Acute myocardial infarction in the Covid-19 era: Incidence, clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes-A multicenter registry.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to describe the characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients during the Covid-19 era. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, multicenter study involving 13 intensive cardiac care units, to evaluate consecutive STEMI patients admitted throughout an 8-week period during the Covid-19 outbreak. These patients were compared with consecutive STEMI patients admitted during the corresponding period in 2018 who had been prospectively documented in the Israeli bi-annual National Acute Coronary Syndrome Survey. The primary end-point was defined as a composite of malignant arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, and/or in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included individual components of primary outcome, cardiogenic shock, mechanical complications, electrical complications, re-infarction, stroke, and pericarditis. RESULTS: The study cohort comprised 1466 consecutive acute MI patients, of whom 774 (53%) were hospitalized during the Covid-19 outbreak. Overall, 841 patients were diagnosed with STEMI: 424 (50.4%) during the Covid-19 era and 417 (49.6%) during the parallel period in 2018. Although STEMI patients admitted during the Covid-19 period had fewer co-morbidities, they presented with a higher Killip class (p value = .03). The median time from symptom onset to reperfusion was extended from 180 minutes (IQR 122-292) in 2018 to 290 minutes (IQR 161-1080, p < .001) in 2020. Hospitalization during the Covid-19 era was independently associated with an increased risk of the combined endpoint in the multivariable regression model (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.03-2.68, p value = .04). Furthermore, the rate of mechanical complications was four times higher during the Covid-19 era (95% CI 1.42-14.8, p-value = .02). However, in-hospital mortality remained unchanged (OR 1.73, 95% CI 0.81-3.78, p-value = .16). CONCLUSIONS: STEMI patients admitted during the first wave of Covid-19 outbreak, experienced longer total ischemic time, which was translated into a more severe disease status upon hospital admission, and a higher rate of in-hospital adverse events, compared with parallel period.

Prognostic value of lymph node ratios in node positive rectal cancer treated with preoperative chemoradiation.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the impact of the lymph node ratio (LNR) on the prognosis of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer undergoing pre-operative chemoradiation. METHODS: Clinicopathologic and follow up data of 128 patients with stage III rectal cancer who underwent curative resection from 1996 to 2007 were reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups according to the lymph node ratio: LNR ≤ 0.2 (n=28), and >0.2 (n=100). Kaplan-Meier and the Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate the prognostic effects according to LNR. RESULTS: Median numbers of lymph nodes examined and lymph nodes involved by tumour were 10.3 (range 2-28) and 5.8 (range 1-25), respectively, and the median LNR was 0.5 (range, 0-1.6). The 5-year survival rate significantly differed by LNR (≤ 0.2, 69%; >0.2, 19%; Log-rank p value < 0.001). LNR was also a significant prognostic factor of survival adjusted for age, sex, post-operative chemotherapy, total number of examined lymph nodes, metastasis and local recurrence (≤ 0.2, HR=1; >0.2, HR=4.8, 95%CI=2.1-11.1) and a significant predictor of local recurrence and distant metastasis during follow-up independently of total number of examined lymph node. CONCLUSIONS: Total number of examined lymph nodes and LNR were significant prognostic factors for survival in patients with stage III rectal cancer undergoing pre-operative chemoradiotherapy.