Internal and emergency medicine
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Hospital-acquired anemia is defined as a new-onset anemia in hospitalized patients who have a normal hemoglobin level at admission. Its prevalence is unknown and most studies published on this topic have been conducted in intensive care unit patients with limited applicability to less acute settings, such as internal medicine wards. We conducted a retrospective study and enrolled 129 patients who were admitted to an Internal Medicine Unit between October 2021 and February 2022. ⋯ No cases of severe anemia were observed. The volume of blood drawn during the hospital stay and the Hb value on admission were the only two variables statistically associated with the development of anemia, whereas gender, age, and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, history of cancer, or heart failure, were not. Strategies, such as elimination of unnecessary laboratory tests and the use of smaller tubes for blood collection, are needed to reduce the volume of iatrogenic blood loss and avoid blood wastage occurring during hospitalization in internal medicine patients.
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ML algorithms are used to develop prognostic and diagnostic models and so to support clinical decision-making. This study uses eight supervised ML algorithms to predict the need for intensive care, intubation, and mortality risk for COVID-19 patients. ⋯ The findings revealed that the features of C-reactive protein, the ratio of lymphocytes, lactic acid, and serum calcium have a substantial impact on COVID-19 prognostic predictions. This study provides evidence of the value of tree-based supervised ML algorithms for predicting prognosis in health care.
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The combined index of hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) is a novel indicator reflecting systemic inflammation and nutritional status. To explore the relationship between HALP score and ICU mortality risk in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). A total of 1533 AECOPD patients from the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) between 2014 and 2015 were included in this retrospective cohort study. ⋯ Low HALP score [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.69; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14-2.53] and low LMR score (HR = 1.60; 95% CI 1.07-2.39) were associated with an increased ICU mortality risk in patients with AECOPD after adjusting for all confounders. Stratified analyses indicated that low HALP score were still associated with a higher ICU mortality risk in patients admitted to ICU by emergency (HR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.11-2.96), obese patients (HR = 2.81; 95% CI 1.29-6.10), and patients with low APACHE scores (HR = 2.87; 95% CI 1.75-4.69). Low HALP score was associated with an increased risk of ICU mortality in patients with AECOPD, suggesting that the HALP score may be a novel prognostic predictor in patients with AECOPD.