28 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
This is a retrospective observational study drawing on data from the Brigham and Women's Home Hospital database. Sociodemographic and clinic data from a training cohort were used to train a machine learning algorithm to predict length of stay throughout a patient's admission. This algorithm was then validated in a validation cohort.
This study will evaluate the effect of ketamine on the treatment of patients hospitalized with suicidal thoughts. Half of the patients will receive one dose of ketamine in the vein. The other half will receive a placebo. Because we think that ketamine will improve depression and suicidal thoughts, we expect that patients who receive ketamine will require less time in the hospital than patients who receive placebo.
Probiotics are commercially available live bacteria thought to have health benefits when ingested. A literature review of probiotic studies in the intensive care unit (ICU) found that in patients who receive probiotics, there is a 25% reduction in lung infection, known as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). There is also an 18% reduction in the chance of developing any infection in the ICU. However, the studies reviewed were small and not well done. Therefore, whether probiotics are really helpful or not is unclear. Before a large carefully performed study is done to evaluate the effects of probiotics in critically ill patients, a pilot trial is needed. The investigators plan to study the feasibility of such a trial in mechanically ventilated ICU patients in 11 ICUs in Ontario, investigating whether orally ingested L. rhamnosus GG (a common probiotic) prevents VAP and other infections. The 4 goals of the pilot study will be to ensure that we can successfully enrol patients; follow the protocol faithfully; make sure patients don't receive additional probiotics, and estimate how much pneumonia exists in these patients. In a separate substudy, the investigators will evaluate the effects of probiotics on lower lung infiltration with potential harmful bacteria, stool bacteria, markers of immunity called cytokines, and markers of infection called endotoxin levels. The investigators plan to enroll 150 adults admitted to ICU and receiving mechanical ventilation. Following informed consent, patients will be randomized to either L. rhamnosus GG group or an identical placebo. Twice daily, patients will receive probiotics or placebo in a feeding tube. The investigators will record all infections and other important outcomes in the ICU. This study is very important in the ongoing search for more effective strategies to prevent serious infection during critical illness. Probiotics may be an easy-to-use, readily available, inexpensive approach to help future critically ill patients around the world.
The aim of this study is to compare outcomes of conventional perioperative care with those of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) perioperative care plan in women undergoing open abdominal surgery for gynecologic cancer or suspected gynecologic cancer. Investigators hypothesize that those patients randomized to the ERAS protocol will have shorter lengths of hospital stay, without increasing readmission rates. ASD
The purpose of this research is to determine the pain-reducing effects of ketamine (Ketalar, an FDA-approved drug for anesthesia) and methadone (Dolophine, a long-acting narcotic) after lumbar laminectomy. The investigators would like to evaluate whether intraoperative use of both drugs may be able to provide better control of pain after lumbar surgery.
Moderate and late preterm infants contribute to significant neonatal intensive care unit health care resource utilization because of their sheer numbers. Determinants of the length of hospitalization (LOH) in this population are understudied. Gestational age (GA) is used most commonly as a predictor for LOH but there are many limitations including inaccurate dating and morbidities of prematurity which at least partly related to neurophysiological immaturity. The latter can be assessed by amplitude integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG, a simplified 5 lead EEG), and possibly by heart rate variability (HRV) and respiratory variability (RV). All 3 are non-invasive tests that can be done at the bedside. Our study hypothesis is to determine if neurophysiologic maturation as assessed by aEEG, HRV and RV within 24-96 hours following birth improves the correlation between gestational age and length of hospitalization compared to gestational age alone.
Major lumbar spine surgery causes inflammation, soreness and swelling that can delay discharge from the hospital. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. This study will evaluate whether DEX can help get patients out of the hospital faster after major spine surgery by reducing the inflammation associated with the procedure itself. A separate part of the study will evaluate the blood levels of some specific indicators of inflammation called cytokines. Measuring cytokines before and after surgery will aid in determining if DEX has altered the inflammatory response.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether massage with or without physical exercise impacted weight gain or length of hospital stay for premature infants.
Recovery after major abdominal surgery can be longer than other types of surgery. This is because often after abdominal surgery, the bowel does not work normally. When this happens, patients are unable to pass gas. This can lead to bloating, pain, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms are called postoperative ileus. We, the researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), are doing this study to compare two methods of treating pain during and after major gynecological surgery. The two methods are called patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCA). PCA is the standard of care for women having major gynecological surgery. We are going to compare PCEA to PCA to see if PCEA will improve recovery after major gynecologic surgery. PCEA is a well established method used to ease pain in many settings such as during childbirth and bowel surgery. There have been several studies showing that PCEA is as good as and sometimes better for pain relief than PCA. PCEA may help the bowel work better by preventing ileus after surgery. However, this has never been looked at in women having major gynecologic surgery. This study will also look at whether preventing this ileus will lead to patients going home or returning to regular activities sooner.
This study will evaluate whether using bedside ultrasound (also called Point-of-Care Ultrasound or POCUS) can help improve the care of hospitalized patients with decompensated heart failure. Patients will be randomly assigned to two groups: one group will receive ultrasound-guided assessments, and the other group will receive standard clinical evaluations. Researchers will compare the hospital length of stay between the two groups. Ultrasound is a non-invasive, safe, and painless imaging tool. The goal of the study is to find out if ultrasound guidance can lead to shorter hospitalizations and better care for patients with heart failure.
Early ambulation of inpatients has been shown to be a key driver of decreased LOS and also reduced adverse events such as venous thromboembolism (VTE). We will test if a patient wearable device (pedometer) measuring steps and ambulation sessions decreases hospital LOS (primary outcome), decreases hospital LOS index (LOSI), decreases time to first ambulation, decreases time to first bowel movement (BM), decreases incidence of VTEs, and decreases costs (secondary outcomes). In a pilot randomized control trial, we will randomize 150 total adult patients admitted to UF Health Jacksonville in a 1:1 fashion to usual care and wearable pedometer or usual care. Patients randomized to the study intervention will receive a wearable pedometer upon admission, to be worn for the duration of their inpatient stay. Study outcome measures to be compared between the pedometer and no pedometer group include hospital LOS (primary outcome), hospital LOSI, time to first ambulation, time to first BM, incidence of VTEs, patient experience, and costs (secondary outcomes).
The purpose of this prospective pilot study is to access the feasibility of Transitions of Care Coordinator (TOCC) program, to determine if the use of a TOCC will decrease hospital length of stay (LOS), and determine if utilization of a TOCC will improve patient and family satisfaction. Patients are admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH) for primary diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke. 1. Access the feasibility of TOCC program 2. Determine if the use of a TOCC will decrease hospital length of stay (LOS) in patients admitted to MGUH for primary diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke 3. Determine if utilization of a TOCC will improve the satisfaction for family and patient.
This study is evaluating the use of a respiratory device, the Acapella Vibratory Positive Expiratory Pressure (PEP) Therapy device, in patients admitted to the hospital with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation.
Post-operative pulmonary complications (PPCs) have a major impact on patients and healthcare expenses. The goal of perioperative respiratory therapy is to improve airway clearance, increase lung volume, and mitigate atelectasis. Incentive spirometers (IS) are ubiquitously used to prevent atelectasis and PPCs-implementation of which requires substantial provider time and healthcare expenses. However, meta-analyses have demonstrated that the effectiveness of ISs is unclear due to poor patient compliance in past studies. The goal of this investigation is evaluate the effectiveness of IS on post-operative clinical outcomes. The aims of this investigation are to evaluate 1) if IS use compliance can be improved by adding a use-recording patient reminder alarm, and 2) the clinical outcomes of the more compliant IS users vs. the less-compliant IS users.
This will be a double blind, placebo-controlled study of patients ≥65 years of age undergoing surgery of the spine, hips and knees replacement at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. Intraoperative anesthetic and postoperative pain management will be standardized. Patients will be randomized to receive either placebo or gabapentin preoperatively, and continued postoperatively until discharge. Intraoperative anesthetic and other postoperative pain management strategies will be standardized. Postoperative delirium will be measured using structured interviews. Cognitive function will be measured using a battery of neurocognitive tests pre- and post-operatively. Using an intention to treat strategy, we, the researchers at UCSF, will compare the incidence of postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction, the amount of postoperative pain, and narcotic requirements between the two groups. The primary outcome will be postoperative delirium. Secondary outcomes will be postoperative pain and opioids use, and length of hospital stay, and cognitive dysfunction.
To evaluate whether ketamine is a safe sedative-analgesic agent to be used in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting as compared to traditionally used agents such as propofol, opioids, and midazolam
The effect of teledermatology on length of hospital admission, length of stay, 30 day readmission rate, and antibiotic use in patients presenting with cellulitis vs pseudocellulitis in an academic emergency department setting.
The investigators propose to evaluate and compare the percentage of patients who are able to be discharged in less than 3 days after undergoing total hip arthroscopy through either a direct anterior or posterior approach, utilizing the identical post operative protocol. The investigators also propose to evaluate the costs associated with the two different approaches to hip replacement in the same group of patients. Post operative resource utilization, discharge disposition, and pain medicine requirement will also be evaluated.
The DC PROMIS Study (also known as the Discharge Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Study) is a study to see the effect of patients' social, physical and mental function on their health after hospital discharge.
This is a secondary analysis of a previously performed prospective, observer-blinded, observational study at Massachusetts General Hospital. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of residual paralysis at admission to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) on total costs of hospital care. Secondary analyses will be conducted to evaluate the effects of postoperative residual paralysis on potential cost-influencing factors, i.e. incidence of minor and major postoperative respiratory complications, hospital length of stay (LOS), unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate, as well as length of stay in the PACU.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of an AI admission prediction tool on the number of preventable hospital admissions, emergency department (ED) length of stay, when the predictions are displayed only to a dedicated ED triage team. Also, to evaluate user perceptions of the AI tool among the triage team users and medical officer of the day users. Additionally, to evaluate any impact of the AI tool on the number of interventions performed by the triage team, and to evaluate the impact of the tool on time-to-admission after an admission order is placed.
Bariatric surgery is the only proven and effective long term treatment for morbid obesity. In an attempt to reduce patients' post-operative hospital stay, lower associated health care costs, and improve satisfaction scores, St Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) recently adopted a fast track bariatric surgery (FTBS) protocol. Findings to date show that FTBS is safe and effective when performed in a Center of Excellence (COE) such as ours. However, post-operative pain control remains a challenging issue, with only intravenous (IV) or PO (by mouth) narcotics appropriate for bariatric surgery patients. IV acetaminophen, which has been used successfully in Europe, was recently approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the US. However, no data exist regarding the use of IV acetaminophen in bariatric surgery patients, nor are there any data assessing its cost effectiveness. Therefore, our study will investigate the economic impact of administering IV acetaminophen to bariatric surgery patients, as well as its effect on clinical outcomes such as patients' post-operative length of stay, self-reported pain, readmissions, emergency room (ER) visits and complications. The study design will be a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, controlled trial in a single bariatric Center of Excellence (COE) that is part of the St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN). Patients will consist of up to 200 morbidly obese adult bariatric surgery candidates \> 18 years of age undergoing either laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (LRYGB) or laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG). Group 1 (treatment) will receive IV acetaminophen plus IV narcotics for the first 6 hours post-surgery followed by IV/ PO narcotics for the remaining 18 hours. Group 2 (control) will receive IV normal saline plus IV narcotics for the first 6 hours post-surgery followed by IV/PO narcotics for the remaining 18 hours. Data analysis will include quantile regression, mixed randomized-repeated analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and selected univariate comparisons, with p \< .05 denoting statistical significance for all outcomes.
This REMAP Periop ERP domain study falls under the Periop Core Protocol, which compares the different recommended strategies for enhancing recovery through the use of various standard of care treatments before, during and after surgery in all patients with elective surgical encounters at UPMC who meet eligibility criteria. The ERP domain seeks to enhance recovery by optimizing strategies of perioperative care through evaluating combinations of perioperative treatment, which consists of preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative care. Optimal combinations of perioperative care will be generated and analyzed to determine the best outcomes for patients as defined by reduction in hospital free days, reduction in postoperative nausea and vomiting, and improved pain control.
In the surgical intensive care unit (SICU), goals of critical care are often discussed in long-term ventilated patients around the time of extubation. Muscle weakness predicts extubation failure but formal muscle strength assessment by the Medical Research Council scale is time-consuming and not part of the daily clinical exam. In this observational study, we hypothesize that COMA measurement, routinely used by the SICU nurses, is a reliable and valid predictor for patients' SICU outcomes. This prospective observational study is carried out within a consecutively enrolled cohort of adult patients who are extubated in two SICUs at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
To evaluate the use of Incentive Spirometry in Non-critically Ill Hospitalized Patients With Shortness of Breath.
This Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) compares outcomes in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) treated according to the patient's CYP2D6 genotype status versus empiric "standard-of-care" psychotropic therapy. The hypothesis is that provision of medication based on the functional status of the patient's CYP2D6 enzyme inferred from genotype results within 48 hours of admission to treating clinicians will, through refined selection of psychotropic medication during hospitalization, decrease length of psychiatric hospitalization stay and decrease the rate of 30 day re-admission. The trial setting is the Hartford Hospital Institute of Living (IOL). The IOL operated the Clinical Evaluation and Monitoring System (CEMS), an innovative electronic messaging system developed by Co-Investigator Dr. J.W. Goethe. The Hartford Hospital Genetics Research Center (GRC) performs the genotype testing. CYP2D6 genotype analysis detects all known polymorphisms that result in an enzyme with sub-normal or supra-normal function. In this study, CEMS transmits clinically actionable guidance based on the patient's genotype to the clinician, advancing the medication alerts in real time. The RCT will test the effects of timely incorporation of medication recommendations based on CYP2D6 genotype into CEMS. The RCT randomizes patients to standard therapy (Group S) for whom CYP2D6 genetic information is determined but not transmitted to the treating clinician, allowing psychotropic therapy to be empirically determined, and to genetically guided therapy (Group G) where genotyping result and treatment recommendations are furnished via CEMS to the clinician within 48 hours of admission. For patients in Group G who are poor or rapid metabolizers, medications primarily metabolized by the CYP2D6 enzyme are proscribed. The primary outcome is hospital length of stay and the secondary outcome, the frequency of 30 day hospital readmission. Additional genetic stratification of both Group S and Group G will allow investigation of specific psychotropic usage. The expected benefits are (1) quantitative understanding of the effect of providing CYP2D6 pharmacogenetic information on length of hospitalization, 30 day readmission rate, and associated costs; and (2) objective benchmarking for the comparative effectiveness of CYP2D6 genotyping for guiding psychotropic therapy.
Asthma is a chronic lung condition in children, and often requires hospitalization for acute exacerbations. Azithromycin has been used successfully in other chronic lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis. Despite limited clinical evidence, some pediatricians use azithromycin in children hospitalized with asthma, citing either treatment of atypical pathogens or its proposed anti-inflammatory properties. This study proposes a clinical trial to determine if azithromycin will shorten length of stay in children hospitalized with acute asthma exacerbations.
Rationale: For the past 3 years the investigators have routinely used an axial subpleural tunneling technique that del Study Design: All patients over the age of 18 having an isolated thoracoscopic procedure performed at Inova Fairfax Hospital for therapeutic or diagnostics purposes will be screened. Patients will be excluded if they have: previous ipsilateral thoracic surgery, need for operative pleurectomy or pleurodesis, chronic use of pain medication, sedatives or hypnotics, drug allergies, liver dysfunction, renal dysfunction, history of peptic ulcerative disease, sleep apnea in need of Bipap, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), inability to consent, or are pregnant. All patients included will be screened, consented, and operated on by the one year anniversary of institutional review board (IRB) approval. Study Methodology: Eighty-six consented patients will be randomized into the study arm (use of a pain catheter with 0.125% bupivacaine) or the standard of care group (no pain catheter). The primary outcome is the use of narcotic pain medication post-operatively, compared between study groups. Secondary outcomes will include postoperative pain scores, hospital and length of stay. The On-Q pump delivers local anesthetic to the intercostal space, without leakage elsewhere, creating a functional multi level rib block. Despite positive subjective results, objective data is lacking. The investigators have also noted that some patients develop an annoying short term paresthesia that has been minimized by using lower anesthetic concentrations than described in other publications. Objectives: To evaluate visual analog pain scores post-operatively up to 30 days post-operative, and to determine any association between pain management and length of stay. Study Type: A prospective randomized 2-arm study will be performed. Statistical Methodology: Total amount of narcotic pain medication administered through postoperative day 7, will be compared between the study groups using student's t-tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Secondary outcomes, overall sum of pain scores through postoperative day 7, then at day 30 post-operatively, hospital length of stay, and overall hospital cost, will also be compared among study groups using student's t-tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests.