The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
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Objective: To determine the frequency of clinically important bleeding (CIB) among children hospitalized for status asthmaticus with and without exposure to stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP). Methods: We performed a single-center, retrospective cohort in 217 children admitted for asthma exacerbation aged 5-18 years from May 2015 to May 2017. We assessed cohorts with and without exposure to SUP to determine if differences in frequency of CIB exist. ⋯ Two subjects acquired gastritis in the no-SUP cohort and one additional subject experienced occult gastrointestinal bleeding with spontaneous symptom resolution. Conclusion: Children admitted for status asthmaticus with and without SUP had no observed incidence of CIB. In this specific population, we propose a prerequisite assessment for the presence of known stress ulcer related gastrointestinal bleeding risk factors prior to the blanket administration of SUP.
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Observational Study
Best practices in implementing inpatient pediatric asthma pathways: a qualitative study.
Objective: Clinical pathways (operational versions of practice guidelines) can improve guideline adherence and quality of care for children hospitalized with asthma. However, there is limited guidance on how to implement pathways successfully. Our objective was to identify potential best practices in pathway implementation. ⋯ We identified several practices that addressed barriers and promoted successful pathway implementation: (1) utilizing quality improvement (QI) methodology and a data-driven approach helped overcome inertia of current practice; (2) getting teams to commit to shared goals around asthma care helped overcome disagreements in the implementation process; (3) integrating pathways into the electronic medical record decreased some burdens of implementation; (4) leveraging multidisciplinary teams by developing protocols for nurses and/or respiratory therapists to titrate medications reduced variability in provider practice; and (5) engaging hospital leaders with pathway implementation teams helped secure crucial resources. Conclusions: We identified several potential best practices to support pathway implementation. Hospitals implementing pathways should consider applying these strategies to better ensure success in improving quality of asthma care for children.
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Introduction: Near fatal asthma is a life-threatening disorder that requires mechanical ventilation. Near fatal asthma and COPD with sudden cardiac arrest can worsen the outcomes. Previous studies demonstrated that ECMO is a live-saving measure for near fatal asthma that does not respond to traditional treatment. ⋯ Finally, the patient was discharged home on the nineteenth day after admission to be followed up in the pulmonary clinic. Conclusions: The early application of ECMO and mode changing plausibly resulted in dramatic improvement in gas exchange and restoration of cardiac function. This case illustrates the critical role of ECMO mode changing as salvage therapy in NFA and COPD with sudden cardiac arrest.
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Objective: Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness interventions have proved to be effective in improving the management of psychological symptoms of chronic patients. The objective of this work is to update the evidence about the effects of mindfulness interventions on psychological symptoms in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ⋯ Relevant themes identified in qualitative studies included increased awareness, development of new relationships with dyspnea, including new cognitive strategies, and slowing down. Conclusions: Mindfulness interventions could increase psychological resources in situations related to asthma and COPD symptoms. More randomized control trials are needed.
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Objective: While a single but truncated ICD code (493) had been widely used for identifying asthma in asthma care and research, it significantly under-identifies asthma. We aimed to develop and validate a diagnostic codes-based algorithm for identifying asthmatics using Predetermined Asthma Criteria (PAC) as the reference. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study which utilized two different coding systems, the Hospital Adaptation of the International Classification of Diseases, Eighth Revision (H-ICDA) and the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9). ⋯ Sensitivity and specificity of the codes-based algorithm for identifying asthma were 82% and 98% respectively. Associations of asthma-related risk factors with asthma status ascertained by the code-based algorithm were similar to those by the manual review. Conclusions: The diagnostic codes-based algorithm for identifying asthmatics improves accuracy of identification of asthma and can be a useful tool for large scale studies in a setting without automated chart review capabilities.