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Blog - Heoro.com new additions: September 2017

Published: 05-09-2017

This blog summarises the most relevant new papers for Health Economics and Outcomes Research that were added to the heoro.com database during September 2017. We are updating this blog regularly throughout the month.

Patient- reported outcome studies

  • EORTC breast cancer module, BREAST-Q, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores were the same in patients treated with or without radiotherapy after skin-sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction. Cooke 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • An RCT found that EMLA cream and two-point acupressure were similarly effective at reducing pain during venepuncture compared with controls in children aged 6-12 years in Iran. Pour 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Perioperative psychological support was able to reduce the impairment in quality if life and sleep, measured on the EORTC QLQ-C30 and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, in patients undergoing oesophagectomy for cancer in Italy compared with controls and sleep adjuvant measures. Scarpa 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Quality of life measured on the WHOQOL BREF questionnaire was worse in Palestinian refugees living in camps than those living outside camps in Jordan. Alduraidi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review found that dental caries and tooth loss impaired quality of life, but the impact of periodontal disease was less clear. Haag 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Patient satisfaction at 2 years, measured with the FACE-Q scale, was high in young Asians in China who received bilateral blepharoplasty with minor incisions. Chen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • An RCT found that both body awareness therapy and aerobic exercise could improve pain scores on VAS, Pain Disability Index and Headache Impact Test compared with controls in patients with chronic tension-type headache. Sertel 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • 20% of adults with lymphatic filariasis in Nigeria had depression, measured as a PHQ-9 score of 5 or above, 26% severe. Obindo 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The CIVIQ-20 tool was modified to a 14-item version and validated in Croatian patients with chronic venous disorders. Sinozic 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Male-to-female sex reassignment surgery improved Patient Health Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Questions on Life Satisfaction and Freiburg Personality Inventory scores compared with baseline in adults in Greece, Germany and the US. Papadopulos 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The Baltodano Breast Reduction Score was developed to identify women at higher risk of morbidity after breast reduction surgery in the US. Baltodano 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Quality of life, measured on the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D instruments, was not significantly changed by either nivolumab monotherapy or in combination with ipilimumab in patients with melanoma. Schadendorf 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Patients with metastatic breast cancer preferred subcutaneous to intravenous trastuzumab, despite a higher risk of adverse events with the subcutaneous route. Pivot 2017 Go to paper on PubMed 
  • A systematic review found just 3 PRO instruments that had been used to assess upper airway dyspnoea, none of which had been fully validated. Noud 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • An RCT found similar deteriorations in EQ-5D and FACT Hepatobiliary Symptom Index (FHSI) scores with ramucirumab and placebo when used as second-line therapy in people with hepatocellular carcinoma. Chau 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Although there was excellent correlation, there were different values in Chinese patients with psoriasis completing EQ-5D-5L questionnaires using UK, Chinese and Japanese tariffs. Zhao 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review found that dog-assisted interventions may have some benefit in cognition disorders and may improve mood and stress in people with mental health disorders, but had no significant effect in multiple studies. Lundqvist 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review found no consistent approach to statistical analysis of quality of life data in cancer trials, especially relating to missing data and adjustment for repeated measurements. Hamel 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Virtual home visits to patients with Parkinson's disease were as effective as face-to-face consultations for caregiver burden and PDQ-39 scores, but saved a median of 88 minutes of travel time. Beck 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Quality of life, measured with the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) was lower in patients of Asian ethnicity than White or Black in an international study; mortality was lower in the quintile with highest KCCQ scores versus lowest, HR 0.45. Luo 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review concluded that it is unknown whether computer-based stress management is more or less effective than face-to-face interventions to prevent and reduce stress in workers. Kuster 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Psychometric modelling approaches were used to improve the accuracy of self-reporting of data for the Food Frequency Questionnaire in US soldiers. Kazman 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The Quality of LIfe in Patients with Anal Fistula Questionnaire was developed and validated against the SF-12 in Spanish adults with anal fistula. Ferrer-Marquez 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Quality of life, measured on the EORTC-QLQ-CR38 and QLQ-C30, and on defecation, sexual function and urinary dysfunction instruments, was better with a watch-and-wait approach than rectal resection in patients with disease control at least 2 years after chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer in the Netherlands. Hupkens 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • An RCT found no differences in SF-12 and PHQ-9 values or in medication adherence in patients with hypertension treated as usual or with intensive blood pressure control. Berlowitz 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review concluded that the #SF-36 and Varicose Veins Symptoms Questionnaire (VVSymQ) were valid for use in patients with varicose veins; the Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ) was valid but had low acceptability. Aber 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • 35% of Brazilian adults aged 80 and older had mild visual impairment, 33% moderate, 5% severe and 13% were blind; worse SF-36 and VFQ-25 scores were found in those with more severe visual impairment. Cypel 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review found that the impact of Welfare-to-Work interventions on parental and child mental and physical health was small, possibly because poverty remained an issue. Gibson 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review concluded that gabapentinoids have little benefit on pain reduction compared with placebo and are less effective than other analgesics in low back pain, but increase adverse events. Shanthanna 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • An RCT found that oral magnesium chloride for 6 weeks reduced depression scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-9 and also improved anxiety on the General Anxiety Disorders-7 scale compared with no treatment in the US. Tarleton 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Nivolumab delayed the deterioration in quality of life measured on the EQ-5D, EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 tools compared with other chemotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer. Harrington 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Costs and resource use studies

  • In obese adults with atrial fibrillation in the US, having bariatric surgery increased the risks of ED visits and hospitalisations related to AF for up to 2 years. Shimada 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The mean length of stay in US patients admitted for heart failure in 2013-14 was 5.3 days, the median cost of hospitalisation was $7,248, and 3% died overall, but there were substantial regional variations, with worse outcomes in the North East and rural locations. Akintoye 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A meta-analysis of 5 RCTs and 12 cohort studies concluded that one-year costs and quality of life were similar with carotid artery stenting and carotid endarterectomy. de Vries 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A Canadian study concluded that the cost of coronary artery bypass or heart valve surgery in elderly patients was a mean $21,245 greater in patients who were frail than in the non-frail. Goldfarb 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Discharge home on the day of loop ileostomy closure reduced the mean length of stay compared with usual care but did not significantly increase readmission rates or complications in patients after colorectal surgery in the US. Berger 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • In Chinese men with a PSA score of 2 or over, using a Prostate Health Index score of 35 or less as a cut-off would prevent 39% of prostate biopsies, but would miss 7.9% of cancers, and 3.7% of high-grade cancers. Na 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Device costs are higher with a transcutaneous cochlear bone-anchored hearing aid than with a percutaneous device, but costs of complications are lower in the UK. Godbehere 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • An RCT found that total costs were higher with appendicectomy than antibiotic therapy in uncomplicated acute appendicitis in Finland, driven mainly by higher productivity losses after appendicectomy. Sippola 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Internal fixation of hand fractures can be conducted more rapidly and cheaply in outpatients than in the operating theatre in Canada, providing that the equipment is available. Gillis 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The mean cost of coronary artery stenting in the US was $12,834, with costs driven mainly by ICU admission rates, obesity and having symptomatic carotid stenosis. Rinaldo 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review found that quality improvement interventions could reduce readmissions by 12% in patients  with heart failure and 6% in patients with other diseases, saving a mean $972 per patient with heart failure but costing an additional $169 in general populations. Nuckols 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • On average, 47% of elderly patients aged 66 years and older with colon cancer had laparoscopic surgery in the US between 2008-2011, with considerable regional variation in laparoscopy rates. Ratnapradipa 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • 38% of patients with an isolated abdominal stab wound were successfully treated with a non-operative approach between 2012-15 in South Africa. Dayananda 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Median costs of ICU stay were $9,619 and mean costs were $16,353 in the US in 2012-2016; patients who died during the admission incurred 12% higher costs than those who survived. Kramer 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Specialists prescribed more branded tetracyclines and retinoids at a higher cost than family physicians treating elderly patients in the US with acne or rosacea in 2008 to 2010. Zhang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • 21% of patients with diastolic heart failure were readmitted within 30 days in the US in 2013-14; comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes increased the risk of readmission, but obesity lowered the risk. Arora 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review concluded that there is still underuse of advanced nursing and midwifery practitioners, despite their being able to increase access to services and reduce costs. Casey 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A clinical pharmacist intervention on nephrology wards in Taiwan can reduce the length of stay by 2 days, prevent adverse drug events, and save over NT$7million, with a benefit:risk ratio of 9.36. Chen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • An RCT found no benefit from an electronic reminder, financial incentives and social support intervention compared with usual care on adherence to secondary prevention medication after a myocardial infarction, readmission rates, healthcare costs and mortality in the US. Volpp 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • 11% of patients in the US who had surgery on the thyroid or parathyroid gland were readmitted within 90 days in the US, 27% to a different hospital. Collier 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Women with acute myocardial infarction in the US are significantly less likely than men to undergo a procedure during the index admission, and have a significantly higher readmission rate within 30 days, with odds ratios of 1.13 to 1.21. O'Brien 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Estimated costs of hospitalisation of children with severe bacterial pneumonia in Brazil vary depending on the method used to assess them, from $Int 654.28 based on reimbursement data, to $Int 706.90 based on therapeutic guidelines, to $Int 858.7 based on a review of medical records. Nunes 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The costs of colectomy, coronary artery bypass graft, total knee arthroplasty, cesarian section and lung resection vary between 5.5-fold and 28-fold across US hospitals; more expensive hospitals are those with greater Medicaid and minority patients and have higher mortality. Wakeam 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Patients being operated on for benign colorectal diseases in teh US had lower complication rates and shorter lengths of stay in urban comapred with rural hospitals, and in hospitals with specialist colorectal surgical staff than those with no specialist care. Pandit 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Productivity losses from blindness and moderate to severe visual impairment  in the European Union population aged over 50 years have been estimated to be EUR 25.83 to 56.52 billion per year. Chakravarthy 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • 68% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the US had mediastinal lymph node staging as part of their resection in 2013, an increase from 52% in 2004. Faris 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • 25.6% of patients with Parkinson's disease in the US had been hospitalised in the past; the risk is more common in those with more comorbidities, higher caregiver strain, deep brain stimulation and with prior hospitalisations. Shahgholi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Only 57.9% of patients with NSTEMI in the US received early invasive management; patients with higher risks on the GRACE score or those with worse angina before the attack were least likely to receive early invasive treatment. Qintar 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • One-year costs of home-dwelling adults aged 70 years and older in Norway after a hip fracture were EUR 68,376, more than 50% of which were care costs. Hektoen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Removal of plaster casts for fractures results in saw injuries in 4.3% of cases; education with a simulator for orthopedic residents was cost-effective in the US. Bae 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Economic evaluations

  • Vector control strategies are likely to remain cost-effective even after introduction of a dengue vaccine in Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines and Thailand. Fitzpatrick 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The cost-effectiveness of ticagrelor after myocardial infarction in the US was $94,917/QALY gained overall, but lower in a number of high-risk subgroups. Magnuson 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Screening mammography was found to be cost-effective in Poland, with a mean cost of US$5,243 per cancer detected. Szynglarewicz 2017  Go to paper on PubMed
  • The use of the EpiPen epinephrine autoinjector for anaphylaxis caused by peanut allergy costs an extra $12,576 per attack compared with epinephrine USP auto-injector in the US, with similar efficacy. Shaker 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Vaccinating 40% of boys and 60% of girls against human papillomavirus is cost-effective in the Netherlands, with an ICER of EUR 9134 per life-year gained, and increases life-years gained by the same amount as increasing vaccine coverage in girls from the current 60% to 80% but not vaccinating boys. Qendri 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Family-based behavioural therapy is cost-effective compared with an attention control in reducing the percentage of children and parents who are over the target BMI in the US, with ICERs of $116.1 per 1% decrease in children over BMI and $83.5 per 1% decrease in parents who are over BMI. Quattrin 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Patellofemoral arthroplasty is cost-effective in adults aged 50-60 years in the US with isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis compared with total knee arthroplasty, with an ICER of $3097/QALY gained. Chawla 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A multimodal screening approach for ovarian cancer, using a CA125 risk algorithm then transvaginal ultrasound, could be cost-effective, with an ICER of £30,033 per life-year gained over a lifetime, or £46,922/QALY, and £91,452/LYG in the base case analysis. Menon 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Intensive control of blood pressure is likely to be cost-effective in the US compared with standard care, with an ICER of $47,000/QALY gained, and a 51 to 79% likelihood of being under the willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000/QALY. Bress 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Intraoperative nerve monitoring is cost-effective in avoiding recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy, with an ICER of $46,428/QALY. Al-Qurayshi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A systematic review found that implant-supported overdentures were cost-effective in edentulous adults compared with standard dentures or fixed implant-supported prostheses. Zhang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypass surgery is cost-effective compared with open surgery in Norway, with 0.07 higher QALYs and lower costs. Krog 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The Healthy Activity Programme, a brief behavioural therapy intervention, improved depression measured on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Beck Depression Inventory, and was cost-effective compared with usual care in primary care attendees with depression in India, with a 95% chance of being cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of Int$16,060. Weobong 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A brief counselling intervention delivered by lay counsellors was cost-effective for men with alcohol problems in India, reducing consumption and productivity losses compared with usual care. Nadkami 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Oral fentanyl reduces costs and increases QALYs in patients with breakthrough cancer pain compared with other oral analgesics in Italy. Cortesi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Laparoscopy is cost-effective before cytoreductive surgery in women with ovarian cancer in the Netherlands, reducing the number of futile laparotomies from 39% to 10% with no difference in costs or quality of life. van de Vrie 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Mortality studies

  • A model predicts mortality in people with stable coronary disease in Sweden, based on age, biomarkers, clinical variables (smoking, diabetes and peripheral arterial disease). Lindholm 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Mortality in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation in Germany was 21.0% to 39.5% at 1 year, depending on soluble ST2 levels. Stundl 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • 52% of patients aged 40 years and older with peripheral arterial disease in the US had died after a median of 7.8 years; the risk was higher in smokers and those with diabetes and lower in those who did 10 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous exercise each month. Amrock 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Mortality rates were 2 to 7-fold higher in patients with left bundle branck block and heart failure who failed to respond to cardiac resynchronisation therapy than responders. Vidula 2017 Go to paper on PubMed 
  • Frailty, measured on the Edmonton Frail Scale, increased the risk of mortality in elderly adults with acute coronary syndrome in France, with all-cause mortality of 17.7% in non-frail (EFS 0-3), 35.3% in those with EFS 4-6 and 61.2% in those with EFS 7 and over. Blanco 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • There was regional variation in survival from out-of-hospital VF cardiac arrest across the US between 2002 and 2013, but no significant variation in non-VF out-of-hospital arrests; costs increased over time. Albaeni 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • One-month survival was lower in men and in older patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrests of presumed cardiac origin in Japan. Hagihara 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The GRACE risk score consistently overestimates mortality in Chinese adults with acute coronary syndrome, by 97.5% in men and 77.2% in women; the new Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes score (CPACS) is more accurate. Peng 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Lauren subtypes of advanced gastric cancer affect mortality in Spain, with an increase in survival after docetaxel only seen in intestinal types, not diffuse types. Jiminez Fonseca 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Fecal incontinence is an independent predictor of mortality in older adults with complex needs in New Zealand. Jamieson 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Five-year survival with idiopathic restrictive cardiomyopathy in Korea was 64.4% between 1990 and 2010; 9.4% of patients received a heart transplant. Hong 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Having comorbid diabetes increased the risk of death in US patients with atrial fibrillation, with adjusted HR of 1.63 compared with no diabetes; quality of life was lower and risk of hospitalisations higher. Echouffo-Tcheugui 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • A study following up women who had received hormone replacement therapy with conjugated equine estrogens +/- medroxyprogesterone for 5 to 7 years found no significant increase in all-cause, cardiovascular or cancer mortality compared with placebo after 18 years. Manson 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Five-year mortality is higher in patients with acute myocardial infarction who had baseline NT-pro-BNP levels above the median compared with those below the median, but early tirofiban reduces the risk. Fabris 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • One-year mortality after hip fracture in patietns aged over 60 years in Germany was 33%, and 54% survived to live outside an institution; factors including the EQ-5D and Mini Mental State Examination scores can predict non-institutional survival. Buecking 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Ten-year mortality in Taiwanese adults aged 65 years and older was 2 to 3-fold higher in those on dialysis than not on dialysis. Hung 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • 30-day mortality for Klebsiella bloodstream infections in China was 25%; risks were higher in patients with thrombocytopenia, intra-abdominal infection and pancreaticobiliary tract infection. Li 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Postoperative mortality and resource use were similar in men and women aged 70 years and older undergoing coronary artery bypass grafts in Turkey. Yuksel 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • The SOAR (stroke subtype, Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project classification, age, and prestrike modified Rankin) and modified SOAR scores accurately predict 3 month mortality in Chinese adults with acute stroke. Wang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
  • Preadmission use of calcium channel blockers is associated with a reduced 30 and 90 day mortality in patients admitted with sepsis in Taiwan; preadmission beta blockers had no effect on mortality. Lee 2017 Go to paper on PubMed