Clinical characteristics, imaging, and lung function among patients with persistent dyspnea of COVID-19: a retrospective observational cohort study.

The available medical literature on lung function and corresponding clinical characteristics among symptomatic survivors of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (long COVID) is sparse. Primary physicians referred patients who manifested persistent dyspnea months after their index case of infection to a designated clinic. Patients underwent symptom-driven, quality-of-life, physical, and focused respiratory [pulmonary function tests and computed tomography (CT) of the chest] evaluations and were followed over time. In this paper, we present our findings. Patients with abnormal CT imaging were more likely to be of advanced age and to have been hospitalized during their COVID-19 infection. Forced exhaled volume in the first second, forced vital capacity (FVC), total lung capacity, and diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide measurements were found to be significantly lower in patients with abnormal CT imaging. Multivariate regression of clinical characteristics uncovered a significant association between FVC, body mass index, history of hospitalization, and diabetes mellitus. In conclusion, longer-term studies will help further our understanding of the risk factors, disease course, and prognosis of long COVID patients.

The impact of fever as a testing indication on the detection rate of deep vein thrombosis in neurocritically ill patients.

Aim: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is considered a possible source of non-infectious, non-central fever in the intensive care unit (ICU). In the neurocritically ill, it is unknown whether lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasonography (LEVDUS) for DVT in the setting of fever leads to a higher detection rate than the baseline detection rate of DVT in this population. The aim of this study was to compare the DVT detection rate of LEVDUS performed for the indication of fever to LEVDUS performed for other indications in a neurosciences ICU. Methods: Requisition forms for all LEVDUS performed in a referral neurosciences ICU were reviewed and separated into those with "fever" as the stated reason for request and those with other stated reasons. The DVT detection rate was compared between these two categories of indications. Results: Five hundred eleven LEVDUS were analyzed, of which 422 had been ordered for indications other than fever. Sixteen of these tests were positive, a detection rate of 3.8%. The remaining 89 LEVDUS had "fever" as the ordering indication. Six of these tests were positive for DVT, a detection rate of 6.7%. The likelihood of positivity of a test obtained as part of fever evaluation relative to one obtained for non-fever indications was not significantly different (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 0.570-5.11; P = 0.246). Conclusion: LEVDUS triggered by fever detected DVT at a numerically, but not statistically significantly higher rate than did LEVDUS performed for other indications in a neurocritically ill population. More rigorous investigation of this question is needed.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in COVID-19 compared to other etiologies of acute respiratory failure: A single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a boom in the use of V-V ECMO for ARDS secondary to COVID. Comparisons of outcomes of ECMO for COVID to ECMO for influenza have emerged. Very few comparisons of ECMO for COVID to ECMO for ARDS of all etiologies are available. OBJECTIVES: To compare clinically important outcome measures in recipients of ECMO for COVID to those observed in recipients of ECMO for ARDS of other etiologies. METHODS: V-V ECMO recipients between March 2020 and March 2022 consisted exclusively of COVID patients and formed the COVID ECMO group. All patients who underwent V-V ECMO for ARDS between January 2014 and March 2020 were eligible for analysis as the non-COVID ECMO comparator group. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included ECMO decannulation, ECMO duration >30 days, and serious complications. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients comprised the COVID ECMO group and were compared to 18 non-COVID ECMO patients. Survival to hospital discharge was not significantly different between the two groups (33% in COVID vs. 50% in non-COVID; p = 0.255) nor was there a significant difference in the rate of non-palliative ECMO decannulation. The proportion of patients connected to ECMO for >30 days was significantly higher in the COVID ECMO group: 69% vs. 17%; p = 0.001. There was no significant difference in serious complications. CONCLUSION: This study could not identify a statistically significant difference in hospital survival and rate of successful ECMO decannulation between COVID ECMO and non-COVID ECMO patients. Prolonged ECMO may be more common in COVID. Complications were not significantly different.

Outcome and prognostication after cardiac arrest.

The outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has historically been grim at best. The current overall survival rate of patients admitted to a hospital is approximately 10%, making cardiac arrest one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The situation is improving with the incorporation of therapeutic temperature modulation, aggressive prevention of secondary brain injury, and improved access to advanced cardiovascular support, all of which have decreased mortality and allowed for better outcomes. Mortality after cardiac arrest is often the direct result of active withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy based on the perception that neurological recovery is not possible. This reality highlights the importance of providing accurate estimates of neurological prognosis to decision makers when discussing goals of care. The current standard of care for assessing neurological status in patients with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy emphasizes a multimodal approach that includes five elements: (1) neurological examination off sedation, (2) continuous electroencephalography, (3) serum neuron-specific enolase levels, (4) magnetic resonance brain imaging, and (5) somatosensory-evoked potential testing. Sophisticated decision support systems that can integrate these clinical, imaging, and biomarker and neurophysiologic data and translate it into meaningful projections of neurological outcome are urgently needed.

A 38-Year-Old Man With An Ataxic Gait, Night Sweats, and Weight Loss.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 38-year-old Jamaican man with no medical history presented with worsening right-sided weakness. He developed an ascending hemiparesis that began in the right lower extremity 3 months ago and progressed to the right upper extremity this past month. Over the past 3 months, the patient has had unintentional weight loss and an ataxic gait, and for the past month he has had night sweats. He denied headache, vision changes, numbness, tingling, cough, or chest pain. Social history was significant for 20 smoking pack-years and daily use of marijuana.

A 48-Year-Old Man With Excessive Drooling and Descending Paralysis Requiring Mechanical Ventilation.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 48-year-old man presented with a chief report of worsening dysphagia for 5 days. Initially, he had difficulty swallowing solids, but it has progressed to difficulty with liquids. There was associated sialorrhea, hypophonia, slurring of speech, hoarseness of voice, cough, and prominent upper extremity weakness. Of note, 2 weeks ago, the patient had an upper respiratory tract infection (including otitis media) that was treated with amoxicillin-clavulanate. His wife and son were also recently sick with an upper respiratory tract infection. His medical history included hypertension managed with amlodipine; he denied any history of TB, recent travel, or canned food ingestion. He denied fevers, stridor, dyspnea, rash, odynophagia, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

A 76-Year-Old Woman With Incidental Right Middle Lobe Atelectasis.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 76-year-old nonsmoking woman visiting from Honduras for the last 6 months with no known medical history originally presented to the ED complaining of abdominal pain. While in the ED, an incidental right middle lobe collapse was found on CT abdomen scan. Review of systems was positive for a chronic productive cough with white sputum for 3 years. She denied association with fevers, chills, night sweats, hemoptysis, appetite changes, or weight loss.

Considering an aortic arch anomaly in patients with dysphagia.

In patients presenting with a chief complaint of dysphagia, physician assistants should consider anomalous vascularity as a possible cause of esophageal obstruction.