Lipase elevation on admission predicts worse clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19

Background and objectivesHyperlipasemia is highly prevalent among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of lipase activity, measured at the time of admission, on the clinical course and mortality in COVID-19 patients.MethodsThe population of this study comprised 12,139 patients who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 between June 2020 and June 2021 in a pandemic hospital. Of these, 8819 patients were excluded from the study due to missing data, four patients were excluded due to a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (according to the revised Atlanta criteria), and 72 patients were excluded due to alcohol use or having a history of chronic pancreatitis. The final study sample consisted of the remaining 3244 COVID-19 patients. Laboratory results, intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up periods, the need for mechanical ventilation, and mortality rates were compared between the normal lipase activity and high lipase activity groups.ResultsThere were 968 (29.8%) patients with high lipase activity at the time of admission. The rate of ICU admission was 36.1% vs. 9.9% (p < 0.001), mechanical ventilation requirement rates were 33.7% vs. 8.3% (p < 0.001), and mortality rates were as 24.6% vs. 6.4% (p < 0.001) in the high lipase activity group compared to the normal lipase activity group. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that high lipase activity was an independent factor in predicting mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (odds ratio [OR]: 3.191, p < 0.001).ConclusionElevated lipase activity without acute pancreatitis at the time of admission in COVID-19 patients was determined as an independent predictor of poor prognosis.     

新冠肺炎“动态清零”常态化下应急梯队护士体验的质性研究

目的 研究新型冠状病毒肺炎常态化疫情防控下应急梯队护士的真实体验。提出针对性改善护士的心理状况的方法和建议。方法 于2021年10月选取上海市静安区闸北中心医院应急梯队的护士11名为研究对象，对其进行半结构式面对面谈话，并采用Colaizzi七步分析法进行资料分析。结果 进入应急梯队的护士普遍存在着紧张焦虑，情绪低落，身心疲惫等心理问题。而执行完应急任务后的成就感，社会的认同，多方的理解支持，有利缓解心理压力。结论 通过对新型冠状病毒肺炎常态化疫情防控下应急梯队护士的真实体验的了解，护士普遍存在各种心理问题，需要给予针对性的干预措施，提高应急梯队成员的心理素质和应急能力。     

Epidemiology of Connectional Silence in specialist serious illness conversations

ContextHuman connection can reduce suffering and facilitate meaningful decision-making amid the often terrifying experience of hospitalization for advanced cancer. Some conversational pauses indicate human connection, but we know little about their prevalence, distribution or association with outcomes.PurposeTo describe the epidemiology of Connectional Silence during serious illness conversations in advanced cancer.MethodsWe audio-recorded 226 inpatient palliative care consultations at two academic centers. We identified pauses lasting 2+ seconds and distinguished Connectional Silences from other pauses, sub-categorized as either Invitational (ICS) or Emotional (ECS). We identified treatment decisional status pre-consultation from medical records and post-consultation via clinicians. Patients self-reported quality-of-life before and one day after consultation.ResultsAmong all 6769 two-second silences, we observed 328 (4.8%) ECS and 240 (3.5%) ICS. ECS prevalence was associated with decisions favoring fewer disease-focused treatments (OR_adj: 2.12; 95% CI: 1.12, 4.06). Earlier conversational ECS was associated with improved quality-of-life (p = 0.01). ICS prevalence was associated with clinicians' prognosis expectations.ConclusionsConnectional Silences during specialist serious illness conversations are associated with decision-making and improved patient quality-of-life. Further work is necessary to evaluate potential causal relationships.Practice implicationsPauses offer important opportunities to advance the science of human connection in serious illness decision-making.     

Access to mechanical thrombectomy for cerebral ischaemia: A population-based study in the North-of-France

Background and purposeHospitals admitting acute strokes should offer access to mechanical thrombectomy (MT), but local organisations are still based on facilities available before MT was proven effective. MT rates and outcomes at population levels are needed to adapt organisations. We evaluated rates of MT and outcomes in inhabitants from the North-of-France (NoF) area.MethodWe prospectively evaluated rates of MT and outcomes of patients at 3 months, good outcomes being defined as a modified Rankin scale (mRS) 0 to 2 or like the pre-stroke mRS.ResultsDuring the study period (2016–2017), 666 patients underwent MT (454, 68.1% associated with intravenous thrombolysis [IVT]). Besides, 1595 other patients received IVT alone. The rate of MT was 81 (95% confidence interval [CI] 72–90) per million inhabitants-year, ranging from 36 to 108 between districts. The rate of IVT was 249 (95% CI 234–264) per million inhabitants-year, ranging from 155 to 268. After 3 months, 279 (41.9%) patients who underwent MT had good outcomes, and 167 (25.1%) had died. Patients living outside the district of Lille where the only MT centre is, were less likely to have good outcomes at 3 months, after adjustment on age, sex, baseline severity, and delay.ConclusionThe rate of MT is one of the highest reported up to now, even in low-rate districts, but outcomes were significantly worse in patients living outside the district of Lille, and this is not only explained by the delay.     

Daily skin-to-skin contact in full-term infants and breastfeeding: Secondary outcomes from a randomized controlled trial

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effect of a 5-week daily skin-to-skin contact (SSC) intervention between mothers and their full-term infants, compared with care-as-usual, on exclusive and continued breastfeeding duration during the first post-natal year. Healthy pregnant women (n = 116) from a community sample were enrolled and randomly allocated to the SSC or care-as-usual condition. SSC mothers were requested to provide one daily hour of SSC for the first five post-natal weeks. Twelve months post-partum, mothers indicated the number of exclusive and continued breastfeeding months. Multiple regression analyses were conducted using intention-to-treat, per-protocol and exploratory dose–response frameworks. In intention-to-treat analyses, exclusive and continued breastfeeding duration was not different between groups (exclusive: 3.61 ± 1.99 vs. 3.16 ± 1.77 months; adjusted mean difference 0.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] ?0.33 to 0.89; p = 0.36; continued: 7.98 ± 4.20 vs. 6.75 ± 4.06 months; adjusted mean difference 0.81, 95% CI ?0.46 to 2.08; p = 0.21). In per-protocol analyses, exclusive and continued breastfeeding duration was longer for SSC than care-as-usual dyads (exclusive: 4.89 ± 1.26 vs. 3.25 ± 1.80 months; adjusted mean difference 1.28, 95% CI 0.31–2.24; p = 0.01; continued: 10.81 ± 1.97 vs. 6.98 ± 4.08 months; adjusted mean difference 2.33, 95% CI 0.13–4.54; p = 0.04). Exploratory dose–response effects indicated that more SSC hours predicted longer exclusive and continued breastfeeding duration. This study demonstrates that for the total group, the 5-week daily SSC intervention did not extend exclusive and continued breastfeeding duration. However, for mothers performing a regular daily hour of SSC, this simple and accessible intervention may extend exclusive and continued breastfeeding duration by months. Future studies are required to confirm these promising findings. Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Register (NTR5697).