Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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Rationale: The care of critically ill patients often involves complex discussions surrounding prognosis, goals, and end-of-life decision-making. Yet, physician and hospital practice patterns, rather than patient goals, remain a major determinant of the intensity of end-of-life care. For critically ill patients, palliative care may help promote treatments that are concordant with patients' goals, while minimizing the use of invasive and costly intensive care unit resources that may not be consistent with those goals. ⋯ S. dollars [USD]; difference, -7,100 USD; 95% CI, -8.5 to -5.2 thousand USD; P < 0.001), and lower daily hospital cost (5,900 vs. 6,200 USD; difference, -310 USD per day; 95% CI, -420 to -200 USD; P < 0.001) when compared with no palliative care. Conclusions: In a nationally representative sample of adults who died during a hospitalization with septic shock, receipt of palliative care was associated with shorter length of stay and lower total and daily hospital costs. This finding was robust to adjustment for patient- and hospital-level confounders, though unmeasured confounders still could be affecting these findings.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Prevalence, Symptom Burden, and Underdiagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in a Lung Cancer Screening Cohort.
Rationale: Individuals eligible for lung cancer screening (LCS) by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) are also at risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to age and smoking exposure. Whether the LCS episode is useful for early detection of COPD is not well established. Objectives: To explore associations between symptoms, comorbidities, spirometry, and emphysema in participants enrolled in the Lung Screen Uptake Trial. ⋯ Conclusions: There is high burden of "undiagnosed COPD" and emphysema in LCS participants. Adding spirometry findings to the LDCT enhances identification of individuals with COPD. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02558101).