Mucormycosis associated with COVID-19 in two kidney transplant patients.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) predisposes patients to bacterial and fungal superinfections due to the impairment of the immunological system. Among the associated opportunistic fungal infections, mucormycosis is one of the least frequent but with the highest mortality. We describe two cases of mucormycosis in two kidney transplant recipients, while they were hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, with rhinosinusal and musculoskeletal involvement, respectively.

The impact of intraoperative opioid use on survival after oral cancer surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of opioid use on cancer recurrence after oral cancer surgery. We hypothesized that the amount of opioids administered during oral cancer surgery is an independent predictor of recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). METHODS: After Institutional Review Board approval, we collected demographic, tumor related, intraoperative and survival data of patients who had oral cancer surgery. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the impact of important covariates on RFS and OS. RESULTS: 268 patients were included. After adjusting for significant covariates, the amount of opioids administered during surgery was not an independent predictor of RFS (HR: 1.27 [CI 95%, 0.838-1.924], p=0.26). However, we observed an association between opioid consumption and shorter OS (HR=1.77, [CI 95%=0.995-3.149]. p=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High requirements of opioids during surgery increase the risk of recurrence and mortality by 27% and 77%, although the association is not statically significant.