Hospitalizations and testing in gastroparesis.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Clinical Medicine
• Patient Outcomes

Background:

• Gastroparesis severely impacts quality of life and frequently leads to hospitalizations.
• Refractory symptoms in gastroparesis contribute to significant healthcare utilization.
• Pain is hypothesized as a primary driver for emergency encounters and diagnostic procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of pain as a predictor of hospitalizations and diagnostic testing in gastroparesis.
• To analyze the relationship between patient characteristics and healthcare utilization in gastroparesis.
• To evaluate the impact of diagnostic testing on treatment and outcomes in gastroparesis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records using ICD-9 code 536.3.
• Multivariate regression analysis to identify predictors of hospital stays and diagnostic test use.
• Inclusion of 326 gastroparesis patients with detailed follow-up data.

Main Results:

• Pain and vomiting were the most frequent reasons for emergency visits and diagnostic testing.
• Patients averaged over one hospitalization annually, with significant use of endoscopies, CT scans, X-rays, and gastric emptying studies.
• While age and comorbidity correlated with hospital days, opioid use and chronic pain disorders did not predict increased hospitalizations.

Conclusions:

• Pain is the primary driver for emergency encounters and frequent diagnostic testing in gastroparesis.
• Repeated diagnostic interventions have limited impact on treatment and outcomes but increase costs and risks.
• Efforts should focus on improving gastroparesis care and quality of life while reducing unnecessary interventions.