case records of the Massachusetts

INTRODUCTION: In 2016, a proposed International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition, Clinical Modification surveillance definition for traumatic brain injury (TBI) morbidity was introduced that excluded the unspecified injury of head (S09.90) diagnosis code. This study assessed emergency department (ED) medical records containing S09.90 for evidence of TBI based on medical documentation. METHODS: State health department representatives in Maryland, Kentucky, Colorado and Massachusetts reviewed a target of 385 randomly sampled ED records uniquely assigned the S09...

Dr Thoralf Sundt III joined the department of neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic in 1969 and served as chairman from 1980 until his death in 1992. Dr Sundt was a pioneer in the field of cerebrovascular neurosurgery and among his many contributions to neurosurgical technology was the introduction of the Sundt clip graft (Codman, Raynham, Massachusetts), which was developed in partnership with Dr George Kees. This device is a vessel-encircling Teflon or Dacron graft loaded on a circular metallic spring initially designed to repair injuries to vessel walls during intracranial aneurysm surgery,1 which was not an uncommon complication resulting from the use of contemporary aneurysm clips...

Background: Human babesiosis is a mild-to-severe parasitic infection that poses health concerns especially in older and other at-risk populations. The study objective was to assess babesiosis occurrence among US Medicare beneficiaries, ages 65 and older, during 2006-2017. Methods: Our retrospective claims-based study used Medicare databases. Babesiosis cases were identified using recorded diagnosis codes. The study estimated rates (per 100 000 beneficiary-years) overall, by year, diagnosis month, demographics, and state and county of residence...

BACKGROUND: While statistics related to occupational injuries exist at state and national levels, there are notable difficulties with using these to understand non-fatal injuries trends in agriculture, forestry, and commercial fishing. This paper describes the development and testing of a crosswalk between ICD-10-CM external cause of injury codes (E-codes) for agriculture, forestry, and fishing (AFF) and the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS). By using this crosswalk, researchers can efficiently process hospitalization data and quickly assemble relevant cases of AFF injuries useful for epidemiological tracking...

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BACKGROUND: Search algorithms used to identify patients with alopecia areata (AA) need to be validated prior to use in large databases. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to assess whether patients with an International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) 9 or 10 code for AA have a true diagnosis of AA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicenter retrospective review was performed at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital to determine whether patients with an ICD 9 codes (704...

BACKGROUND: While studies from large cities affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have reported on the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the context of universal testing during admission for delivery, the patient demographic, social and clinical factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the epidemiological factors associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in women admitted for labour and delivery, in the context of universal screening at four Boston-area hospitals...

BACKGROUND: Exposure to ionizing radiation has been associated with hypertension, but the relationship between residential radon exposure and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) has not been examined. METHODS: We used the Massachusetts Birth Registry of Vital Records from 2001 to 2015 including women with a singleton pregnancy without prior hypertension. The binary outcome (HDP) included gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia cases and was assessed using birth certificate data...

INTRODUCTION: The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the spring of 2020 resulted in the temporary suspension of elective dental procedures and clinical dental education in academic institutions. This study describes the use of the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine emergency dental clinic during the peak surge in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, highlighting the number of endodontic emergencies. METHODS: Aggregate data from clinical encounters and call records to an emergency triage phone line from March 30 through May 8, 2020, were used to describe the characteristics of dental emergencies, clinical encounters, and procedures performed...

AIM: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is often diagnosed at a late, incurable stage. We sought to determine whether individuals at high risk of developing PDAC could be identified early using routinely collected data. METHODS: Electronic health record (EHR) databases from two independent hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts, providing inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care, from 1979 through 2017, were used with case-control matching. PDAC cases were selected using International Classification of Diseases 9/10 codes and validated with tumour registries...

Rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) are ubiquitous in the environment and can cause a variety of human infections. Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) caused by RGM have been reported predominantly among immunocompromised patients. Removal of central lines and antimicrobial therapy with at least 2 active agents are generally recommended for immunocompromised patients. RGM bloodstream infections (BSIs) are rare in immunocompetent patients and clinical data are very limited. Retrospective medical record review was conducted on patients with blood cultures positive for RGM from July 2012 through March 2015 at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, a public teaching hospital in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, United States...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the features and independent risk factors associated with recurrence and mortality in patients with brain abscesses of head and neck origin. STUDY DESIGN: We designed a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with a brain abscess at the Massachusetts General Hospital between 1980 and 2017. Inclusion criteria were complete medical records, including medical and surgical history; and radiographic and microbiologic data...

Importance: More than 1 million people in the US identify as transgender; however, few studies have examined the experiences and outcomes of transgender patients with cancer. Objective: To examine clinical characteristics, experiences, and outcomes of transgender patients with cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective case series assessed transgender patients with at least 1 cancer diagnosis who were evaluated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute or Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2019...

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal pain is a debilitating problem treated with image-guided corticosteroid injections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple societies issued caution statements because of the unknown effect of corticosteroids on the patient's immune system. The purpose is to determine if image-guided corticosteroid injections administered during the COVID-19 lockdown phase were associated with a higher infection rate compared to the general population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective study, patients undergoing image-guided corticosteroid injections for pain management during the lockdown phase between April 15 and May 22, 2020, were enrolled...

Importance: Indwelling peritoneal catheters (IPCs) are frequently used to drain tense, symptomatic, malignant ascites. Large-volume drainage may lead to hyponatremia owing to massive salt depletion. To date, no studies have examined the epidemiology of hyponatremia after placement of an IPC. Objective: To evaluate the incidence of hyponatremia after IPC placement, the risk factors associated with its development, and how it is managed. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 461 patients who had IPCs placed during the period between 2006 and 2016 at a tertiary care hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, of whom 309 patients met the inclusion criteria...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Verrucous esophageal carcinoma (VEC) is a rare malignancy that presents a diagnostic challenge. We aim to characterize the clinical and genomic features, tumor behavior, and treatment outcomes of VEC to guide clinical practice. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the literature and identified additional cases from Massachusetts General Hospital records and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We obtained individual VEC patient data and analyzed publicly available clinicogenomic data from TCGA...

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Whether having an emergency manual (EM) available for use during perioperative crises enhances or detracts from team performance, especially for multi-factorial diagnostic situations that do not explicitly match a chapter of the EM. DESIGN: A simulation-based, prospective randomized trial based upon two perioperative crises, one involving a patient with a transfusion reaction for which the EM contains a specific chapter, and the other involving a patient with refractory hypotension progressing into septic shock for which the EM does not have a specific chapter...

BACKGROUND: Cardiac involvement with COVID-19 is increasingly being recognised. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 complicated by secondary Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is poorly understood. METHODS: This retrospective case series was conducted between March and April 2020 at four hospitals of Steward Health Care Network of Massachusetts, USA. Seven patients out of 169 who had echocardiogram were identified to have features of TC. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, management and outcome were gathered from their electronic medical records...

PURPOSE: To describe the demographic features and clinical characteristics of patients with herpes keratitis (HK) and limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) and identify possible factors associated with development of LSCD after HK. METHODS: In this retrospective case-series study, records of patients with a clinical diagnosis of HK seen at Massachusetts Eye and Ear over a 5-year period were reviewed for evidence of LSCD. Patient demographics, medical history, treatment, and best-corrected visual acuities (BCVAs) were recorded...

INTRODUCTION: Since 2001, device-assisted enteroscopy (DAE) has revolutionized the diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities for managing small bowel pathology. Though commonly performed, there have been no recent large studies to assess the use, yield, and risks of DAE and none that include all 3 DAE modalities. We hypothesized that DAE is safe with high diagnostic and therapeutic yields achieved within reasonable procedure duration and here we present a large retrospective multicenter US study evaluating the use, yield, and complications of DAE...