Faculty Bibliography

INTRODUCTION:The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that, during 1999-2008, people born in 1945-1965 (the baby boomer generation) represented approximately 75% of people infected with hepatitis C virus and 73% of hepatitis C virus-associated deaths and are at greatest risk for hepatocellular carcinoma and liver disease. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended one-time hepatitis C virus screening for people born during 1945-1965. In addition, New York State enacted a Hepatitis C Virus Testing Law in 2014. This analysis assesses the impacts of the 2012 recommendation and 2014 New York State Testing Law on hepatitis C virus screening rates among New York City Medicaid-enrolled recipients born during 1945-1965. METHODS:The eligible population was determined quarterly as the number of Medicaid recipients continuously enrolled for 12 months with neither a prior hepatitis C virus diagnosis nor antibody test since 2005. Quarterly screening rates during 2010-2017 were examined using interrupted time series analysis. Data were analyzed in 2018-2019. RESULTS:In 2010-2017, the highest screening rate occurred in the quarter immediately after the law (33.64 per 1,000 Medicaid recipients). There was no change in screening rates after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation and a significant increase after the New York State Law, which was not sustained. CONCLUSIONS:Hepatitis C virus screening rates increased in the quarter after the 2014 New York State Hepatitis C Virus Testing Law became effective. Additional efforts are needed to screen baby boomers and people who were recently infected with hepatitis C virus related to opioid use.

Background: Gastric cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death worldwide. In the US, gastric cancer incidence for Chinese Americans is nearly twice that for non-Hispanic whites. Cancer is the leading cause of death among Chinese New Yorkers who experience higher mortality for gastric cancer than other New Yorkers overall. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the strongest risk factor for gastric cancer, and eradication of H. pylori through triple antibiotic therapy is the most effective prevention strategy for gastric cancer. Despite the elevated burden, there are no culturally and linguistically tailored evidence-based intervention strategies to address H. pylori medication adherence and gastric cancer prevention for Chinese Americans in NYC, a largely foreign-born (72%), limited English proficient (61%), and low-income (21% living in poverty) population.
Objective(s): The study objective was to develop and pilot a community health worker (CHW)-delivered linguistically and culturally adapted gastric cancer prevention intervention to improve H. pylori treatment adherence and address modifiable cancer prevention risk factors, including improved nutrition for low-income, LEP, Chinese American immigrants.
Method(s): We used a mixed methods and community-engaged research approach to develop and pilot the intervention curriculum and materials. Methods included: 1) a comprehensive scoping review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature on gastric cancer prevention programs and strategies targeting Chinese Americans; 2) 15 key informant interviews with gatekeepers and stakeholders serving the New York Chinese immigrant community to assess the knowledge and perception of H. pylori infection and gastric cancer among Chinese New Yorkers; and 3) pilot implementation of the collaboratively developed intervention with H. pylori-infected LEP Chinese immigrant participants (n=7).
Result(s): Study process findings and pilot results will be presented. Preliminary results indicate high patient- and community-level need and acceptability for the intervention. Baseline and 1-month post-treatment outcomes and survey data, qualitative data analysis of the CHW session notes, and key informant interviews will be presented.
Conclusion(s): Findings suggest that a CHW-delivered culturally adapted gastric cancer prevention intervention can result in meaningful health information and treatment adherence for at-risk, low-income Chinese immigrant communities. Study findings are being applied to inform a randomized controlled trial being implemented in safety net hospital settings

Background Heart failure poses a significant burden on health care and economy. In recent years, diastolic dysfunction has been increasingly recognized as a significant predictor of readmission in heart failure patients. Objectives We aimed to identify factors predicting readmission in patients with clinical heart failure at 30 days and six months. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed at a single urban medical center, including 208 patients in our final analysis. Results A higher Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and moderate anemia (hemoglobin [Hb] < 10 g/dL) were significant predictors of readmission at both 30 days and six months. In addition, advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage (4 or 5) and follow-up in a cardiology clinic were significant predictors at six months. During multivariate analysis, worsening diastolic dysfunction (grade 3 or 4) (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.03 to 4.23), higher CCI (OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.03-1.36), and Hb < 10 g/dL (OR: 3.42; 95% CI: 1.44-8.13) were independent predictors of readmission at 30 days. Higher CCI (OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.19-1.58) and CKD stage 4 or 5 (OR: 3.05; 95% CI: 1.40-6.62) were independent predictors of readmission at six months. Conclusions Worse diastolic dysfunction (grade 3 or 4) was a significant predictor of all-cause readmission at 30 days post-discharge in heart failure patients. Higher CCI precisely predicted readmission as an independent variable at 30 days and six months. Anemia (Hb < 10 g/dL) and CKD stage 4 or 5 were significant predictors of readmission at 30-days and six months, respectively.

Importance/UNASSIGNED:There is limited information describing the presenting characteristics and outcomes of US patients requiring hospitalization for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Objective/UNASSIGNED:To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in a US health care system. Design, Setting, and Participants/UNASSIGNED:Case series of patients with COVID-19 admitted to 12 hospitals in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, New York, within the Northwell Health system. The study included all sequentially hospitalized patients between March 1, 2020, and April 4, 2020, inclusive of these dates. Exposures/UNASSIGNED:Confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by positive result on polymerase chain reaction testing of a nasopharyngeal sample among patients requiring admission. Main Outcomes and Measures/UNASSIGNED:Clinical outcomes during hospitalization, such as invasive mechanical ventilation, kidney replacement therapy, and death. Demographics, baseline comorbidities, presenting vital signs, and test results were also collected. Results/UNASSIGNED:A total of 5700 patients were included (median age, 63 years [interquartile range {IQR}, 52-75; range, 0-107 years]; 39.7% female). The most common comorbidities were hypertension (3026; 56.6%), obesity (1737; 41.7%), and diabetes (1808; 33.8%). At triage, 30.7% of patients were febrile, 17.3% had a respiratory rate greater than 24 breaths/minute, and 27.8% received supplemental oxygen. The rate of respiratory virus co-infection was 2.1%. Outcomes were assessed for 2634 patients who were discharged or had died at the study end point. During hospitalization, 373 patients (14.2%) (median age, 68 years [IQR, 56-78]; 33.5% female) were treated in the intensive care unit care, 320 (12.2%) received invasive mechanical ventilation, 81 (3.2%) were treated with kidney replacement therapy, and 553 (21%) died. Mortality for those requiring mechanical ventilation was 88.1%. The median postdischarge follow-up time was 4.4 days (IQR, 2.2-9.3). A total of 45 patients (2.2%) were readmitted during the study period. The median time to readmission was 3 days (IQR, 1.0-4.5) for readmitted patients. Among the 3066 patients who remained hospitalized at the final study follow-up date (median age, 65 years [IQR, 54-75]), the median follow-up at time of censoring was 4.5 days (IQR, 2.4-8.1). Conclusions and Relevance/UNASSIGNED:This case series provides characteristics and early outcomes of sequentially hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 in the New York City area.

OBJECTIVE:To describe outcomes of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) in the United States, and the clinical and laboratory characteristics associated with severity of illness. DESIGN/METHODS:Prospective cohort study. SETTING/METHODS:Single academic medical center in New York City and Long Island. PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:5279 patients with laboratory confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) infection between 1 March 2020 and 8 April 2020. The final date of follow up was 5 May 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/METHODS:Outcomes were admission to hospital, critical illness (intensive care, mechanical ventilation, discharge to hospice care, or death), and discharge to hospice care or death. Predictors included patient characteristics, medical history, vital signs, and laboratory results. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes, and competing risk survival analysis for mortality. RESULTS:Of 11 544 people tested for SARS-Cov-2, 5566 (48.2%) were positive. After exclusions, 5279 were included. 2741 of these 5279 (51.9%) were admitted to hospital, of whom 1904 (69.5%) were discharged alive without hospice care and 665 (24.3%) were discharged to hospice care or died. Of 647 (23.6%) patients requiring mechanical ventilation, 391 (60.4%) died and 170 (26.2%) were extubated or discharged. The strongest risk for hospital admission was associated with age, with an odds ratio of >2 for all age groups older than 44 years and 37.9 (95% confidence interval 26.1 to 56.0) for ages 75 years and older. Other risks were heart failure (4.4, 2.6 to 8.0), male sex (2.8, 2.4 to 3.2), chronic kidney disease (2.6, 1.9 to 3.6), and any increase in body mass index (BMI) (eg, for BMI >40: 2.5, 1.8 to 3.4). The strongest risks for critical illness besides age were associated with heart failure (1.9, 1.4 to 2.5), BMI >40 (1.5, 1.0 to 2.2), and male sex (1.5, 1.3 to 1.8). Admission oxygen saturation of <88% (3.7, 2.8 to 4.8), troponin level >1 (4.8, 2.1 to 10.9), C reactive protein level >200 (5.1, 2.8 to 9.2), and D-dimer level >2500 (3.9, 2.6 to 6.0) were, however, more strongly associated with critical illness than age or comorbidities. Risk of critical illness decreased significantly over the study period. Similar associations were found for mortality alone. CONCLUSIONS:Age and comorbidities were found to be strong predictors of hospital admission and to a lesser extent of critical illness and mortality in people with covid-19; however, impairment of oxygen on admission and markers of inflammation were most strongly associated with critical illness and mortality. Outcomes seem to be improving over time, potentially suggesting improvements in care.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:Although metabolic syndrome (MetS) is less prevalent among normal-weight adults than among overweight and obese adults, it does occur. The objective of our study was to examine how mortality risks differed in weight categories stratified by presence/absence of MetS. METHODS:]) and presence/absence of MetS. After conducting unadjusted analyses, we used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate mortality risk as multivariable hazard ratios among obesity-MetS categories while controlling for selected covariates. RESULTS:The analysis included 12,047 adults. The prevalence of MetS was 61.6% in the obese group, 33.2% in the overweight group, and 8.6% in the normal-weight group. The multivariate adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for mortality among the obesity-MetS groups, compared with the normal-weight-no-MetS group, were as follows: normal-weight-MetS (1.70 [1.16-2.51]), overweight-no-MetS (0.99 [0.77-1.28]), overweight-MetS (1.10 [0.85-1.42]), obese-no-MetS (1.08 [0.76-1.54]), and obese-MetS (1.30 [1.07-1.60]); differences were significant only for the normal-weight-MetS group and obese-MetS group. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:MetS is a risk factor for mortality among normal-weight and obese adults. In our study, normal-weight adults with MetS had the highest mortality among the 6 groups studied, suggesting that interventions should also focus on MetS patients with normal weight.

BACKGROUND:Community transmission of coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) was detected in the state of Washington in February 2020. METHODS:We identified patients from nine Seattle-area hospitals who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with confirmed infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Clinical data were obtained through review of medical records. The data reported here are those available through March 23, 2020. Each patient had at least 14 days of follow-up. RESULTS:We identified 24 patients with confirmed Covid-19. The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 64±18 years, 63% were men, and symptoms began 7±4 days before admission. The most common symptoms were cough and shortness of breath; 50% of patients had fever on admission, and 58% had diabetes mellitus. All the patients were admitted for hypoxemic respiratory failure; 75% (18 patients) needed mechanical ventilation. Most of the patients (17) also had hypotension and needed vasopressors. No patient tested positive for influenza A, influenza B, or other respiratory viruses. Half the patients (12) died between ICU day 1 and day 18, including 4 patients who had a do-not-resuscitate order on admission. Of the 12 surviving patients, 5 were discharged home, 4 were discharged from the ICU but remained in the hospital, and 3 continued to receive mechanical ventilation in the ICU. CONCLUSIONS:During the first 3 weeks of the Covid-19 outbreak in the Seattle area, the most common reasons for admission to the ICU were hypoxemic respiratory failure leading to mechanical ventilation, hypotension requiring vasopressor treatment, or both. Mortality among these critically ill patients was high. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health.).