Obstructive jaundice treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: retrospective cohort study at a single tertiary care center in Serbia.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare mortality and complication rates in patients treated for obstructive jaundice before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care center in Serbia. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among a first group of patients treated between 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2019. The second group was treated between 1 March 2020 and 1 March 2022. RESULTS: The first group comprised 35 patients, and the second group (in which all patients were SARS-CoV-2 positive) included 18 patients; 37 and 16 patients were treated for malignant and benign diseases, respectively. The groups did not differ significantly regarding the diagnoses and treatment received. The second group showed significantly higher aspartate aminotransferase levels and lower white blood cell, C-reactive protein, and interleukin 6 levels. Mortality and complication rates did not differ significantly between groups. All deceased patients in the second group had significant radiologic findings associated with COVID-19 pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 infection is a risk factor in treating obstructive jaundice. This study illustrates the potential influence of COVID-19 on mortality after obstructive jaundice treatment. COVID-19 pneumonia may be a significant risk factor for mortality in patients treated for obstructive jaundice.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Clostridioides difficile Infections in Non-COVID and COVID-19 Patients: Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital.

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and the risk factors for healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infection (HA-CDI) in patients with COVID-19 and without this infection. (2) Methods: A single-center, prospective observational study was conducted at the University Clinical Hospital Center in Belgrade, Serbia, from January 2019 to December 2021. The entire hospital was a COVID-dedicated hospital for 12 months during the study period. The incidence density rates and risk factors for HA-CDI in patients with and without COVID-19 are presented. (3) Results: The incidence rates of HA-CDIs were three times higher in patients with COVID-19. The HA-CDI-COVID-patients were younger (69.9 ± 12.6 vs. 72.5 ± 11.6; p = 0.017), admitted from another hospital (20.5% vs. 2.9; p < 0.001), had antimicrobial therapy before CDI (99.1% vs. 91.3%, p < 0.001), received two or more antibiotics (p = 0.030) during a longer period (p = 0.035), received proton pump inhibitors (95.9% vs. 50.0%, p < 0.001) during a longer period (p = 0.012) and steroids (32.8% vs. 20.4%, p < 0.001). During the last month before their current hospitalization, a higher percentage of patients without COVID-19 disease were hospitalized in our hospital (p < 0.001). Independent predictors for HA-CDIs in patients with COVID-19 were admission from another hospital (p = 0.003), the length of antibiotic administration (0.020), and the use of steroids in therapy (p < 0.001). The HA-CDI predictors in the non-COVID patients were older age (p = 0.017), advanced-stage renal failure (p = 0.005), chemotherapy (p = 0.003), and a low albumin level (0.005). (4) Conclusion: Higher incidence rates of HAI-CDIs in COVID-19 patients did not occur due to reduced infection control precautions and hygiene measures but due to antibiotic therapy and therapy with other drugs used during the pandemic.

Point-of-Care Abdominal Ultrasonography (POCUS) on the Way to the Right and Rapid Diagnosis.

Point-of-Care ultrasound (POCUS) is based on target ultrasound that is performed wherever a patient is being treated, and by a non-radiologist directly involved in the patient's care. It is used either for quick diagnosis or procedural guidance. Abdominal pain is one of the most common complaints in emergency departments, and POCUS can help in the differentiation of patients who need additional diagnostic tests or hospital treatment, which eventually reduces the overall costs of health care. POCUS has high sensitivity and specificity in abdominal pathology, it can be helpful in the evaluation of biliary, intestinal, and urinary tract, and it is especially used in trauma. Additionally, the gold standard for abdominal aortic aneurysm detection, follow up and screening is precisely this diagnostic procedure. Unfortunately, the quality of ultrasound examination can be affected by the experience of the physician performing it and the patient's body weight. There is no doubt that POCUS is being increasingly recognized, but all motivated physicians should be provided with dedicated tutors and enough time for learning. This would certainly help to implement this diagnostic method as a routine in emergency and critical care departments, and significantly shorten the time until definitive diagnosis.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Risk: The Role of Dyslipidemia, Inflammation, and Obesity.

Introduction: The present study aimed to establish the role of lipid abnormalities and inflammatory markers for developing cardiovascular risk, as well as to address the importance of obesity as a common comorbidity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: The study was conducted as a prospective cohort study including 120 patients with newly diagnosed OSA between 2019 and 2020, at University Clinical Hospital Center "Bezanijska kosa", Belgrade, Serbia. The diagnosis was established by polysomnography. In all patients, sociodemographic data, respiratory, lipid, and inflammatory parameters were collected and complete echocardiographic study and 24-h blood pressure monitoring were performed. Results: The mean patient age was 55.7 ± 13.8 years. Study population was mostly male (70.0%) and obese (56.7%). At least 30 apneas or hypopneas per hour were present in 39.0% of patients. A strong positive correlation was found between OSA severity and BMI (r = 0.562, p < 0.001), both associated with lipid, inflammatory and respiratory parameters, and cardiovascular profile of patients with OSA (p < 0.05 for all). Echocardiographic study and 24-h blood pressure monitoring parameters were in turn correlated with lipid and inflammatory markers (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusion: The results of this study support the important role of dyslipidemia and inflammation, as well as coexistence of obesity in the pathogenesis of numerous conditions linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with OSA.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome and COVID-19.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with COVID-19 is triggered by various mechanisms and can significantly affect the patient's further treatment and prognosis. The study aimed to investigate the characteristics, major complications, and predictors of mortality in COVID-19 patients with ACS. All consecutive patients hospitalized from 5 July 2020 to 5 May 2021 for ACS with confirmed SARS-Co-2 were prospectively enrolled and tracked for mortality until 5 June 2021. Data from the electronic records for age and diagnosis, matched non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 ACS group, were extracted and compared. Overall, 83 COVID-19 ACS patients, when compared to 166 non-COVID ACS patients, had significantly more prevalent comorbidities, unfavorable clinical characteristics on admission (acute heart failure 21.7% vs. 6.6%, p < 0.01) and higher rates of major complications, 33.7% vs. 16.8%, p < 0.01, and intrahospital 30-day mortality, 6.7% vs. 26.5%, p < 0.01. The strongest predictors of mortality were aortic regurgitation, HR 9.98, 95% CI 1.88; 52.98, p < 0.01, serum creatinine levels, HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01; 1.04, p < 0.01, and respiratory failure therapy, HR 13.05, 95% CI 3.62; 47.01, p < 0.01. Concomitant ACS and COVID-19 is linked to underlying comorbidities, adverse presenting features, and poor outcomes. Urgent strategies are needed to improve the outcomes of these patients.

D-dimer, CRP, PCT, and IL-6 Levels at Admission to ICU Can Predict In-Hospital Mortality in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia.

INTRODUCTION: Health care workers have had a challenging task since the COVID-19 outbreak. Prompt and effective predictors of clinical outcomes are crucial to recognize potentially critically ill patients and improve the management of COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to identify potential predictors of clinical outcomes in critically ill COVID-19 patients. METHODS: The study was designed as a retrospective cohort study, which included 318 patients treated from June 2020 to January 2021 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Clinical Hospital Center "Bezanijska Kosa" in Belgrade, Serbia. The verified diagnosis of COVID-19 disease, patients over 18 years of age, and the hospitalization in ICU were the criteria for inclusion in the study. The optimal cutoff value of D-dimer, CRP, IL-6, and PCT for predicting hospital mortality was determined using the ROC curve, while the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to assess survival. RESULTS: The study included 318 patients: 219 (68.9%) were male and 99 (31.1%) female. The median age of patients was 69 (60-77) years. During the treatment, 195 (61.3%) patients died, thereof 130 male (66.7%) and 65 female (33.3%). 123 (38.7%) patients were discharged from hospital treatment. The cutoff value of IL-6 for in-hospital death prediction was 74.98 pg/mL (Sn 69.7%, Sp 62.7%); cutoff value of CRP was 81 mg/L (Sn 60.7%, Sp 60%); cutoff value of procalcitonin was 0.56 ng/mL (Sn 81.1%, Sp 76%); and cutoff value of D-dimer was 760 ng/mL FEU (Sn 63.4%, Sp 57.1%). IL-6 ≥ 74.98 pg/mL, CRP ≥ 81 mg/L, PCT ≥ 0.56 ng/mL, and D-dimer ≥ 760 ng/mL were statistically significant predictors of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: IL-6 ≥ 74.98 pg/mL, CRP values ≥ 81 mg/L, procalcitonin ≥ 0.56 ng/mL, and D-dimer ≥ 760 ng/mL could effectively predict in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Development and Validation of a Multivariable Predictive Model for Mortality of COVID-19 Patients Demanding High Oxygen Flow at Admission to ICU: AIDA Score.

INTRODUCTION: Risk stratification is an important aspect of COVID-19 management, especially in patients admitted to ICU as it can provide more useful consumption of health resources, as well as prioritize critical care services in situations of overwhelming number of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multivariable predictive model for mortality was developed using data solely from a derivation cohort of 160 COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe ARDS admitted to ICU. The regression coefficients from the final multivariate model of the derivation study were used to assign points for the risk model, consisted of all significant variables from the multivariate analysis and age as a known risk factor for COVID-19 patient mortality. The newly developed AIDA score was arrived at by assigning 5 points for serum albumin and 1 point for IL-6, D dimer, and age. The score was further validated on a cohort of 304 patients admitted to ICU due to the severe form of COVID-19. RESULTS: The study population included 160 COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU in the derivation and 304 in the validation cohort. The mean patient age was 66.7 years (range, 20-93 years), with 68.1% men and 31.9% women. Most patients (76.8%) had comorbidities with hypertension (67.7%), diabetes (31.7), and coronary artery disease (19.3) as the most frequent. A total of 316 patients (68.3%) were treated with mechanical ventilation. Ninety-six (60.0%) in the derivation cohort and 221 (72.7%) patients in the validation cohort had a lethal outcome. The population was divided into the following risk categories for mortality based on the risk model score: low risk (score 0-1) and at-risk (score > 1). In addition, patients were considered at high risk with a risk score > 2. By applying the risk model to the validation cohort (n = 304), the positive predictive value was 78.8% (95% CI 75.5% to 81.8%); the negative predictive value was 46.6% (95% CI 37.3% to 56.2%); the sensitivity was 82.4% (95% CI 76.7% to 87.1%), and the specificity was 41.0% (95% CI 30.3% to 52.3%). The C statistic was 0.863 (95% CI 0.805-0.921) and 0.665 (95% CI 0.598-0.732) in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively, indicating a high discriminative value of the proposed score. CONCLUSION: In the present study, AIDA score showed a valuable significance in estimating the mortality risk in patients with the severe form of COVID-19 disease at admission to ICU. Further external validation on a larger group of patients is needed to provide more insights into the utility of this score in everyday practice.

Predictors of Mortality in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients Demanding High Oxygen Flow: A Thin Line between Inflammation, Cytokine Storm, and Coagulopathy.

INTRODUCTION: Mortality among critically ill COVID-19 patients remains relatively high despite different potential therapeutic modalities being introduced recently. The treatment of critically ill patients is a challenging task, without identified credible predictors of mortality. METHODS: We performed an analysis of 160 consecutive patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection admitted to the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit between June 23, 2020, and October 2, 2020, in University Hospital Center Bezanijska kosa, Belgrade, Serbia. Patients on invasive, noninvasive ventilation and high flow oxygen therapy with moderate to severe ARDS, according to the Berlin definition of ARDS, were selected for the study. Demographic data, past medical history, laboratory values, and CT severity score were analyzed to identify predictors of mortality. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess potential predictors of mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 65.6 years (range, 29-92 years), predominantly men, 68.8%. 107 (66.9%) patients were on invasive mechanical ventilation, 31 (19.3%) on noninvasive, and 22 (13.8%) on high flow oxygen therapy machine. The median total number of ICU days was 10 (25th to 75th percentile: 6-18), while the median total number of hospital stay was 18 (25th to 75th percentile: 12-28). The mortality rate was 60% (96/160). Univariate logistic regression analysis confirmed the significance of age, CRP, and lymphocytes at admission to hospital, serum albumin, D-dimer, and IL-6 at admission to ICU, and CT score. Serum albumin, D-dimer, and IL-6 at admission to ICU were independently associated with mortality in the final multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: In the present study of 160 consecutive critically ill COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe ARDS, IL-6, serum albumin, and D-dimer at admission to ICU, accompanied by chest CT severity score, were marked as independent predictors of mortality.