Persistent Symptoms and Disability After COVID-19 Hospitalization: Data From a Comprehensive Telerehabilitation Program.

OBJECTIVE: To report symptoms, disability, and rehabilitation referral rates after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalization in a large, predominantly older population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study, with postdischarge telemonitoring of individuals hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 at the first month after hospital discharge, as part of a comprehensive telerehabilitation program. SETTING: Private verticalized health care network specialized in the older population. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals hospitalized because of COVID-19. We included 1696 consecutive patients, aged 71.8±13.0 years old and 56.1% female. Comorbidities were present in 82.3% of the cases (N=1696). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dependence for basic activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) using the Barthel Index and Lawton's Scale. We compared the outcomes between participants admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) vs those admitted to the ward. RESULTS: Participant were followed up for 21.8±11.7 days after discharge. During postdischarge assessment, independence for ADL was found to be lower in the group admitted to the ICU than the ward group (61.1% [95% confidence interval (CI), 55.8%-66.2%] vs 72.7% [95% CI, 70.3%-75.1%], P<.001). Dependence for IADL was also more frequent in the ICU group (84.6% [95% CI, 80.4%-88.2%] vs 74.5%, [95% CI, 72.0%-76.8%], P<.001). Individuals admitted to ICU required more oxygen therapy (25.5% vs 12.6%, P<.001), presented more shortness of breath during routine (45.2% vs 34.5%, P<.001) and nonroutine activities (66.3% vs 48.2%, P<.001), and had more difficulty standing up for 10 minutes (49.3% vs 37.9% P<.001). The rehabilitation treatment plan consisted mostly of exercise booklets, which were offered to 65.5% of participants. The most referred rehabilitation professionals were psychologists (11.8%), physical therapists (8.0%), dietitians (6.8%), and speech-language pathologists (4.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals hospitalized because of COVID-19 present high levels of disability, dyspnea, dysphagia, and dependence for both ADL and IADL. Those admitted to the ICU presented more advanced disability parameters.

Benefício da terapia de ondas de choque no tratamento de úlceras cutâneas: uma revisão da literatura / Benefits of extracorporeal shockwave in the treatment of skin ulcers: a literature review

A terapia de ondas de choque (TOC) extracorpórea possui ação analgésica e anti-inflamatória. Com a evolução e compreensão de seus mecanismos físicos e biológicos, foi se estudando a sua aplicação em outras patologias, principalmente em afecções ósseas e musculo-tendíneas. Recentemente, estudos em modelos animais demonstraram a sua capacidade angiogênica e maior taxa de re-epitelização local. Estas pesquisas levaram ao início do uso de TOC radial de baixa energia no tratamento e manejo de diversas lesões de pele de difícil tratamento. As úlceras cutâneas possuem diversas etiologias, variando desde úlceras de pressão, queimaduras, úlceras venosas ou arteriais e também úlceras diabéticas. Seu tratamento é um desafio, devido ao seu tempo prolongado de tratamento (resultando em dificuldades quanto ao seguimento clínico) e também elevados custos. Objetivo: Avaliar a eficácia da TOC na cicatrização de úlceras de diversas etiologias: diabéticas, por pressão, queimaduras, pós-traumáticas, vasculares venosas e arteriais, por meio de uma revisão da literatura. Métodos: Foi realizada uma revisão da literatura, sendo incluídos estudos clínicos em humanos Resultados: 9 artigos preencheram os critérios de inclusão. Os estudos inclusos compreenderam 788 pacientes. Os manuscritos trouxeram uma variedade de padrão de intervenções diferentes. Houve heterogeneidade no tempo de intervenção, número de pulsos e na frequência de sessões, bem como na quantidade de sessões, densidade de energia aplicada, e também no tipo de ondas de choque utilizados nas terapias. Alguns dos trabalhos descritos encontraram uma maior taxa na cicatrização e fechamento completo de lesões em pacientes com lesões crônicas, que não responderam ao tratamento conservador. Porém, há poucos estudos na literatura com qualidade metodológica adequada. Conclusão: A TOC surge como uma alternativa promissora para pacientes que não respondem bem à terapia conservadora. Os resultados são promissores porém com evidências limitadas quanto a diminuição do tempo de cicatrização e na aceleração do fechamento de lesões. Os estudos selecionados não relataram efeitos colaterais significativos, sendo uma terapia segura

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. With the evolution and comprehension of its biological and physical mechanisms, the application of ESWT on other pathologies has also been studied, especially in musculoskeletal diseases. Recently, studies on animal models have shown its angiogenic capacity and a higher rate of local re-epithelization. These small studies led to few trials using low-energy, radial ESWT to treat problematic chronic skin ulcers. Skin ulcers have diverse etiologies, ranging from pressure ulcers, burns, venous or arterial ulcers, and even diabetic ulcers. Their treatment is usually a challenge, due to the long-term treatment and high costs. Objective: To review the literature and evaluate the efficacy of ESWT in caring for skin ulcers of various etiologies: diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, burns, post-traumatic ulcers, venous and arterial ulcers. Method: A literature review was made, with only human trials included. Results: 9 articles were selected that fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The studies included evaluations of 788 patients. The manuscripts demonstrated a large variability regarding the interventions made. There was heterogeneity regarding intervention time, number of pulses, frequency of sessions, and also the number of sessions, energy density used, and the type of shock wave used in therapies. Some of the included trials found a higher rate of complete wound healing and faster epithelization in patients with chronic lesions, unresponsive to the traditional measures. However, there were few studies in the literature with proper methodological quality. Conclusion: ESWT is a promising alternative for the treatment of patients unresponsive to conventional measures. The results are promising, although the evidence regarding wound healing and acceleration of wound healing is still limited. The studies selected did not report any significant side effects

Avaliação da disciplina observação da prática médica pelos graduandos de medicina da Unifesp - Escola Paulista de Medicina / Medical students' assessment of the course on observation of medical practice at the Unifesp School of Medicine

Discute-se a necessidade de cuidar, no campo afetivo, das relações estabelecidas entre médicos e pacientes, o que depende de modelos de humanização durante o ensino médico. Em 2003, a Unifesp iniciou uma unidade curricular (UC) que propôs a Observação das Práticas Médicas (OPM) aos primeiranistas do curso médico. Após a observação, seguia-se uma discussão das experiências de modo expositivo e reflexivo, com professores de diversas subáreas. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a influência imediata e ao longo do tempo desta UC sobre 30 graduandos de Medicina do primeiro ao terceiro ano (dez por ano), utilizando um questionário de abordagem quantitativa (cinco questões de múltipla escolha) e qualitativa (três questões abertas, categorizadas após análise e consenso dos dois autores). Concluiu-se que a UC permitiu a apresentação de práticas médicas aos iniciantes, que tinham pouco contato com as mesmas. Ao longo dos anos, observou-se uma modificação na percepção dos alunos sobre a OPM: os alunos das primeiras séries valorizaram o acolhimento emocional, enquanto os de séries mais adiantadas, o conhecimento do seu campo de aprendizado e atuação futura.

The article discusses the need to deal with physician-patient relations at the affective level, which requires models for humanization of care during undergraduate medical training. In 2003, the UNI-FESP School of Medicine launched a course on Observation of Medical Practices as part of the regular curriculum for first-year medical students. The observation was followed by discussion of experiences with lectures, reflection, and debate with medical faculty from various specialties. The aim of the study was to assess the immediate and long-term impact of the course on the 30 first to third-year undergraduates (10 students per year), using a quantitative (5 multiple-choice questions) and qualitative questionnaire (3 open questions, categorized after analysis and consensus between the two authors). The authors concluded that the course allowed presentation of medical practices to the early medical undergraduates, who had little previous contact with this reality. Over the course of the years, a change was observed in the students' perception of Observation of Medical Practice: students in the initial years tended to value emotional support for patients, while as the years went by the undergraduates focused more on the knowledge in their field of learning and their future professional work.