Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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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.
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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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Multicenter Study
Prognostic Significance of Large Airway Dimensions on Computed Tomography in the General Population. The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Lung Study.
Large airway dimensions on computed tomography (CT) have been associated with lung function, symptoms, and exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as with symptoms in smokers with preserved spirometry. Their prognostic significance in persons without lung disease remains undefined. ⋯ In adults without CLRD, large airway dimensions on CT were prospectively associated with accelerated lung function decline and increased risks of COPD and CLRD hospitalization and mortality.
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Multicenter Study
Anemia and Adverse Outcomes in a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Population with a High Burden of Comorbidities. An Analysis from SPIROMICS.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common cause of morbidity and associated with a significant burden of comorbidities. Although anemia is associated with adverse outcomes in COPD, its contribution to outcomes in individuals with other comorbid chronic diseases is not well understood. ⋯ Anemia is associated with worse exercise capacity, greater dyspnea, and greater disease severity among adults with COPD, particularly among those with comorbid chronic cardiac and metabolic diseases. The biomarkers found in anemic individuals suggest inflammation, lung tissue injury, and oxidative stress as possible pathways for the adverse correlations of anemia with outcomes in COPD; however, substantial further study is required to better understand these potential mechanisms. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01969344).