Purpose To compare optic disc perfusion between normal and glaucoma subjects using optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography and detect optic disc perfusion changes in glaucoma. Design Observational, cross-sectional study. Participants Twenty-four normal subjects and 11 glaucoma patients were included. Methods One eye of each subject was scanned by a high-speed 1050 nm wavelength swept-source OCT instrument. The split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography algorithm (SSADA) was used to compute three-dimensional optic disc angiography. A disc flow index was computed from four registered scans. Confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO) was used to measure disc rim area, and stereo photography was used to evaluate cup/disc ratios. Wide field OCT scans over the discs were used to measure retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) thickness. Main Outcome Measurements Variability was assessed by coefficient of variation (CV). Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by sensitivity and specificity. Comparisons between glaucoma and normal groups were analyzed by Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Correlations between disc flow index, structural assessments, and visual field (VF) parameters were assessed by linear regression. Results In normal discs, a dense microvascular network was visible on OCT angiography. This network was visibly attenuated in glaucoma subjects. The intra-visit repeatability, inter-visit reproducibility, and normal population variability of the optic disc flow index were 1.2%, 4.2%, and 5.0% CV respectively. The disc flow index was reduced by 25% in the glaucoma group (p = 0.003). Sensitivity and specificity were both 100% using an optimized cutoff. The flow index was highly correlated with VF pattern standard deviation (R2 = 0.752, p = 0.001). These correlations were significant even after accounting for age, cup/disc area ratio, NFL, and rim area. Conclusions OCT angiography, generated by the new SSADA algorithm, repeatably measures optic disc perfusion. OCT angiography could be useful in the evaluation of glaucoma and glaucoma progression.

New York City has emerged as the global epicenter for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The city's public health system, New York City Health + Hospitals, has been key to the city's response because its vulnerable patient population is disproportionately affected by the disease. As the number of cases rose in the city, NYC Health + Hospitals carried out plans to greatly expand critical care capacity. Primary intensive care unit (ICU) spaces were identified and upgraded as needed, and new ICU spaces were created in emergency departments, procedural areas, and other inpatient units. Patients were transferred between hospitals to reduce strain. Critical care staffing was supplemented by temporary recruits, volunteers, and Department of Defense medical personnel. Supplies needed to deliver critical care were monitored closely and replenished to prevent interruptions. An emergency department action team was formed to ensure that the experience of front-line providers was informing network-level decisions. The steps taken by NYC Health + Hospitals greatly expanded its capacity to provide critical care during an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases in NYC. These steps, along with lessons learned, could inform preparations for other health systems during a primary or secondary surge of cases.

We used optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography with a high-speed swept-source OCT system to investigate retinal blood flow changes induced by visual stimulation with a reversing checkerboard pattern. The split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography (SSADA) algorithm was used to quantify blood flow as measured with parafoveal flow index (PFI), which is proportional to the density of blood vessels and the velocity of blood flow in the parafoveal region of the macula. PFI measurements were taken in 15 second intervals during a 4 minute period consisting of 1 minute of baseline, 2 minutes with an 8 Hz reversing checkerboard pattern stimulation, and 1 minute without stimulation. PFI measurements increased 6.1±4.7% (p = .001) during the first minute of stimulation, with the most significant increase in PFI occurring 30 seconds into stimulation (p<0.001). These results suggest that pattern stimulation induces a change to retinal blood flow that can be reliably measured with OCT angiography.

New York City (NYC) was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US in March 2020. A dense city of only 302 square miles, it has had 33 359 deaths and 109 192 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 as of June 15, 2021. 1 In guiding NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal hospital system in the US, through the pandemic, we have learned a number of lessons. Although there is much to debate about the national public health response to COVID-19, 2 we focus on the lessons learned through COVID-19 that we believe have applicability for improving hospital care in the future. The growth of telehealth has been covered elsewhere. 3,4 We present 9 other lessons for improving hospital care and health care delivery.

IMPORTANCE Preoperative testing for cataract surgery epitomizes low-value care and still occurs frequently, even at one of the nation's largest safety-net health systems.OBJECTIVE To evaluate a multipronged intervention to reduce low-value preoperative care for patients undergoing cataract surgery and analyze costs from various fiscal perspectives.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to the New York City Health + Hospitals system. In addition to ramping up capacity and adapting operations quickly to handle the patient surge, NYC Health + Hospitals had to find new ways to provide emotional and psychological support for patients, families, and staff. To help families keep in touch, dedicated staff members provided daily updates by telephone and used tablets for virtual visits. An expanded palliative care team held virtual consultations with families to discuss advance care planning and end-of-life decisions. Bereavement hotlines were set up for families who lost loved ones. Enhanced staff support included one-on-one and group sessions with behavioral health specialists, a behavioral health hotline, a webinar series, and respite rooms, as well as complimentary lodging and child care. NYC Health + Hospitals created new rituals to celebrate recoveries and mourn losses. As regular operations resume, NYC Health + Hospitals plans to sustain and build on emotional and psychological support initiatives developed during the surge.

The coronavirus disease 2019 surge in New York City created an increased demand for palliative care (PC) services. In staff-limited settings such as safety net systems, and amid growing reports of health care worker illness, leveraging help from less-affected areas around the country may provide an untapped source of support. A national social media outreach effort recruited 413 telepalliative medicine volunteers (TPMVs). After expedited credentialing and onboarding of 67 TPMVs, a two-week pilot was initiated in partnership with five public health hospitals without any previous existing telehealth structure. The volunteers completed 109 PC consults in the pilot period. Survey feedback from TPMVs and on-site PC providers was largely positive, with areas of improvement identified around electronic health record navigation and continuity of care. This was a successful, proof of concept, and quality improvement initiative leveraging TPMVs from across the nation for a PC pandemic response in a safety net system.

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