Saudi Med J
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To determine the association between comorbidities and the severity of the disease among COVID-19 patients. ⋯ Comorbidities among COVID-19 patients may contribute to increasing their susceptibility to severe illness. The identification of these potential risk factors could help reduce mortality by identifying patients with poor prognosis at an early stage.
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To study the impact of curfews during the COVID-19 pandemic, on the physical activity in patients of heart failure implanted withcardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). ⋯ This was a retrospective single-center study of heart failure patients inserted with remote monitoring (RM)-capable CIED. We analyzed the transmitted data of physical activity and fluid volume status of all patients, before, and during the lockdown periods between February and April 2020. The clinical status of the patients was also evaluated. Results: Device data from 429 patients implanted with CIED capable of RM were initially evaluated. Patients with an implantable loop recorder, Brugada or Long QT syndromes, and patients with incomplete transmissions were excluded. Eighty-two patients with heart failure were included. The median age was 65 years (58-72), and 53 (64.6%) subjects were men. There was a 27.1% decline in physical activity, and the median physical activity of patients significantly declined from 2.4 to 1.8 hours/day (p=0.000010). Conclusion: Data obtained by remotely monitored CIED in heart failure patients suggests a significant decline in physical activity during the country lockdown due to the pandemic. Awareness of the future potential hazards in this group of patients is warranted.
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Diagnostic processes typically rely on traditional and laborious methods, that are prone to human error, resulting in frequent misdiagnosis of diseases. Computational approaches are being increasingly used for more precise diagnosis of the clinical pathology, diagnosis of genetic and microbial diseases, and analysis of clinical chemistry data. These approaches are progressively used for improving the reliability of testing, resulting in reduced diagnostic errors. ⋯ However, the use of AI is associated with several ethical issues, including patient privacy and data ownership. The capacity of AI-based mathematical models to interpret complex clinical data frequently leads to data bias and reporting of erroneous results based on patient data. In order to improve the reliability of computational approaches in clinical diagnostics, strategies to reduce data bias and analyzing real-life patient data need to be further refined.
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Comparative Study
Effects of the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on routine pediatric immunization coverage rates at the main University Hospital in Saudi Arabia.
To investigate whether the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic has had any effects on pediatric vaccination rates at the main university hospital in Saudi Arabia. ⋯ The huge impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic on childhood vaccinations will require urgent vaccination recovery plans with innovative approaches and future action plans to maintain vaccination coverage during any subsequent pandemics.
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Comparative Study
Acute cardiac injury is associated with adverse outcomes, including mortality in COVID-19 patients. A single-center experience.
To evaluate acute cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients and its association with adverse outcomes including mortality in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population. ⋯ Acute cardiac injury is common among Coronavirus disease-19 patients. These patients present with higher comorbidities, have high inflammatory markers and have greater risk for in-hospital multi-organ damage, need for mechanical ventilation, and death. Prompt full assessment and intervention are recommended.