Impact of the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic on a tertiary referral centre for kidney cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a centralized specialist kidney cancer care pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patient and pathway characteristics including prioritization strategies at the Specialist Centre for Kidney Cancer located at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (RFH) before and during the surge of COVID-19. RESULTS: On 18 March 2020 all elective surgery was halted at RFH to redeploy resources and staff for the COVID-19 surge. Prioritizing of patients according to European Association of Urology guidance was introduced. Clinics and the specialist multidisciplinary team (SMDT) meetings were maintained with physical distancing, kidney surgery was moved to a COVID-protected site, and infection prevention measurements were enforced. During the 7 weeks of lockdown (23 March to 10 May 2020), 234 cases were discussed at the SMDT meetings, 53% compared to the 446 cases discussed in the 7 weeks pre-lockdown. The reduction in referrals was more pronounced for small and asymptomatic renal masses. Of 62 low-priority cancer patients, 27 (43.5%) were deferred. Only one (4%) COVID-19 infection occurred postoperatively, and the patient made a full recovery. No increase in clinical or pathological upstaging could be detected in patients who underwent deferred surgery compared to pre-COVID practice. CONCLUSION: The first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted diagnosis, referral and treatment of kidney cancer at a tertiary referral centre. With a policy of prioritization and COVID-protected pathways, capacity for time-sensitive oncological interventions was maintained and no immediate clinical harm was observed.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and coronary artery dissection or aneurysm: a systematic review.

IMPORTANCE: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) has been associated with cardiovascular abnormalities such as intracranial and aortic aneurysms. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the case reports and case series of ADPKD patients with coronary artery dissection or aneurysm. Evidence review Systematic review registration number: CRD42015015723. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Web of Science and OpenGrey, reference lists of studies. STUDY SELECTION: Published case reports and case series. DATA EXTRACTION: Two parties analyzed the studies. Disagreements were solved by consensus or by a third party. FUNDING: none. Findings The reports of 23 patients (22 from 17 studies--six with coronary artery dissection and 16 with coronary artery aneurysm--and one with coronary dissection) were analyzed and reported here. Most patients were symptomatic. Coronary dissection showed female and left descending anterior artery predominance, features similar to non-ADPKD patients, but a median diagnostic age below expected (41 vs. 50 years old). Coronary aneurysms had male and right coronary artery predominance but lower median diagnostic age (44 years old) and higher rate of multiple vessel affection than reported for non-ADPKD patients. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Clinical disparities may suggest a different mechanism of aneurysm formation compared to the population without ADPKD. Nevertheless, lack of access to data of one patient and text of one article limited our conclusions. Coronary aneurysms and dissections represent a source of coronary syndromes and death in ADPKD. Mutation of ADPKD-related genes may predispose to coronary abnormalities, especially aneurysms. Further analysis regarding this association is necessary.

Intracardiac diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: an unexpected diagnosis.

Intracardiac lymphomas are exceedingly rare accounting for only 1% of all primary cardiac tumours. Historically, due to their insidious development and non-specific clinical presentation, the diagnosis has been challenging with most cases being confirmed on post-mortem examination. Our case report details the experience of a previously fit and active woman in her 60s who presented with gradual onset exertional dyspnoea. Through a series of multimodal imaging tools (including echocardiogram, cardiac MRI, CT and positron emission tomography-CT) and biopsy, we confirmed the diagnosis of intracardiac diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Our patient was managed with chemotherapy and went on to demonstrate excellent radiological response with near-complete resolution of the intracardiac mass. Subjectively, our patient reported significant improvement in exercise tolerance within weeks of commencing treatment.

Endovascular treatment versus medical care alone for ischaemic stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment, particularly adjunctive intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy, in patients with ischaemic stroke. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, SciELO, LILACS, and clinical trial registries from inception to December 2015. Reference lists were crosschecked. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Randomised controlled trials in adults aged 18 or more with ischaemic stroke comparing endovascular treatment, including thrombectomy, with medical care alone, including intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). Trial endpoints were functional outcome (modified Rankin scale scores of ≤2) and mortality at 90 days after onset of symptoms. No language or time restrictions applied. RESULTS: 10 randomised controlled trials (n=2925) were included. In pooled analysis endovascular treatment, including thrombectomy, was associated with a higher proportion of patients experiencing good (modified Rankin scale scores ≤2) and excellent (scores ≤1) outcomes 90 days after stroke, without differences in mortality or rates for symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage, compared with patients randomised to medical care alone, including intravenous rt-PA. Heterogeneity was high among studies. The more recent studies (seven randomised controlled trials, published or presented in 2015) proved better suited to evaluate the effect of adjunctive intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy on its index disease owing to more accurate patient selection, intravenous rt-PA being administered at a higher rate and earlier, and the use of more efficient thrombectomy devices. In most of these studies, more than 86% of the patients were treated with stent retrievers, and rates of recanalisation were higher (>58%) than previously reported. Subgroup analysis of these seven studies yielded a risk ratio of 1.56 (95% confidence interval 1.38 to 1.75) for good functional outcomes and 0.86 (0.69 to 1.06) for mortality, without heterogeneity among the results of the studies. All trials were open label. Risk of bias was moderate across studies. The full results of two trials are yet to be published. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate to high quality evidence suggests that compared with medical care alone in a selected group of patients endovascular thrombectomy as add-on to intravenous thrombolysis performed within six to eight hours after large vessel ischaemic stroke in the anterior circulation provides beneficial functional outcomes, without increased detrimental effects. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42015019340.

Acute kidney injury, long-term renal function and mortality in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a cohort analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is frequent during hospitalization and may contribute to adverse consequences. We aimed to evaluate long-term adverse renal function and mortality after postoperative AKI in a cohort of patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of adult patients who underwent major non-vascular abdominal surgery between January 2010 and February 2011 at the Department of Surgery II of Hospital de Santa Maria-Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Portugal. Exclusion criteria were as follows: chronic kidney disease on renal replacement therapy, undergoing renal replacement therapy the week before surgery, death before discharge and loss to follow-up through January 2014. Patients were categorized according to the development of postoperative AKI in the first 48 h after surgery using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes classification. AKI was defined by an increase in absolute serum creatinine (SCr) ≥0.3 mg/dL or by a percentage increase in SCr ≥50% and/or by a decrease in urine output to <0.5 mL/kg/h for >6 h. Adverse renal outcomes (need for long-term dialysis and/or a 25% decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate after hospital discharge) and mortality after discharge were evaluated. Cumulative mortality was analysed with the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test and outcome predictive factors with the Cox regression. Significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Of 390 selected patients, 72 (18.5%) developed postoperative AKI. The median follow-up was 38 months. Adverse renal outcomes and death after hospital discharge were more frequent among AKI patients (47.2 versus 22.0%, P < 0.0001; and 47.2 versus 20.5%, P < 0.0001, respectively). The 4 year cumulative probability of death was 44.4% for AKI patients, while it was 19.8% for patients with no AKI (log-rank test, P < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, AKI was a risk factor for adverse renal outcomes (adjusted hazard ratio 1.6, P = 0.046) and mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.4, P = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: AKI after major abdominal surgery was independently associated with the risk of long-term need for dialysis and/or renal function decline and with the risk of death after hospital discharge.