CASE SUMMARY: Two special COVID-19 cases-one full-term pregnant woman and one elderly (72-year-old) man-were treated by veno-venous (VV)-ECMO in the Second People's Hospital of Zhongshan, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China. Both patients had developed refractory hypoxemia shortly after hospital admission, despite conventional support, and were therefore managed by VV-ECMO. Although both experienced multiple ECMO-related complications on top of the COVID-19 disease, their conditions improved gradually. Both patients were weaned successfully from the ECMO therapy. At the time of writing of this report, the woman has recovered completely and been discharged from hospital to home; the man remains on mechanical ventilation, due to respiratory muscle weakness and suspected lung fibrosis. As ECMO itself is associated with various complications, it is very important to understand and treat these complications to achieve optimal outcome.
CONCLUSION: VV-ECMO can provide sufficient gas exchange for COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, it is crucial to understand and treat ECMO-related complications.
CONCLUSION: These comprehensive estimated costs of ARI admissions in children
METHODS: Patients with primary breast and colorectal cancer undergoing elective surgery are recruited from two tertiary hospitals. Eligible patients are assigned into one of the three intervention arms: (i) Group SS will receive ONS in addition to their normal diet up to 14 days preoperatively and postoperatively up to discharge; (ii) Group SS-E will receive ONS in addition to their normal diet up to 14 days preoperatively, postoperatively up to discharge and for an extended 90 days after discharge; and (iii) Group DS will receive ONS in addition to their normal diet postoperatively up to discharge from the hospital. The ONS is a standard formula fortified with lactium to aid in sleep for recovery. The primary endpoints include changes in weight, body mass index (BMI), serum albumin and prealbumin levels, while secondary endpoints are body composition (muscle and fat mass), muscle strength (handgrip strength), energy and protein intake, sleep quality, haemoglobin, inflammatory markers (transferrin, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6), stress marker (saliva cortisol), length of hospital stay and postoperative complication rate.
DISCUSSION: This trial is expected to provide evidence on whether perioperative supplementation in breast and colorectal cancer patients presenting with high BMI and not severely malnourished but undergoing the stress of surgery would be beneficial in terms of nutritional and clinical outcomes.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.gov NCT04400552. Registered on 22 May 2020, retrospectively registered.
CASE PRESENTATION: A 23-year-old trauma patient with closed fracture of left femoral shaft and left humerus presented to our emergency department (ED). 11 h after admission to ED, patient became confused, hypoxic and hypotensive. He was then intubated for respiratory failure and mechanically ventilated. Transesophageal ultrasound revealed hyperdynamic heart, dilated right ventricle with no regional wall abnormalities and no major aorta injuries. Whole-body computed tomography was normal. During central venous cannulation of right internal jugular vein (IJV), we found free floating mobile hyperechoic spots, located at the anterior part of the vein. A diagnosis of fat embolism syndrome later was made based on the clinical presentation of long bone fractures and fat globulin in the blood. Despite aggressive fluid resuscitation, patient was a non-responder and needed vasopressor infusion for persistent shock. Blood aspirated during cannulation from the IJV revealed a fat globule. Patient underwent uneventful orthopedic procedures and was discharged well on day 5 of admission.
CONCLUSIONS: Point-of-care ultrasound findings of fat embolism in central vein can facilitate and increase the suspicion of fat embolism syndrome.
OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to explore the occurrence of anxiety, depression and to identify the factors associated with hospital readmission among older patients after AECOPD discharge.
METHODS: A multicentre prospective study was conducted in Malaysia (from 1st September 2012 till 31st September 2013) among older patients (≥60 years) hospitalised for AECOPD. Anxiety and depression were assessed on discharge using previously validated questionnaires, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7 and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), respectively. Patients were followed up for a period of 3 months after discharge.
RESULTS: A total of 81 patients with a median age of 72 years (IQR 66.40-78.00) were recruited. Anxiety was observed in 34.57% while 38.27% had depression. Both anxiety and depression were detected in 25.93% of the patients. A history of frequent AECOPD admissions was found to be associated with developing depressive symptoms, while anxiety scores were associated with severe dyspnoea. Severe depression was more commonly identified among patients aged 60-75 and in those with a history of tuberculosis. A high readmission rate (40.74%) during the 3-month period was noticed. History of frequent AECOPD admissions (OR = 2.87; 95% CI 1.05-7.85, P = 0.040) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) (OR = 4.04; 95% CI 1.1-14.6, P = 0.032) were identified as the factors associated with the risk of hospital readmission.
CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety and depression were found to be relatively common among older patients with AECOPD. IHD and history of frequent COPD hospitalisation were associated with short-term readmission among the elderly.