Objectives Our objective in this study is, firstly, to determine postoperative (POI) rates in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures stratified by patients’ demographic and hospitals’ characteristics in the United States, and secondly, to evaluate the demographic and comorbid risk factors associated with POI in ERCP inpatients, as well as its impact on the length of stay (LOS) and total charges. Methods The total sample of 28,525 inpatients with a principal procedure of ERCP from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was included and grouped by co-diagnosis of POI (N=300, 1.05%). We used a logistic regression model and descriptive statistics for the POI rate estimates. Results High POI rate was seen in males (1.14%), and adults (36-50 years, 1.25%) with 2.65 times (95% CI 1.69-4.12) higher odds compared to young adults. POI rate in ERCP inpatients varied widely according to geographic region: higher in the West (1.46%) and Northeast (1.20%) and lowest in the Midwest (0.70%). As per the hospital characteristics, inpatients in public (1.26%), urban teaching (1.39%) and small bed-size (1.27%) hospitals had higher POI rates. ERCP inpatients with POI had higher odds of association with comorbid HIV infection (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.13-2.12) and diabetes (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.09-1.85). ERCP inpatients with POI had a significantly longer length of stay (LOS) by 5.2 days and higher total charges by USD 53,966 than inpatients without POI. Conclusions POI is associated with acute inpatient care, with longer hospitalization stays and higher costs, leading to increased healthcare burdens. The main goal is to identify the risk factors and to prevent POI with prophylactic antibiotics.

ObjectiveTo study the trends of arrhythmia hospitalizations with cannabis use disorders (CUDs) in terms of demographic characteristics and inpatient outcomes.MethodsWe used the nationwide inpatient sample (NIS) data during the post-legalization period (2010-2014) and included 570,556 arrhythmia inpatients (age, 15-54 years), and 14,426 inpatients had comorbid CUD (2.53%). We used the linear-by-linear association test and independent-sample T-test for assessing the change in hospital outcomes in inpatients with CUD.ResultsArrhythmia hospitalizations with CUD increased by 31% (2010-2014). This increasing trend was seen in adults (45-54 years, P < 0.001) and was predominant in males (77.6%). Hypertension (40.6%), hyperlipidemia (17.6%), and obesity (15%) were prevalent medical comorbidities with variable trends over the five years. Among substance use disorders, tobacco (50.9%), and alcohol (31.4%) were major comorbidities with a variable trend (P = 0.003 for each). There was a 71.4% increase in the inpatient mortality rate between 2010 (0.7%) and 2014 (1.2%). The mean length of stay was three days, and the total hospitalization charges have been increasing (P < 0.001), averaging $35,812 per hospital admission.ConclusionChronic cannabis use or abuse worsens hospitalization outcomes in arrhythmic patients, and more clinical studies are needed to study the causal association between these conditions due to the rising mortality risk.

The aim of this study was to observe the trends of intractable vomiting and cannabis use disorder (CUD) with demographic characteristics, medical and psychiatric comorbidities, and hospitalization outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the nationwide inpatient sample (2010 to 2014). Patients aged 16-50 years discharged with a primary diagnosis of intractable vomiting and CUD were included (N = 9,601). We used the linear-by-linear association chi-square test and independent-sample T-test for measuring the categorical and continuous data, respectively.

Background Depression and psychosis are common comorbidities that significantly affects the quality of life and disease outcomes in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Objective The aim of this study was to analyze and discern the differences in the hospitalization outcomes, comorbidities, and utilization of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in PD patients with comorbid depression and comorbid psychosis. Methods We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2010-2014) and identified PD as a primary diagnosis (N = 62,783), and depression (N = 11,358) and psychosis (N = 2,475) as co-diagnosis using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes. Pearson’s chi-square test and independent-sample t -test were used for categorical data and continuous data, respectively. Results White male, older age, and comorbid psychosis were significantly associated with higher odds of having major severity of illness in PD inpatients. The mean length of stay (LOS) was higher in PD patients with psychosis compared to PD with depression (7.32 days vs. 4.23 days; P < 0.001), though the mean total charges of hospitalization were lower in psychosis ($31,240 vs. $38,581; P < 0.001). Utilization of DBS was lower in PD patients with psychosis versus with depression (3.9% vs. 24.3%; P < 0.001). Conclusion Psychiatric comorbidities are prevalent in PD patients and are associated with more disease severity, impaired quality of life, and increased use of healthcare resources (higher LOS and cost). They should be considered an integral part of the disease, and a multidisciplinary approach to managing this disease is crucial to improve the health-related quality of life of PD patients.

Objectives To evaluate the risk of complication in hospitalized chronic hepatitis C (CHC), patients with cannabis use disorder (CUD). Methods We conducted a retrospective study using the nationwide inpatient sample (NIS), and included 31,623 patients (age 15-54) with a primary international classification of diseases, ninth revision (ICD-9) diagnosis for CHC and grouped by co-diagnosis of CUD (1101, 3.5%). Logistic regression model adjusted for confounders was used to evaluate the odds ratio (OR) of CUD and complications during CHC hospitalization. Results Comorbid CUD was prevalent in males (73.2%), Caucasians (59.9%), and from low-income families (65.7%). The most prevalent complications in patients with CUD were ascites (44.9%), alcoholic cirrhosis (42.8%) and non-alcoholic cirrhosis (41.1%). The odds of association for hepatic encephalopathy was 2.2 times higher (95% CI 1.477-3.350) in 2.8% CHC inpatients with CUD compared to 1.2% non-CUD inpatients. Hepatic encephalopathy had higher odds of association with a male by 1.4 times (95% CI 1.094-1.760), and African American by 1.7 times (95% CI 1.293-2.259). Conclusion CUD is significantly associated with 122% increased likelihood for hepatic encephalopathy that may worsen overall hospitalization outcomes in CHC patients. Hence, we need to consider the complex relationship between CUD and CHC and manage them optimally to improve the health-related quality of life.