Outcomes among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after recovery from COVID-19 infection of different severity.

While studies have suggested increased risks of severe COVID-19 infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the persistent and delayed consequences of COVID-19 infection on patients with COPD upon recovery remain unknown. A prospective clinical study was conducted in Hong Kong to investigate the persistent and delayed outcomes of patients with COPD who had COVID-19 infection of different severity (mild-moderate COVID-19 and severe COVID-19), compared with those who did not. Chinese patients with COPD ≥ 40 years old were recruited from March to September 2021. They were prospectively followed up for 24.9 ± 5.0 months until 31st August 2023. The primary outcome was the deterioration in COPD control defined as the change in mMRC dyspnea scale. The secondary outcomes included the change in exacerbation frequency and non-COVID-19 respiratory mortality (including death from COPD exacerbation or bacterial pneumonia). 328 patients were included in the analysis. Patients with mild-moderate and severe COVID-19 infection had statistically significant increased risks of worsening of mMRC dyspnoea scale by increase in 1 score from baseline to follow-up with adjusted odds ratios of 4.44 (95% CI = 1.95-10.15, p < 0.001) and 6.77 (95% CI = 2.08-22.00, p = 0.001) respectively. Patients with severe COVID-19 infection had significantly increased risks of increase in severe COPD exacerbation frequency with adjusted odds ratios of 4.73 (95% CI = 1.55-14.41, p = 0.006) non-COVID-19 respiratory mortality from COPD exacerbation or pneumonia with adjusted hazard ratio of 11.25 (95% CI = 2.98-42.45, p < 0.001). After recovery from COVID-19, worsening of COPD control from worsening of dyspnea, increase in severe exacerbation frequency to non-COVID-19 respiratory mortality (COPD exacerbation and pneumonia) was observed among patients with severe COVID-19. Mild to moderate COVID-19 was also associated with symptomatic deterioration.

Variability of Blood Eosinophil Count at Stable-State in Predicting Exacerbation Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) phenotyping using stable-state blood eosinophil level was shown to have prognostic implication in terms of exacerbation risk. However, using a single cut-off of blood eosinophil level to predict clinical outcome has been challenged. There have been suggestions that variability of blood eosinophil count at stable-state could provide additional information on exacerbation risk. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a major regional hospital and a tertiary respiratory referral centre in Hong Kong, including 275 Chinese patients with COPD, to investigate the possible role of variability of blood eosinophil count at stable-state to predict COPD exacerbation risk in one year. Results: Higher variability of baseline eosinophil count, which is defined as the difference of the minimal and maximal eosinophil count at stable-state, was associated with increased risk of COPD exacerbation in the follow-up period with adjusted OR (aOR) of 1.001 (95% CI = 1.000-1.003, p-value = 0.050) for 1 unit (cells/µL) increase in variability of baseline eosinophil count, aOR of 1.72 (95% CI = 1.00-3.58, p-value = 0.050) for 1 SD increase in variability of baseline eosinophil count and aOR of 1.06 (95% CI = 1.00-1.13) for 50 cells/µL increase in variability of baseline eosinophil count. The AUC by ROC analysis was 0.862 (95% CI = 0.817-0.907, p-value < 0.001). The cut-off for variability of baseline eosinophil count identified was 50 cells/µL, with sensitivity of 82.9% and specificity of 79.3%. Similar findings were also shown in the subgroup with stable-state baseline eosinophil count below 300 cells/µL. Conclusion: Variability of baseline eosinophil count at stable-state might predict the exacerbation risk of COPD, exclusively among patients with baseline eosinophil count below 300 cells/µL. The cut-off value for variability was 50 cells/µValidation of the study findings in large scale prospective study would be meaningful.

Outcomes after surgery in patients with and without recent influenza: a nationwide population-based study.

Background: The influence of recent influenza infection on perioperative outcomes is not completely understood. Method: Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Data from 2008 to 2013, we conducted a surgical cohort study, which included 20,544 matched patients with a recent history of influenza and 10,272 matched patients without. The main outcomes were postoperative complications and mortality. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the complications and for mortality in patients with a history of influenza within 1-14 days or 15-30 days compared with non-influenza controls. Results: Compared with patients who had no influenza, patients with influenza within preoperative days 1-7 had increased risks of postoperative pneumonia (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.81-2.73), septicemia (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.70-2.31), acute renal failure (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.47-3.00), and urinary tract infection (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.23-1.70). An increased risk of intensive care admission, prolonged length of stay, and higher medical expenditure was noted in patients with history of influenza within 1-14 days. Conclusion: We found that there was an association between influenza within 14 days preoperatively and the increased risk of postoperative complications, particularly with the occurrence of influenza within 7 days prior to surgery.

Smoking increases the risk of postoperative wound complications: A propensity score-matched cohort study.

Cigarette smoking is associated with surgical complications, including wound healing and surgical site infection. However, the association between smoking status and postoperative wound complications is not completely understood. Our objective was to investigate the effect of smoking on postoperative wound complications for major surgeries. Data were collected from the 2013 to 2018 participant use files of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. A propensity score matching procedure was used to create the balanced smoker and nonsmoker groups. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for postoperative wound complications, pulmonary complications, and in-hospital mortality associated with smokers. A total of 1 156 002 patients (578 001 smokers and 578 001 nonsmokers) were included in the propensity score matching analysis. Smoking was associated with a significantly increased risk of postoperative wound disruption (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.56-1.75), surgical site infection (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.28-1.34), reintubation (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.40-1.54), and in-hospital mortality (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.07-1.19) compared with nonsmoking. The length of hospital stay was significantly increased in smokers compared with nonsmokers. Our analysis indicates that smoking is associated with an increased risk of surgical site infection, wound disruption, and postoperative pulmonary complications. The results may drive the clinicians to encourage patients to quit smoking before surgery.

Lidocaine lubricants for intubation-related complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Postoperative sore throat (POST) is a relatively common morbidity. Topical lidocaine lubricants have been proposed to prevent POST; however, their effectiveness remains uncertain. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prophylactic effect of lidocaine lubrications against POST, cough, and hoarseness in adult patients after surgery. METHODS: Randomized-controlled trials from PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the ClinicalTrials.gov registry that were published from inception until 26 March 2018 were included that compared the effectiveness of lidocaine lubricants with that of controls in preventing the incidence of overall POST and moderate to severe POST (POSTMS) at the first and 24th postoperative hour (POST-1h, POST-24h, POSTMS-1h, and POSTMS-24h). Postoperative cough and hoarseness at the 24th postoperative hour were also studied. Bias assessment and subgroup, sensitivity, and trial sequential analyses were also performed. RESULTS: Fourteen randomized-controlled trials (n = 2146) were selected. The incidences of POST-1h and POST-24h were 41.1 % and 22.6 % for the lidocaine group, and 41.9% and 23.5% for the control group, respectively. No effect was found on any of the outcome measurements. The overall risk ratios were 1.11 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82 to 1.51) and 1.06 (95% CI, 0.37 to 3.02) for the incidence of POST-1h and POSTMS-1h, respectively; 0.99 (95% CI, 0.83 to 1.17) and 0.49 (95% CI, 0.16 to 1.50) for POST-24h and POSTMS-24h, respectively; and, 1.09 (95% CI, 0.71 to 1.66) and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.66 to1.24) for postoperative cough (PC)-24h and postoperative hoarseness (PH)-24h, respectively. CONCLUSION: Lidocaine lubricants applied on the tips of endotracheal tube are not effective against the morbidities of POST, PC, and PH. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42017073259); registered 26 October, 2017.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Les maux de gorge postopératoires sont une morbidité relativement fréquente. Les lubrifiants topiques à base de lidocaïne ont été proposés pour prévenir les maux de gorge postopératoires, mais leur efficacité demeure incertaine. Cette méta-analyse avait pour objectif d'évaluer l'effet prophylactique des lubrifications de lidocaïne contre les maux de gorge postopératoires, la toux et l'enrouement de la voix chez les patients adultes après une chirurgie. MéTHODE: Nous avons inclus les études randomisées contrôlées publiées sur PubMed, Embase, la Cochrane Library et le registre de ClinicalTrials.gov entre leur création et le 26 mars 2018 qui comparaient l'efficacité des lubrifiants à base de lidocaïne par rapport à l'absence de traitement pour prévenir l'incidence des maux de gorge postopératoires globaux et des maux de gorge postopératoires modérés à graves à la première et à la vingt-quatrième heure postopératoire (POST-1h, POST-24h, POSTMS-1h, et POSTMS-24h). La toux et l'enrouement à 24 heures postopératoires ont également été étudiés. Des analyses d'évaluation du biais et de sous-groupe, de sensibilité et des analyses séquentielles d'essais ont également été réalisées. RéSULTATS: Quatorze études randomisées contrôlées (n = 2146) ont été sélectionnées. Les incidences de POST-1h et de POST-24h étaient de 41,1 % et 22,6 % dans le groupe lidocaïne, et de 41,9 % et 23,5 % dans le groupe témoin, respectivement. Aucun effet n'a été observé pour aucun de nos critères d'évaluation. Les rapports de risque globaux étaient de 1,11 (intervalle de confiance [IC] 95 %, 0,82 à 1,51) et de 1,06 (IC 95 %, 0,37 à 3,02) pour l'incidence de POST-1h et de POSTMS-1h, respectivement; de 0,99 (IC 95 %, 0,83 à 1,17) et de 0,49 (IC 95 %, 0,16 à 1,50) pour les POST-24h et POSTMS-24h, respectivement; et de 1,09 (IC 95 %, 0,71 à 1,66) et 0,91 (IC 95 %, 0,66 à 1,24) pour la toux postopératoire (PC)-24h et l'enrouement postopératoire (PH)-24h, respectivement. CONCLUSION: Les lubrifiants à base de lidocaïne appliqués sur l'extrémité distale du tube endotrachéal ne sont pas efficaces pour prévenir les morbidités de maux de gorge, de toux et d'enrouement postopératoires. ENREGISTREMENT DE L'éTUDE: PROSPERO (CRD42017073259); enregistrée le 26 octobre 2017.

Protective effect of influenza vaccination on outcomes in geriatric stroke patients: A nationwide matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The effects of influenza vaccination (IV) on stroke outcomes are unclear. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes after stroke in elderly individuals who have received an IV. METHODS: We used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database 2000-2009 claims data to conduct a nested stroke cohort study including 148,909 hospitalized stroke patients aged 66 years and older. Using a matching procedure by propensity score, we selected 25,248 stroke patients with IV and 25,248 stroke patients without IV for comparison. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs of post-stroke complications and in-hospital mortality associated with IV. RESULTS: Stroke patients with IV had significantly lower risks of post-stroke pneumonia (OR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.74-0.83), septicemia (OR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.70-0.86), urinary tract infection (OR = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.83-0.92), and 30-day in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.60; 95% CI, 0.54-0.67) compared with non-IV stroke patients. Vaccinated stroke patients also had shorter hospital stays (p < 0.0001) and less medical expenditures (p < 0.0001) during stroke admission than the control group. Lower rates of post-stroke adverse events in patients with IV were noted in both sexes of all age groups with various types of stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke patients with IV showed fewer complications and lower mortality compared with non-IV patients. These findings suggest the urgent need to promote IV for this susceptible population of stroke patients.

Chemoinformatic Consideration of Novel Psychoactive Substances: Compilation and Preliminary Analysis of a Categorised Dataset.

Recent years have seen the emergence into circulation of a growing array of novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Knowledge of the pharmacological profiles and risk liability of these compounds is typically very scarce. Development of chemoinformatic tools enabling prediction of properties within uncharacterised analogues has potential be of particular use. In order to facilitate this, compilation of a chemical inventory comprising known NPS is a necessity. Sourcing a variety of published governmental and analytical reports, a dataset composed of 690 distinct acknowledged NPS, complete with defined chemical structures, has been constructed. This is supplemented by a complementary series of 155 established psychoactive drugs of abuse (EPDA). Classification was performed in accordance with their key molecular structural features, subjective effect profiles and pharmacological mechanisms of action. In excess of forty chemical groupings, spanning seven subjective effect categories and six broad mechanisms of pharmacological action, were identified. Co-occurrence of NPS and EPDA within specific classes was common, showcasing inherent scope both for chemical read-across and for the derivation of structural alerts.

Risk Of Urticaria In Geriatric Stroke Patients Who Received Influenza Vaccination: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: Urticaria is a mast cell-related disease caused severe itching and the lifetime prevalence of urticaria is about 20% in general population. Our purpose is to evaluate risk of urticaria in geriatric stroke patients received influenza vaccination (IV). METHODS: In a cohort of 192,728 patients with newly diagnosed stroke aged over 65 years obtained from 23 million people in Taiwan's National Health Insurance between 2000 and 2008, we identified 9890 stroke patients who received IV and 9890 propensity score-matched stroke patients who did not receive IV. Controlling for immortal time bias, both the IV and non-IV groups were followed for one year. Urticaria events were identified during the follow-up period. We calculated the adjusted rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the one-year risk of urticaria associated with IV. RESULTS: During the follow-up period of one year, stroke patients with IV had a significantly higher risk of urticaria compared with non-IV stroke patients (RR 1.81, 95% CI 1.47-2.23). An increased risk of urticaria in stroke patients with IV was noted in both sexes, patients 65-84 years of age, patients with comorbid medical conditions, and various time intervals of follow-up. Vaccinated stroke patients with hemorrhage (RR 4.00, 95% CI 1.76-9.10) and those who received intensive care (RR 5.14, 95% CI 2.32-11.4) had a very high risk of urticaria compared with those without IV. CONCLUSION: Receiving IV may be associated with an increased risk of urticaria in stroke patients. We could not infer the causality from the current results because of this study's limitations. Future investigations are needed to evaluate the possible mechanism underlying the association between IV and urticaria.

Effect of Intracuff Lidocaine on Postoperative Sore Throat and the Emergence Phenomenon: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative sore throat and other airway morbidities are common and troublesome after endotracheal tube intubation general anesthesia (ETGA). We propose lidocaine as endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff inflation media to reduce the postintubation-related emergence phenomenon. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases systematically for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have investigated the outcome of intracuff lidocaine versus air or saline in patients receiving ETGA. Using a random-effects model, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the relative risks (RRs) and mean difference (MD) of the incidence and intensity of relevant adverse outcomes. RESULTS: We reviewed nineteen trials, which comprised 1566 patients. The incidence of early- and late-phase postoperative sore throat (POST), coughing, agitation, hoarseness, and dysphonia decreased significantly in lidocaine groups, with RRs of 0.46 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31 to 0.68), 0.41 (95% CI: 0.25 to 0.66), 0.43 (95% CI: 0.31 to 0.62), 0.37 (95% CI: 0.25 to 0.55), 0.43 (95% CI: 0.29 to 0.63), and 0.19 (95% CI: 0.08 to 0.5), respectively, when compared with the control groups. The severity of POST also reduced significantly (mean difference [MD] -16.43 mm, 95% CI: -21.48 to -11.38) at 1 h and (MD -10.22 mm, 95% CI: -13.5 to -6.94) at 24 h. Both alkalinized and non-alkalinized lidocaine in the subgroup analyses showed significant benefits in emergence phenomena prevention compared with the control. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that both alkalinized and non-alkalinized intracuff lidocaine may prevent and alleviate POST and postintubation-related emergence phenomena.

Benzydamine hydrochloride on postoperative sore throat: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: Sore throat is a common postoperative complaint. The etiology of postoperative sore throat (POST) is considered the result of damage to airway mucosa after insertion of a laryngeal mask airway device or endotracheal tube. This paper proposes benzydamine hydrochloride (BH), a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with additional analgesic and local anesthetic properties, for POST prevention. SOURCE: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE™, Cochrane, and other relevant databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the outcome of topical application of BH vs non-application in patients undergoing general anesthesia. Using a random effects model, meta-analyses were conducted to assess the relative risks of the incidence of POST within 24 hr following the surgical procedure. The secondary outcomes included postoperative nausea and vomiting, dry mouth, coughing, and local irritation. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We reviewed five trials that included 824 patients in total. Our results indicated that the incidence of POST was significantly reduced in the BH group, with risk ratios (RRs) of 0.37 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20 to 0.68) at zero to one hour, 0.39 (95% CI: 0.27 to 0.57) at one to two hours, 0.42 (95% CI: 0.22 to 0.81) at four to six hours, 0.29 (95% CI: 0.10 to 0.88) at six to 12 hr, and 0.32 (95% CI: 0.18 to 0.56) at 12 to 24 hr, compared with the control groups. Patients reported local irritation, but no major BH-related complications were observed. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the incidence of POST can be significantly reduced by prophylactic BH topical application to the oral cavity or airway devices. Further RCTs are required to overcome the limitations of heterogeneity and to determine the optimal dosage and application of BH for managing POST.

Different dosing regimens for propofol induction in obese patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to investigate the efficacy of different dosages of single bolus propofol administered on the basis of total body weight or corrected body weight for the intravenous induction of anesthesia in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m(2) or greater were randomly divided into two groups. They received single-bolus propofol (2 mg/kg) for intravenous induction of anesthesia based on either total body weight (TBW; 20 patients) or corrected body weight 60% (CBW60; 18 patients). Patients' characteristics, biochemical data, monitored bispectral index (BIS) values, and hemodynamic parameters were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The propofol dose was significantly lower in the CBW60 group than in the TBW group (189.5 ± 36.3 mg vs. 217.3 ± 39.1 mg, respectively; p = 0.03). The highest BIS value, representing potential awareness after intubation, was relatively higher in the CBW60 group, but this difference was not statistically significant (CBW60 group, 53.6 ± 11.1; TBW group, 48.6 ± 8.1; p = 0.22). Eighty-three percent of patients experienced hypotension during induction and at least 44% patients showed marked hypotension. There was no significant difference between the TBW and CBW60 groups in blood pressure after intubation. CONCLUSION: When using single bolus propofol, the CBW60 group showed similar BIS values and hemodynamic effects as the TBW group during the intravenous induction of general anesthesia for obese patients.

Postoperative adverse outcomes in surgical patients with epilepsy: a population-based study.

PURPOSE: People with epilepsy are more likely than healthy people to experience comorbidities and complications in various medical situations. However, the prevalence of postoperative complications, mortality, and use of medical resources in surgical patients with epilepsy has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to examine whether epilepsy is an independent risk factor for postoperative adverse outcomes of patients receiving major surgery. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study using the National Health Insurance Research Database to identify patients with epilepsy who underwent major surgery in Taiwan between the years 2004 and 2007. For each case, four age- and sex-matched participants without epilepsy were included. Preoperative comorbidities in the 24 months before surgery were identified. Eight major postoperative complications, overall 30-day mortality, and in-hospital utilization of medical resources (including length of hospital stay, percentage of postoperative intensive care unit admissions, and in-hospital medical expenditures) served as the major outcome measurements. Comorbidities, status of receiving renal dialysis, teaching hospital status, types of surgery, and patients living in urban or rural areas were adjusted by multivariate logistic regression. KEY FINDINGS: A total of 13,103 participants with epilepsy and 52,412 without were included. Patients with epilepsy have significantly more preoperative comorbidities and demonstrated more risks of any postoperative complications (odds ratio 2.02, 95% confidence interval 1.90-2.14). Consumption of in-hospital medical resources was also significantly higher in patients with epilepsy, but no significant differences in postoperative mortality rates between the two groups were noted. SIGNIFICANCE: Stroke was identified as the most significant postoperative complication for surgical patients with epilepsy. Patients, especially those with previous hospitalization or emergency visits due to the disease, confronted significantly higher postoperative complication rates, and consumed more in-hospital medical resources without differences in overall mortality rates. Further revision of health care standards to provide early recognition of postoperative complications and better management for surgical patients with epilepsy is needed.