Hospital Follow-up Research Articles

Healthcare resource utilization among critically-ill COVID-19 survivors: results from the NUTRICOVID study.

critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are often associated with malnutrition and nutrition therapy is recommended. Previous studies on COVID-19 focused on the recovery of critically ill patients after hospital discharge; however, there are limited data on healthcare resource utilization (HRU) after discharge. to describe and analyze the HRU and nutritional status of COVID-19 patients during hospitalization and one year after discharge. during hospitalization and 12-month follow-up after discharge, we collected data on hospital and ICU length of stay, ventilatory support therapies, medical nutrition therapy, and outpatient visits. Factors contributing to outpatient visits and readmissions during the follow-up period were also analyzed. a total of 199 patients were included, with a median hospital and ICU length of stay of 53.0 and 23.5 days, respectively. During hospitalization, 86.4 % of the patients needed invasive ventilation and 51.5 % non-invasive ventilation; 50.3 % of the patients required parenteral nutrition, while 84.3 % required enteral nutrition and 66.0 % oral nutritional supplements. After discharge a mean number of visits per patient to general practitioner, specialized care, and emergency department of 4.5, 14.7, and 0.8, respectively, were registered, most of them directly or possibly related to COVID-19. Additionally, a better health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at discharge and lower weight loss during hospitalization were associated with lower HRU during follow-up. our study shows a high HRU among patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICU in the year following discharge and highlights the importance of the nutrition status during admission and its relation to HRU.

SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with hemopathies: An experience of a clinical hematology center in sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Many studies have reported the association of SARS-CoV-2 with benign and malignant hemopathies. Data from African series are scarce. This work was conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and aimed to study the clinical, biological, and evolutionary features of hemopathies associated with this infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a retrospective, cross-sectional study carried out over 32 months including 86 patients with benign or malignant hemopathies who underwent coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) confirmed by the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction or presenting with atypical clinical signs associated with highly suggestive computed tomography (CT) scan signs. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 48.3 ± 18.7 years with a sex ratio of 0.75. The main benign hemopathies were sickle cell trait (SCT) (n = 51), sickle cell disease SS (n = 8), and sickle cell disease SC (n = 1), while malignant hemopathies were represented by multiple myeloma (n = 5), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 5), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n = 4). The clinical symptoms mainly featured anemic syndrome (16.3%) and a vaso-occlusive crisis was found in 9.3% of homozygous sickle-cell patients. The infection was moderate in 48% of cases and severe in 19.7%. The severe forms were commonly found in patients with malignant hemopathies (47.6%) and the benign forms were noted in benign hemopathies (38.4%). Full blood count outlined anemia in 32.5% and lymphopenia in 23.2% of cases. On imaging, the CT scan reported severe lesions in 41.3% of cases. The outcome resulted in full recovery in 76.7% of cases, and mortality occurred in 23.3%. In univariate analysis, death was mainly noted in patients with lymphoid hemopathies (15%). Comorbidities (P < 0.0001), lymphoid hemopathies (P < 0.0001), and the severity of COVID-19 (P < 0.0001) had a positive impact on death occurrence in univariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The association between SARS-CoV-2 and hemopathy is not uncommon and is dominated by benign hemopathies. Malignant hemopathies are at-risk underlying conditions justifying a hospital follow-up of mild forms, allowing better survival. Particular attention must be paid to SCT with comorbidities and those with sickle cell disease of disease.

Poststroke depression within the first year – phenomenology and clinical correlates from real-world data

BackgroundStudies of poststroke depression (PSD) in Singapore are limited. Specifically, the dynamic epidemiology and phenomenology of PSD in the different stroke types are unknown. ObjectivesThis study aims to characterize the epidemiology and phenomenology of PSD in both the hospital setting, and in the community setting up to one year after stroke. MethodsReal-world clinical data of 1732 consecutive stroke patients in a tertiary stroke centre was extracted from inception in January 2010 to 30 November 2021. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) were used to identify PSD. Demographic, comorbidities and stroke-related variables, and stroke severity were extracted and analysed by stroke type – ischemic, haemorrhagic, and strategic, at the hospitalisation and community follow-up cross-sections. For each group, the characteristics of those with PSD were compared against those without PSD. Logistic regression was performed to identify PSD predictors. Phenomenology was mapped by the relative frequencies of endorsed items on PHQ and HADS in PSD patients. ResultsThe prevalence of in-hospital PSD was 19.24 % in ischemic stroke, and 24.59 % in both haemorrhagic strokes and strategic basal ganglia/thalamus strokes. Prevalence of PSD in 547 stroke patients who were followed-up ≤ 12 months was 6.42 % in ischemic strokes, 3.52 % in haemorrhagic strokes and 5.23 % among strategic strokes. The association of right sided, bilateral strokes, strategic strokes, and large vessel aetiology with PSD only exists for ischemic strokes. Greater functional impairment and a past psychiatric history are independent predictive factors of PSD in all stroke types. Symptom profile of in-hospital PSD includes anxious distress. ConclusionThese findings have immediate clinical applicability considering the representativeness of the study sample.

Advantages of computed tomography-based navigation in clipping distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysms: a retrospective cohort study.

The occurrence rate of distal anterior cerebral artery (DACA) aneurysms is relatively low, primarily due to their deep-seated location, which makes surgical clamping challenging. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of computed tomography (CT) navigation-assisted clipping of DACA aneurysms compared to traditional clipping without navigation. A retrospective cohort study involving retrospective data collection was performed. The retrospective analysis was conducted on 139 patients with ruptured DACA aneurysms who underwent clipping. From January 2013 to November 2021, 164 patients were retrieved at the Department of Neurosurgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. The inclusion criteria were patients diagnosed with DACA aneurysms via CT angiography (CTA) or digital subtraction angiography (DSA), those with complete clinical data, and those who underwent craniotomy for aneurysm clipping. Meanwhile, the exclusion criteria were as follows: aneurysm recurrence, traumatic brain injury or surgery history, blood disorders or recent anticoagulant use, and severe organ dysfunction. Data on gender, age, Hunt-Hess grade, Fisher grade, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, aneurysm location, hospitalization time, aneurysm found time (the duration from incision to aneurysm discovery), and intraoperative bleeding volume were collected from medical records and neurosurgical databases. Patients were followed up in the clinic or by telephone in May 2022. All patients were divided into a navigation group or a traditional group for statistical analysis. No statistically significant differences were observed in age, sex, Fisher grade, Hunt-Hess grade, hospitalization time, or aneurysm site between the navigation group and traditional group (P>0.05). Intraoperative blood loss was lower in the navigation group than in the traditional group {370 [280-460] vs. 430 [310-610] mL, P=0.045}. Patients in the traditional group had a shorter aneurysm found time than did those in the navigation group {49 [42-53] vs. 79 [63-84] min, P<0.001}. There was no significant difference in the mRS score at hospital discharge (P=0.336) or follow-up (P=0.157) between the two groups. CT neuronavigation-assisted microsurgery for clipping DACA aneurysms may improve surgical accuracy, shorten the time to locate aneurysms, and reduce intraoperative blood loss. Although no significant difference in prognosis was observed, this technique shows promise as a safe and effective alternative to traditional clipping without navigation.

Pulse pressure and inferior wall ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: investigating mortality, hospital major cardiovascular events, and long-term prognosis.

Inferior Wall ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (INF STEMI) is a severe condition with high mortality. Rapid treatment with Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) is preferred. Pulse Pressure (PP) is a known risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and may be a valuable predictor of outcomes in these patients. The study aims to evaluate the relationship between PP and long-term prognosis, mortality, and major cardiovascular events after inferior STEMI in cases who underwent PPCI. This cross-sectional study included subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of inferior STEMI who underwent PPCI. Patient data were gathered from hospital records and analyzed for the relationship between PP and MACE during hospitalization and one-year follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. This cross-sectional study of 320 cases found that DM, DBP, and Cr patients had a higher incidence of MACEs (P-value #x003C;0.05). Subjects with higher LVEF and SBP had fewer MACEs (P-value #x003C;0.05). Cases with a PP of ≤50 had a higher mortality and heart failure incidence during hospitalization than those with a PP >50 (P-value #x003C;0.05). However, the two groups had no significant difference in one-year MACE rates. The study found that increasing DBP, Cr, and DM and decreasing LVEF and SBP impacted MACE incidence. PP ≤50 had more heart failure incidence and mortality during hospitalization in patients with inferior STEMI.

Effects of a hospital discharge clinic among people with HIV: Lack of early follow-up is associated with 30-day hospital readmission and decreased retention in care.

The transition between inpatient and outpatient care for hospitalized people with HIV represents an opportunity for linkage and re-engagement in care. We evaluated whether attendance at a post-hospitalization visit ('discharge clinic') within 1-2 weeks of discharge would reduce readmissions and improve retention in care (RIC) among people with HIV in San Diego, California, USA. This was a retrospective cohort study of people with HIV hospitalized between June 2020 and November 2021. Our primary outcome was 30-day readmissions among people with HIV who did or did not attend a discharge clinic visit. Secondary outcomes included the effect of discharge clinic attendance on RIC, along with the impact of attendance at any HIV clinic visit within 30 days of discharge on readmissions and RIC. We evaluated 114 people with HIV, of whom 77 (67.5%) and 90 (78.9%) attended a discharge clinic visit or any HIV clinic visit within 30 days of discharge, respectively. Active substance use disorder (SUD) was associated with failing to attend a discharge clinic visit (odds ratio 0.31; 95% confidence interval 0.13-0.77). We observed no significant differences in readmissions between people with HIV who did or did not attend a discharge clinic visit; however, the former had significantly higher 6-month RIC (79.2% vs. 35.1%, p < 0.001). People with HIV attending any HIV clinic visit within 30 days of discharge had significantly fewer 30-day readmissions (8.9% vs. 29.2%, p = 0.02) and better 6-month RIC (75.6% vs. 25%, p < 0.001) than those who did not attend. Early hospital follow-up care was associated with a reduction in readmissions among people with HIV. Active SUD was a significant barrier to linkage to outpatient follow-up and RIC.

Effective Care Transitions: Reducing Readmissions to Improve Patient Care and Outcomes.

Care transitions from one setting to another are vulnerable spaces where patients are susceptible to complications. Health systems, accountable care organizations, and payers recognize that care transition interventions are necessary to reduce unnecessary cost and utilization and improve patient outcomes following a hospitalization. Multiple care transition models exist, with varying degrees of intensity and success. This article describes a quality improvement project for a care transition model that incorporates key elements from the American Case Management Association's Transitions of Care Standards and the Transitional Care Management services as outlined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. A collaboratively developed care transition model was implemented between a health system population health management office and a primary care organization. An effective care transitions model is stronger with collaboration among core members of a patient's care team, including a nurse care manager and a primary care provider. Ongoing quality improvement is necessary to gain efficiencies and effectiveness of such a model. Care managers are integral in coordinating effective transitions. Care management practice includes transition of care standards that are associated with improved outcomes for patients at high risk for readmission. Interventions inclusive of medication reconciliation, identification and addressing of health-related social needs, review of discharge instructions, and coordinated follow-up are important factors that impact patient outcomes. Patients and their health system care teams benefit from the role of a care manager when there is a collaborative, coordinated, and timely approach to hospital follow-up.

Dietary practice and associated factors among type 2 diabetic patients attending chronic follow-up in public hospitals, central Ethiopia, 2022

BackgroundDiabetes Mellitus (DM) is affecting numerous Ethiopian populations regardless of environmental and social status. Diabetic people all over the world are commonly urged to acquire a healthy eating habit, which necessitates lifelong changes in food habits, beliefs, and meal patterns. Dietary management is considered one of the cornerstones of diabetes care, as it is an important component of the overall treatment plan. Choosing and following a healthy diet is important for everyone, especially people with diabetes.ObjectiveThis study aims to assess dietary practices and associated factors among type 2 diabetes patients in the west Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, in 2022.MethodsA hospital-based cross-sectional study design was conducted in West Shewa Zone public hospitals among 421 randomly selected type 2 diabetic patients from February 1 to March 30, 2022. Data were collected using a structured and pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were done using SPSS.ResultsIn this study, about 35.6% (95% CI: 30.9–39.9) of type 2 diabetes patients had good dietary practices. Diabetes knowledge (AOR 9 2; 95% CI 4.4–19.4), food-secured households (AOR 3.3; 95% CI 1.6–6.9), high self-efficacy (AOR 6.6; 95% CI 3.2–13.9), diabetes diet information from healthcare professionals (AOR 2.9; 95% CI 1.3–6.4), complete dietary change (AOR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.1–4.8), and female gender (AOR 3.6; 95% CI 1.6–8.1) were independent predictors of good dietary practice.ConclusionThe proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes, who attended follow-up at West Shawa Public Hospitals and practiced good dietary habits, was low. Patients' household food insecurity, diabetes knowledge, self-efficacy, source of information on the diabetic diet, complete dietary change after diabetes diagnosis, and gender were all significantly associated with type 2 diabetic patients' dietary practices. Thus, promoting the provision of continuous, modified, and comprehensive education and advice on the importance of diabetes self-management, particularly adherence to dietary recommendations, is fundamental to decreasing the burden of diabetes complications and massive health expenses among diabetic patients.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine surveillance for adults with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the UK.

To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population with chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection under hospital follow-up in the UK, we quantified the coverage and frequency of measurements of biomarkers used for routine surveillance (alanine transferase [ALT] and HBV viral load). We used anonymized electronic health record data from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Informatics Collaborative (HIC) pipeline representing five UK National Health Service (NHS) Trusts. We report significant reductions in surveillance of both biomarkers during the pandemic compared to pre-COVID-19 years, both in terms of the proportion of patients who had ≥1 measurement annually, and the mean number of measurements per patient. These results demonstrate the real-time utility of HIC data in monitoring health-care provision, and support interventions to provide catch-up services to minimise the impact of the pandemic. Further investigation is required to determine whether these disruptions will be associated with increased rates of adverse chronic HBV outcomes.

Cannabis Use Disorder Trends and Health Care Utilization After Cervical and Lumbar Spine Fusions.

A retrospective cohort study. To identify differences in complication rates after cervical and lumbar fusion over the first postoperative year between those with and without cannabis use disorder (CUD) and to assess how CUD affects opioid prescription patterns. Cannabis is legal for medical purposes in 36 states and for recreational use in 18 states. Cannabis has multisystem effects and may contribute to transient vasoconstrictive, prothrombotic, and inflammatory effects. The IBM MarketScan Database (2009-2019) was used to identify patients who underwent cervical or lumbar fusions, with or without CUD. Exact match hospitalization and postdischarge outcomes were analyzed at index, six, and 12 months. Of 72,024 cervical fusion (2.0% with CUD) and 105,612 lumbar fusion patients (1.5% with CUD), individuals with CUD were more likely to be young males with higher Elixhauser index. The cervical CUD group had increased neurological complications (3% vs. 2%) and sepsis (1% vs. 0%) during the index hospitalization and neurological (7% vs. 5%) and wound complications (5% vs. 3%) at 12 months. The lumbar CUD group had increased wound (8% vs. 5%) and myocardial infarction (MI) (2% vs. 1%) complications at six months and at 12 months. For those with cervical myelopathy, increased risk of pulmonary complications was observed with CUD at index hospitalization and 12-month follow-up. For those with lumbar stenosis, cardiac complications and MI were associated with CUD at index hospitalization and 12 months. CUD was associated with opiate use disorder, decreasing postoperatively. No differences in reoperation rates were observed for CUD groups undergoing cervical or lumbar fusion. CUD was associated with an increased risk of stroke for the cervical fusion cohort and cardiac (including MI) and pulmonary complications for lumbar fusion at index hospitalization and six and 12 months postoperatively. Opiate use disorder and decreased opiate dependence after surgery also correlated with CUD.

Single-Center Experience of 500 Cases of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: Surgical Techniques and Perioperative Management Strategies.

Introduction: Reported results and techniques of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) are variable. Our objective was to assess results of weight loss, complications, and reflux in a large consecutive series of LSG, describing technical detail which contributed to outcomes. Methods: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data of 500 consecutive patients undergoing LSG. Patient demographics, weight loss, complications, and functional outcomes were analyzed and operative technique described. Results: Five hundred patients underwent LSG over 3 years (2 revisional). Mean (range) preoperative body mass index was 40 kg/m2 (32-75 kg/m2). Mean follow-up and length of hospital stay were 12 months (1-36) and 7.2 days (5-12), respectively. All-cause 30-day readmission rate was 0.3%. Mean excess weight loss was 22.3% (1 month), 42.2% (3 month), 57.2% (6 month), and 73.1% (1 year). There was no mortality and intraoperative complications occurred in our 500 cases. Early surgical complications in 2 (0.2%) patients (postoperative bleeds). Gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms decreased about 10%. Conclusion: With attention to detail, LSG can lead to good excess weight loss with minimal complications. Tenants to success include repair of hiatal laxity, generous width at angula incisura, and complete resection of posterior fundus.

In-hospital and long term neurological outcome prognostication using an algorithm based on the analysis of ventricular fibrillation from the EKG of patients with sudden cardiac death (AWAKE)

Abstract Background Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a leading cause of mortality and carries a dismal neurological outcome (NO) among patients admitted alive to acute cardiac care units (ACCU). A big share of SCD are found in ventricular fibrillation (VF). VF waveform is dynamic and it can be characterized by spectral analysis at the very time of ACCU admission. Purpose To validate in a multicenter cohort an algorithm based on spectral variables of VF waveform to early predict neurological outcome at hospital discharge and follow-up, and to compare its performance with currently established prognostic tools. Methods Multicenter study in which 5 hospitals recruited patients, resuscitated from SCD due to VF whose EKG was available, and admitted to ACCU with expertise in SCD. EKG tracings were scanned and analyzed with a custom MATLAB script delivering spectral variables to be entered in an algorithm to predict NO. NO was assessed by Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) during admission and after a minimum 6-month follow-up period. The primary endpoint was favorable neurological outcome (FNO, defined as CPC 1 and 2) during hospital admission, and the secondary endpoint was FNO at long-term follow-up. Statistical data were analyzed with SPSS and EPIDAT. Results We included 168 patients out of 678 screened in participant hospitals among admissions from 2007 to 2022. The main cause of exclusion was a rhythm different from VF at the time of medical assistance (n=329, 48%) or VF EKG unavailable (n=151, 22%). Ninety-five patients (57%) were admitted in comatose status (Glasgow &amp;lt;9). Baseline characteristics are depicted in Picture 1. FNO during admission was documented in 136 patients (81%). Twenty-nine patients (17%) died during hospitalization. A spectral-based model using VF tracings early predicted FNO with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.85 (CI95% 0.77-0.93). There was overlap with the predictive performance obtained with the peak value of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) (0.85; CI95% 0.74-0.95) (Picture 2, A). Other prognostic tools showed similar or lower diagnostic yield and results were obtained at a later time after admission (Picture 2, B,D). Long-term follow-up was obtained for 166 cases (2 foreign patients were impossible to retrieve). Patients discharged alive were followed for 17 (± standard deviation 21) months. FNO was present in 136 (82%). The spectral-based model predicted FNO with AUC 0.83 (CI95% 0.74-0.92), similar to NSE (AUC 0.87, CI95% 0.77-0.97) (Picture 2, C). Other tools performed in follow-up similar to during admission (Picture 2, D). CONCLUSION A model based on VF spectral analysis predicts neurological outcome after SCD with an accuracy similar to current validated tools, but with no requirement for drug withdrawal or waiting period in comatose patients. This model estimates outcomes at the earliest moment of hospital admission and its predictions remain valid in the long run.Baseline characteristicsDiagnostic yield of model vs other tools

Clinical outcomes of comparison between type-III cap and non-cap acute coronary syndrome patients in 3 year follow up

Abstract Background Coronary artery perforation(CAP) is potentially fatal complication of percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) in acute coronary syndrome(ACS).There is no study in literature comparing long term clinical outcomes of type III-CAP-ACS and non-CAP-ACS patients. Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate in hospital- 1-year and 3-year clinical outcomes of type III-CAP during PCI in ACS patients. Methods Data from ACS patients who had type III-CAP during PCI from January 2010 to Jaunary 2020 at different high volume centers in Turkey were collected.A retrospective cohort of 43,791 patients who underwent PCI was used:120 patients with CAP and 43,671 case-control patients were evaluated.Propensity score matching was used to evaluate the association between differing CAP. Clinical angiographic and procedural characteristics, their management and outcomes were analyzed retrospectively in 1-year and 3-year follow up.Multiple regressions were used to identify predictors of coronary perforation and its association with outcomes. Results The mean age of subjects was 66.5±11.9 years(61.8%males).Of all ACS patients were 247STEMI(37.9%), 216NSTEMI(33.2%) and 188UA(28.9%).Non significant differences were identified between the CAP and non-CAP groups in hospital follow-up for, cardiac death, major bleeding, and stent thrombosis except cerebrovascular event(p=0.003).At three year, differences remained different between myocardial infarction(MI)(p=0.038),coronary artery bypass graft(CABG)(p=0.001),stent thrombosis(ST)(p=0.002),major bleeding(p=0.029) and cerebrovascular event(CVE)(p=0.011)), was observed in the CAP/non-CAP group.Median follow-up of was 36 months.The all-cause mortality was 33.3% in CAP group versus 1.8% in non-CAP group at 1-year and 28.3% in CAP group versus 6.9% in non-CAP group at 3-years(p=0.001,p=0.001). Conclusions There was no significat difference between type-III-CAP and non-CAP group in hospital mortality.The procedural, clinical, 1 and 3-year outcomes of type III-CAP showed that relatively high risk of MI,CABG,CVE,ST and major bleeding under 1 and 3-year follow-up.Also, non-CAP ACS patients had better survival compared to type III CAP ACS patients in 3- year follow up.Figure 1Figure 2

Optimization of telemedicine in advanced practice provider (APP) led oncology/hematology remote-only clinic.

523 Background: To continue quality timely patient care telemedicine usage increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic review of the literature supports the use of telemedicine beyond the pandemic. The goal of this quality improvement (QI) project sought to identify barriers and promoters to sustain telemedicine visits for adult oncology/hematology patients seen in the Virtual Advanced Practice Provider (VAPP) clinic. A Telemedicine Toolkit (TT) was developed for providers to enhance and improve the provider/patient experience. Methods: Retrospectivedata retrieved from EMR/VAPP included details from 1,985 patient visits for March-August 2022 to investigate how to optimize the specialty care visit. Over a 10-day period, staff completed pre/posttest surveys to assess engagement and satisfaction with TT. Results: The data points from the statewide EMR and VSee platforms showed the patient median age was 62; age range seen 19-95. More females were seen at 65% (1290) than males at 35% (695); predominant race/ethnicity was white at 47.5% (943). The main diagnosis seen was breast at 28.86% (573), then lung at 7% (127), followed by colon at 6.90% (137). Visit type from high to low: the teaching visit at 44.5% (884), standard follow-up visit (toxicity checks and hospital follow-ups) at 32.9% (645), new genetics visits at 11.5% (228) and follow-up genetic visits at 7% (138), Advance care planning visits (ACP) at 3% (58), urgent care follow-up visit at 1% (24) and the high-risk/preventive care at 0.4% (8). Nearly 250 locations were served predominantly in central Texas. Patient devices used included iPhone/IOS at 48%, Windows OS at 27.5%, Android at 20.5%, and Mac OS at 4%. Conclusions: The VAPP clinic with a robust infrastructure, is now serving the entire state of Texas. The staff noted the TT to be intuitive and helpful. Sustainability of the TT through updates and continued staff education is essential. This project did not find a significant problem with Wi-Fi services and the most common reason for an aborted/canceled visit was the patient did not remember their Apple ID/Google password to be able to download the VSee application. Patient education prior to visits regarding Vsee needs would potentially reduce canceled/aborted visits.

FRAIL Scale: an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality among older adults.

To screen for geriatric syndromes in older in-hospital patients and investigate their relationship with mortality. Demographic data, comorbidities, and medical history of the patients were recorded. Anthropometric measurements were obtained at 72 hours after hospital admission. The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form, strength, assistance with walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls (SARC-F) sarcopenia screening questionnaire, Katz Activities of Daily Living scale, Lawton-Brody instrumental activities of daily living scale, the fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness, and loss of weight (FRAIL) scale and the Eating Assessment Test-10 (EAT-10) screening test were used to assess geriatric syndromes. All patients were evaluated for delirium, pain, falls, polypharmacy, sleep disorders, incontinence, and pressure injury by the same researcher. A total of 85 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 75±7 years (range: 66-97). During hospital follow-up, 15.3% (n=13) of the patients died and 84.7% (n=72) were discharged. The median length of stay was 19 days (range: 3-126 days). In the multivariate analysis, frailty (hazard ratio: 2.67, 95% CI: 1.41-5.06, p=0.003) was found to be associated with in-hospital mortality. Frailty is an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality in older adults.

(096) Where Next? Assessing Delirium Management and Follow-up in a Clinical Research Hospital

(096) Where Next? Assessing Delirium Management and Follow-up in a Clinical Research Hospital

Loss to Hospital Follow-Up in Pediatric Cerebral Malaria Survivors: A Case-Control Study.

Children surviving central nervous system (CNS) infections are at high risk of neurological, behavioral, and cognitive sequalae. Early identification, characterization, and treatment of these sequelae may improve child and family health. In Africa, it is unclear if there are demographic or clinical factors that increase the risk of post-hospital loss to follow-up in children with CNS infections. If these factors exist, targeted educational efforts to increase rates of post-hospital retention could be focused on families at highest risk. We performed a case-control study of Malawian children with cerebral malaria, a locally common CNS infection, previously admitted to a specialized research unit in Blantyre, Malawi. Routine survivor post-hospital follow-up was scheduled for 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months. We compared demographic and clinical characteristics between 84 children who missed one or more of these post-hospital visits with 120 children who attended all visits. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic or clinical characteristics between children whose families returned for all follow-up visits and those who did not. Specifically, when comparing these groups, we found no differences in age (P = 00.646), sex (P = 0.789), duration of hospitalization (P = 0.903), distance from home to hospital (P = 0.355), type or severity of neurological sequelae (P = 0.837), guardian literacy (P = 0.057), or number of discharge medications (P = 0.464). No factors assessed in this study were associated with higher risk of loss to follow-up in Malawian child survivors of CNS infections. During hospitalization, educational efforts to increase post-hospital retention should focus on all families.

Specialty follow -up care after hospital discharge of patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19 from a rural tertiary-care hospital

The clinical features of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have been well documented, but there is limited data regarding the short term and longitudinal outcomes of children living in rural areas. We report the demographic and clinical features, as well as the multi-specialty follow-up of patients with MIS-C served by a large tertiary care rural health system. Patients that met the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) case definition of MIS-C admitted between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, were included in this case series. Manual chart review was used to report demographic characteristics, clinical, laboratory and radiologic features during acute hospitalization and multispecialty follow-up, and adherence to follow-up 6-10 weeks after hospital discharge. Twenty-one patients with MIS-C were admitted at our center during the review period. Ninety percent of the cohort required intensive care during hospitalization. Of 19 patients with measured ejection fractions, 52% had some degree of left ventricular dysfunction on admission; nine patients had electrocardiogram changes on admission. The majority of patients had elevated inflammatory markers during hospitalization. Most patients had resolution of symptoms, improvement in inflammatory markers, and normal cardiac function at the time of discharge. Follow-up with pediatric cardiology, hematology-oncology and infectious disease was indicated for most patients at discharge. Of these, 100% of patients kept initial follow-up appointments with pediatric cardiology and infectious disease, while 94% kept initial follow-up appointments with pediatric hematology-oncology. Though most patients were critically ill during hospitalization, the majority had resolution of cardiac abnormalities and inflammatory markers at discharge and timely follow-up with multiple subspecialists after admission with MIS-C.

COVID-19 Seyrinde NLR, LMR, PLR, d-NLR, LeCR, LCR, NMR Biyoparametrelerinin Etkinliğinin Değerlendirilmesi

Background/Objective: Severe inflammatory response of the immune system has a serious role in the progression of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The clinical benefits of early diagnosis of immune activation of COVID-19 have been emphasized repeatedly in the trials to this date. In this study, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (d-NLR), lymphocyte-to-C reactive protein ratio (LCR), leukocyte-to-C reactive protein ratio (LeCR), neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio (NMR) biomarkers were evaluated for predicting clinical course of COVID-19. &#x0D; Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 383 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, who had been hospitalized in a tertiary care hospital between April and November 2020, were included. Patients, including 279 mild and 104 severe cases, were sequentially selected. Blood tests, conducted at the time of admission, were examined. Data was analyzed and ROC analysis was performed by using SPSS 22.0 program. &#x0D; Results: 44.3% of the patients included in the study were female, 99.2% of the patients had viral pneumonia, 27.2% met clinical criteria for severe disease and median age was 58 years. Age, duration of hospitalization, white blood cell count, neutrophil count, ferritin, CRP, procalcitonin, D-dimer, troponin levels were higher and lymphocyte, monocyte counts were lower in the group with clinically severe disease. The diagnostic sensitivities of LCR, CRP, d-NLR, NLR, LeCR were found to be high (AUC&gt; 0.8) for the prediction of clinical severity with cut-off values of 15, 74.65, 2.55, 4, 133 respectively. &#x0D; Conclusion: High CRP, d-NLR, NLR and low LCR, LeCR are early predictors of the clinical severity, these patients should be under hospital follow-up for close monitoring and early intervention.

Management of biliary obstruction in patients with newly diagnosed alveolar echinococcosis: a Swiss retrospective cohort study.

Alveolar echinococcosis, an orphan zoonosis affecting the liver, is of increasing concern worldwide. Most symptomatic cases present at an advanced and inoperable stage, sometimes with biliary obstruction prompting biliary tract interventions. These are, however, associated with a high risk of infectious complications. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of conservative and interventional treatment approaches in patients with newly diagnosed alveolar echinococcosis and biliary obstruction. Alveolar echinococcosis patients treated at two referral centres in Switzerland, presenting with hyperbilirubinaemia (total bilirubin >1.5 Upper Limit of Normal) at diagnosis were included, unless another underlying aetiology, i.e. common bile duct stones or decompensated cirrhosis, was identified. Patients were divided into two groups, according to whether they initially received a biliary tract intervention. The primary endpoint was normalisation of bilirubin levels within a 6-month period. Secondary endpoints included, among others, the occurrence of early and late biliary complications, the need for biliary tract interventions during follow-up and overall duration of hospital stays for treatment initiation and for biliary complications. 28 patients were included in this study, of whom 17 received benzimidazole therapy alone and 11 additionally received a biliary tract intervention. Baseline characteristics did not differ between groups. All but one patient in each group achieved the primary endpoint (p=0.747). Biliary tract intervention was associated with faster laboratory improvement (t1/21.3 vs 3.0 weeks), but also with more frequent early biliary complications (7/11 vs 1/17, p=0.002) and longer initial hospital stay (18 days vs 7 days, p=0.007). Biliary obstruction in patients with newly diagnosed alveolar echinococcosis can be treated effectively with benzimidazole therapy alone. Biliary tract intervention, on the other hand, is associated with a high complication rate and should probably be reserved for patients with insufficient response to benzimidazole therapy.