Characteristics and Survival of Patients with Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Above T6 with Prolonged Intensive Care Unit Stays.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury (ATSCI) above T6 who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for ≥30 days and their 1-year mortality compared with patients admitted for <30 days. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was performed on 211 patients with an acute traumatic spinal cord injury above T6 who were admitted to an ICU between 1998 and 2017. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between an ICU stay ≥30 days and mortality after ICU discharge. RESULTS: Of patients, 29.4% were admitted to the ICU for ≥30 days, accounting for 53.4% of total days of ICU stays generated by all patients. An ICU stay ≥30 days was not identified as an independent risk factor for mortality (1-year survival: 88.5% vs. 88.1%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.80, P = 0.699). Variables identified as predictors of 1-year post-ICU discharge mortality were severity at admission according to the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (HR 1.18) and the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale motor score (HR 0.97). Among patients who required invasive mechanical ventilation, a longer duration of the respiratory support was associated with increased mortality (HR 1.01). CONCLUSIONS: Three out of 10 patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury above T6 require prolonged stays in the ICU. Variables found to be associated with 1-year post-ICU discharge mortality in these patients were American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale motor score, severity, and greater duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, but not an ICU stay ≥30 days.

Enfermedad arterial periférica en pacientes trasplantados renales. Validez del cuestionario de Edimburgo para el diagnóstico de enfermedad / Peripheral arterial disease in renal transplant patients. Validity of the Edinburgh questionnaire for disease diagnosis

RESUMEN Objetivos: Determinar en pacientes trasplantados renales la prevalencia de enfermedad arterial periférica y la validez de las manifestaciones clínicas de claudicación intermitente para su diagnóstico. Material y métodos: Ámbito y período: Servicio de Nefrología del Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, 2013-2017. Criterios inclusión: pacientes trasplantados renales con injerto funcionante que consientan participar en el estudio. Justificación del tamaño muestral: n=371 pacientes (seguridad= 95% y precisión= ± 4,25%). Mediciones: edad, edad al trasplante, sexo, dislipemia, índice de masa corporal, tabaquismo, diabetes, signo de Godet, edema perimaleolar, índice tobillo-brazo y cuestionario Edimburgo. El riesgo cardiovascular se midió mediante los scores Framingham-Wilson, Regicor, SCORE y Dorica. Resultados: La edad media al trasplante fue de 47,86 ± 12,62 años, 65,5% hombres. El 8,7% de los pacientes presentan un índice tobillo-brazo <0,90. El 16,2% de los pacientes manifiestan claudicación intermitente según el cuestionario Edimburgo. La concordancia entre ambas pruebas diagnósticas es débil (índice de Kappa=0,34). El cuestionario de Edimburgo mostró sensibilidad del 59,38% para predecir índice tobillo-brazo <0,90 y especificidad del 88,10%. Las variables asociadas a la presencia de arteriopatía son la edad al trasplante (OR=1,07) y el tabaquismo (OR=6,17), encontrándose la dislipemia en el límite de la significación estadística. Conclusiones: Una décima parte de los pacientes presentan arteriopatía periférica. La concordancia entre el cuestionario Edimburgo y el índice tobillo-brazo es débil. Por lo que debería usarse el índice tobillo-brazo como método diagnóstico. Las manifestaciones clínicas infraestiman la prevalencia de arteriopatía. La edad, el tabaquismo y la dislipemia incrementan su riesgo. Los pacientes con arteriopatía presentan riesgo cardiovascular más elevado.

ABSTRACT Objectives: To assess the prevalence of peripheral artery disease in kidney transplant patients and the validity of intermittent claudication for its diagnosis. Methods: Setting and period: Nephrology Department of the University Hospital A. Coruña, 2013-2017. Inclusion criteria: transplant patients with functioning grafts who gave their consent to participate in the study. Sample size rationale: n=371 patients (confidence interval= 95%; precision= ± 4.25%). Measurements: age, age at the time of transplant, sex, dyslipemia, body mass index, smoking, diabetes, sign of Godet, perimalleolar edema, ankle-brachial index and the Edinburgh Questionnaire. Cardiovascular risk was measured with these scores: Framingham-Wilson, Regicore, SCORE and Dorica. Results: The mean age at the time of transplant was 47.86±12.62; 65.5% of patients were men and 8.7% of them had an ankle-brachial index of <0.90. When answering the Edinburgh Questionnaire, 16.2% of subjects reported suffering from intermittent claudication. Concordance between these two diagnostic tests is poor (kappa index= 0.34). The Edinburgh Questionnaire showed a sensitivity of 59.38% in predicting the ankle-brachial index (<0.90) and specificity (88.10%). The variables associated with the presence of artery disease are age at the time of transplant (OR=1.07) and smoking (OR=6.17), dyslipidemia being at the limit of statistical significance. Conclusions: A tenth part of the patients have peripheral artery disease. Concordance between the Edinburgh Questionnaire and the ankle-brachial index is poor; therefore, the latter should be used as diagnostic method. Clinical signs and symptoms underestimate the prevalence of artery disease. Age, smoking and dyslipidemia increase the risk of this disease. Artery disease patients have a higher cardiovascular risk.

Nosocomial Infection Outbreak due to SARS-COV-2 in a Hospital Unit of Particularly Vulnerable Patients.

Objectives: To report a COVID-19 outbreak among workers and inpatients at a medical ward for especially vulnerable patients. Methods: Descriptive study of a nosocomial COVID-19 outbreak registered in March-April 2020 at medical ward of onco-hematological patients in an Spanish hospital. Confirmed cases were hospitalized patients, healthcare and non-healthcare workers who tested positive by PCR on a nasopharyngeal swab. Results: Twenty-two COVID-19 cases (12 workers and 10 inpatients) were laboratory-confirmed. Initial cases were a healthcare provider and a visitor who tested positive. The median patients age was 73 years (range 62-88). The main reason of admission was haematological in 8 patients and oncologic in 2. All patients followed an immunosuppressive treatment, 5/10 with high-flow oxygen nebulizations. Five patients presented a moderate/serious evolution, and 5 patients died. The mean workers age was 42.1±10.9. One healthworker required Intensive Care Unit admission, and all of them recovered completely. Conclusions: In the hospital setting, close patients surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 is essential, especially in immunosuppressed patients. Replacing nebulizations or high-flow oxygen therapies, when other equivalent options were available, to reduce dispersion, and controlling ventilation ducts, together with hygiene measures and an active follow-up on inpatients, visitors and workers appear to be important in preventing nosocomial outbreaks.

Knowledge of asthma in school teachers in nine Spanish cities.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the knowledge of asthma and its management in Spanish school teachers using the Newcastle Asthma Questionnaire (NAKQ). DESIGN: Descriptive, observational prevalence study, using a self-report questionnaire on knowledge about childhood asthma and its management by teachers in pre-school, primary, and secondary schools in nine Spanish cities. Age, sex, academic training, teaching experience, courses in which they taught, and personal and family history of asthma, were collected from each teacher. For knowledge determination, the validated Spanish version of the NAKQ was used. RESULTS: A total of 208 centers participated, including 7,494 teachers. The questionnaire was completed by 4,679 teachers (62.4%). The mean score of correct responses was 16.0 ± 4.8 points out of 31 (median = 17, range: 0-30). Only 6.8% of teachers were capable of pointing out the three main symptoms of the disease; 1.5% knew the triggering factors of an asthma attack; 8.6% knew two medicines useful during an asthma attack; 32.7% knew that inhaled medications had less side effects than pills, and only 3.8% knew of ways to prevent asthma attacks during exercise. In the multivariate analysis, variables significantly associated with a higher questionnaire score were a "lower age" (Beta coefficient = -0.09), "male gender" (Beta = 0.77), "being asthmatic" (Beta = 2.10), or "having close relatives with asthma" (Beta = 1.36) and "teaching in a private school" (Beta = 0.66) or in "compulsory secondary education" (Beta = 0.59). CONCLUSIONS: Teachers have a low level of knowledge about asthma, with an important limitation in some aspects of the disease. They should be trained to recognize the main symptoms of the disease, on how to act in the event of symptoms, and the early identification of situations in which the pupils require health care assistance. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016;51:678-687. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pleural antigen assay in the diagnosis of pediatric pneumococcal empyema.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to assess the diagnostic value of rapid pneumococcal antigen detection (PAD) in pleural fluid samples of children with empyema. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a prospective evaluation in a pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary university hospital of children aged 1 month to 14 years admitted with empyema. Standard cultures (conventional microbiological culture [CMC]), PAD by immunochromatographic testing (Binax NOW Streptococcus pneumoniae; Binax, Portland, ME), and/or real-time polymerase chain reactions (RTPs) on pleural samples were performed in all included patients. RESULTS: Fifty-five cases with a mean (SD) age of 6.5 (6.1) years were enrolled. Streptococcus pneumoniae was identified in 28 cases (51%): by CMC in 15 cases and by RTP in a further 13 cases. Using CMC and/or RTP as the criterion standard, PAD showed a sensitivity of 96% (95% confidence interval, 86%-100%), a specificity of 100% (75%-100%), a positive predictive value of 100% (98%-100%), and a Youden index of 0.96 (0.88-1.04). CONCLUSIONS: Pneumococcal antigen detection in pleural fluid specimens from children provides a rapid, simple, sensitive, and reliable method of diagnosis for pneumococcal empyema at bedside.

[Factors affecting the postoperative recurrence of Crohn's disease. New controversies with one centre's experience]. / Factores que afectan a la recurrencia postoperatoria de la enfermedad de Crohn. Nuevas controversias a través de la experiencia de un centro.

INTRODUCTION: Many patients with Crohn's disease have frequent recurrences, while others have long periods of remission after surgery. Determination of the risk factors of recurrence would be useful in identifying these high risk patients and to adopt suitable strategies during the surgical act and in the choice of post-surgical medical treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 78 patients with ileocolic Crohn's disease subjected to a first surgical resection, during the period from January 2000 to December 2005. The risk factors for endoscopic, radiological and surgical were subsequently analysed up to May 2009. RESULTS: A total of 41 patients (52.6%) had recurrences, being endoscopic in 17 (21.8%) of patients, radiological in 12 (15.4%) and surgical in 12 (15.4%). The mean time to first recurrence was 70.24 months. Recurrence was associated more to not performing anastomosis (77.7% vs. 48.2%) during surgical resection. Although only the existence of postoperative complications (P=.018) was significantly associated with (68.4% vs. 47.4%), as well as with the need for transfusion in the immediate post-operative period (67.8% vs. 42.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Transfusion of blood products is a risk factor for postoperative recurrence of Crohn's disease. But only postoperative complications are shown as an independent risk factor in the multivariate analysis. An adequate and safe surgical technique is a very important perioperative factor over which we have the influence to decrease these recurrences.