Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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An accurate assessment of the mediastinal lymph node status is essential in the staging and treatment planning of potentially resectable non-small-cell lung cancer. ⋯ Among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer with a radiologically normal mediastinum, the prevalence of mediastinal disease is 12.8% and the sensitivity of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration is 49.5%. Despite the low sensitivity, the resulting negative predictive value of 93.0% for endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration suggests that mediastinal metastasis is uncommon in such patients.
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Multicenter Study
Early Hospital Readmissions after an Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the Nationwide Readmissions Database.
Understanding the causes and factors related to readmission for an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) within a nationwide database including all payers and ages can provide valuable input for the development of generalizable readmission reduction strategies. ⋯ Thirty-day readmissions after an AECOPD remain a major healthcare burden, and are characterized by a similar spectrum of readmission diagnoses. Predictors associated with readmission include both patient and clinical factors. Development of a COPD-specific risk stratification algorithm based on these factors may be necessary to better predict patients with AECOPD at high risk of early readmission.
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Multicenter Study
Epidemiology of Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Sputum Positivity in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis in the United States, 2010-2014.
Pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease represents a significant threat to patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), with an estimated annual prevalence of 12%. Prior studies reported an increasing annual NTM prevalence in the general population, though similar trends in persons with CF have not been assessed. ⋯ NTM remains highly prevalent among adults and children with CF in the United States, with one in five affected, and appears to be increasing over time. Prevalence varies by geographic region and by patient-level factors, including older age and receiving an initial CF diagnosis later in life. Routine screening for NTM, including mycobacterial speciation, especially in high-risk geographic areas, is critical to increase our understanding of its epidemiology and changes in prevalence over time.
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Observational Study
Predicting Intensive Care Unit Readmission with Machine Learning Using Electronic Health Record Data.
Patients transferred from the intensive care unit to the wards who are later readmitted to the intensive care unit have increased length of stay, healthcare expenditure, and mortality compared with those who are never readmitted. Improving risk stratification for patients transferred to the wards could have important benefits for critically ill hospitalized patients. ⋯ A machine learning approach to predicting intensive care unit readmission was significantly more accurate than previously published algorithms in both our internal validation and the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-III cohort. Implementation of this approach could target patients who may benefit from additional time in the intensive care unit or more frequent monitoring after transfer to the hospital ward.