Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Nov 2020
Evaluation of the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety severity of physicians working in the internal medicine department of a tertiary care hospital: a cross-sectional survey.
Internists who have an important role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic are under both physical and psychological pressures. ⋯ In this survey of internists in a university hospital equipped with clinics, wards and intensive care unit for patients with COVID-19, female gender and having family members over 65 years old and with chronic diseases were associated with increased anxiety levels.
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In patients with COVID-19, certain medical conditions could result in poorer clinical outcomes. However, the prognostic role of hypothyroidism in COVID-19 is still unknown. ⋯ Among 390 COVID-19 admitted patients, 21 hypothyroid cases (5.4%) were found, in which nearly 90% were aged 50 years and older. Regarding the effect of hypothyroidism on COVID-19 mortality, 60 (15.3%) of total patients and 4 (19%) of hypothyroid patients died, and no significant difference was found between the two groups.
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Internal medicine journal · Nov 2020
Effectiveness of epoprostenol in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension: findings of an Australian retrospective chart review.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressively fatal disease. Parenteral prostanoids, including intravenous (IV) epoprostenol, are the most effective therapies for PAH. As epoprostenol requires continuous infusion, therapy is challenging and use is managed by specialist units. ⋯ Epoprostenol therapy was associated with impressive survival rates and durable improvements in functional outcomes. Epoprostenol therapy is challenging; however, it is manageable by the majority of patients with most experiencing positive, sustainable outcomes.
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Internal medicine journal · Nov 2020
Testicular cancer: a 13-year retrospective review of ethnic disparities in the Waikato region, New Zealand.
The testicular cancer incidence in New Zealand is rising. We evaluated if testicular cancer outcomes differed by ethnicity in NZ. ⋯ Māori patients were younger at diagnosis of testicular cancer and presented with more advanced non-seminoma testicular tumours compared with non-Māori but survival was comparable.
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Internal medicine journal · Nov 2020
An audit of ventilation and perfusion SPECT reporting for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in a tertiary cardiothoracic centre.
The aim of the study was to identify reporting patterns of ventilation and perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (V/Q SPECT) scans done in our department over 3 months in 2016. Factors impacting on reporting and patient groups that would most benefit from the addition of low-dose computed tomography (CT) to V/Q SPECT were analysed. Among 178 patients, 173 (97.2%) had a definitive (positive/negative) report and 2.8% had an equivocal report. As the majority of the equivocal reports were seen in patients aged ≥70 years, we believe that addition of low-dose CT with V/Q SPECT to this patient group will reduce the non-diagnostic rate.