The boundaries between survival and nonsurvival at COVID-19: Experience of tertiary care pandemic hospital.

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging, fast-spreading, highly mortal and worldwide infectious disease. The pulmonary system was defined as the main target of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but the mortality concept of this disease presented with more severe and systemic disease. The present study investigated the relationship between the patient characteristics at the initial hospital administration and fatality in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: In this retrospective and comparative cohort study, all the 767 hospitalised COVID-19 patients, treated between 18 March and 15 May 2020 in the Covid Clinics of Gulhane Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, were evaluated. RESULTS: The fatality rate was significantly increased in patients with any comorbid disease except asthma. The initial laboratory test results indicated highly significant differences according to the patient's outcome. A multifactor logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the adjusted odds ratios for predicting patient outcomes. Being older than 60 years increased the death risk with an adjusted OR of 7.2 (95% CI: 2.23-23.51; P = .001). The presence of a cancer and the extended duration of intensive care unit treatment were other significant risk factors for nonsurvival. Azithromycin treatment was determined as significantly reduced the death ratio in these patients (P = .002). CONCLUSION: It was revealed that being older than 60 years, presence of a cancer and extended duration of ICU treatment were the major risk factors for predicting fatality rate in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus May Cause the Vacuum Phenomenon in the Ankle Joint.

The few reports available on the vacuum phenomenon in the ankle joint refer to osteoarthritic and traumatic lesions. We present the first case concomitant with an osteochondral lesion of the talus. This case report presents computed tomographic images of the ankle. We speculate that the osteochondral lesion of the talus was the most likely cause of the vacuum phenomenon.

Evaluation of 170 Followed-up Cases Treated for Hydatid Disease: A Multicentre Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical characteristics of patients with cystic echinococcosis and the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches used. METHODS: This is a multicentre, retrospective study. Patients from six centres who were diagnosed with hydatid cysts in the last five years were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean age was 45.4±17.4 years, and 54.7% were female. The most common complaints were abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and the most common physical examination finding was abdominal tenderness. Most patients were diagnosed within 2-6 months. Anaemia and eosinophilia were the most common laboratory findings. The liver was the most commonly involved organ (n=153, 90%). One hundred twenty-five (73.5%) patients underwent ultrasonography. The largest cyst was present in the liver at stage four, and its diameter was 160x170 mm. The rates of the negative, grey zone and positive results were 9.4%, 8.8% and 81.8%. Surgery was more common (n=72, 42.4%) than puncture, aspiration, injection, and re-aspiration treatments (n=14, 8.2%). Of the 47 patients who had a recurrence, 22 (46.8%) had a history of hydatid cyst treatment. CONCLUSION: Hydatid disease, which is endemic in our country, is diagnosed at a late stage. In terms of disease diagnosis, serological tests may be misleading. It was not possible to compare the success rates according to the treatment choices because of the lack of randomisation of stages and sizes of the lesions.

Ophthalmic artery color Doppler ultrasonography in mild-to-moderate preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hemodynamic changes in mild-moderate preeclampsia using ophthalmic artery Doppler ultrasonography technique. METHODS: Ophthalmic artery pulsatility and resistivity indices were calculated in 30 mild-moderate preeclamptic women and 30 normotensive gravid women of matched gestational age. Student's t-test was performed to test the significance of difference. RESULTS: Both indices of peripheral resistance were found to be significantly lower in the ophthalmic arteries of mild-moderately preeclamptic women than those measured in normotensive gravid women at similar stage of pregnancy. In a small number patients whose disease progressed to severe preeclampsia, both indices increased. CONCLUSION: In patients with mild-moderate preeclampsia, ophthalmic artery color Doppler ultrasonography detects hemodynamic changes that are not present in normotensive gravid women. Reversal of Doppler patterns in a small number of patients with progressive disease supports the hypotheses suggesting the presence of early vasodilation and late vasospasm in the etiology of preeclampsia.