Internal and emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of mobile health-technology integrated care based on the 'Atrial fibrillation Better Care' (ABC) pathway in relation to sex: a report from the mAFA-II randomized clinical trial.
The Mobile Health Technology for Improved Screening and Optimized Integrated Care in AF (mAFA-II) cluster-randomized trial showed that a mobile health (mHealth)-implemented 'Atrial fibrillation Better Care' (ABC) pathway approach reduced the risk of adverse events in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Whether this benefit can be applied to both males and females is unclear, especially given the suboptimal management and poorer cardiovascular outcomes in females with AF. In this post-hoc analysis, we performed a sex-stratified analysis of the mAFA-II trial. ⋯ Sex-based interactions were observed for other secondary outcomes, including all-cause death (p = 0.026) and bleeding events (p = 0.032). A mHealth-technology implemented ABC pathway was similarly effective in reducing the risk of adverse clinical events both in male and female patients. Secondary outcomes showed greater benefits of mAFA intervention in men.
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Having a beard is an independent predictor of difficult ventilation by face mask. This study evaluates the efficacy of a novel intra-oral Bag-Valve-Guedel Adaptor (BVGA) in anaesthetized bearded patients. Patients with ASA score 1-2, scheduled for elective surgery, were recruited for this prospective, crossover trial. ⋯ The BVGA was found to be superior to the face mask by EtCO2 across all beard lengths (p ≤ 0.001), but by TV only for the longest beard group (p = 0.009). After securing the BVGA, ventilation was possible without hands in 74% of the cases - clearly impossible with the facemask (p ≤ 0.001). The BVGA is more effective and more convenient than the facemask in anaesthetized bearded patients. A follow-up study is underway to test whether replacing the face mask with the BVGA will improve effectiveness and ease of pre-intubation field ventilation by less-experienced, first responders.
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Medical specialty usage of COVID-19 survivors after hospital discharge is poorly understood. This study investigated medical specialty usage at 1-12 and 13-24 months post-hospital discharge in critically ill and non-critically ill COVID-19 survivors. This retrospective study followed ICU (N = 89) and non-ICU (N = 205) COVID-19 survivors who returned for follow-up within the Stony Brook Health System post-hospital discharge. ⋯ This study reported high incidence of persistent symptoms and medical specialty care needs in hospitalized COVID-19 survivors 1-24 months post-discharge. Some specialty care needs were COVID-19 related or exacerbated by COVID-19 disease while others were associated with pre-existing medical conditions. Longer follow-up studies of COVID-19 survivor medical care needs are necessary.
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An association with aortic aneurysm has been reported among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of thoracic aorta aneurysm (TAA) among patients with AF and to assess whether the co-presence of TAA is associated with a higher risk of adverse clinical outcomes. ⋯ Using TriNetX, a global federated health research network of anonymised electronic medical records, all adult patients with AF, were categorised into two groups based on the presence of AF and TAA or AF alone. Between 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2019, 874,212 people aged ≥ 18 years with AF were identified. Of these 17,806 (2.04%) had a TAA. After propensity score matching (PSM), 17,805 patients were included in each of the two cohorts. During the 3 years of follow-up, 3079 (17.3%) AF patients with TAA and 2772 (15.6%) patients with AF alone, developed an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). The risk of ischemic stroke/TIA was significantly higher in patients with AF and TAA (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.04-1.15; log-rank p value < 0.001) The risk of major bleeding was higher in patients with AF and TAA (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.14), but not significant in time-dependent analysis (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.98-1.10; log-rank p value = 0.187), CONCLUSION: This retrospective analysis reports a clinical concomitance of the two medical conditions, and shows in a PSM analysis an increased risk of ischemic events in patients affected by TAA and AF compared to AF alone.
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The first COVID-19 lockdown resulted in enforced quarantine of heavily affected areas with social isolation and related measures by several governments to slow the spread of the disease. The general population experienced several mental and lifestyle changes. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the metabolic and psychological effects induced by lifestyle changes during COVID-19 self-isolation among an Apulian overweight/obese cohort with metabolic disturbances. ⋯ Psychological aspects were significantly higher in females than in males. Finally, work activities and familial status strongly affected the metabolic and psychological profile. In conclusion, COVID-19 self-isolation induced changes in lifestyle and dietary habits with psychological distress and detrimental effects on metabolic patterns, which were more pronounced in female gender.