Articles: pandemics.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Dec 2024
Increase in Acute Cholecystitis and Laparoscopic Resection after COVID-19 Pandemic: A Japanese Single Center Experience.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as viral pandemic in the year 2019 and surgical intervention was forced to be restricted during the pandemic. This study aims to compare the perioperative outcomes of surgeries for acute cholecystitis in the period following the COVID-19 pandemic. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the demographic and perioperative data of 246 cholecystectomy cases performed between June 2017 and November 2022. ⋯ This increase, particularly in mild and moderate acute cholecystitis cases, led to a significant rise in the proportion of laparoscopic resections and a concurrent decrease in postoperative hospital stays. Our findings suggest a potential increase in acute cholecystitis cases at our hospital coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy, when feasible within the medical system's capacity, can be an effective treatment strategy during the pandemic.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2024
Connecticut Pediatric Opioid Poisoning Trends Surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Opioids are common substances involved in poisonings with increasing rates in fentanyl-related mortality since 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic compromised school attendance and supervision, which may have increased the risk of opioid ingestions in children. Our objective was to evaluate pediatric opioid poisonings in Connecticut before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Results of our study showed a rise in opioid poisonings among non-Hispanic Black and elementary school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future prevention efforts may choose to further investigate and understand the trends in the more vulnerable groups.
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Survivors of acute respiratory failure (ARF) have complex healthcare needs postdischarge, frequently resulting in unmet needs. This prospective multicenter study explores the association between COVID-19 status and unmet healthcare needs in survivors of ARF following hospital discharge. We analyzed patient characteristics and unmet healthcare needs by COVID-19 status using a multivariable regression model with propensity weights. ⋯ The median (IQR) percentage of unmet healthcare needs was 26% (17%-36%), with follow-up appointments accounting for most unmet needs. Unmet medication needs were found to be very low at 6%. Despite the challenges in healthcare delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, our data suggest COVID status had no observable effect on unmet healthcare needs for ARF survivors, after controlling for patient baseline and clinical status.