Behind the Scenes: Facilitators and Barriers to Developing State Scarce Resource Allocation Plans for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: In response to COVID-19, many states revised, developed, or attempted to develop plans to allocate scarce critical care resources in the event that crisis standards of care were triggered. No prior analysis has assessed this plan development process, including whether plans were successfully adopted. RESEARCH QUESTION: How did states develop or revise scarce resource allocation plans during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what were the barriers and facilitators to their development and adoption at the state level? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Plan authors and state leaders completed a semi-structured interview February to September 2022. Interview transcripts were qualitatively analyzed for themes related to plan development and adoption according to the principles of grounded theory. RESULTS: Thirty-six participants from 34 states completed an interview, from states distributed across all US regions. Among participants' states with plans that existed prior to 2020 (n = 24), 17 were revised and adopted in response to COVID-19. Six states wrote a plan de novo, with the remaining states failing to develop or adopt a plan. Thirteen states continued to revise their plans in response to disability or aging bias complaints or to respond to evolving needs. Many participants expressed that urgency in the early days of the pandemic prevented an ideal development process. Facilitators of successful plan development and adoption include: coordination or support from the state department of health and existing relationships with key community partners, including aging and disability rights groups and minoritized communities. Barriers include lack of perceived political interest in a plan and development during a public health emergency. INTERPRETATION: To avoid repeating mistakes from the early days of the COVID-19 response, states should develop or revise plans with community engagement and consider maintaining a standing committee with diverse membership and content expertise to periodically review plans and advise state officials on pandemic preparedness.

Triage Procedures for Critical Care Resource Allocation During Scarcity.

Importance: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many US states issued or revised pandemic preparedness plans guiding allocation of critical care resources during crises. State plans vary in the factors used to triage patients and have faced criticism from advocacy groups due to the potential for discrimination. Objective: To analyze the role of comorbidities and long-term prognosis in state triage procedures. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used data gathered from parallel internet searches for state-endorsed pandemic preparedness plans for the 50 US states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (hereafter referred to as states), which were conducted between November 25, 2021, and June 16, 2023. Plans available on June 16, 2023, that provided step-by-step instructions for triaging critically ill patients were categorized for use of comorbidities and prognostication. Main Outcomes and Measures: Prevalence and contents of lists of comorbidities and their stated function in triage and instructions to predict duration of postdischarge survival. Results: Overall, 32 state-promulgated pandemic preparedness plans included triage procedures specific enough to guide triage in clinical practice. Twenty of these (63%) included lists of comorbidities that excluded (11 of 20 [55%]) or deprioritized (8 of 20 [40%]) patients during triage; one state's list was formulated to resolve ties between patients with equal triage scores. Most states with triage procedures (21 of 32 [66%]) considered predicted survival beyond hospital discharge. These states proposed different prognostic time horizons; 15 of 21 (71%) were numeric (ranging from 6 months to 5 years after hospital discharge), with the remaining 6 (29%) using descriptive terms, such as long-term. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study of state-promulgated critical care triage policies, most plans restricted access to scarce critical care resources for patients with listed comorbidities and/or for patients with less-than-average expected postdischarge survival. This analysis raises concerns about access to care during a public health crisis for populations with high burdens of chronic illness, such as individuals with disabilities and minoritized racial and ethnic groups.

Oxybutynin 3% gel for the treatment of primary focal hyperhidrosis in adolescents and young adults.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: There are no reliably effective, well-tolerated topical agents for the treatment of hyperhidrosis. We sought to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of oxybutynin 3% gel in adolescents and young adults with primary focal hyperhidrosis. METHODS: Patients with severe axillary hyperhidrosis were treated with topical oxybutynin 3% gel for 4 weeks. Response to treatment was assessed by calculating change in Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Score from baseline to weeks 1 and 4. Change in health-related quality of life was assessed using the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index or the Dermatology Life Quality Index. Adverse effects were evaluated using patient diaries, investigator global review, and physical examination. RESULTS: Of 10 patients aged 13-24 enrolled, seven completed the study. Of those who completed the study, four (57.1%) reported reduction in axillary Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Score at week 1 and all seven (100%) at week 4. Six patients (85.7%) reported reduction in Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index or Dermatology Life Quality Index score. Anticholinergic adverse effects were infrequent. The majority of treatment-related adverse events were mild to moderate in severity. One patient experienced a severe adverse event. CONCLUSION: Oxybutynin 3% gel reduced hyperhidrosis severity and improved health-related quality of life in this small pilot study. Safety and efficacy should be further evaluated in a large, prospective, placebo-controlled study.

Hereditary Progressive Mucinous Histiocytosis: New Insights Into a Rare Disease.

Hereditary progressive mucinous histiocytosis is a rare, benign, skin-limited form of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. We report on a 5-year-old boy who presented in infancy with self-resolving dermal nodules but later developed persistent and progressive erythematous papules on the face and scalp. Histologic evaluation revealed dermal aggregates of S-100/CD1a-negative histiocytes with abundant mucin. We present this case to highlight the evolution of the lesional morphology in infancy and early childhood and to stress the importance of histology in confirming this rare disorder.

Spiny Papules in an Immunosuppressed Child.

Trichodysplasia spinulosa is a rare folliculocentric polyomavirus infection observed in the setting of immunosuppression. We report a 7-year-old boy with pre-B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia who presented with folliculocentric spiny papules on the face. Histologic evaluation revealed hypertrophic bulbs, an expanded inner root sheath, and numerous brightly eosinophilic trichohyalin granules. We present this case to raise awareness of this rare but recognizable entity and to highlight the availability of appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.

Cryosurgical treatment of warts: dimethyl ether and propane versus liquid nitrogen - case report and review of the literature.

For years, dermatologists have relied on cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen as a safe and effective treatment for warts. More recently, several over-the-counter (OTC) wart-freezing therapies have become available. Manufacturers have substituted liquid nitrogen with dimethyl ether and propane (DMEP), and marketed these new preparations to be safe and effective alternatives to in-office cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen. However, data from in vitro studies and comparative studies in humans refute manufacturers' claims that these products reproduce in-office cryotherapy.