• Chest radiograph up to 3 months after initial diagnosis of heart failure.
• Carotid imaging up to 2 weeks after initial diagnosis for patients hospitalized with carotid artery stroke.
• Carotid endarterectomy up to 2 months after carotid imaging for cerebrovascular accident patients with eventual carotid endarterectomy.
• Carotid endarterectomy up to 2 months after carotid imaging for TIA patients with eventual carotid endarterectomy.
• Cholecystectomy for patients with cholelithiasis plus cholecystitis, cholangitis, or gallstone pancreatitis.
• Arthroplasty or internal fixation of hip during hospital stay for hip fracture.
Among the study’s strengths, Dr. Snyder said that it examined the initial transition from acute cancer treatment to survivorship, an important time to ensure that survivors do not get lost in transition.
Discussant Lynne I. Wagner, Ph.D., of Northwestern University in Chicago said that this represented a novel contribution to the evidence base in survivorship care. "The comorbidity issues are extremely important. This is probably the tip of the iceberg in terms of what’s going on," she said.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute. Neither Dr. Snyder nor Dr. Wagner disclosed relevant relationships.