Lee Goldman

Bio: Lee Goldman is an academic researcher from University of California, San Francisco. The author has contributed to research in topics: Prospective cohort study & Cohort study. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 8 publications receiving 4471 citations. Previous affiliations of Lee Goldman include Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Derivation and Prospective Validation of a Simple Index for Prediction of Cardiac Risk of Major Noncardiac Surgery

Abstract: Background Cardiac complications are important causes of morbidity after noncardiac surgery. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to develop and validate an index for risk of cardiac complications. Methods and results We studied 4315 patients aged > or = 50 years undergoing elective major noncardiac procedures in a tertiary-care teaching hospital. The main outcome measures were major cardiac complications. Major cardiac complications occurred in 56 (2%) of 2893 patients assigned to the derivation cohort. Six independent predictors of complications were identified and included in a Revised Cardiac Risk Index: high-risk type of surgery, history of ischemic heart disease, history of congestive heart failure, history of cerebrovascular disease, preoperative treatment with insulin, and preoperative serum creatinine >2.0 mg/dL. Rates of major cardiac complication with 0, 1, 2, or > or = 3 of these factors were 0.5%, 1.3%, 4%, and 9%, respectively, in the derivation cohort and 0.4%, 0.9%, 7%, and 11%, respectively, among 1422 patients in the validation cohort. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis in the validation cohort indicated that the diagnostic performance of the Revised Cardiac Risk Index was superior to other published risk-prediction indexes. Conclusions In stable patients undergoing nonurgent major noncardiac surgery, this index can identify patients at higher risk for complications. This index may be useful for identification of candidates for further risk stratification with noninvasive technologies or other management strategies, as well as low-risk patients in whom additional evaluation is unlikely to be helpful.

The Relationship of Postoperative Delirium With Psychoactive Medications

Abstract: Objective. —To examine the role of medications with known psychoactive properties in the development of postoperative delirium. Design. —Nested case-control study within a prospective cohort study. Setting. —General surgery, orthopedic surgery, and gynecology services at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass. Patients. —Cases (n=91) were patients enrolled in a prospective cohort study who developed delirium during postoperative days 2 through 5. One or two controls (n=154) were matched to each case by the calculated preoperative risk for delirium using a predictive model developed and validated in the prospective cohort study. Main Outcome Measures. —Medication exposures were ascertained from the medical record by a reviewer blinded to the study hypothesis. Exposures to narcotics, benzodiazepines, and anticholinergics were recorded for the 24-hour period before delirium developed in the 91 cases and for the same 24-hour postoperative period for the 154 matched controls. Results. —Delirium was significantly associated with postoperative exposure to meperidine (odds ratio [OR], 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 to 5.5) and to benzodiazepines (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.3 to 6.8). Meperidine had similar associations with delirium whether administered via epidural or patient-controlled routes, although only the epidural route reached significance (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3 to 4.4; OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 0.4 to 10.7, respectively). For benzodiazepines, long-acting agents had a trend toward stronger association with delirium than did short-acting agents (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.0 to 29.2; vs 2.6; 1.1 to 6.5), and high-dose exposures had a trend toward slightly stronger association than low-dose exposures (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.0 to 11.0; vs 2.6; 0.8 to 9.1). Neither narcotics (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.5 to 4.3) nor anticholinergic drugs (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.6 to 3.4) were significantly associated with delirium as a class, although statistical power was limited because of the high use of narcotics and the low use of anticholinergics in the study population. Conclusions. —Clinicians caring for patients at risk for delirium should carefully evaluate the need for meperidine and benzodiazepines in the postoperative period and consider alternative therapies whenever possible. (JAMA. 1994;272:1518-1522)

Patient quality of life during the 12 months following joint replacement surgery.

Abstract: Objective To determine whether preoperative characteristics influence quality of life outcomes 1, 6, and 12 months after joint replacement surgery. Methods Patients (n = 222) with osteoarthritis undergoing primary joint replacement surgery at a university hospital between November 1990 and March 1993 were prospectively studied. Bodily pain and physical function were assessed preoperatively and at the 3 postoperative time points using the Medical Outcomes Study 36 Item Short Form Health Survey. Results Bodily pain and physical function improved after joint replacement. At 1 month after surgery, despite improvements in bodily pain, physical function deteriorated. Preoperative bodily pain and physical function, demographic characteristics, and social support were significant correlates of improvement in bodily pain and physical function. Conclusions Patients experienced dramatic improvements in bodily pain and physical function after joint replacement. However, decline in physical function at 1 month implies significant need for prolonged informal or formal patient assistance with basic physical function after surgery. Greater preoperative social support was associated with improved bodily pain and physical function outcomes.

Supraventricular arrhythmia in patients having noncardiac surgery: clinical correlates and effect on length of stay.

Abstract: Background: Few recent data are available on risk factors for perioperative supraventricular arrhythmia (SVA) after noncardiac surgery or on the effect of SVA on clinical outcomes. Objective: To de...

Guidelines on the management of valvular heart disease The Task Force on the Management of Valvular Heart Disease of the European Society of Cardiology

Abstract: Guidelines and Expert Consensus Documents aim to present management recommendations based on all of the relevant evidence on a particular subject in order to help physicians select the best possible management strategies for the individual patient suffering from a specific condition, taking into account the impact on outcome and also the risk–benefit ratio of a particular diagnostic or therapeutic procedure. Numerous studies have demonstrated that patient outcomes improve when guideline recommendations, based on the rigorous assessment of evidence-based research, are applied in clinical practice. A great number of Guidelines and Expert Consensus Documents have been issued in recent years by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and also by other organizations or related societies. The profusion of documents can put at stake the authority and credibility of guidelines, particularly if discrepancies appear between different documents on the same issue, as this can lead to confusion in the minds of physicians. In order to avoid these pitfalls, the ESC and other organizations have issued recommendations for formulating and issuing Guidelines and Expert Consensus Documents. The ESC recommendations for guidelines production can be found on the ESC website.1 It is beyond the scope of this preamble to recall all but the basic rules. In brief, the ESC appoints experts in the field to carry out a comprehensive review of the literature, with a view to making a critical evaluation of the use of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and assessing the risk–benefit ratio of the therapies recommended for management and/or prevention of a given condition. Estimates of expected health outcomes are included, where data exist. The strength of evidence for or against particular procedures or treatments is weighed according to predefined scales for grading recommendations and levels of evidence, as outlined in what follows. The Task Force members of the writing panels, …

2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk

Abstract: Preamble and Transition to ACC/AHA Guidelines to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk S50 The goals of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) are to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVD); improve the management of people who have these diseases through professional education and research; and develop guidelines, standards, and policies that promote optimal patient care and cardiovascular health. Toward these objectives, the ACC and AHA have collaborated with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and stakeholder and professional organizations to develop …

Delirium as a predictor of mortality in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit

Abstract: ContextIn the intensive care unit (ICU), delirium is a common yet underdiagnosed form of organ dysfunction, and its contribution to patient outcomes is unclear.ObjectiveTo determine if delirium is an independent predictor of clinical outcomes, including 6-month mortality and length of stay among ICU patients receiving mechanical ventilation.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsProspective cohort study enrolling 275 consecutive mechanically ventilated patients admitted to adult medical and coronary ICUs of a US university-based medical center between February 2000 and May 2001. Patients were followed up for development of delirium over 2158 ICU days using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU and the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale.Main Outcome MeasuresPrimary outcomes included 6-month mortality, overall hospital length of stay, and length of stay in the post-ICU period. Secondary outcomes were ventilator-free days and cognitive impairment at hospital discharge.ResultsOf 275 patients, 51 (18.5%) had persistent coma and died in the hospital. Among the remaining 224 patients, 183 (81.7%) developed delirium at some point during the ICU stay. Baseline demographics including age, comorbidity scores, dementia scores, activities of daily living, severity of illness, and admission diagnoses were similar between those with and without delirium (P>.05 for all). Patients who developed delirium had higher 6-month mortality rates (34% vs 15%, P = .03) and spent 10 days longer in the hospital than those who never developed delirium (P<.001). After adjusting for covariates (including age, severity of illness, comorbid conditions, coma, and use of sedatives or analgesic medications), delirium was independently associated with higher 6-month mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-7.7; P = .008), and longer hospital stay (adjusted HR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4-3.0; P<.001). Delirium in the ICU was also independently associated with a longer post-ICU stay (adjusted HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-2.3; P = .009), fewer median days alive and without mechanical ventilation (19 [interquartile range, 4-23] vs 24 [19-26]; adjusted P = .03), and a higher incidence of cognitive impairment at hospital discharge (adjusted HR, 9.1; 95% CI, 2.3-35.3; P = .002).ConclusionDelirium was an independent predictor of higher 6-month mortality and longer hospital stay even after adjusting for relevant covariates including coma, sedatives, and analgesics in patients receiving mechanical ventilation.