Patients presenting for colonoscopy: A great opportunity to screen for sleep apnea

AIMTo discover the prevalence and the feasibility of screening for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients presenting for routine colonoscopy. METHODSAdult patients having a colonoscopy for routine indications at our outpatient endoscopy center were eligible if they did not carry a diagnosis of OSA or had not had a prior sleep study. All patients were administered the Berlin questionnaire prior to the procedure. Mallampati, neck circumference, height, weight, and BMI were obtained for each patient. Patients were observed for any drops in oxygen saturation 10 s. Patients were determined to be high-risk if they met at least 2 of the 3 symptom categories for the Berlin questionnaire. RESULTSA total of 60 patients were enrolled and completed the study; mean age was 56 years (range 23-72 year). Twenty-six patients had a positive Berlin questionnaire (43.3%), 31 patients had a negative Berlin questionnaire (51.6%) and 3 patients had an equivocal result (5.0%). Patients with a positive Berlin questionnaire were more likely to be of increased weight (mean 210.5 lbs vs mean 169.8 lbs, P = 0.003), increased BMI (33.0 kg/m2vs 26.8 kg/m2, P = 0.0016), and have an increased neck circumference (38.4 cm vs 35.5 cm, P = 0.012). Patients with a positive Berlin questionnaire were more likely to have a drop in oxygen saturation vs 36.4%, P = 0.01). Patients with snoring were more likely to have a positive Berlin questionnaire (8/9 patients vs 1/31 patients with negative Berlin questionnaire; P = 0.0045). CONCLUSIONRisk for OSA is extremely common in a population presenting for a routine colonoscopy, and screening at the time of a colonoscopy offers an excellent opportunity to identify these patients.

Acute venous thromboembolism in acute pancreatitis based on the severity:a retrospective cohort study

Objective: Acute pancreatitis (AP) results in systemic inflammatory responses and activates coagulation pathways. We intend to investigate the risk and hospital outcomes of acute venous thromboembolisms (VTE) in patients with AP.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with AP from 2016 to 2019 using the National Inpatient Sample database. Primary outcome was the effect of VTE on the length of stay, inpatient costs, and mortality. Hierarchical multivariate logistic regression models were built using univariate screens.Results: The study included 909,354 weighted discharges with AP. 2.1% of cases had an acute VTE. The length of stay was 5.9 days longer in the hospital of AP patients with VTE compared to AP with no VTE (P <.001). Total hospital charge per patient was $71,914 in patients with VTE compared to AP with no VTE (P < .001). Mortality was higher in AP patients with VTE compared to AP with no VTE (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 4.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.4-5.3,P <.001). AP was associated with an increased VTE risk during inpatient stay (AOR 1.06, 95% CI 1.04-1.1,P <.001) There was an increased association of lower and upper extremity deep venous thrombosis with AP without necrosis (AOR 6.9, 95% CI 6.4-7.4,P <.001) and AP with infected necrosis (AOR 12.2, 95% CI 10.6-14.1,P <.001) but not in AP without necrosis (AOR 0.77, 95% CI 0.74-0.81,P <.001).Conclusion: VTE in AP increases length of stay and inpatient costs. The prognosis is poor in such patients, with increased inpatient mortality compared to no VTE. AP with necrosis can increase chances of all VTE subtypes;however, AP without necrosis does not increase upper and lower extremity VTE risk.