Is the Validity of Logistic Regression Models Developed with a National Hospital Database Inferior to Models Developed from Clinical Databases to Analyze Surgical Lung Cancers?

In national hospital databases, certain prognostic factors cannot be taken into account. The main objective was to estimate the performance of two models based on two databases: the Epithor clinical database and the French hospital database. For each of the two databases, we randomly sampled a training dataset with 70% of the data and a validation dataset with 30%. The performance of the models was assessed with the Brier score, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC ROC) curve and the calibration of the model. For Epithor and the hospital database, the training dataset included 10,516 patients (with resp. 227 (2.16%) and 283 (2.7%) deaths) and the validation dataset included 4507 patients (with resp. 93 (2%) and 119 (2.64%) deaths). A total of 15 predictors were selected in the models (including FEV1, body mass index, ASA score and TNM stage for Epithor). The Brier score values were similar in the models of the two databases. For validation data, the AUC ROC curve was 0.73 [0.68-0.78] for Epithor and 0.8 [0.76-0.84] for the hospital database. The slope of the calibration plot was less than 1 for the two databases. This work showed that the performance of a model developed from a national hospital database is nearly as good as a performance obtained with Epithor, but it lacks crucial clinical variables such as FEV1, ASA score, or TNM stage.

Does intraperitoneal mesh increase the risk of bowel obstruction? A nationwide French analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Incisional hernias are associated with a reduced quality of life. Mesh reinforcement of the abdominal wall is the current standard for incisional hernia repair (IHR), since it reduces the risk of recurrence. The best position for the mesh remains controversial, and each position has advantages and disadvantages. OBJECTIVE: In this nationwide population-based study, we aimed to determine whether IHR with intraperitoneal mesh is associated with an increased risk of bowel obstruction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using the French hospital database (PMSI), which collects data from all public and private hospitals, two patient cohorts were created and compared. Patients having undergone a laparoscopic IHR with intraperitoneal mesh (IPOM) in 2013 or 2014 due to a laparotomy performed in the 4 previous years were the IPOM group. Patients hospitalized for any other acute disease (i.e., without IHR) in 2013 and 2014, but having a similar laparotomy in the 4 previous years were the control group. Both cohorts were followed until 2019 in search of any episode of bowel obstruction. RESULTS: A total of 815 patients were included in the IPOM group and matched to 1630 control patients. The 5 year bowel obstruction rate was 7.36% in the IPOM group and 4.42% in the control group (p < 0.01). In the multivariate analysis, after adjustment on age and obesity, incisional hernia repair with laparoscopic IPOM increased the risk of bowel obstruction in the 5 years following surgery (HR = 1.712; 95% CI 1.208-2.427; p = 0.0025). CONCLUSIONS: Patients having undergone laparoscopic IPOM have an increased risk of bowel obstruction compared with patients who have a similar surgical history but no IHR.

Major postpartum haemorrhage after frozen embryo transfer: A population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect on major postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) of mode of conception, differentiating between naturally conceived pregnancies, fresh embryo in vitro fertilisation (fresh-IVF) and frozen embryo transfer (frozen-IVF). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The French Burgundy Perinatal Network database, including all deliveries from 2006 to 2020, was linked to the regional blood centre database. POPULATION OR SAMPLE: In all, 244 336 women were included, of whom 240 259 (98.3%) were singleton pregnancies. METHODS: The main analyses were conducted in singleton pregnancies, including 237 608 naturally conceived, 1773 fresh-IVF and 878 frozen-IVF pregnancies. Multivariate logistic regression models adjusted on maternal age, body mass index, smoking, parity, induction of labour, hypertensive disorders, diabetes, placenta praevia and/or accreta, history of caesarean section, mode of delivery, birthweight, birth place and year of delivery, were used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Major PPH was defined as PPH requiring blood transfusion and/or emergency surgery and/or interventional radiology. RESULTS: The prevalence of major PPH was 0.74% (n = 1749) in naturally conceived pregnancies, 1.92% (n = 34) in fresh-IVF pregnancies, and 3.30% (n = 29) in frozen-IVF pregnancies. The risk of major PPH was higher in frozen-IVF pregnancies than in both naturally conceived pregnancies (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.63, 95% CI 1.68-4.10) and fresh-IVF pregnancies (aOR 2.78, 95% CI 1.44-5.35). CONCLUSIONS: We found that frozen-IVF pregnancies have a higher risk of major PPH and they should be subject to increased vigilance in the delivery room.

Hospitalization for physical child abuse: Associated medical factors and medical history since birth.

BACKGROUND: Physical abuse often begins at a very young age and sometimes results in serious or fatal injuries. It is crucial to diagnose physical abuse as early as possible to protect this vulnerable population. OBJECTIVE: To study the factors associated with the first hospitalization for physical abuse from birth to the infant's first birthday in France. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: We included all singleton children born in a hospital setting in France between 2009 and 2013, who were identified from the French national information system database (SNDS). METHODS: To study factors associated with the first hospitalization for physical abuse during the first year after birth, we used the Fine and Gray regression model. Factors included in the multivariate model were the infant's sex, prematurity, neonatal conditions, the number of hospitalizations (at least two), medical consultations and complementary universal health insurance (proxy for family precariousness and socio-economic vulnerability). RESULTS: Over the 2009-2013 period, among 3,432,921 newborn singletons, 903 (0.026 %) were hospitalized for physical abuse in the year following birth. Among the factors associated with physical abuse, such as prematurity (aHR = 2.2[1.8-2.7]), male sex (aHR = 1.3[1.2-1.5]), or having had at least two hospitalizations (aHR = 1.7[1.4-2.1]), we found that complementary universal health insurance coverage was the factor most associated (aHR = 4.1[3.5-4.7]) with being hospitalized for physical abuse. CONCLUSION: These findings could help introduce preventative measures for infant protection in certain groups, such as parents of infants born prematurely, especially if they are in a precarious situation. This study also suggests that particular attention should be paid to infants who have been hospitalized at least two times in the first year of life, whatever the reason.

Mortality and failure-to-rescue major complication trends after lung cancer surgery between 2005 and 2020: a nationwide population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the evolution of quality indicators (30-day mortality and failure-to-rescue) inpatients who underwent lung cancer surgery in France over the past 15 years and to study the potential influencing factors. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using data from the French hospital database (PMSI). SETTING: Nationwide population-based study. PARTICIPANTS: All patients who underwent pulmonary resection for lung cancer in France (2005-2020) were included (N=1 57 566). Characteristics of patients (age, gender, comorbidities), surgery (surgical approach, type of resection, extent of resection) and hospital (type of hospital, hospital volume for pulmonary resections) were retrieved. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We studied two outcome indicators: 30-day mortality and failure-to-rescue. We used regression-based techniques (including interrupted time-series) to assess the effects of patient and hospital characteristics on 30-day mortality and failure-to-rescue (number of deaths among patients with at least one major postoperative complication within the 30 days after surgery), adjusting for case mix. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate increased from 3.8% in 2005 to 4.9% in 2010 and then decreased to 2.9% in 2020. The failure-to-rescue rate decreased from 12.2% in 2005 to 7.1% in 2020. The pneumonectomy rate decreased significantly over time (18.1% in 2005 to 4.8% in 2020) and had the greatest contribution on the reduction of mortality between two periods (2005-2010/2015-2020). The use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery or robot-assisted surgery had a great influence on the reduction of mortality (16% of the observed difference in mortality) between the two periods, as did hospital volume. CONCLUSIONS: The change in surgical practices, particularly the reduction in pneumonectomies, could be one of the main reasons for reduction in postoperative mortality and failure-to-rescue in France since 2011. Hospital volume is another important factor in reducing postoperative mortality. Our study should encourage the use of technological or organisational innovation, such as changes in surgical practice and cancer surgery authorisations, to improve quality of care.

Increased risk of colon cancer after acute appendicitis: a nationwide, population-based study.

Background: Acute appendicitis is the most common digestive disease requiring emergency surgery. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in France. An increased risk of colorectal cancer after acute appendicitis has been suggested. We aimed to assess the frequency of hospitalization for colon cancer after appendicitis in a nationwide analysis. Methods: Using the French Hospital Discharge Database (PMSI), we included all patients aged 18-59 years presenting with acute appendicitis between 2010 and 2015. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare colon cancer occurrence in these patients vs a control-matched population with a hospital stay for trauma in the same period. Patients presenting strong risk factors for colorectal cancer were excluded. Findings: A total of 230,349 patients with acute appendicitis (exposed group) were included. We used a propensity score to match each exposed patient with two unexposed patients (controls) to ensure the comparability of the groups, resulting in a control group of 460,698 patients. Univariate analysis found significantly more colon cancer in the appendicitis group, especially during the first year after appendicitis (5 per 10,000 vs 1 per 10,000, p < 0.000, this corresponds to 111 patients in the appendicitis group), namely within the first 6 months. Survival analysis confirmed patients treated for appendicitis present a 4 times higher risk of being diagnosed with colon cancer than control patients during the first year of follow-up (sHR = 4.67 (95% CI: 3.51-6.21), and 8 times higher during the first 6 months (sHR = 8.39; 95% CI: 5.41-12.99). The association was even more marked for right-sided colon cancer (sHR = 8.25; 95% CI: 5.03-13.54 during the 1st year). While the risk of diagnosis of colon cancer was also significant for patients over 40 years, it was even greater in patients under 40 years, who had between a 6-fold and 12-fold increase in risk. Interpretation: In this population-based study, we found that acute appendicitis seems to be a warning sign for colon cancer (reverse causality) in both middle-aged and younger adults. The risk of presenting with cancer colon was higher during the first six months after acute appendicitis. This raises the issue of routine diagnostic work-up in adults presenting with acute appendicitis. Funding: Regional Council of Burgundy.

Diffusion of Minimally Invasive Approach for Lung Cancer Surgery in France: A Nationwide, Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The minimally invasive approach (MIA) has gained popularity thanks to its efficacy and safety. Our work consisted of evaluating the diffusion of the MIA in hospitals and the variability of this approach (within and between regions). METHODS: All patients who underwent limited resection or lobectomy for lung cancer in France were included from the national hospital administrative database (2013-2020). We described between-hospital differences in the MIA rate over four periods (2013-2014, 2015-2016, 2017-2018, and 2019-2020). The potential influence of the hospital volume, hospital type, and period on the adjusted MIA rate was estimated by a multilevel linear regression. RESULTS: From 2013 to 2020, 77,965 patients underwent a lobectomy or limited resection for lung cancer. The rate of the MIA increased significantly over the four periods (50% in 2019-2020). Variability decreased over time in 7/12 regions. The variables included in the multilevel model were significantly related to the adjusted rate of the MIA. Variability between regions was considerable since 18% of the variance was due to systematic differences between regions. CONCLUSIONS: We confirm that the MIA is part of the surgical techniques used on a daily basis for the treatment of lung cancer. However, this technology is mostly used by surgeons in high volume institutions.

Risk of hospitalization for self-harm among adults hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 in France: A nationwide retrospective cohort study.

While much work has shown a link between the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and poor mental health, little is known about a possible association between hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent hospitalization for self-harm. Analyses performed on the French national hospital database between March 2020-March 2021 in 10,084,551 inpatients showed that hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2 infection was not associated with hospitalization for self-harm in the following year. However, hospitalization with SARS-Cov-2 was related to an increased risk of self-harm in patients with a suicidal episode at the inclusion (aHR=1.56[1.14-2.15]), suggesting an effect of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with a recent history of self-harm.

Is there variation between hospitals within each region in postoperative mortality for lung cancer surgery in France? A nationwide study from 2013 to 2020.

Introduction: The practice of thoracic surgery for lung cancer is subject to authorization in France. We evaluated the performance of hospitals using 30-day post-operative mortality as a quality indicator, estimating its distribution within each region and measuring its variability between regions. Material and methods: All data for patients who underwent pulmonary resection for lung cancer in France (2013-2020) were collected from the national hospital administrative database. Thirty-day mortality was defined as any patient who died in hospital (including transferred patients) within the first 30 days after the operation and those who died later during the initial hospitalization. The Standardized Mortality ratio (SMR) was the smoothed, adjusted, hospital-specific mortality rate divided by the expected mortality. To describe the variation in hospital mortality between hospitals in each region, we used different commonly used indicators of variation such as coefficients of variation (CV), interquartile interval or range (IQR), extreme ratio, and systematic component of variance (SCV). Results: In 2013-2020, 87,232 patients underwent lung resection for cancer in France. The number of deaths was 2,537, a rate of 2.91%. The median SMR of 199 hospitals was 0.99 with an IQR of 0.86 to 1.18 and a CV of 0.25. Among the regions that had the most hospitals performing lung resections for cancer, the extreme ratio was >2, which means that the maximum value is twice as high as the minimum value. The SCV between hospitals was >10 for two of these regions, which is considered indicative of very high variation. For the other regions (with few hospitals performing lung resections for cancer), the variation between hospitals was lower. Globally, the variability between regions concerning the SMR was moderate, 6% of the variance was due to differences across regions. On the contrary, the hospital volume was significantly related to the SMR (p = 0.003) with a negative linear trend, whatever the region. Conclusion: This work shows significant differences in the practices of the various hospitals within regions. However, overall, the variability in the 30-day mortality rate between regions was moderate. Our findings raises questions regarding the regionalization of major surgical procedures in France.

Time to onset of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a nationwide, population-based retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The increased maternal cardiocerebrovascular risk after a pregnancy complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, is well documented in the literature. Recent evidence has suggested a shorter timeframe for the development of these postnatal outcomes, which could have major clinical implications. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the risk of and time to onset of maternal cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes after a pregnancy complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: This study included 2,227,711 women, without preexisting chronic hypertension, who delivered during the period 2008 to 2010: 37,043 (1.66%) were diagnosed with preeclampsia, 34,220 (1.54%) were diagnosed with gestational hypertension, and 2,156,448 had normotensive pregnancies. Hospitalizations for chronic hypertension, heart failure, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral arterial disease were studied. A classical Cox regression was performed to estimate the average effect of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy over 10 years compared with normotensive pregnancy; moreover, an extended Cox regression was performed with a step function model to estimate the effect of the exposure variable in different time intervals: <1, 1 to 3, 3 to 5, and 5 to 10 years of follow-up. RESULTS: The risk of chronic hypertension after a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia was 18 times higher in the first year (adjusted hazard ratio, 18.531; 95% confidence interval, 16.520-20.787) to only 5 times higher at 5 to 10 years after birth (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.921; 95% confidence interval, 4.640-5.218). The corresponding risks of women with gestational hypertension were 12 times higher (adjusted hazard ratio, 11.727; 95% confidence interval, 10.257-13.409]) and 6 times higher (adjusted hazard ratio, 5.854; 95% confidence interval, 5.550-6.176), respectively. For other cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes, there was also a significant effect with preeclampsia (heart failure: adjusted hazard ratio, 6.662 [95% confidence interval, 4.547-9.762]; coronary heart disease: adjusted hazard ratio, 3.083 [95% confidence interval, 1.626-5.844]; cerebrovascular disease: adjusted hazard ratio, 3.567 [95% confidence interval, 2.600-4.893]; peripheral arterial disease: adjusted hazard ratio, 4.802 [95% confidence interval, 2.072-11.132]) compared with gestational hypertension in the first year of follow-up. A dose-response effect was evident for the severity of preeclampsia with the averaged 10-year adjusted hazard ratios for developing chronic hypertension after early, preterm, and late preeclampsia being 10, 7, and 6 times higher, respectively. CONCLUSION: The risks of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes were the highest in the first year after a birth complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. We found a significant relationship with both the severity of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and the gestational age of onset suggesting a possible dose-response relationship for the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes. These findings call for an urgent focus on research into effective postnatal screening and cardiocerebrovascular risk prevention for women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Impact of hospital volume in liver surgery on postoperative mortality and morbidity: nationwide study.

BACKGROUND: This nationwide retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate impact of hospital volume and influence of liver transplantation activity on postoperative mortality and failure to rescue after liver surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent liver resection between 2011 and 2019 using a nationwide database. A threshold of surgical activities from which in-hospital mortality declines was calculated. Hospitals were divided into high- and low-volume centres. Main outcomes were in-hospital mortality and failure to rescue. RESULTS: Among 39 286 patients included, the in-hospital mortality rate was 2.8 per cent. The activity volume threshold from which in-hospital mortality declined was 25 hepatectomies. High-volume centres (more than 25 resections per year) had more postoperative complications but a lower rate of in-hospital mortality (2.6 versus 3 per cent; P < 0.001) and failure to rescue (5 versus 6.3 per cent; P < 0.001), in particular related to specific complications (liver failure, biliary complications, vascular complications) (5.5 versus 7.6 per cent; P < 0.001). Liver transplantation activity did not have an impact on these outcomes. CONCLUSION: From more than 25 liver resections per year, rates of in-hospital mortality and failure to rescue declined. Management of specific postoperative complications appeared to be better in high-volume centres.

Hospitalisation for non-lethal self-harm and premature mortality in the 3 years following adolescent pregnancy: Population-based nationwide cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of non-lethal self-harm and mortality related to adolescent pregnancy. DESIGN: Nationwide population-based retrospective cohort. SETTING: Data were extracted from the French national health data system. POPULATION: We included all adolescents aged 12-18 years with an International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10) code for pregnancy in 2013-2014. METHODS: Pregnant adolescents were compared with age-matched non-pregnant adolescents and with first-time pregnant women aged 19-25 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Any hospitalisation for non-lethal self-harm and mortality during a 3-year follow-up period. Adjustment variables were age, a history of hospitalisation for physical diseases, psychiatric disorders, self-harm and reimbursed psychotropic drugs. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used. RESULTS: In 2013-2014, 35 449 adolescent pregnancies were recorded in France. After adjustment, pregnant adolescents had an increased risk of subsequent hospitalisation for non-lethal self-harm in comparison with both non-pregnant adolescents (n = 70 898) (1.3% vs 0.2%, HR 3.06, 95% CI 2.57-3.66) and pregnant young women (n = 233 406) (0.5%, HR 2.41, 95% CI 2.14-2.71). Rates of hospitalisation for non-lethal self-harm were lower during pregnancy and higher between 12 and 8 months pre-delivery, 3-7 months postpartum and in the month following abortion. Mortality was significantly higher in pregnant adolescents (0.7‰) versus pregnant young women (0.4‰, HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.12-2.72), but not versus non-pregnant adolescents (0.4‰, HR 1.61, 95% CI 0.92-2.83). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation for non-lethal self-harm and premature death. Careful psychological evaluation and support should be systematically implemented for adolescents who are pregnant.

[Child maltreatment and Covid-19: A crisis within a crisis]. / Maltraitance envers les enfants et Covid-19 - Une crise dans la crise.

The fight against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was carried out through strong restrictive measures, including general population lockdown, which allowed the convergence of risk factors for child abuse. During this period, the French national hotline for children in danger recorded a 56% increase in calls. Calls followed by an alert to departmental child protection services increased by 30%. Through an algorithm created by our team, we showed a 50% increase in the relative frequency of hospitalizations for physical abuse in children aged 0-5 years during the lockdown. This has fueled thinking about subsequent health measures to protect the youngest children. Our goal is now to use this algorithm for epidemiological purposes as a barometer of abuse or in daily practice to help the diagnosis of physical abuse in young children.

Title: Maltraitance envers les enfants et Covid-19 - Une crise dans la crise. Abstract: En France, au début de l'année 2020, environ 690 000 vies ont pu être épargnées grâce au confinement général de la population et aux mesures restrictives de lutte contre la Covid-19. Conséquence inattendue, ces mesures ont eu un impact sur une autre frange vulnérable de la population : celle des jeunes enfants, pour lesquels il a été démontré une augmentation des maltraitances subies à cette période. À partir de données de la littérature et de l'apport de nos travaux de recherche dans le domaine, nous proposons une documentation de cette crise des violences intra-familiales, intriquée dans la crise sanitaire de la Covid-19.

Effect of Obesity among Hospitalized Cancer Patients with or without COVID-19 on a National Level.

Cancer and obesity are well-known prognostic factors in COVID-19. Our objective was to study the effect of obesity (and its severity) on the risk of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, severe complications, and in-hospital mortality, in a population of cancer patients hospitalized with or without COVID-19. All patients hospitalized in France for cancer from 1 March 2020 to 28 February 2022 were included from the French national administrative database. The effect of obesity was estimated in COVID-19 and in non-COVID-19 cancer patients using logistic and survival regressions, taking into account age, sex, comorbidities, and different types of cancer. Among the 992,899 cancer patients, we identified 53,090 patients with COVID-19 (5.35%), of which 3260 were obese (6.1%). After adjustment, for patients with or without COVID-19, there is an increased risk of ICU admission or severe complications in obese patients, regardless of the type of obesity. Regarding in-hospital mortality, there is no excess risk associated with overall obesity. However, massive obesity appears to be associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality, with a significantly stronger effect in solid cancer patients without COVID-19 and a significantly stronger effect in hematological cancer patients with COVID-19. This study showed that in France, among hospitalized patients with cancer and with or without COVID-19, increased vigilance is needed for obese patients, both in epidemic and non-epidemic periods. This vigilance should be further strengthened in patients with massive obesity for whom the risk of in-hospital mortality is higher, particularly in epidemic periods for patients with hematological cancers.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on risk of prematurity, birthweight and obstetric complications: A multivariate analysis from a nationwide, population-based retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of maternal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on prematurity, birthweight and obstetric complications. DESIGN: Nationwide, population-based retrospective cohort study. SETTING: National Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d'Information database in France. POPULATION: All single births from March to December 2020: 510 387 deliveries, including 2927 (0.6%) with confirmed COVID-19 in the mother and/or the newborn. METHODS: The group with COVID-19 was compared with the group without COVID-19 using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, and the Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U test. Logistic regressions were used to study the effect of COVID-19 on the risk of prematurity or macrosomia (birthweight ≥4500 g). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prematurity less than 37, less than 28, 28-31, or 32-36 weeks of gestation; birthweight; obstetric complications. RESULTS: In singleton pregnancies, COVID-19 was associated with obstetric complications such as hypertension (2.8% versus 2.0%, p < 0.01), pre-eclampsia (3.6% versus 2.0%, p < 0.01), diabetes (18.8% versus 14.4%, p < 0.01) and caesarean delivery (26.8% versus 19.7%, p < 0.01). Among pregnant women with COVID-19, there was more prematurity between 28 and 31 weeks of gestation (1.3% versus 0.6%, p < 0.01) and between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation (7.7% versus 4.3%, p < 0.01), and more macrosomia (1.0% versus 0.7%, p = 0.04), but there was no difference in small-for-gestational-age newborns (6.3% versus 8.7%, p = 0.15). Logistic regression analysis for prematurity showed an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.77 (95% CI 1.55-2.01) for COVID-19. For macrosomia, COVID-19 resulted in non-significant aOR of 1.38 (95% CI 0.95-2.00). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 is a risk factor for prematurity, even after adjustment for other risk factors. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: The risk of prematurity is twice as high in women with COVID-19 after adjustment for factors usually associated with prematurity.

Mediolateral episiotomy and risk of obstetric anal sphincter injuries and adverse neonatal outcomes during operative vaginal delivery in nulliparous women: a propensity-score analysis.

BACKGROUND: The potential protective effect of mediolateral episiotomy for obstetrical anal sphincter injuries (OASIs) remains controversial during operative vaginal delivery because of the difficulties to take into account the risk factors and clinical conditions at delivery; in addition, little is known about the potential benefits of mediolateral episiotomy on neonatal outcomes. The objectives were to investigate the associations between mediolateral episiotomy and both OASIs and neonatal outcomes, using propensity scores. METHODS: We performed a retrospective population-based observational study from a perinatal registry that includes all births in a French region between 2010 and 2017. All nulliparous women with singleton pregnancy delivering by operative vaginal deliveries at 37 weeks gestational age or later were included. Inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting with propensity scores was used to minimize indication bias. OASIs was defined as third and fourth-degree tears according to Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Two neonatal outcomes were studied: condition at birth (5-min Apgar score less than 7 and/or umbilical artery pH less than 7.10), and admission to neonatal intensive care unit. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 7589 women; 2880 (38.0%) received mediolateral episiotomy. After applying propensity scores, episiotomy was associated with a lower rate of OASIs in forceps/spatula delivery (2.3 vs 6.8%, Risk Ratio (RR) 0.38, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.28-0.52) and in vacuum delivery (1.3 vs 3.4%, RR 0.27, 95% CI 0.20-0.38) as compared with no episiotomy. Mediolateral episiotomy was associated with better condition at birth in case of forceps/spatula delivery (4.5 vs 8.8%, RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.39-0.81). In cases of fetal distress (40.7%), mediolateral episiotomy was associated with better condition of infant at birth in women who delivered by forceps/spatula (4.2 vs 13.5%, RR 0.52, 95% CI 0.31-0.89). No association was found with neonatal unit admission (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.50-1.74). CONCLUSIONS: Use of mediolateral episiotomy was associated with a lower rate of OASIs during operative vaginal delivery, and in infants it was associated with better condition at birth following forceps/spatula delivery.

Impact of nutritional status on heart failure mortality: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common causes of mortality in industrialized countries despite regular therapeutic advances. Numerous factors influence mortality in CHF patients, including nutritional status. It is known that malnutrition is a risk factor for mortality, whereas obesity may play a protective role, a phenomenon dubbed the "obesity paradox". However, the effect of the obesity-malnutrition association on mortality has not been previously studied for CHF. Our aim was to study the effect of nutritional status on overall mortality in CHF patients. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter study was based on a French nationwide database (PMSI). We included all CHF patients aged ≥18 years admitted to all public and private hospitals between 2012 and 2016 and performed a survival analysis over 1 to 4 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Malnutrition led to a significant decrease in life expectancy in CHF patients when compared with normal nutritional status (aHR=1.16 [1.14-1.18] at one year and aHR=1.04 [1.004-1.08] at four years), obese, and obese-malnutrition groups. In contrast, obesity led to a significant increase in life expectancy compared with normal nutritional status (aHR=0.75 [0.73-0.78] at one year and aHR=0.85 [0.81-0.90] at four years), malnutrition, and obese-malnutrition groups. The mortality rate was similar in patients presenting both malnutrition and obesity and patients with normal nutritional status. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the protective effect on mortality observed in obese CHF patients seems to be linked to fat massincrease. Furthermore, malnourished obese and normal nutritional status patients had similar mortality rates. Further studies should be conducted to confirm our results and to explore the physiopathological mechanisms behind these effects.

Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Epidemic on Lung Cancer Surgery in France: A Nationwide Study.

Few studies have investigated the link between SARS-CoV-2 and health restrictions and its effects on the health of lung cancer (LC) patients. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic on surgical activity volume, postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality (IHM) for LC resections in France. All data for adult patients who underwent pulmonary resection for LC in France in 2020, collected from the national administrative database, were compared to 2018-2019. The effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the risk of IHM and severe complications within 30 days among LC surgery patients was examined using a logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities and type of resection. There was a slight decrease in the volume of LC resections in 2020 (n = 11,634), as compared to 2018 (n = 12,153) and 2019 (n = 12,227), with a noticeable decrease in April 2020 (the peak of the first wave of epidemic in France). We found that SARS-CoV-2 (0.43% of 2020 resections) was associated with IHM and severe complications, with, respectively, a sevenfold (aOR = 7.17 (3.30-15.55)) and almost a fivefold (aOR = 4.76 (2.31-9.80)) increase in risk. Our study suggests that LC surgery is feasible even during a pandemic, provided that general guidance protocols edited by the surgical societies are respected.