Duration Of Admission Research Articles

Outcome predictors in anterior and posterior ischemic strokes: a study based on the Iranian SITS registry

Ischemic stroke is the major form of stroke with two separate vascular territories. Many risk factors are related to stroke outcomes in both territories. The present descriptive research was carried out on the basis of data obtained from the Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke (SITS) registry on Iranian intravenous thrombolysis ischemic stroke cases. Vascular territory involved in each case and three-month excellent outcome, functional independence, mortality rate, and brain hemorrhage occurrence were determined. Univariable and multivariable logistics regression analyses were utilized in order to investigate association of ischemic stroke outcomes with the vascular territory involved and other related factors. Among 1566 patients 95.4% was anterior circulation stroke patients and 4.6% was posterior circulation stroke cases. There is no significant association between vascular territory with mortality (OR of PCS vs ACS: 0.74, 95% CI 0.37–1.46), excellent functional outcome (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.44–1.19), functional outcome (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.52–1.42) and local hemorrhage (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.30–3.21). Among major risk factors, age, diabetes, NIHSS score and admission duration, increased significantly odds of three-month mortality, excellent outcome, and functional independence in the multivariate analysis. The highest of odds was in NIHSS score with a dose–response association. The vascular territory was not an outcome predictor in ischemic strokes. The most important predictor was baseline NIHSS.

The Use of Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test in the Emergency Department as a Decision-Support Tool

The emergency department (ED) is the initial point of contact between hospital staff and patients potentially infected with SARS-CoV-2, thus, prevention of inadvertent exposure to other patients is a top priority. We aimed to assess whether the introduction of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) to the ED affected the likelihood of unwanted SARS-CoV-2 exposures. In this retrospective single-center study, we compared the rate of unwarranted exposure of uninfected adult ED patients to SARS-CoV-2 during two separate research periods; one before Ag-RDTs were introduced, and one with Ag-RDT used as a decision-support tool. The introduction of Ag-RDTs to the ED significantly decreased the relative risk of SARS-CoV-2-negative patients being incorrectly assigned to the COVID-19 designated site ("red ED"), by 97%. There was no increase in the risk of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients incorrectly assigned to the COVID-19-free site ("green ED"). In addition, duration of ED admission was reduced in both the red and the green ED. Therefore, implementing the Ag-RDT-based triage protocol proved beneficial in preventing potential COVID-19 nosocomial transmission.

Analysis of Otolaryngologic Readmissions at a High-Volume Quaternary Referral Center.

To identify common reasons for readmission following otolaryngologic surgery at a high-volume center and identify possible risk factors for readmission. Retrospective chart review of readmissions identified by hospital-based electronic medical record reporting mechanism. From January 2019 to September 2020, there were 87 readmissions following 808 index surgeries. The most common reason for readmission was for planned surgery (23%), followed by post-operative neck infection, bleeding, or pneumonia. Patients with unplanned readmissions had significantly longer index admission duration than patients who were not readmitted (median 7 days vs. median 5 days, resp.; p=0.0056). Analysis of cases of unplanned readmission for neck infection and bleeding identified the oral cavity/pharynx as the most common site of initial surgery and that a majority of patients had a history of radiation therapy. Neck infection, bleeding, and pneumonia were the most common reasons for unplanned readmission following otolaryngologic surgery, and a large portion of patients required additional procedures during readmission. Unplanned readmissions for bleeding were significantly more costly than readmissions for neck infections. Long-index hospitalizations, index surgery involving the oral cavity and pharynx, and a history of radiation therapy may be useful clinical features that could stratify the risk of readmission. 4, retrospective chart review Laryngoscope, 133:2546-2552, 2023.

Utilization of inpatient ophthalmology services in Taiwan—A nationwide population study

BackgroundThis study attempted to illustrate the demographic of inpatient eye careservice from 1997 to 2011 in Taiwan, and also the ophthalmic disease landscape and utilization change over time. These insights might apply to resource allocation planning and trainees’ better understandings of ophthalmic inpatient practice.MethodsThis study utilized Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Admission records of eye service that occurred since 1997 and until 2011 were included. Records were separated into operative and non-operative. The records were further divided according to their time: a group of early time before 2006 and a late one after 2006.ResultsPatients’ mean age were 56 and 44 years for operative and non-operative records. The sex ratio (male to female) was 1.3, and the average of admission duration was 4 days. The average spending was around 1000 United State Dollars per admission and a gradually upgoing trend was also noted. The number of inpatient eye services decreased over time, from 3,248 to 2,174 in the studied period. Cases admitted for operation primarily underwent cataract surgery, vitrectomy, and scleral buckling during the studied period. Trabeculectomy emerged as another major indication of admission during the later time. Cases admitted for non-operative management were primarily corneal ulcer, glaucoma, and infection, including orbital cellulitis and lid abscess. Corneal ulcers made up a major proportion of admission records in the non-operative group during both periods.ConclusionsThis study described the demographics of inpatient eye service in Taiwan. Ophthalmologist, especially trainees, and officials could make better policies according to the presented results in this study.

Cardiovascular Disease Spectrum and Mortality in the Medical Wards of University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital: A 5-Year Review

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality globally. Approximately 80% of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria, where preventive health practices are poor or non-existent. The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of cardiovascular disease admissions and mortality over a 5-year period in a tertiary hospital in Rivers State, Nigeria.
 Methods: Admissions records of patients admitted into the medical wards within the study period (January 2017 to December 2021) were reviewed and relevant information pertaining to the study objectives was retrieved for analysis. Data obtained from the records were the age, sex, final diagnosis, co-morbidities, duration of admission and outcome.
 Results: There were a total of 1901 cardiovascular admissions with a male to female ratio of 1.3 to 1. Cardiovascular mortality was also higher in males with a ratio of 1.0 to 0.9. Cerebrovascular accident accounted for 44.9% of total admissions which was closely followed by heart failure (39.4%), hypertensive crises (10.2%) and pulmonary embolism also accounted for 3.5% of cases. Acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmias, pericarditis, and peripheral vascular disease accounted collectively for less than 2% of cases. Cardiovascular related mortality accounted for 20.6% over the 5-year study period. Males had significantly higher cases of heart failure during the study period.
 Conclusion: A high burden of cardiovascular disease related admissions and mortality was found with an exponential increase over the 5-year study period. Cerebrovascular accident and heart failure accounted for the commonest cause of CV mortality. Preventive measures to reduce the burden of CV disease is essential to curtail this growing menace.

Postoperative Inflammation and Fever After Elective Aortic Valve and Aortic Root Replacement: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Fever after cardiac surgery is common. More knowledge of postoperative fever could lead to better patient selection for diagnostic workup and empirical antibiotic treatment. We aimed to analyze the postoperative course of inflammation and fever after elective aortic valve and aortic root replacement. In a retrospective single-center cohort study, we included 3 groups of patients after elective cardiac surgery: aortic root with aortic valve replacement (Bentall procedure, from 2014 to 2021), valve-sparing root replacement (VSRR, from 2014 to 2021), and isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR, from 2018 to 2021). Exclusion criteria were age <18 years, cardiac surgery other than described, use of deep-hypothermic circulatory arrest, reoperations, and preexisting infections. Primary outcome measure was the number of patients per group with postoperative fever (≥38°C). Secondary outcome measures were the percentage of patients per group with infections and outcome. Among 307 patients included (76 Bentall, 40 VSRR, 191 SAVR), 71% had postoperative fever. Fever occurred significantly more often in the Bentall (84%) and VSRR group (83%) compared with patients after SAVR (64%, P = .001). Seventeen patients had fever due to infection versus 202 with diagnoses of postoperative inflammation. In case of infection, fever was significantly higher (38.8°C vs 38.4°C, P = .03), and both the number of days with fever and hospital admission duration were significantly longer. Postoperative fever is more often observed after Bentall procedure and VSRR compared to SAVR. In diagnoses of infection, there is a higher and prolonged fever.

The Practice of Patient Education by Attending Physicians in Southwest Nigeria

Background: The value of patient education involves an improved understanding of their medical conditions, diagnosis, disease, or disability. However, the challenge of educating patients is multi-faceted, considering the complexity of many diseases, limited health literacy and a limited number of available doctors to tend to the long awaiting patient queue. Objective: This study aimed to assess the practice of patients’ education of their illnesses by the treating physician in different practice settings, specialties, contact, duration of admission, the eventuality of death and post-mortem. Method: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive design conducted among 449 medical doctors. A self-administered semi-structured pretested questionnaire was administered to all cadres of physicians in four health centres selected randomly in the southwest, Nigeria. The data collected were analysed using SPSS version 25 and results were presented in descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with the level of significance set at p = &lt; 0.05. Result: The majority (57.0%) of the respondents were within the age range of 25-40. The highest respondent cadres were registrars and medical officers 224 (49.9%). Of the total participants, 140 reported seeing over 40 patients per week. It was observed that 95.9% did explain to the patients the impressions of their symptoms at first contact. However, the percentage of respondents reduced markedly when giving the next appointment, 58.8%. Also, 86.6% always explain the need for hospital admission, 76.4% explained options of surgery while only 28.3% discussed mistakes/complications from the procedures. Conclusion: There were a lot of gaps in the patient’s understanding of their illnesses as imparted by the attending physicians. The gap increases after the first contact both in knowledge and understanding on the part of the patient which may be one of the major factors responsible for poor compliance and cooperation on the part of the patient which ultimately hinders the optimum delivery of effective and efficient health care. This in effect affects the overall health status of the community and society.

Association of Body Mass Index with the Severity of SARS-COVID-19 Pneumonia in Hospitalized Patients

Objective: To determine the association of body mass index with the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia in hospitalized patients.&#x0D; Study Design: Cross-sectional study.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, form May to Jun 2021.&#x0D; Methodology: Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia on PCR and chest imaging and admitted to our hospital were included in the study. Body mass index was calculated on the first day of hospital admission, and they were followed up for two weeks during the disease. Increased oxygen demand, duration of admission, CT severity score and use of non-invasive ventilation were compared in patients with normal and increased body mass index.&#x0D; Results: A total of 800 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital were included in the final analysis. The mean age of the study participants was 41.36±4.55 years. Out of 800 patients, 337(42.1%) had normal BMI, 420(52.5%) were classed in the category of overweight and 43(5.4%) were obese. Furthermore, it was seen that increased demand for oxygen, high CT severity score and longer duration of hospital admission had a statistically significant relationship (p-value&lt;0.05) with high body mass index.&#x0D; Conclusion: More than half of the patients admitted after diagnosis of COVID-19 had higher than normal body mass index. A significant association was found between increased demand for oxygen, high CT severity score, longer hospital admission duration, and high body mass index.Keywords: Body mass index, COVID-19, Outcome.

Prevalence of Psychiatric Morbidity and their Clinical Correlates in Patients Post COVID-19: A Cross-sectional Study from Rural Northern India

Introduction: Myriad of complications were observed in post Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) survivors, psychiatric morbidities among one of them. Recent body of research has shown that significant number of patients developed psychological symptoms following COVID-19. Most of the Indian studies have assessed psychological morbidity among COVID-19 patients during admission. However, very few Indian studies have assessed the psychological impact of COVID-19 during the follow-up period, especially in rural India. Aim: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety and evaluate related socio-demographic (age, gender, education, occupation and marital status) and clinical factors (severity of COVID-19, presence of medical co-morbidity, Oxygen requirement, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) referral, duration of admission) in patients post-COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India. among 96 patients post-COVID -19 after their discharge from the hospital. Data collection was done between July 2021 to September 2021, using a semi-structured proforma and a psychiatric diagnosis was made (based on International Classification of Diseases- 10th Edition Diagnostic Criteria for Research criteria and clinically approved by two qualified psychiatrists). Rating scales such as Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) were used for severity assessment. Data was analysed using Microsoft Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. A p-value of &lt;0.05 was considered significant. Results: In 96 patients, 70 (72.91%) were males. 38 patients (39.58%) were of the age group 45-60 years. 36 (37.50%) patients had Depression. Anxiety was seen in 40 (41.66%) participants. Among the clinical variables, the severity of the COVID-19 infection (p-value&lt;0.01), presence of co-morbidity (p-value&lt;0.01), and ICU referral (p-value&lt;0.01), were found to be associated significantly with the presence of depression in the participants. Among 36 depressive patients, mild depression was present in 17 (47%), moderate depression in 12 (33%), severe depression in 5 (14%) and very severe in 2 (6%) of the participants. Anxiety was associated significantly with the gender (p-value=0.02), co-morbidity (p-value&lt;0.01), severity of illness (p-value&lt;0.01), oxygen requirement (p-value=0.04) and ICU admission (p-value&lt;0.01). Mild anxiety was observed in 18 (45%), moderate anxiety in 16 (40%) and severe anxiety in 6 (15%). Conclusion: The prevalence of depression and anxiety is high in patients post COVID-19. The severity of these disorders is significantly associated with presence of medical co-morbidity and severity of COVID-19. Hence, thorough evaluation and management of these disorders in post-COVID-19 patients can help in improving the overall outcome.

Study of coronavirus disease 2019 cases at the isolation department of el-dakhla general hospital

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is currently the greatest atypical pneumonia outbreak, causing widespread anxiety and fear. Objectives To study cases with clinical manifestations that have been identified as COVID-19 according to the Egyptian Ministry of Health’s criteria, their management protocol, and outcome data at the isolation department of El-Dakhla General Hospital. Patients and methods This work was performed upon 106 patients with clinical symptoms of COVID-19 at the isolation department of El-Dakhla General Hospital. Results Mortality was associated with older age. No patients within the died group had been vaccinated. Vaccination was significantly associated with decreased severity of chest affection, admission to the ICU, and duration of admission. Mortality was associated with severity of chest affection. All died patients were admitted to the ICU. This study also revealed that abnormal vital and laboratory data were significantly associated with mortality. On using binary regression analysis of factors to be significantly associated with mortality, lower duration of admission and not being admitted to ICU decreased the risk of mortality among the studied patients, yet was statistically nonsignificant (P&gt;0.05), whereas higher C-reactive protein on admission increased the risk by 1.186 folds. Conclusion Age, vaccination state, severity of chest affection, ICU admission and duration, use of some medications, vital data, and laboratory data are important factors to assess the prognosis and severity of COVID infection.

Field epidemiology, clinical findings and outcome of Scrub typhus patients admitted at Gedu District Hospital, Chhukha, Bhutan.

This study aimed to understand the field epidemiology, clinical findings, diagnostic reports and outcome of Scrub typhus patients admitted at Gedu District Hospital, Bhutan. The researcher extracted data from the records of patients admitted at the hospital from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2020, with diagnosis of Scrub typhus. A total of 185 records were used to study the demographic distribution, results of rapid diagnostic test for Scrub typhus, presence of eschar, treatment outcome and duration of admission in the hospital. The months of May to October had increased admissions of 137 (74%) patients with a peak in September. Three gewogs (sub-districts) had 173 (93.5%) patients; age range was 6 months to 84 years and a greater proportion of patients were females. Scrub typhus is endemic in the district. The absence of recorded fever or a negative rapid diagnostic test report may not exclude the diagnosis of Scrub typhus.

Complications and mortality in cirrhotic children awaiting liver allografts: a single-center report from Iran

Liver transplantation (LT) is the treatment of choice for end-stage liver disease in children, but donor shortage is still a central problem in this age group. Objective. To evaluate the rate of complications and mortality in cirrhotic children awaiting transplantation. Patients and methods. We analyzed medical records of 113 children under 18 years of age who were listed for LT, but the organ was unavailable between 2013 and 2018. The outcome was assessed from their records or follow-up data. Results. Among the children (mean age: 3.79 years; 50.4% boys and 49.6% girls) awaiting LT, the common causes of cirrhosis were biliary atresia (38.9%) and progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (17.7%). While awaiting transplantation, 82 (72.6%) children died. The most common complications were encephalopathy (34.5%), esophageal bleeding (26.5%), infections (23.0%), and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (13.3%). The mean duration of hospital admission was 2.72 ± 3.10 days. Conclusion. About two-thirds of children listed for LT developed complications, and about three-quarters died without any LT. It seems that split liver transplantation and the introduction of a live-related transplant program in our center will provide many benefits to pediatric patients. Key words: liver transplantation, mortality, cirrhosis, pediatrics, children

Возможности противовоспалительной терапии в лечении пациентов с аденоидитом

The search for new ways to treat adenoiditis in children is relevant and in demand. Existing therapeutic options (eliminationirrigation therapy, topical antimicrobials, mucolytic drugs) in some cases (with a prolonged course of inflammation in the pharyngeal tonsil, in the presence of concomitant otorhinolaryngological or infectious pathology) have a limitation on the duration of course admission and require the search for new treatment regimens. Promising in this regard is the inclusion of antiinflammatory drugs in the treatment of patients with inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsil. Patients and methods. We observed 2 groups of patients (main (n = 52) and comparison (n = 20)) with signs of inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsil (adenoiditis). Patients of the main group were additionally prescribed ammonium glycyrrhizinate (Reglisam) in an age-appropriate dosage in accordance with the instructions for use for 30 days in the treatment regimen. On the 1st, 7th and 30th days of therapy, all patients underwent endoscopy of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx, assessment of complaints and symptoms on a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS), PCR-diagnosis of herpesvirus pathogens in a smear from the surface of the pharyngeal tonsil. Results. In patients of the main group after the course of treatment (on the 30th day of follow-up), the severity of the "snoring" symptom was 67% lower (p = 0.001) relative to the comparison group, the intensity of the symptoms of "nasal breathing difficulty" and "cough" was 20% and 50% less, respectively. Also in the main group, there was a decrease in the proportion of patients with grade 3 adenoid hypertrophy (from 54% to 33%, p = 0.029) and grade 2 (from 15% to 4%, p = 0.046), accompanied by a block of the pharyngeal mouths of the auditory tubes (no such positive dynamics was noted in the comparison group). Among initially EBV-positive patients, the virus eradication was 78% in the main group, in the comparison group it did not exceed 12% (p = 0.015). Conclusion. The inclusion of the anti-inflammatory drug Reglisam in the treatment regimen of adenoiditis contributed to a more effective reduction in the severity of the symptoms of the disease ("nasal congestion", "cough", "snoring") and the restoration of nasal breathing, which was associated not only with the absence of signs of inflammation, but also with a decrease in the size of the pharyngeal tonsil. The antiviral effect of Reglisam against Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) turned out to be interesting from a practical point of view (in 78% of cases, there was no virus among initially EBV-positive patients). Key words: adenoiditis, Epstein–Barr virus, ammonium glycyrrhizinate, glycyrrhizic acid

Secondary infections in critically ill patients with COVID-19: A retrospective single-center study.

Patients infected with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) may have a higher incidence of developing secondary infections. These infections can further deteriorate the hospital course and increase mortality. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the incidence, associated risk factors, outcomes, and pathogens associated with secondary bacterial infections in critically ill patients with COVID-19. All adult COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit requiring mechanical ventilation from October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2021 were screened for inclusion in the study. A total of 86 patients were screened and 65 who met the inclusion criteria were prospectively entered into a customized electronic database. The database was then retrospectively analyzed to investigate secondary bacterial infections. Of the 65 patients included, 41.54% acquired at least one of the studied secondary bacterial infections during the course of their ICU stay. The most common secondary infection (59.26%) seen was hospital-acquired pneumonia followed by acquired bacteremia of unknown origin (25.92%) and catheter-related sepsis (14.81%). Diabetes mellitus (P = <.001), cumulative dose of corticosteroids (P = 0.001), were associated with an increased risk of secondary bacterial infection. The most commonly isolated pathogen in patients with secondary pneumonia was Acinetobacter baumannii. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common organism associated with a bloodstream infection and catheter-related sepsis. The incidence of secondary bacterial infections was high in critically ill patients with COVID-19 and was associated with a longer duration of admission to the hospital and ICU and a higher mortality. Diabetes mellitus and cumulative dose of corticosteroids were associated with significantly increased risk of secondary bacterial infection.

Opportunities and challenges of self-binding directives: A comparison of empirical research with stakeholders in three European countries.

Self-binding directives (SBDs) are psychiatric advance directives that include a clause in which mental health service users consent in advance to involuntary hospital admission and treatment under specified conditions. Medical ethicists and legal scholars identified various potential benefits of SBDs but have also raised ethical concerns. Until recently, little was known about the views of stakeholders on the opportunities and challenges of SBDs. This article aims to foster an international exchange on SBDs by comparing recent empirical findings on stakeholders' views on the opportunities and challenges of SBDs from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Comparisons between the empirical findings were drawn using a structured expert consensus process. Findings converged on many points. Perceived opportunities of SBDs include promotion of autonomy, avoidance of personally defined harms, early intervention, reduction of admission duration, improvement of the therapeutic relationship, involvement of persons of trust, avoidance of involuntary hospital admission, addressing trauma, destigmatization of involuntary treatment, increase of professionals' confidence, and relief for proxy decision-makers. Perceived challenges include lack of awareness and knowledge, lack of support, undue influence, inaccessibility during crisis, lack of cross-agency coordination, problems of interpretation, difficulties in capacity assessment, restricted therapeutic flexibility, scarce resources, disappointment due to noncompliance, and outdated content. Stakeholders tended to focus on practical challenges and did not often raise fundamental ethical concerns. Stakeholders tend to see the implementation of SBDs as ethically desirable, provided that the associated challenges are addressed.

Effects of Smoking on COVID-19 Management and Mortality: An Umbrella Review.

Smoking status appears to lead to a poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients. However, findings from the studies conducted on this topic have not been consistent, and further exploration is required. The objective of this umbrella review was to examine the effects of smoking on COVID-19 management and mortality. Online databases that included PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched using relevant keywords up to July 27, 2022. Articles were restricted to the English language, and the PRISMA protocol was followed. A total of 27 systematic reviews, published from 2020 to 2022, were included. Individual studies included in the systematic reviews ranged from 8 to 186, with various population sizes. The consensus from the majority of systematic reviews was that COVID-19 smoker patients experience greater disease severity, disease progression, hospitalization rate, hospital admission duration, mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and mortality rate. COVID-19 patients with a history of smoking (current and former) are vulnerable to adverse hospital outcomes and worse COVID-19 progression. Effective preventive and supportive approaches are required to decrease the risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in patients with a history of smoking.

Association between Admission Blood Glucose Levels and Clinical Outcomes among Diabetic Adults Admitted to a Tertiary Care Hospital in Chennai, India: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Admission blood glucose levels have an impact on hospitalisation and Length Of Stay (LOS). Uncontrolled blood glucose levels have been found to affect patients’ outcomes. Elevation of the initial blood glucose level during critical diagnosis was identified as an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality in critical cases. Aim: To examine the association between admission blood glucose levels and clinical outcomes in adult diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Data were collected between July 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021, using non-probability convenience sampling from 522 records of adult diabetic patients admitted between January 2019 and March 2020. Capillary random blood glucose levels at the time of admission and their effects on LOS, both in the hospital and Intensive Care Unit (ICU), readmission, and mortality data were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test. Results: Analysis of the records of 522 adult diabetic patients revealed that the mean and standard deviation (SD) of admission Capillary Blood Glucose (CBG) level were 177.46±49.42 mg/ dL, and the mean LOS in the hospital was 4.54±3.89 days. It was found that 340 (65.1%) patients had an admission duration of ≤4 days. There was a statistically significant association between admission blood glucose levels and LOS in the hospital (p-value=0.01), LOS in the ICU (p-value=0.008), readmission to the hospital (p-value=0.001), and mortality rate (p-value=0.0001). Conclusion: The study demonstrates that admission blood glucose levels are associated with the clinical outcomes of patients. These findings substantiate the need for maintaining normal glycemic levels through patient education and a proactive team approach to improve patient outcomes.

Leuko-Glycemic Index in the Prognosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction; a Cohort Study on Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry.

The leuko-glycemic index (LGI), a combined index of patient leukocyte counts and blood glucose levels, has been shown to predict the prognosis of myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Our study aims to investigate the performance of LGI in prediction of outcomes in a population of diabetic and non-diabetic MI patients. This observational registry-based cohort study was performed on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Participants were sub-grouped according to their diabetes status and the calculated optimal LGI cut-off value. The outcomes of the study were the length of hospital stay, and in-hospital and 30-day mortality. A total of 296 AMI (112 diabetic and 184 non-diabetic) patients were included in the study. The optimal cut-off value of LGI in the diabetic and non-diabetic groups was calculated as 2970.4 mg/dl.mm3 and 2249.4 mg/dl.mm3, respectively. High LGI was associated with increased hospital admission duration in non-diabetic patients (p = 0.017). The area under the curve (AUC) of LGI for prediction of in-hospital mortality was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.87 to 1.00) in the diabetic group and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.85 to 0.99) in the non-diabetic group. LGI had a sensitivity and specificity of 90.00%, and 93.14% in prediction of in-hospital mortality in the diabetic group compared to 77.77% and 90.85% in the non-diabetic group. We observed 4 post-discharge mortalities in our patient group. Our study demonstrated that higher LGI predicts in-hospital mortality in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients, while the length of hospital stay was only predicted by LGI levels in non-diabetic patients.

The impact of holiday season and weekend effect on traumatic injury mortality: Evidence from a 10-year analysis.

Trauma is one of the leading causes of death and its incidence increases annually. The "weekend effect" and "holiday season effect" on traumatic injury mortality remain controversial, whereby traumatic injury patients admitted during weekends and/or holiday season have a higher risk of in-hospital death. The present study is aimed to explore the association between "weekend effect" and "holiday season effect" and mortality in traumatic injury population. This retrospective descriptive study included patients from the Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital Trauma Database between January 2009 and June 2019. The exclusion criterion was age of < 20 years. The primary outcome was the in-hospital mortality rate. The secondary outcomes included intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ICU re-admission, length of stay (LOS) in the ICU, ICU admission duration ≥ 14 days, total hospital LOS, total hospital LOS ≥ 14 days, need for surgery, and re-operation rate. In this study, 11,946 patients were included in the analysis, and 8143 (68.2%) patients were admitted on weekdays, 3050 (25.5%) on weekends, and 753 (6.3%) on holidays. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that the admission day was not associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality. In other clinical outcome analyses, we found no significant increase in the risk of in-hospital mortality, ICU admission, ICU LOS ≥ 14 days, or total LOS ≥ 14 days in the weekend and holiday season groups. The subgroup analysis showed that the association between holiday season admission and in-hospital mortality was noted only in the elderly and shock condition populations. The holiday season duration did not differ in terms of in-hospital mortality. Longer holiday season duration was also not associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality, ICU LOS ≥14 days, and total LOS ≥14 days. In this study, we did not find any evidence that weekend and holiday season admissions in the traumatic injury population were associated with an increased risk of mortality. In other clinical outcome analyses, there was no significant increase in the risk of in-hospital mortality, ICU admission, ICU LOS ≥ 14 days, or total LOS ≥ 14 days in the weekend and holiday season groups.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the orthopaedics outpatient clinic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted orthopaedic practice since it started. In our study, we aimed to examine these effects on outpatient services. The patients who applied to the orthopedic outpatient clinic (n=1,518) in six months period under the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic (September 2020-March 2021) and patients (n=1,207) who applied during the same period before the pandemic (September 2019-March 2020) were analyzed according to the demographic characteristics (age, gender), reasons for admission, duration of complaints, treatments applied, surgical acceptance rate, and compliance with treatment. The mean age in the pre-pandemic outpatient clinic admissions was 39.1 years (1-91 years), the gender ratio was 635/572 (Female/Male), the mean age of the patients was 38.1 years (1-95), and the sex ratio was 793/725 (F/M) during the pandemic. Admissions of patients with acute complaints decreased after the pandemic, and applications for subacute or chronic complaints increased. Applications for sports medicine, pediatrics, and hand surgery increased, applications for trauma, foot and ankle surgery decreased, and applications for oncology and spine did not change. Conservative treatment recommendations decreased, the surgical treatment recommendation did not change, and the rate of patients who were given only follow-up decisions increased. There was no significant difference in the treatment rejection and surgical acceptance rate. We observed that the number of traumas decreased, and the hospital admission duration extended. The increase in the consultation rate and follow-up preference indicates that the treatment is more conservative in this period. In this process, patients should be adequately informed about the precautions taken, and their treatment should not be interrupted.