Covid-19 Pandemic: Resumption of Orthopedic Care and Medical Education

Covid-19 is a respiratory disease caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first identified in Wuhan, China (December 2019). The disease rapidly crossed the barrier of countries, continents and spread globally. Non-pharmaceutical measures such as social distancing, face mask, frequent hand washing and use of sanitizer remained the best available option to prevent the spread of disease. OPD, IPD admissions, elective O. Ts were curtailed. Orthopedic care was only limited to emergency and semi-urgent procedures like necrotizing fasciitis, open fracture, and compartment syndrome. These measures were taken to preserve infrastructure and manpower to manage covid-19 pandemic. The children were thought to have a low susceptibility to covid-19 as compared to an adult. Deferring the patient during pandemic has led to high orthopedic disease burden, morbidity and disease-related sequelae, hence elective care must be resumed with modified hospital infrastructure. Resumption of elective/emergent orthopedic care should be slow, phasic and strategic, much similar to unlocking. Cases must be stratified depending on covid status and severity. Dedicated O.Ts with neutral/negative pressure and HEPA filter for covid positive and suspected patients are to be used. All symptomatic and suspected patients should be investigated for covid-19 by RT-PCR, blood counts and CT scan. Regional anaesthesia should be preferred to General anaesthesia. Power drill/saw/burr/pulse lavage should be minimized to avoid aerosol generation. Postoperatively continuous surveillance and monitoring to be done for covid related symptoms. Medical institutes rapidly shifted to the online mode of education. Blended learning (virtual & physical) and imparting skills have to be continued in post covid phase with equitable distribution of teaching hours to students of different years.     

Need for Testing and Supplementation of Vitamin D3 After Release of COVID-19 Lockdown in Patients with Increased Musculoskeletal Pain

AimsTo evaluate vitamin D3 levels in patients who presented with increased musculo-skeletal pain after release of lockdown period when compared to pre-lockdown status.IntroductionDuring this COVID pandemic, many countries have implemented lockdown measures and people have to work from home and many students and workers have to restrict themselves to home. During this period, their outdoor activities were limited. After the partial release of this lockdown many of them started to have some kind of physical activity and started experiencing body pains. We evaluated such patients for vitamin D3 levels and symptoms of fibromyalgia.MethodsThis is a retrospective analysis of patients from age group 18–60 presented to outpatient department or on telephonic consultation after partial release of lockdown. All patients who had mild back ache before lockdown and had symptoms exaggerated during this lockdown release were included. All patients were investigated for vitamin D3, PTH, thyroid profile, liver functional and kidney functional tests.ResultsOut of 120 patients presented to us in a period of 3 months, 31 patients had increased symptoms when compared to pre-lockdown status. 20 out of 31 patients had low vitamin D3 levels. 14 patients also developed symptoms of fibromyalgia.ConclusionThere might be many reasons for increased pain during lockdown, but we focussed specially only on vitamin D3 because of its association with increased symptoms of COVID-19. This is a gentle reminder to test for vitamin D3 levels and supplement if found deficient.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-021-00376-8.     

The impact of COVID-19 and healthcare system changes on the well-being of rheumatic patients

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the healthcare systems. Many Polish outpatient clinics have been implementing telemedical consultations as a tool to ensure the continuity of care for patients with chronic diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate patients’ satisfaction with telemedical appointments, as well as availability of the various medical services and patients’ well-being during the pandemic.Material and methodsAn online-based questionnaire on the experience with telemedical consultations, availability of medical services and current state of health was conducted among Polish rheumatology patients approximately 6 months after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsThe survey was completed by 107 respondents with a mean age of 41.52 ±14.33 years. The overall level of satisfaction from telemedical consultations, evaluated with a VAS 1–10 scale, was assessed as 6.23 ±3.04 for teleconsultations in primary healthcare units and 6.00 ±2.80 for rheumatology outpatient units. 42.99% of the respondents were in favour of maintaining telemedical appointments even after the pandemic. Incidences of reduced access to medical services during the COVID-19 pandemic were reported by 77.57% of the patients. Almost half of the respondents reported reduced accessibility to rheumatological care. An alarming decline in health self-esteem, evaluated with a VAS 1–10 scale, was noted from the average 6.37 ±1.92 before COVID-19 to the current rating of 5.78 ±1.91 (p = 0.0087).ConclusionsPolish rheumatology patients are moderately satisfied with the medical teleconsultations in primary health care units and rheumatology outpatient clinics. A substantial number of patients experienced deterioration of well-being as well as limited access to traditional healthcare services, including rheumatology care.     

Proteína C reactiva y escala SOFA: una simple escala como factor predictivo temprano de la necesidad de cuidados críticos en los pacientes con neumonía causada por COVID-19 en España

ObjectiveTo identify potential markers at admission predicting the need for critical care in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.Material and methodsAn approved, observational, retrospective study was conducted between March 15 to April 15, 2020. 150 adult patients aged less than 75 with Charlson comorbidity index ≤ 6 diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia were included. Seventy-five patients were randomly selected from those admitted to the critical care units (critical care group [CG]) and seventy-five hospitalized patients who did not require critical care (non-critical care group [nCG]) represent the control group. One additional cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were used to validate the score.Measurements and main resultsMultivariable regression showed increasing odds of in-hospital critical care associated with increased C-reactive protein (CRP) (odds ratio 1.052 [1.009-1.101]; P = .0043) and higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (1.968 [1.389-2.590]; P < .0001), both at the time of hospital admission. The AUC-ROC for the combined model was 0.83 (0.76-0.90) (vs AUC-ROC SOFA P < .05). The AUC-ROC for the validation cohort was 0.89 (0.82-0.95) (P > 0.05 vs AUC-ROC development).ConclusionPatients COVID-19 presenting at admission SOFA score ≥ 2 combined with CRP ≥ 9,1 mg/mL could be at high risk to require critical care.     

成都379例新型冠状病毒肺炎的临床分析

目的分析新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)患者的临床特征及预后。方法纳入成都市公共卫生临床医疗中心2020年1月16日至11月30日收治的379例COVID-19确诊病例,按照年龄分为老年组(42例,年龄≥60岁)和非老年组(337例,年龄<60岁),比较两组患者的流行病学、临床特征、实验室检查、治疗及预后。结果379例患者年龄2个月至87岁,平均41.2岁,其中男286例(75.5%),女93例。老年组平均年龄为69.5岁,女性更多见(占61.9%),大多为武汉输入和本土续发(占73.8%),以普通型和危重型为主(88.1%)。非老年组的平均年龄为37.8岁,男性更多见(80.1%),主要来自境外输入(75.7%),以轻型和普通型为主(95.0%)。179例患者(47.2%)合并一种或多种基础疾病,老年组以高血压病(15例,35.7%)及糖尿病(11例,26.2%)多见,而非老年组则以非酒精性脂肪性肝炎(132例,39.2%)多见。最常见的临床表现是发热(138例,36.4%)和咳嗽(129例,34.0%),但老年组的发热、咳嗽、呼吸困难及乏力等症状较非老年组更多见(P<0.05)。与非老年组相比,老年组的总淋巴细胞计数、CD4⁺及CD8⁺T淋巴细胞计数更低,而心肌损伤标志物及炎症指标更高(P<0.05)。139例患者(36.7%)的心脏彩色超声心动图异常,主要为左室舒张功能降低(22.7%)及心脏瓣膜反流(14.0%),且老年组患者的心脏彩色超声心动图异常率明显高于非老年组(85.7%vs.30.6%,P<0.05)。经治疗后,除老年组死亡3例外,其余均已治愈出院;但老年组的住院时间较非老年组更长(22.1 d vs.18.8 d,P=0.033)。结论成都老年COVID19患者主要来自武汉输入和本地续发,以普通型和危重型为主,常合并高血压或糖尿病等基础疾病;成都非老年COVID-19患者主要来自境外输入,以轻型和普通型为主,常合并非酒精性脂肪性肝炎;经治疗后,患者大多预后良好。     

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young people: A comparison between China and the United Kingdom

Purpose: As COVID-19 spreads globally and affects people''s health, there are concerns that the pandemic and control policies may have psychological effects on young people (age from 17 to 35 years). This psychological impact might vary in different countries, and thus we compared the prevalence of selfreported psychological distress, loneliness and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among young people in the United Kingdom (UK) and China at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data of this study came from two sources. One source was the first wave of COVID-19 study in Understanding Society, a special wave of the UK household longitudinal study, which provided the highquality, national-wide representative panel data. The sample comprised 1054 young people. The other source was an online survey on the mental health of 1003 young people from Shanghai, a highly developed area in China. The questionnaire included questions on the prevalence of common mental disorders (cut-off score ≥ 4), loneliness and potential PTSS (cut-off ≥ 33). Univariable analyses were conducted to test the differences in the self-reported prevalence of psychological distress and loneliness between the two groups. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were run to explore the predictors of psychological distress and loneliness among all the young people from England and Shanghai. Results: Among the samples with self-reported psychological distress, the UK sample accounted for 34.4% (n = 1054) and the Chinese sample accounted for 14.1% (n = 1003). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Additionally, 57.1% of people in the UK and 46.7% in China reported that they sometimes or often felt lonely, of which the difference is statistically significant (p < 0.001). Regression analysis of the entire samples showed that nationality, gender, psychotherapy and loneliness were significant predictors of 12-item General Health Questionnaire scores, while the variables of age and living alone were not. Significant predictors of self-reported loneliness were the nationality, gender, age, living alone and psychotherapy. In China, 123 (12.3%) young people, 49 men (11.3%) and 74 women (13.0%), met the criteria of PTSS symptoms (cut-off scores ≥ 33). These scores were only collected in China. Conclusion: This evidence suggests that mental health and loneliness reported by young people were lower in China than that in the UK during the studied period. More research is needed to understand these differences. If the differential negative psychological impacts are confirmed, country-specific measures of prevention and intervention should be adopted to improve the mental health of young people under the ongoing impact of the pandemic.     

Risks of AKI and Major Adverse Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or Coronavirus Disease 2019

BackgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are closely related. The effect of AKI on the clinical outcomes of these two conditions is unclear.MethodsThis retrospective, territory-wide cohort study used an electronic public healthcare database in Hong Kong to identify patients with SARS or COVID-19 by diagnosis codes, virologic results, or both. The primary endpoint was a composite of intensive care unit admission, use of invasive mechanical ventilation, and/or death.ResultsWe identified 1670 patients with SARS and 1040 patients with COVID-19 (median ages, 41 versus 35 years, respectively). Among patients with SARS, 26% met the primary endpoint versus 5.3% of those with COVID-19. Diabetes mellitus, abnormal liver function, and AKI were factors significantly associated with the primary endpoint among patients with either SARS or COVID-19. Among patients with SARS, 7.9%, 2.1%, and 3.7% developed stage 1, stage 2, and stage 3 AKI, respectively; among those with COVID-19, 6.6%, 0.4%, and 1.1% developed stage 1, stage 2, and stage 3 AKI, respectively. In both groups, factors significantly associated with AKI included diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Among patients with AKI, those with COVID-19 had a lower rate of major adverse clinical outcomes versus patients with SARS. Renal function recovery usually occurred within 30 days after an initial AKI event.ConclusionsAKI rates were higher among patients with SARS than those with COVID-19. AKI was associated with major adverse clinical outcomes for both diseases. Patients with diabetes mellitus and abnormal liver function were also at risk of developing severe consequences after SARS and COVID-19 infection.     

Evaluation of the early adverse effects of radiotherapy in breast cancer patients with COVID-19: Prospective single institutional study

The COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is at the origin of a global pandemic. This pandemic has prompted the current health system to reorganize and rethink the care offered by health establishments. We report the early toxicity in patients infected with COVID-19 treated at the same time for early-stage breast cancer (BC). This is a monocentric prospective study of patients treated in our hospital between March 2020 and June 2020 and were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. The inclusion criteria were to be irradiated for early-stage BC and to have a positive COVID-19 diagnosis on a PCR test and/or a lung computed tomography (CT) scan and/or suggestive clinical symptoms. Radiotherapy (RT) consisted of breast or chest wall irradiation with or without lymph node irradiation, with protocols adapted to pandemic situation. The treatment-related toxicity was graded according to the CTCAE (version 4.03). All 350 patients treated for early-stage BC were studied. Of them, 16 were presented with clinical symptoms of COVID-19 infection and of them, 12 had clinical, CT scan, and PCR confirmation. This entire cohort of 12 pts with median age of 56 (42–72) underwent their RT. During the radiotherapy, there were 9 pts presented radiation dermatitis, 8 (66%) were grade 1 and one was (8%) grade 2. Two patients with lymph nodes irradiation presented esophagitis grade 2. This prospective COVID-19 cohort, treated for early-stage BC demonstrated an acceptable toxicity profile with few low-grade adverse events. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm these findings.