Thoracic surgery during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Madrid, Spain: single-centre report.

OBJECTIVES: We reviewed the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 cases and the postoperative outcomes of patients who had thoracic surgery during the beginning and at the highest point of transmission in our community. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients who had undergone elective thoracic surgery from 12 February 2020 to 30 April 2020 and were symptomatic or tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection within 14 days after surgery, with a focus on their complications and potential deaths. RESULTS: Out of 101 surgical procedures, including 57 primary oncological resections, 6 lung transplants and 18 emergency procedures, only 5 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 were identified, 3 in the immediate postoperative period and 2 as outpatients. All 5 patients had cancer; the median age was 64 years. The main virus-related symptom was fever (80%), and the median onset of coronavirus disease 2019 was 3 days. Although 80% of the patients who had positive test results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 required in-hospital care, none of them were considered severe or critical and none died. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that, in properly selected cases, with short preoperative in-hospital stays, strict isolation and infection control protocols, managed by a dedicated multidisciplinary team, a surgical procedure could be performed with a relatively low risk for the patient.

Giant Dumbbell-Shaped Thoracic Schwannoma in an Elderly Patient Resected Through a Single-Stage Combined Laminectomy and Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy: Surgical Strategy and Technical Nuances.

BACKGROUND: Dumbbell-shaped schwannomas involving the spinal canal, the intervertebral foramen, and the thoracic cavity are rare lesions. Surgical treatment represents a challenge, and there is no consensus regarding ideal management. Two major surgical routes have been used: combined laminectomy and open thoracotomy or posterolateral extrapleural approach with wide bone removal. This report describes a relatively easy surgical strategy, combined laminectomy and thoracoscopy, which allows safe resection under an adequate view with low risk of spinal instability, pain, or respiratory problems. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 74-year-old man presented with rapidly progressing motor impairment caused by a dumbbell-shaped, 65-mm, Eden type III lesion at the T5 level. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an intraspinal-extradural mass extending into the chest cavity and causing severe spinal cord compression. The patient underwent single-stage surgery performed by a neurosurgical and thoracic team. The extradural and foraminal tumor components were first removed through a 1-level laminectomy with foraminotomy and without facetectomy. Subsequently, video-assisted thoracic surgery was performed to approach the anterior paraspinal component. Total tumor removal, confirmed with postoperative magnetic resonance imaging, was achieved. Pathologic diagnosis was schwannoma. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient's neurologic deficits resolved, and he experienced minimal pain after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: A single-stage operation using combined laminectomy and video-assisted thoracic surgery is a safe and efficacious strategy for achieving total removal of dumbbell-shaped thoracic schwannomas, even in cases involving giant lesions and elderly patients.

Early meteorological records from Latin-America and the Caribbean during the 18th and 19th centuries.

This paper provides early instrumental data recovered for 20 countries of Latin-America and the Caribbean (Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, British Guiana, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, France (Martinique and Guadalupe), Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, El Salvador and Suriname) during the 18th and 19th centuries. The main meteorological variables retrieved were air temperature, atmospheric pressure, and precipitation, but other variables, such as humidity, wind direction, and state of the sky were retrieved when possible. In total, more than 300,000 early instrumental data were rescued (96% with daily resolution). Especial effort was made to document all the available metadata in order to allow further post-processing. The compilation is far from being exhaustive, but the dataset will contribute to a better understanding of climate variability in the region, and to enlarging the period of overlap between instrumental data and natural/documentary proxies.

Analysis of Uncertainty in a Middle-Cost Device for 3D Measurements in BIM Perspective.

Medium-cost devices equipped with sensors are being developed to get 3D measurements. Some allow for generating geometric models and point clouds. Nevertheless, the accuracy of these measurements should be evaluated, taking into account the requirements of the Building Information Model (BIM). This paper analyzes the uncertainty in outdoor/indoor three-dimensional coordinate measures and point clouds (using Spherical Accuracy Standard (SAS) methods) for Eyes Map, a medium-cost tablet manufactured by e-Capture Research & Development Company, Mérida, Spain. To achieve it, in outdoor tests, by means of this device, the coordinates of targets were measured from 1 to 6 m and cloud points were obtained. Subsequently, these were compared to the coordinates of the same targets measured by a Total Station. The Euclidean average distance error was 0.005-0.027 m for measurements by Photogrammetry and 0.013-0.021 m for the point clouds. All of them satisfy the tolerance for point cloud acquisition (0.051 m) according to the BIM Guide for 3D Imaging (General Services Administration); similar results are obtained in the indoor tests, with values of 0.022 m. In this paper, we establish the optimal distances for the observations in both, Photogrammetry and 3D Photomodeling modes (outdoor) and point out some working conditions to avoid in indoor environments. Finally, the authors discuss some recommendations for improving the performance and working methods of the device.

Fulminant hyperacute rejection after unilateral lung transplantation.

Hyperacute rejection (HAR) is a well-known complication in renal and cardiac transplantation, but rare in lung recipients. We present a case of HAR of the lung graft with a fatal outcome of a male patient with preformed class II anti-HLA antibodies.