Landspitali University Hospital Research Articles

Epidemiology and Outcomes Associated with New Persistent Opioid Use After Transabdominal Operation.

Overall, 3-12% of opioid-naïve patients develop persistent opioid use after surgery. It's still unclear whether persistent opioid use after transabdominal surgery is associated with adverse surgical outcomes. We aimed to assess if new persistent opioid use after transabdominal surgery is associated with increased long-term mortality and readmission rates. Opioid-naïve patients >18 years undergoing transabdominal surgery at Landspitali University Hospital, the only tertiary hospital in Iceland, from 2006-2018 were included. Persistent opioid use was defined as opioid use more than 3 months postoperatively. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) was used to yield balanced study groups accounting for baseline characteristics. Long-term mortality (during median follow-up of 5.2 years) was compared using propensity-weighted Cox regression and readmission within 3-6 months using propensity-weighted logistic regression. Overall, 3923 patients were included (laparoscopy-2680, laparotomy-1243). Rates of new persistent opioid use were 13.0%. Rates were higher after laparotomy than laparoscopy in the crude analysis but not in the propensity-weighted analysis. New persistent opioid use was associated with higher long-term mortality (hazard ratio 1.84, 95% CI 1.41-2.40) and readmission rates (odds ratio 3.24, 95% CI 2.25-4.76). This was consistent for both patients undergoing laparoscopy and laparotomy. Moreover, there were signs of a dose-response relationship, with patients in higher quartiles of postoperative opioid consumption having higher mortality and readmission rates. New persistent opioid use following transabdominal surgery was associated with higher rates of mortality and readmission rates. This calls for increased postoperative support for at-risk patients and increased support during transitions of care for these patients.

Kidney transplantation in Icelandic patients, 2000-2019: are outcomes affected by low volume?

In Iceland, a small number of kidney transplants from living donors (LDs) are performed at Landspitali University Hospital (LUH) in Reykjavik, while deceased donor transplants have until recently invariably been carried out abroad. In this study, we evaluated the outcome of kidney transplantation in Icelandic patients. This was a retrospective study that included all Icelandic residents who underwent kidney transplantation between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2019. Data were obtained from the Icelandic End-Stage Kidney Disease Registry, medical records at LUH, and the Scandiatransplant database. The Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation was used to calculate estimated glomerular filtration rate from serum creatinine for recipients and donors aged >18 years, and the modified Schwartz equation for those aged ≤18 years. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was employed for group comparisons. A total of 229 kidney transplants in 221 patients were performed during the 20-year period, of which 135 (58.9%) were from LDs. Transplants carried out at LUH were 118 (51.5%), of which 116 were from LDs. During a median follow-up of 7.4 years (range 0.1-20), 27 (12.2%) patients died, 20 (74%) of whom had a functioning graft. One-year patient survival was 99.1% [95% confidence interval (CI), 97.9-100], 5-year survival was 95.7% (95% CI, 92.7-98.7), and 10-year survival was 87.7% (95% CI, 82.4-93.4). Death-censored graft survival was 98.3% (95% CI, 96.6-100), 96.8% (95% CI, 94.4-99.2), and 89.2% (95% CI, 84.1-94.7) at 1, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Patient and graft survival are comparable with those of large transplant centers, demonstrating the feasibility of running a quality kidney transplant program in a small nation in collaboration with a larger center abroad.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting at Landspitali: A prospective study.

In the last decade, anaesthesia practice has changed at Landspitali, where the majority of patients now receive antiemetic prophylaxis, and the use of total intravenous anaesthesia is the dominant mode for maintenance of anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in a prospective way, the use of PONV prophylaxis, and clinical risk factors associated with PONV during this era. A prospective cohort study using a convenience sample of 438 patients ≥18 years old admitted to the postoperative care unit (PACU) after elective or emergency operations in May-July 2022 at Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland. Patients answered questionnaires in the PACU and 24 h after discharge from PACU. The incidence of self-reported moderate/severe nausea (5/10 or higher on NRS) in PACU was 4% and 3% on postoperative day 1. A total of 91% of delivered anaesthetics were with intravenous medications only, and 82% of patients received at least one prophylactic medication for PONV. When asked to rate the worst nausea experienced, this was described as moderate/severe by 7% in PACU and 17% on postoperative day 1. Risk factors associated with PONV were female gender (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.04-3.53) and a history of motion sickness or PONV (2.74, 1.51-4.94), but increasing age was protective (0.83 per decade, 0.71-0.98). Despite a more liberal administration of antiemetics, patients with more risk factors per Apfel PONV risk classification had a higher incidence of PONV. The incidence of PONV is generally low in this diverse surgical population where anaesthesia is mostly maintained with total intravenous anaesthesia and PONV prophylaxis is common. PONV remains a predictable complication following anaesthesia, suggesting further improvement in its prevention is possible.

New-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation following coronary artery bypass grafting: Incidence, clinical course and short-term outcomes

The aims of this retrospective study were to investigate the incidence, clinical course and short term outcomes of new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) following coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). A nation-wide study on 1622 patients who underwent CABG from 2006-2020 at Landspitali University Hospital. Clinical data were extracted from registries and 121 patients with pre-existing AF excluded, leaving 1501 patients for further analysis. Patient charts and postoperative ECGs were manually reviewed for determining details of POAF, which was defined as a postoperative episode of AF before discharge lasting at least 5 minutes. Patients with POAF (n=483) were compared to non-POAF patients (n=1018). Altogether 483 (32.2%) patients developed POAF; the annual incidence decreasing over time (tau= -0,45, p=0.023). Most patients were diagnosed on the second day postoperatively (43.5%) and over 90% were diagnosed within 4 days. The median number of POAF episodes was 3 (IQR: 1-5), the first episode lasting 1-6 hours in half of the cases and the total POAF-duration being 12 hours median (IQR: 5-30). Over 94% of cases converted to sinus rythm before discharge, with 25 (5.3%) patients being discharged in AF. Most patients were treated with beta-blockers (98.8%), amiodarone (95%) and 14.9% with electric cardioversion. POAF-patients were older, had higher EuroSCORE II and a longer hospital stay, however, they had similar rates of early postoperative stroke and 30 day mortality. The incidence of POAF remains high and was associated with prolonged hospital stay, but not significantly higher 30 day mortality or early postoperative stroke compared to patients in sinus rhythm. POAF-episodes were predominantly transient and almost 95% of patients were discharged in sinus rythm.

Epidemiology of acute heart failure admissions in Iceland: phenotype distribution and prognostic implications

Abstract Background/Introduction Contemporary data that describe underlying causes of acute heart failure (AHF) epidemiology in a nation-wide unselected real-life cohort is lacking. Advances in diagnostics, including imaging and genetics, have facilitated the identification of the underlying cause of heart failure (HF). This is the first Icelandic nation-wide study on HF epidemiology of patients hospitalised for AHF. Purpose Investigate the underlying causes of AHF in Iceland and the patients‘ prognosis according to phenotypes. Methods This study used data from the Icelandic Heart Failure Registry (IHFR) and included all hospital admissions for AHF at Landspitali University Hospital from January 2020 to June 2022 (n = 1723). Differences in survival between HF phenotypes were analysed using a multivariate log-rank test, both after diagnosis and after the first discharge. Results The study found that 39.8% of the cases had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), 17.4% had HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF), 40.3% had HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), 0.9% had HF with improved ejection fraction (HFimpEF), and 1.5% had unknown ejection fraction (EF). The average length of hospital admission varied by phenotype, ranging from 8.1 to 15.9 days. Women accounted for 41.15% of all admissions, with the most common phenotype amongst women being HFpEF (57.8%) and the least common being HFrEF (25.1%). The mean age at admission was 75.8 years. Roughly 79% of the whole cohort had NYHA class III-IV at admission; 33% of HFrEF, 13% of HFmrEF and 32% of HFpEF admissions. The most common underlying cause of AHF was coronary artery disease (CAD, 30.9%) followed by atrial fibrillation (15.0%), hypertension (9.8%), diastolic dysfunction (9.4%) and valvular heart disease (9.2%). Other more rare causes were dilated cardiomyopathy (4.4%), amyloidosis (3.2%), broken heart disease (1.5%), myocarditis (0.4%), postpartum cardiomyopathy (0.2%) and Fabry disease (0.1%). During the study period, 422 mortalities were recorded, with 106 in-hospital deaths. After excluding in-hospital mortalities, no significant difference in survival between phenotypes was observed after the first discharge. However, a significant difference in survival was observed with respect to the date of diagnosis (p = 0.0191). Conclusion This study provides new insights into the underlying causes of AHF and patients' prognosis according to phenotypes in Iceland. Our results demonstrate that the most common underlying cause of AHF was CAD, followed by atrial fibrillation and hypertension and that the cohort was highly symptomatic, with a large proportion of patients having NYHA class III-IV at admission. Our findings also highlight significant differences in the prevalence of HF phenotypes between genders, with women more commonly presenting with HFpEF and less commonly with HFrEF.

Immunohistochemical staining seems mandatory for individualizing and shortening follow-up in unilateral primary aldosteronism.

The clinical significance of immunohistochemistry (IHC) for unilateral primary aldosteronism (PA) has been unclear. Individualized follow-up of PA patients could be in sight. Long-term outcomes of patients, classified based on IHC, need further investigation. We aimed to assess long-term clinical outcomes for unilateral PA, classifying patients based on IHC. A nationwide observational study, with up to 16 years follow-up, executed in 2007-2016 at Landspitali University Hospital, tertiary referral center. Patients were diagnosed and treated in line with the current guidelines. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) tissue slides were stained using CYP11B1 and -B2 antibodies. All cases were re-evaluated and classified according to the HISTALDO consensus. Outcomes were assessed using the PASO criteria. All unilateral PA patients diagnosed in 2007-2016 in Iceland, 26 patients aged 28-73 years, who underwent adrenalectomy, were included. Aldosterone, renin, and cortisol values, use and dosage of antihypertensives, potassium supplementation, blood pressure and serum potassium pre-intervention and throughout follow-up, and histopathology results post-adrenalectomy. Following IHC, an aldosterone-producing nodule was seen in 12 adrenals, an aldosterone-producing adenoma in 10 and multiple aldosterone-producing micronodules in four. IHC altered histopathology from previous H&E diagnosis in 23% (6/26) of the patients. In total, 81% (21/26) of the patients had partial clinical success. Eight percent (2/26) of the patients needed potassium supplementation during follow-up. In the classical group, the AVS results were more determinative with significantly higher lateralization index (median 10.1 vs. 5.3, p = .04) and more contralateral suppression (median nondominant ratio 0.4 vs. 1.0, p = .03). One out of five patients with complete clinical success at 12 months post-op had severe relapse later, the other four were normotensive without antihypertensives for up to 10 years. We found IHC mandatory for accurate histopathologic diagnosis of PA. Our results support the importance of contralateral suppression when interpreting AVS results. Also, the study highlights the complicated assessment of clinical outcome and importance of aldosterone and renin measurements during follow-up.

Physical activity and glycemic control among adults living with coronary heart disease

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): University of Akureyri Research Fund Landspitali University Hospital Science Fund Background The most common comorbidity in coronary heart disease (CHD) is diabetes mellitus (DM). The presence of DM or pre-diabetes mellitus in addition to CHD further increases health risks. Engagement in regular physical activity (PA) has been shown to improve health and well-being and increase life expectancy. For that reason, it is important to explore the role of PA when the diseases coexist and how PA can be used effectively as part of treatment to improve coronary patients’ health. Purpose The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the level of PA and glycemic control in adults with CHD. Methods This study had a cross-sectional design. The participants were adults who had been admitted to one of two main hospitals in Iceland between October 2017 and November 2018 following a CHD incident. Data was collected six months after hospital discharge with questionnaires, physical measurements, blood samples, and from medical files. The Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to measure PA. The participants were categorized into four groups according to their PA level (mostly sedentary; light; moderate; or high PA) and the relationship between PA levels and long-term glycemic control (glycated hemoglobin percentage (HbA1c%)) was explored using one-way ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test. Results The sample consisted of 346 individuals. Their mean age was 64.6 years (SD = 8.9), 80.1% were males and 20.9% had diabetes. The mean HbA1c% was 5.9% (SD = 0.9; range = 4.6%-12.8%). The PA questionnaire classified 15.1% of the participants as mostly sedentary, 43.6% engaged in light PA, 33.2% engaged in moderate PA and 8.1% engaged in high levels of PA (Figure 1). An analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in mean HbA1c% values between groups F(3, 343) = 8.56, p < 0.001. Post-hoc comparisons showed that the mean HbA1c% of the least active individuals (M = 6.4%, SD = 1.5) was significantly higher than in all other groups. However, there were no significant group differences between those who engaged in light PA (M = 5.8%, SD = 0.7), moderate PA (M = 5.8%, SD = 0.6) and high levels of PA (M = 5.7%, SD = 0.8), (Figure 2). Conclusion PA was associated with small benefits in glycemic control among individuals with CHD. These findings emphasize the importance of PA in the treatment and management of CHD, and indicate that even small amounts of PA may be of value.Figure 1:Distribution of PA levelsFigure 2:HbA1c% according to PA level L

Interrelationship of psychological and sociological factors after a first percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) : Implications for secondary prevention

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public hospital(s). Main funding source(s): This study is supported with a young investigator grant from Vísindaráð Landspítala [the science committee of Landspitali-University Hospital] awarded to dr. Erla Svansdóttir. Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death, disability, and health-care burden worldwide. Advances in medical technology combined with identification of CAD risk factors has resulted in lower CAD mortality rates in western countries in the past decades. Secondary prevention constitutes a crucial factor for hindering further CAD development by helping patients with risk factor modification. Psychological and sociological factors have been identified as risk factors for progression of CAD and adverse well-being following adverse CAD events, and should be given consideration in secondary prevention. Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of psycho- and sociological factors in patients undergoing a first Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) and to explore how the interrelationship of these factors affect patients’ well-being. This study is a part of a larger study investigating the psychological well-being and rehabilitation success of patients after an initial PCI procedure up to six months post-PCI. Methods Participants were 97 patients (mean age 60±7.6 years) who underwent a PCI in Iceland from December 2021 to May 2022. Questionnaires assessing somatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, cardiac anxiety, and distress personality were administered during hospitalization. Results Majority of participants were male (79%), in a relationship (79%), had secondary/higher education (83%), worked full time (72%) and lived in the capital area (69%). Overall, nearly half of PCI patients showed some depression symptoms (47%) and 38% some anxiety symptoms. Of these, 15% and 10% had moderate or severe symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively. Women scored higher than men on cardiac anxiety and cardiac-related avoidance (p’s<0.05). Age had a negative correlation with somatic symptom scores (r=-0.26, p<0.05), anxiety (r=-0.32, p<0.01), cardiac anxiety (r=-0.24, p<0.01), cardiac fear and worry (r=-0.39, p<0.01) and social inhibition (r=-0.26, p<0.01). Higher education level was linked with lower anxiety, depression, perceived stress, negative affectivity and social inhibition (table 1). Not being in a relationship was associated with more somatic symptoms (ß=0.27), perceived stress (ß=0.24) and cardiac-related avoidance (ß=0.25), independent of age, gender, and education status (see table 2, all p’s<0.05). In secondary analyses patients not in a relationship had higher odds of current smoking (OR 5.4, 95% CI:1.7-17.6) and of having some depression symptoms (OR 2.7, 95% CI:1.0-7.4). Conclusion Nearly half of PCI patients in Iceland had some depression or anxiety symptoms, and psychological distress was higher among patients of younger age or lower education levels. Single patients may pose a group in need of specific support in secondary prevention given their elevated somatic symptoms, cardiac-related avoidance and perceived stress which may hinder rehabilitation efforts.

Ambient air pollution and emergency department visits and hospitalisation for cardiac arrest: a population-based case–crossover study in Reykjavik, Iceland

ObjectivesTo assess the association between traffic-related ambient air pollution and emergency hospital visits for cardiac arrest.DesignCase–crossover design was used with a lag time to 4 days.SettingThe Reykjavik capital area and...

Involuntary medication in psychiatric units at Landspitali University Hospital in the years 2014-2018

Coercion is considered controversial and is criticized around the world. Involuntary medication is one type of coercion, but the extent of its use in Iceland is not well known. The aim of this study is to shed light on the extent and time of involuntary medication in Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland, when it is most often used and whether there is a difference between patients who receive involuntary medication and those who do not receive such treatment. This study is a quantitative descriptive retrospective study using data obtained from medical records. The sample consisted of all patients admitted to the psychiatric inpatient wards at Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland in the years 2014-2018 (N=4053). The sample was divided into two groups, group 1 with patients who received involuntary medication n=400 (9.9%) and group 2 with patients who did not receive such treatment n=3653 (90.1%). The total number of involuntary medications was 2438 and about 1% of the total sample received about half of all involuntary medication. Involuntary medications were most frequent during the daytime during weekdays and late at night, but no notable difference was seen between months of the year. When comparing the groups, it appears that proportionally more men and patients with foreign citizenship are in group 1 than in group 2, but no notable difference is seen in age between groups. Patients in group 1 had more visits to the emergency services at Landspitali, more admissions, and patient days per patient at psychiatric wards in Landspitali than those in group 2. The most common medical diagnosis in group 1 were within the schizophrenia spectrum (F20-F29) and mood disorders (F30-39) but in group 2 the most common medical diagnosis were mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use (F10-19) and mood disorders (F30-F39). Findings indicate certain risk factors for involuntary medication regarding demographic, medical diagnosis, use of services as well as external factors such as timing of involuntary medication. A more detailed analysis could be used to reduce the use of coercive treatment. Further research is needed on the use of coercion in psychiatric wards in Iceland.

Continuous increase of immunoglobulin therapy in Iceland

• Immunoglobulin therapy is a beneficial treatment for a variety of registered and off-label • indications and use of immunoglobulin treatment has been continually increasing. We confirmed the increasing use of immunoglobulin in Iceland and conclude that continually increasing demand and global shortage dictates careful consideration of indications before initiating treatment with immunoglobulins. The use of immunoglobulin treatment has been increasing for various indications. The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical use of immunoglobulin therapy in Iceland, estimate off-label usage and describe possible changes in this treatment option. All prescriptions for intravenous or subcutaneous immunoglobulin treatment require authorisation from Landspitali University Hospital. Patient information is registered and was retrieved for the period 2010 to 2019. A total of 921 patients received immunoglobulin treatment in the study period, intravenous therapy was given in 895 (97.2%) of the cases. Registered indications were 667, off-label indications were 245 and uncertain were nine. The total annual number of patients receiving immunoglobulin treatment increased from 87 in 2010 to 392 in 2019. The increase in immunoglobulin usage was both for registered and off-label indications, 61 to 309 and 26 to 83, respectively. Continually increasing demand and global shortage dictates careful consideration of indications before initiating or continuing treatment with immunoglobulins. With global shortage of immunoglobulins, careful consideration and patient selection is important. Increasing immunoglobulin usage improves treatment for many patients. However, immunoglobulins are a limited resource and prudent use is imperative.

Brátt hjartadrep meðal yngri einstaklinga: rannsókn á nýgengi, áhættuþáttum og horfum

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) might not be decreasing as much among young adults as in the general population in recent years. The goal of our study was to explore incidence, risk factors and prognosis of AMI among young patients in Iceland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a retrospective case control study. The data was obtained from the SCAAR-SWEDEHEART database, medical records from Landspitali University Hospital and the death register from the Directorate of Health. The epidemiology of women ≤55 years and men ≤50 years diagnosed with AMI (STEMI/NSTEMI) in Iceland in 2014-2020 was compared with older patients. RESULTS: Of all the cases (2852), 344 patients (12%) were young. No change was demonstrated in the incidence of AMI in the young patients during the study period. The proportion of STEMI was higher among young patients (52% vs. 35%, p<0.001). Smoking (50% vs. 26%, p<0.001) and obesity (BMI>30 kg/m2)(47% vs. 36%, p<0.01) were more prevalent in younger patiens compared to the older. Older patients were more likely to die in the year following the AMI, both from all-cause (7% vs. 3%, p<0.05) and cardiovascular mortality (7% vs. 3%, p<0.05). A difference in recurrent AMI between the young and older patients was not demonstrated (2% vs. 3%, p=0.3). CONCLUSION: During the research period, a change in the incidence of AMI among young patients, was not demonstrated. Younger patients with AMI have different risk factors than older patients, they have lower mortality rate but the same risk of recurrent AMI.

Acute myocardial infarction in young adults: incidence, risk factors and prognosis

The incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) might not be decreasing as much among young adults as in the general population in recent years. The goal of our study was to explore incidence, risk factors and prognosis of AMI among young patients in Iceland. This was a retrospective case control study. The data was obtained from the SCAAR-SWEDEHEART database, medical records from Landspitali University Hospital and the death register from the Directorate of Health. The epidemiology of women ≤55 years and men ≤50 years diagnosed with AMI (STEMI/NSTEMI) in Iceland in 2014-2020 was compared with older patients. Of all the cases (2852), 344 patients (12%) were young. No change was demonstrated in the incidence of AMI in the young patients during the study period. The proportion of STEMI was higher among young patients (52% vs. 35%, p<0.001). Smoking (50% vs. 26%, p<0.001) and obesity (BMI>30 kg/m2)(47% vs. 36%, p<0.01) were more prevalent in younger patiens compared to the older. Older patients were more likely to die in the year following the AMI, both from all-cause (7% vs. 3%, p<0.05) and cardiovascular mortality (7% vs. 3%, p<0.05). A difference in recurrent AMI between the young and older patients was not demonstrated (2% vs. 3%, p=0.3). During the research period, a change in the incidence of AMI among young patients, was not demonstrated. Younger patients with AMI have different risk factors than older patients, they have lower mortality rate but the same risk of recurrent AMI.

Adults with symptoms of pneumonia: a prospective comparison of patients with and without infiltrates on chest radiography

ObjectiveMost studies on patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) require confirmation of an infiltrate by chest radiography, but in practice admissions are common among patients with symptoms of pneumonia without an infiltrate (SPWI). The aim of this research was to compare clinical characteristics, microbial etiology, and outcomes among patients with CAP and SPWI. MethodsAdults suspected of CAP were prospectively recruited at Landspitali University Hospital over a 1-year period, 2018 to 2019. The study was population based. Those admitted with two or more of the following symptoms were invited to participate: temperature ≥38°C or ≤36°C, sweating, shaking/chills, chest pain, a new cough, or new onset of dyspnea. Primary outcome was mortality at 30 days and one year. ResultsSix hundred twenty-five cases were included, 409 with CAP and 216 with SPWI; median age was 75 (interquartile range [IQR] 64–84) and 315 (50.4%) were females. Patients with CAP were more likely to have fever (≥38.0°C) (66.9% [273/408]) vs. 49.3% (106/215), p < 0.001), a higher CRP (median 103 [IQR 34–205] vs. 55 (IQR 17–103), p < 0.001), identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae (18.0% [64/355]) vs. 6.3% (10/159) of tested, p = 0.002) and to receive antibacterial treatment (99.5% [407/409]) vs. 87.5% (189/216), p < 0.001) but less likely to have a respiratory virus detected (25.4% [33/130]) vs. 51.2% (43/84) of tested, p < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratios for 30-day and 1 year mortality of SPWI compared to CAP were 0.86 (95% CI 0.40–1.86) and 1.46 (95% CI 0.92–2.32), respectively. DiscussionSPWI is a common cause of hospitalization and despite having fever less frequently, lower inflammatory markers, and lower detection rate of pneumococci than patients with CAP, mortality is not significantly different.

Short- and long-term outcomes following surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax in Iceland

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a common disease where surgery is indicated for persistant air leak or recurrent pneumothorax. We studied the outcomes of PSP-surgery over a 28 year period in a whole nation. A retrospective study on 386 patients (median age 24 years, 78% males) that underwent 430 PSP surgeries at Landspitali University Hospital 1991-2018. Annual incidence of the procedure was calculated and previous medical history, indication and type of surgery, complications and length of hospital stay were registered. Patients in four 7 year periods were compared, recurrent pneumothoraces requiring reoperation (median follow-up 16 years) registered and predictors of reoperation identified with logistic regression. Annually 14.5 PSP surgeries (median, range 9-27) were performed; the incidence decreasing by 2.9% per year on average. Every other patient smoked and 77% of surgeries were performed with video assisted thoracocopic surgery (VATS). The most common early complications (p<30 days from surgery) were persistent airleak (17%), pneumonia (2%) and empyema (0,5%). No patient died within 30 days from surgery. Reoperation for recurrent pneumothorax was performed on 27 patients; 24 following VATS (7%), median time from the primary surgery being 16 months. Logistic regression showed that younger patients were more likely to require reoperation for recurrent pneumothorax. Surgical treament for PSP is safe and major early complications rare. The rate of recurrent pneumothorax requiring surgery was 6%, which is similar to other studies. For unknown reasons the incidence of PSP surgery declined, but future research has to answer if it is linked to decreased smoking in the Icelandic population.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated non-pharmaceutical interventions on diagnosis of myocardial infarction and selected infections in Iceland 2020

Nonpharmaceutical interventions to contain the spread of COVID-19 infections in Iceland in 2020 were successful, but the effects of these measures on incidence and diagnosis of other diseases is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) and selected infections with different transmission routes. Health records of individuals 18 years or older who were admitted to Landspitali University Hospital (LUH) in 2016-2020 with pneumonia or MI were extracted from the hospital registry. We acquired data from the clinical laboratories regarding diagnostic testing for Chlamydia trachomatis, influenza, HIV and blood cultures positive for Enterobacterales species. Standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for 2020 was calculated with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) and compared to 2016-2019. Discharge diagnoses due to pneumonia decreased by 31% in 2020, excluding COVID-19 pneumonia (SIR 0.69 (95%CI 0.64-0.75)). Discharge diagnoses of MI decreased by 18% (SIR 0.82 (95%CI 0.75-0.90)), and emergency cardiac catheterizations due to acute coronary syndrome by 23% (SIR 0.77 (95%CI 0.71-0.83)), while there was a 15% increase in blood stream infections for Enterobacterales species (SIR 1.15 (95%CI 1.04-1.28)). Testing for Chlamydia trachomatis decreased by 14.8% and positive tests decreased by 16.3%. Tests for HIV were reduced by 10.9%, while samples positive for influenza decreased by 23.6% despite doubling of tests being performed. The number of pneumonia cases of other causes than COVID-19 requiring admission dropped by a quarter in 2020. MI, chlamydia and influensa diagnoses decreased notably. These results likely reflect a true decrease, probably due to altered behaviour during the pandemic.

Invasive infections of Bacillus species in Iceland, 2006-2018

The bacterial genus Bacillus is widely distributed environmentally and is usually considered a low-virulence organism, except for B. anthracis. A blood culture positive for Bacillus is often looked at as contamination. Nevertheless, B. cereus can cause invasive infections in humans and produces harmful toxins. The epidemiology of these infections remains poorly studied. All possible invasive infections caused by Bacillus during 2006-2018 at Landspitali University Hospital were identified from culture results. Clinical information was used to evaluate if there was a possible infection or confirmed infection. Here, the authors propose and use clinical criteria to categorize each case as contamination, possible infection or confirmed infection. The incidence of possible or confirmed infections was calculated using hospital catchment population data. Positive cultures of Bacillus sp. from sterile sites during 2006-2018 were identified from 126 patients; blood (116), synovial fluid (8) and cerebrospinal fluid (2). In total, 26 cases were confirmed infection (20.6%), 10 possible infection (7.9%) and 90 contamination (71.4%). The incidence was 1.4 cases/100.000 inhabitants/year. Injection drug use was a risk factor among 11/26 patients with confirmed infection. The most common clinical presentation was sepsis. In this study, Bacillus was resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics in 92% of confirmed infections and 66% of the cases considered contamination (p=0.02). Positive blood cultures of Bacillus sp. should be taken seriously, especially among patients with injection drug use, malignancy or immunocompromised state. It is important to draw two sets of blood cultures if there is a real suspicion of an infection to establish diagnosis and avoid unnecessary antibiotic therapy.

Ambient nitrogen dioxide is associated with emergency hospital visits for atrial fibrillation: a population-based case-crossover study in Reykjavik, Iceland

BackgroundIn Iceland air quality is generally good; however, previous studies indicate that there is an association between air pollution in Reykjavik and adverse health effects as measured by dispensing of medications, mortality, and increase in health care utilisation.The aim was to study the association between traffic-related ambient air pollution in the Reykjavik capital area and emergency hospital visits for heart diseases and particularly atrial fibrillation and flutter (AF).MethodsA multivariate time-stratified case-crossover design was used to study the association. Cases were those patients aged 18 years or older living in the Reykjavik capital area during the study period, 2006–2017, who made emergency visits to Landspitali University Hospital for heart diseases. In this population-based study, the primary discharge diagnoses were registered according to International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition (ICD-10). The pollutants studied were NO2, PM10, PM2.5, and SO2, with adjustment for H2S, temperature, and relative humidity. The 24-h mean of pollutants was used with lag 0 to lag 4.ResultsDuring the study period 9536 cases of AF were identified. The 24-h mean NO2 was 20.7 μg/m3. Each 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 was associated with increased risk of heart diseases (ICD-10: I20-I25, I44-I50), odds ratio (OR) 1.023 (95% CI 1.012–1.034) at lag 0. Each 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 was associated with an increased risk of AF (ICD-10: I48) on the same day, OR 1.030 (95% CI: 1.011–1.049). Females were at higher risk for AF, OR 1.051 (95% CI 1.019–1.083) at lag 0, and OR 1.050 (95% CI 1.019–1.083) at lag 1. Females aged younger than 71 years had even higher risk for AF, OR 1.077 (95% CI: 1.025–1.131) at lag 0. Significant associations were found for other pollutants and emergency hospital visits, but they were weaker and did not show a discernable pattern.ConclusionsShort-term increase in NO2 concentrations was associated with heart diseases, more precisely with AF. The associations were stronger among females, and among females at younger age. This is the first study in Iceland that finds an association between air pollution and cardiac arrhythmias, so the results should be interpreted with caution.

Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury Is Associated With Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease Independent of Severity.

Both postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) and preoperative chronic kidney disease (CKD) are associated with significantly worse outcomes following surgery. The relationship of both of these conditions with each other and with CKD progression after surgery remains poorly studied. Our objective was to assess if there was an interaction between preoperative kidney function estimated by preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)/CKD stage, postoperative AKI, and eGFR/CKD progression within 1 year of surgery. Our hypothesis was that AKI severity would be associated with a faster time to eGFR/CKD stage progression within 1 year of surgery in a graded-fashion, which would be exacerbated by preoperative kidney dysfunction. This was a retrospective cohort study at Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland, which serves about 75% of the population. Participants included adults receiving their first major anesthetic between 2005 and 2018. Patients with CKD stage 5, undergoing major urologic procedures, or having missing creatinine values for follow-up of eGFR stage were excluded from analysis. The primary exposure was postoperative AKI stage within 7 days after surgery classified by the kidney disease improving global outcome (KDIGO) criteria. The primary outcome was time to progression of CKD by at least 1 eGFR/CKD stage within 1-year following surgery. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard of eGFR/CKD stage progression, including an interaction between AKI and preoperative CKD on eGFR/CKD stage progression. A total of 5548 patients were studied. In the multivariable model adjusting for baseline eGFR/CKD stage, when compared to patients without AKI, postoperative AKI stage 1 (hazard ratio [HR], 5.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.34-8.05), stage 2 (HR, 3.86; 95% CI, 1.82-8.16), and stage 3 (HR, 3.61; 95% CI, 1.49-8.74) were all independently associated with faster time to eGFR/CKD stage progression within 1 year following surgery, though increasing AKI severity did not confer additional risk. The only significant interaction between the degree of AKI and the preexisting renal function was for stage 1 AKI, where the odds of 1-year eGFR/CKD stage progression actually decreased in patients with preoperative CKD categories 3a, 3b, and 4. KDIGO-AKI was independently associated with eGFR/CKD stage progression within the year following surgery after adjustment for baseline eGFR/CKD stage and without an interaction between worse preoperative kidney function and higher stage AKI. Our observations suggest that further studies are warranted to test whether CKD progression could be prevented by the adoption of perioperative kidney protective practices.

Can ultrasound on admission in active labor predict labor duration and a spontaneous delivery?

Identifying predictive factors for a normal outcome at admission in the labor ward would be of value for planning labor care, timing interventions, and preventing labor dystocia. Clinical assessments of fetal head station and position at the start of labor have some predictive value, but the value of ultrasound methods for this purpose has not been investigated. Studies using transperineal ultrasound before labor onset show possibilities of using these methods to predict outcomes. This study aimed to investigate whether ultrasound measurements during the first examination in the active phase of labor were associated with the duration of labor phases and the need for operative delivery. This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study at Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavík, Iceland. Nulliparous women at ≥37 weeks' gestation with a single fetus in cephalic presentation and in active spontaneous labor were eligible for the study. The recruitment period was from January 2016 to April 2018. Women were examined by a midwife on admission and included in the study if they were in active labor, which was defined as regular contractions with a fully effaced cervix, dilatation of ≥4 cm. An ultrasound examination was performed by a separate examiner within 15 minutes; both examiners were blinded to the other's results. Transabdominal and transperineal ultrasound examinations were used to assess fetal head position, cervical dilatation, and fetal head station, expressed as head-perineum distance and angle of progression. Duration of labor was estimated as the hazard ratio for spontaneous delivery using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. The hazard ratios were adjusted for maternal age and body mass index. The associations between study parameters and mode of delivery were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves. Median times to spontaneous delivery were 490 minutes for a head-perineum distance of ≤45 mm and 682 minutes for a head-perineum distance of >45 mm (log-rank test, P=.009; adjusted hazard ratio for a shorter head-perineum distance, 1.47 [95% confidence interval, 0.83-2.60]). The median durations were 506 minutes for an angle of progression of ≥93° and 732 minutes for an angle of progression of <93° (log-rank test, P=.008; adjusted hazard ratio, 2.07 [95% confidence interval, 1.15-3.72]). The median times to delivery were 506 minutes for nonocciput posterior positions and 677 minutes for occiput posterior positions (log-rank test, P=.07; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.52 [95% confidence interval, 0.96-2.38]) Median times to delivery were 429 minutes for a dilatation of ≥6 cm and 704 minutes for a dilatation of 4 to 5 cm (log-rank test, P=.002; adjusted hazard ratio, 3.11 [95% confidence interval, 1.68-5.77]). Overall, there were 75 spontaneous deliveries; among those deliveries, 16 were instrumental vaginal deliveries (1 forceps delivery and 15 ventouse deliveries), and 8 were cesarean deliveries. Head-perineum distance and angle of progression were associated with a spontaneous delivery with area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.80) and 0.67 (95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.80), respectively. Ultrasound measurement of cervical dilatation or position at inclusion was not significantly associated with spontaneous delivery. Ultrasound examinations showed that fetal head station and cervical dilatation were associated with the duration of labor; however, measurements of fetal head station were the variables best associated with operative deliveries.