediatric liver center. From 2008 to 2018, 151 children and adolescents with pHTN were identified at a free-standing children's hospital.

Liver fibrosis is driven by protease-activated receptor-1 expressed by hepatic stellate cells in experimental chronic liver injury.

Background: Blood coagulation protease activity is proposed to drive hepatic fibrosis through activation of protease-activated receptors (PARs). Whole-body PAR-1 deficiency reduces experimental hepatic fibrosis, and studies suggest a potential contribution by PAR-1 expressed by hepatic stellate cells. However, owing to a lack of specific tools, the cell-specific role of PAR-1 in experimental hepatic fibrosis has never been formally investigated.

Modified Ventricular Global Function Index Correlates With Exercise Capacity in Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot.

Background Cardiac MRI (CMR) derived ventricular global function index (GFI), a ratio of stroke volume to the sum of mean ventricular cavity and myocardial volumes, has demonstrated improved prediction of clinical outcomes in adults with atherosclerotic disease over ejection fraction. We sought to assess CMR derived GFI and a novel modification that accounts for unique loading conditions in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) and determine its correlation with exercise performance. Methods and Results Seventy-five patients with rTOF who underwent CMR were identified.

Atrioventricular Valve Regurgitation in Single Ventricle Heart Disease: A Common Problem Associated With Progressive Deterioration and Mortality.

The Fontan procedure has provided patients with single ventricle physiology extended survival into adulthood and in many cases has improved their quality of life. Atrioventricular valve regurgitation (AVVR) is common in single ventricle patients and is associated with increased risk of mortality. AVVR is more common in patients with a systemic tricuspid or common atrioventricular valve but is generally progressive irrespective of underlying valve morphology.

Childhood/Adolescent Smoking and Adult Smoking and Cessation: The International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort (i3C) Consortium.

Background Despite declining US adolescent smoking prevalence from 40% among 12th graders in 1995 to around 10% in 2018, adolescent smoking is still a significant problem. Using the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort (i3C) Consortium, which includes 7 international cohorts recruited in childhood and followed into adulthood, the present study was designed to confirm the important relation between adolescent smoking and daily adult smoking and present new data on adult smoking into the forties and comparison of smoking in the United States, Finland, and Australia. Methods and Results Childhood smoking experience during ages 6 to 19 in the 1970s and 1980s was classifiable in 6687 i3C participants who also provided smoking status in their twenties and forties through 2011-2018.

Organoid Medicine in Hepatology.

Answer questions and earn https://www.wileyhealthlearning.com/Activity/7025323/disclaimerspopup.

Impact of Palliation Strategy on Interstage Feeding and Somatic Growth for Infants With Ductal-Dependent Pulmonary Blood Flow: Results from the Congenital Catheterization Research Collaborative.

Background In infants with ductal-dependent pulmonary blood flow, the impact of palliation strategy on interstage growth and feeding regimen is unknown. Methods and Results This was a retrospective multicenter study of infants with ductal-dependent pulmonary blood flow palliated with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) stent or Blalock-Taussig shunt (BTS) from 2008 to 2015. Subjects with a defined interstage, the time between initial palliation and subsequent palliation or repair, were included.

Ischemic Stroke in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background Congenital heart disease (CHD) is associated with risk factors for ischemic stroke including cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. However, few long-term follow-up data exist on ischemic stroke risk and associated mortality in adults with CHD. Methods and Results Using Danish nationwide registries, we identified individuals aged ≥18 years diagnosed with CHD, at any age, from 1963 to 2017 and a sex and birth year-matched (1:10) general population comparison cohort.

Cardiac Surgery in Patients With Trisomy 13 and 18: An Analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database.

Background Congenital heart disease is common in patients with Trisomy 13 (T13) and Trisomy 18 (T18), but offering cardiac surgery to these patients has been controversial. We describe the landscape of surgical management across the United States, perioperative risk factors, and surgical outcomes in patients with T13 and T18. Methods and Results Patients in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database with T13 and T18 who underwent cardiac surgery (2010-2017) were included.

Emergency Consent: Patients' and Surrogates' Perspectives on Consent for Clinical Trials in Acute Stroke and Myocardial Infarction.

Background Emergent informed consent for clinical trials in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke is challenging. The role and value of consent are controversial, and insufficient data exist regarding patients' and surrogates' experiences. Methods and Results We conducted structured interviews with patients (or surrogates) enrolled in AMI or acute stroke trials at 6 sites between 2011 and 2016.

Cardiac Dysfunction in the Sigma 1 Receptor Knockout Mouse Associated With Impaired Mitochondrial Dynamics and Bioenergetics.

Background The Sigma 1 receptor (Sigmar1) functions as an interorganelle signaling molecule and elicits cytoprotective functions. The presence of Sigmar1 in the heart was first reported on the basis of a ligand-binding assay, and all studies to date have been limited to pharmacological approaches using less-selective ligands for Sigmar1. However, the physiological function of cardiac Sigmar1 remains unknown.