Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19 is spreading rapidly all over the world, the patients' symptoms can be easily confused with other pneumonia types. Therefore, it is valuable to seek a laboratory differential diagnostic protocol of COVID-19 and other pneumonia types on admission, and to compare the dynamic changes in laboratory indicators during follow-up.MethodsA total of 143 COVID-19, 143 bacterial pneumonia and 145 conventional viral pneumonia patients were included. The model group consisted of 140 COVID-19, 80 bacterial pneumonia and 60 conventional viral pneumonia patients, who were age and sex matched. We established a differential diagnostic model based on the laboratory results of the model group on admission via a nomogram, which was validated in an external validation group. We also compared the 400-day dynamic changes of the laboratory indicators among groups.ResultsLASSO regression and multivariate logistic regression showed that eosinophils (Eos), total protein (TP), prealbumin (PA), potassium (K), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) could differentiate COVID-19 from other pneumonia types. The C-index of the nomogram model was 0.922. Applying the nomogram to the external validation group showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.902. The 400-day change trends of the laboratory indexes varied among subgroups divided by sex, age, oxygenation index (OI), and pathogen.ConclusionThe laboratory model was highly accurate at providing a new method to identify COVID-19 in pneumonia patients. The 400-day dynamic changes in laboratory indicators revealed that the recovery time of COVID-19 patients was not longer than that of other pneumonia types.
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented surge in hospitalised patients with viral pneumonia. The most severely affected patients are older men, individuals of black and Asian minority ethnicity and those with comorbidities. COVID-19 is also associated with an increased risk of hypercoagulability and venous thromboembolism. The overwhelming majority of patients admitted to hospital have respiratory failure and while most are managed on general wards, a sizeable proportion require intensive care support. The long-term complications of COVID-19 pneumonia are starting to emerge but data from previous coronavirus outbreaks such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) suggest that some patients will experience long-term respiratory complications of the infection. With the pattern of thoracic imaging abnormalities and growing clinical experience, it is envisaged that interstitial lung disease and pulmonary vascular disease are likely to be the most important respiratory complications. There is a need for a unified pathway for the respiratory follow-up of patients with COVID-19 balancing the delivery of high-quality clinical care with stretched National Health Service (NHS) resources. In this guidance document, we provide a suggested structure for the respiratory follow-up of patients with clinicoradiological confirmation of COVID-19 pneumonia. We define two separate algorithms integrating disease severity, likelihood of long-term respiratory complications and functional capacity on discharge. To mitigate NHS pressures, virtual solutions have been embedded within the pathway as has safety netting of patients whose clinical trajectory deviates from the pathway. For all patients, we suggest a holistic package of care to address breathlessness, anxiety, oxygen requirement, palliative care and rehabilitation.
Project description:BackgroundActive surveillance (AS) is the preferred option for initial management for low-risk prostate cancer (PC). Although many AS protocols exist, there is little evidence to support one over another.ObjectiveTo assess whether there is difference in overall (OS), prostate cancer-specific (CSS), metastasis-free (MFS), or treatment-free (TFS) survival between a strict (Prostate cancer Research International: Active Surveillance [PRIAS]) and a loose (European Randomized study of Screening for Prostate Cancer [ERSPC]) AS protocol.Design setting and participantsThis study included two cohorts of men (n = 518) with low-risk, localized, Gleason score ≤7 PC. The ERSPC cohort included 241 men followed for 9.5 yr (median) with a non-protocol-based follow-up. The PRIAS cohort included 277 men followed for 5 yr (median) with a strict protocol.Outcome measurements and statistical analysisOS, CSS, MFS, and TFS were compared by the Kaplan-Meier method, competing risk analysis, and Cox proportional hazard regression.Results and limitationsAs expected, due to the difference in median follow-up time between the cohorts, a difference in the absolute number of events was seen. However, no difference in any of the survival outcomes was evident in the Kaplan-Meier or competing risks analysis. Furthermore, in Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, cohort (ERSPC vs PRIAS) was not associated with any of the outcomes. Results are limited by the retrospective study design, limited statistical power, and inability to match the cohorts for predictive factors.ConclusionsThere was no difference in survival outcomes between a non-protocol-based follow-up and a protocol-based contemporary AS follow-up of patients with low-risk PC. However, a longer follow-up is needed.Patient summaryWe compared survival outcomes of two cohorts of patients with low-risk prostate cancer: a strict and a loose follow-up protocol. We found no differences in survival measures between the cohorts.
Project description:While lung ultrasonography (LUS) proved to be a useful diagnostic and prognostic tool in acute phase of COVID 19 pneumonia, its role in detecting long-term pulmonary sequelae has yet to be explored. In our prospective observational study we assessed the potential of LUS in detecting the presence of computed tomography (CT) fibrotic-like changes after 6 months from COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients who were discharged with a diagnosis of severe COVID-19 pneumonia were enrolled. After 6 months from hospital discharge they underwent LUS, chest CT scan and pulmonary function tests. A logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between presence of symptoms, LUS score and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at 6-month after hospital discharge and CT scan fibrotic-like changes. A second logistic model was performed to assess the value of some predefined baseline factors (age, sex, worst PaO2/FiO2, ventilator support, worst CRP value, worst D-dimer value and worst LUS score during hospitalization) to predict fibrotic-like changes on 6-month CT scan. Seventy-four patients were enrolled in the study. Twenty-four (32%) showed lung abnormalities suitable for fibrotic-like changes. At multivariate logistic regression analysis LUS score after 6 months from acute disease was significantly associated with fibrotic-like pattern on CT scan. The second logistic model showed that D-dimer value was the only baseline predictive variable of fibrotic-like changes at multivariate analysis. LUS performed after 6 months from severe COVID-19 pneumonia may be a promising tool for detection and follow-up of pulmonary fibrotic sequelae.
Project description:In patients hospitalized for corona virus infectious disease 19 (COVID-19) it is currently unknown whether myocardial function changes after recovery and whether this is related to elevated cardiac biomarkers. In this single center, prospective cohort study we consecutively enrolled hospitalized COVID-19 patients between 1 April and 12 May 2020. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) evaluation during hospitalization and at a median of 131 days (IQR; 116-136) follow-up. Of the 51 patients included at baseline, 40 (age: 62 years (IQR; 54-68), 78% male) were available for follow-up TTE. At baseline, 68% of the patients had a normal TTE, regarding left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) volumes and function, compared to 83% at follow-up (p = 0.07). Median LV ejection fraction (60% vs. 58%, p = 0.54) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (23 vs 22 mm, p = 0.18) were comparable between hospitalization and follow-up, but a significantly lower RV diameter (39 vs. 34 mm, p = 0.002) and trend towards better global longitudinal strain (GLS) (- 18.5% vs - 19.1%, p = 0.07) was found at follow-up. Subgroup analysis showed no relation between patients with and without elevated TroponinT and/or NT-proBNP during hospitalization and myocardial function at follow-up. Although there were no significant differences in individual myocardial function parameters at 4 months follow-up compared to hospitalisation for COVID-19, there was an overall trend towards normalization in myocardial function, predominantly due to a higher rate of normal GLS at follow-up.
Project description:BackgroundThe pattern of myocardial injury and dysfunction development during follow-up is unclear in patients with myocarditis. This study aims to explore the developmental pattern of myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction during the follow-up of myocarditis by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and differences in short-term follow-up CMR performance between patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated myocarditis (CAM) and non-COVID-19-associated myocarditis (NCAM).MethodsData of patients with clinically diagnosed myocarditis who underwent follow-up CMR were retrospectively collected. Patients were divided into the NCAM follow-up and CAM follow-up groups. A portion of patients with normal CMR and volunteers was categorized as control. Qualitative and quantitative assessments of CMR images were used to analyze cardiac structure, function and myocardial damage; compare the differences between the groups; and reveal the developmental pattern in the consecutive follow-up for patients with myocarditis.ResultsThis study included 75 patients with NCAM, 25 patients with CAM and 75 cases as control group. Compared with the control group, there was an increase in left ventricular volume, right ventricular volume, extracellular volume in the NCAM follow-up (the last time) group, left ventricular volume, right ventricular ejection fraction, global radial strain (GRS), global circumferential strain, global longitudinal strain (GLS), post-contrast T1 value were decreased. The area under the curve of the GLS was the best (0.836) in discriminating between the two groups, with 78.7% sensitivity and 84.0% specificity. The discriminatory efficacy of the combined right ventricular ejection fraction, GRS, and GLS multiparameter showed the best area under the curve at 0.847, with 80.0% sensitivity and 85.3% specificity. Between the CMR parameter of short- (3 months), medium-, and long-term follow-up (>6 months) for patients with NCAM, a decrease in native T1 (1,256.50±18.63 vs. 1,248.30±17.87 ms, P=0.007) and T2 (49.00±1.34 vs. 47.50±0.97 ms, P=0.015) values was noted in the short-term follow-up group. The short-term follow-up group showed increased ventricular volume, decreased ejection fraction, and impaired myocardial strain in CAM and NCAM compared with the control group. The CAM short-term follow-up group showed an increased T2 value (52.56±3.64 vs. 49.08±3.84 ms, P=0.008) compared with the NCAM short-term follow-up group, and the T2 value was identified with an area under the curve of 0.772, 76% sensitivity, and 83% specificity for the discrimination.ConclusionsThis study revealed that myocarditis led to myocardial damage, cardiac remodeling, and dysfunction during follow-up. An improvement in myocardial edema in the medium- and long-term follow-up groups was observed. In the short-term follow-up, CAM showed more severe myocardial edema. These findings may contribute to the clinical assessment and management of post-myocarditis status.
Project description:Background and purposeCognitive dysfunction has been observed following recovery from COVID-19. To the best of our knowledge, however, no study has assessed the progression of cognitive impairment after 1 year. The aim was to assess cognitive functioning at 1 year from hospital discharge, and eventual associations with specific clinical variables.MethodsSeventy-six patients (aged 22-74 years) who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 were recruited. Patients received neuropsychological assessments at 5 (n = 76) and 12 months (n = 53) from hospital discharge.ResultsOver half (63.2%) of the patients had deficits in at least one test at 5 months. Compared to the assessment at 5 months, verbal memory, attention and processing speed improved significantly after 1 year (all p < 0.05), whereas visuospatial memory did not (all p > 0.500). The most affected domains after 1 year were processing speed (28.3%) and long-term visuospatial (18.1%) and verbal (15.1%) memory. Lower PaO2 /FiO2 ratios in the acute phase were associated with worse verbal long-term memory (p = 0.029) and visuospatial learning (p = 0.041) at 5 months. Worse visuospatial long-term memory at 5 months was associated with hyposmia (p = 0.020) and dysgeusia (p = 0.037).ConclusionOur study expands the results from previous studies showing that cognitive impairment can still be observed after 1 year. Patients with severe COVID-19 should receive periodic cognitive follow-up evaluations, as cognitive deficits in recovered patients could have social and occupational implications.