Clinical medicine (London, England)
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Acute liver failure is a rare syndrome and is primarily caused by paracetamol toxicity in developed nations. Survival for patients with acute liver failure has steadily improved over the last few decades from approximately 20% to greater than 60%. ⋯ Patients should be simultaneously discussed with a transplant centre and referred to critical care. Close liaison with transplant centres to ensure timely transfer in deteriorating patients is important.
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Multicenter Study
Von Willebrand factor (vWF): marker of endothelial damage and thrombotic risk in COVID-19?
COVID-19 infection is characterised, among other features, by a prothrombotic state with high rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE), D-dimer, and fibrinogen levels. Clinical observations have also highlighted that these patients have elevated von Willebrand factor (vWF) and factor VIIIc. ⋯ Very high levels of vWF and factor VIIIc are common in COVID-19 patients, comparable to levels in severely septic non-COVID ICU patients. This could contribute to the hypercoagulable state and increased VTE rate in COVID-19. Further studies are needed to evaluate the use of vWF for stratifying thrombotic risk in COVID-19 and to determine if elevated vWF is contributing to disease pathogenesis.
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We describe the London community testing programme developed for COVID-19, audit its effectiveness and report patient acceptability and patient adherence to isolation guidance, based upon a survey conducted with participants. Any patients meeting the Public Health England (PHE) case definition for COVID-19 who did not require hospital admission were eligible for community testing. 2,053 patients with suspected COVID-19 were tested in the community between January and March 2020. Of those tested, 75 (3.6%) were positive. 88% of patients that completed a patient survey felt safe and 82% agreed that community testing was preferable to hospital admission. 97% were able to remain within their own home during the isolation period but just 41% were able to reliably isolate from other members of their household. ⋯ Community testing was acceptable to patients and preferable to admission to hospital. Patients were able to reliably isolate in their home but not from household contacts. The authors believe in the importance, feasibility and acceptability of community testing for COVID-19 as a part of a package of interventions to mitigate a second wave of infection.
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There is disagreement between international guidelines on the level of personal protective equipment (PPE) required for chest compressions for patients with suspected COVID-19. This discrepancy centres on whether they are considered to be an aerosol-generating procedure (AGP), thus requiring airborne protection to prevent transmission to healthcare workers (HCWs). The need to don higher-level PPE has to be weighed against the resulting delay to emergency treatment. ⋯ One systematic review concluded that chest compressions were not an AGP. Two simulated studies (released as preprints) potentially demonstrate aerosol generation. Given that there is evidence for infection transmission during chest compressions, we conclude that a precautionary approach with appropriate PPE is necessary to protect HCW from contracting a potentially fatal infection.
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Widespread testing for the respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) will represent an important part of any strategy designed to safely reopen societies from lockdown. Healthcare settings have the potential to become reservoirs of infectivity, and therefore many hospital trusts are beginning to carry out routine screening of staff and patients. This could promote the effective cohorting of patients and reduce the rate of nosocomial infection. ⋯ Here we highlight this as an emergent ethicolegal issue which we expect to become increasingly relevant as testing becomes ubiquitous. We explore this position from an ethical and legal perspective, determining whether refusal of testing is acceptable under UK law. Individual patients refusing testing could undermine a hospital's testing strategy; therefore clinicians and policy makers must prospectively determine the best course of action if this were to occur.