Problemas relacionados con los medicamentos en pacientes de Santiago de Cuba hospitalizados / Drug related problems in inpatients of Santiago de Cuba

Introducción: Los problemas relacionados con los medicamentos constituyen una gran preocupación sanitaria por su elevado impacto en la morbilidad de pacientes hospitalizados.Método: Estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal en los servicios clínicos de cinco instituciones de salud de Santiago de Cuba, durante el primer trimestre de 2020. Se revisaron los perfiles de 329 pacientes que recibieron seguimiento farmacoterapéutico. La muestra fue caracterizada según variables biosociales, clínicas y farmacoterapéuticas, la identificación de los problemas relacionados a la medicación fue realizada utilizando los criterios de Cipolle, Stramd y Morley, determinándose además los medicamentos implicados en los problemas relacionados a la medicación. Los datos fueron procesados a través de frecuencias absolutas y relativas representadas por medio de tablas y figuras.Resultados: Predominaron los pacientes mayores o iguales de 60 años representando un 38,6 %; respecto al género un 61,4 % perteneció al femenino. La mayoría de los pacientes presentaron hasta dos enfermedades (76,3 %), las infecciones respiratorias complicadas (35,6 %) fueron el motivo de ingreso más frecuente. El 36,5 % consumió entre cuatro y seis medicamentos, siendo los antibacterianos de usos sistémicos los más prescritos. Se identificaron 598 Problemas Relacionados con los Medicamentos para una proporción de 1,8 PRM/paciente, de estos un 42,8 % corresponde a los problemas de Seguridad, un 31,1 % de Indicación, seguido de 24,9 % de Efectividad y finalmente el 1,2 % de Adherencia.Conclusiones: Los antimicrobianos resultaron los más implicados en la aparición de los problemas relacionados a la medicación. La atención farmacéutica ofrece servicios que garantizan el uso adecuado de los medicamentos. (AU)

Introduction: Drug-related problems are a major health concern because of their high impact on inpatient morbidity. Method: Descriptive and cross-sectional observational, study in the clinical services of five health institutions of Santiago de Cuba, during the first quarter of 2020. The profiles of 329 patients who received pharmacotherapeutic follow-up were reviewed. The sample was characterized according to biosocials, clinical and pharmacotherapeutic variables, the identification of medication-related problems was performed using the criteria of Cipolle, Stramd and Morley, also determining the drugs involved in medication-related problems. The data were processed through absolute and relative frequencies represented by means of tables and figures. Results: Patients over or equal to 60 years of age predominated, representing 38.6 %; 61.4 % of the patients were female. Most of the patients had up to two diseases (76.3 %); complicated respiratory infections (35.6 %) were the most frequent reason for admission. Between four and six medications were consumed by 36.5 %, with antibacterials for systemic use being the most prescribed. A total of 598 drug-related problems were identified for a ratio of 1.8 DRP/patient, of which 42.8 % corresponded to safety problems, 31.1 % to indication, followed by 24.9 % to effectiveness and finally 1.2 % to adherence. Conclusions: Antimicrobials were the most implicated in the occurrence of medication-related problems. Pharmaceutical care offers services that ensure the appropriate use of medications. (AU)

Increase in peritoneal dialysis-related hospitalization rates after telemedicine implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic / Aumento de las tasas de hospitalización relacionadas con la diálisis peritoneal después de la implementación de telemedicina durante la pandemia de la COVID-19

Introduction and objectives: To minimize our peritoneal dialysis (PD) population exposure to coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in April 2020 we developed and implemented a telemedicine program. In this investigation, we aimed to compare the hospitalization rates and metabolic disorders in patients undergoing PD 6 months before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and telemedicine implementation. Materials and methods: This single-center retrospective analysis included all active prevalent patients undergoing PD from April 2020. Dialysis records were reviewed to obtain clinical, demographic, laboratory, appointment, and hospitalization data. We compared hospitalization rates (total, non-PD-related, and PD-related), hospitalization-associated factors, and metabolic disorders (hemoglobin, serum potassium, and serum phosphate) 6 months before and after the pandemic. Results: Our sample comprised 103 participants. During the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods, there were 13 and 27 hospital admissions, respectively. The total hospitalization incident rate ratio (IRR) was 2.48 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–4.75). PD-related hospitalizations increased from 3 to 15 episodes (IRR=7.25 [95% CI, 2.11–24.78]). In the pre-pandemic period, the educational level was lower in participants hospitalised due to PD-related issues than in participants not hospitalised. In the post-pandemic period, only sex distribution differed between patients not hospitalised and those hospitalised due to non-PD-related issues. Only serum potassium levels changed significantly in the post-pandemic period (4.79±0.48 vs. 4.93±0.54mg/dL; P<0.01). (AU)

Introducción y objetivos: Para minimizar la exposición de nuestra población de diálisis peritoneal (DP) a la enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19), en abril del 2020 desarrollamos e implementamos un programa de telemedicina. En esta investigación, nuestro objetivo fue comparar las tasas de hospitalización y los trastornos metabólicos en pacientes sometidos a DP 6 meses antes y después de la pandemia de COVID-19 y la implementación de la telemedicina. Materiales y métodos: Este análisis retrospectivo de un solo centro incluyó a todos los pacientes prevalentes activos sometidos a DP desde abril del 2020. Se revisaron los registros de diálisis para obtener datos clínicos, demográficos, de laboratorio, de citas y de hospitalización. Comparamos las tasas de hospitalización (total, no relacionada con la DP y relacionada con la DP), los factores asociados a la hospitalización y los trastornos metabólicos (hemoglobina, potasio sérico y fosfato sérico) 6 meses antes y después de la pandemia. Resultados: Nuestra muestra fue compuesta por 103 participantes. Durante los períodos prepandémico y pospandémico, hubo 13 y 27 ingresos hospitalarios, respectivamente. La razón de la tasa de incidentes de hospitalización (TIR) total fue de 2,48 (intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%, 1,29-4,75). Las hospitalizaciones relacionadas con la DP aumentaron de 3 a 15 episodios (TIR=7,25 [IC del 95%, 2,11-24,78]). En el período prepandémico, el nivel educativo fue más bajo en los participantes hospitalizados debido a problemas relacionados con la DP que en los participantes no hospitalizados. En el período posterior a la pandemia, solo la distribución por sexo difirió entre los pacientes no hospitalizados y los hospitalizados debido a problemas no relacionados con la DP. Solo los niveles de potasio sérico cambiaron significativamente en el período pospandémico (4.79±0.48 frente a 4.93±0.54 mg/dL; P<0.01). (AU)

Validez y utilidad del RAE-CMBD en el estudio de los pacientes hospitalizados con gripe / Validity and usefulness of the RAE-CMBD studying patients hospitalised with influenza

Background: Understanding the hospital impact of influenza requires enriching epidemiological surveillance registries with other sources of information. The aim of this study was to determine the validity of the Hospital Care Activity Record – Minimum Basic Data Set (RAE-CMBD) in the analysis of the outcomes of patients hospitalised with this infection. Methods: Observational and retrospective study of adults admitted with influenza in a tertiary hospital during the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 seasons. We calculated the concordance of the RAE-CMBD with the influenza epidemiological surveillance registry (gold standard), as well as the main parameters of internal and external validity. Logistic regression models were used for risk adjustment of in-hospital mortality and length of stay. Results: A total of 907 (97.74%) unique matches were achieved, with high inter-observer agreement (ƙ=0.828). The RAE-CMBD showed a 79.87% sensitivity, 99.72% specificity, 86.71% positive predictive value and 99.54% negative predictive value. The risk-adjusted mortality ratio of patients with influenza was lower than that of patients without influenza: 0.667 (0.53-0.82) vs. 1.008 (0.98-1.04) and the risk-adjusted length of stay ratio was higher: 1.15 (1.12-1.18) vs. 1.00 (0.996-1.001). Conclusion: The RAE-CMBD is a valid source of information for the study of the impact of influenza on hospital care. The lower risk-adjusted mortality of patients admitted with influenza compared to other inpatients seems to point to the effectiveness of the main clinical and organisational measures adopted. (AU)

Objetivos: Conocer el impacto hospitalario de la gripe requiere enriquecer los registros de vigilancia epidemiológicos con otras fuentes de información. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la validez del Registro de Actividad de Atención Especializada – Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos (RAE-CMBD) en el análisis de los resultados asistenciales de los pacientes hospitalizados con esta infección. Métodos: Estudio observacional retrospectivo de los adultos ingresados con gripe en un hospital terciario durante las temporadas 2017/2018 y 2018/2019. Se calculó la concor-dancia del RAE-CMBD con el registro de vigilancia epidemiológica de gripe (estándar de referencia), así como los principales parámetros de validez interna y externa. Se utilizaron modelos de regresión logística para el ajuste por riesgo de la mortalidad intrahospitalaria y duración de la estancia. Resultados: Se lograron 907 (97,74%) emparejamientos únicos, con una concordancia interobservadores elevada (ƙ=0,828). El RAE-CMBD mostró una sensibilidad del 79,87%, especificidad del 99,72%, valor predictivo positivo del 86,71% y negativo del 99,54%. La razón de mortalidad ajustada por riesgo de los pacientes con gripe fue menor que la de los pacientes sin gripe: 0,667 (0,53–0,82) vs. 1,008 (0,98–1,04) y la razón de duración de la estancia ajustada por riesgo, mayor: 1,15 (1,12–1,18) vs. 1,00 (0,996–1,001). Conclusiones: El RAE-CMBD es una fuente de información válida para el estudio del impacto de la gripe en la atención hospitalaria. La menor mortalidad ajustada por riesgo de los pacientes ingresados con gripe respecto de los demás ingresados, parece apuntar a la efectividad de las principales medidas clínicas y organizativas adoptadas. (AU)

Hospital Access Patterns of Children With Technology Dependence.

OBJECTIVES: We studied hospital utilization patterns among children with technology dependence (CTD). We hypothesized that increasing pediatric healthcare concentration requires those caring for CTD to selectively navigate healthcare systems and travel greater distances for care. METHODS: Using 2017 all-encounter datasets from 6 US states, we identified CTD visits defined by presence of a tracheostomy, gastrostomy, or intraventricular shunt. We calculated pediatric Hospital Capability Indices for hospitals and mapped distances between patient residence, nearest hospital, and encounter facility. RESULTS: Thirty-five percent of hospitals never saw CTD. Of 37 108 CTD encounters within the remaining 543 hospitals, most emergency visits (70.0%) and inpatient admissions (85.3%) occurred within 34 (6.3%) high capability centers. Only 11.7% of visits were to the closest facility, as CTD traveled almost 4 times further to receive care. When CTD bypassed nearer facilities, they were 10 times more likely to travel to high-capability centers (95% confidence interval: 9.43-10.8), but even those accessing low-capability facilities bypassed less capable, geographically closer hospitals. Transfer was more likely in nearest and low-capability facility encounters. CTD with Medicaid insurance, Black race, or from lower socioeconomic communities had lower odds of encounters at high-capability centers and of bypassing a closer institution than those with white race, private insurance, or from advantaged communities. CONCLUSIONS: Children with technology dependence routinely bypass closer hospitals to access care in facilities with higher pediatric capability. This access behavior leaves many hospitals unfamiliar with CTD, which results in greater travel but less transfers and may be influenced by sociodemographic factors.

K-medoids clustering of hospital admission characteristics to classify severity of influenza virus infection.

Background: Patients are admitted to the hospital for respiratory illness at different stages of their disease course. It is important to appropriately analyse this heterogeneity in surveillance data to accurately measure disease severity among those hospitalized. The purpose of this study was to determine if unique baseline clusters of influenza patients exist and to examine the association between cluster membership and in-hospital outcomes. Methods: Patients hospitalized with influenza at two hospitals in Southeast Michigan during the 2017/2018 (n = 242) and 2018/2019 (n = 115) influenza seasons were included. Physiologic and laboratory variables were collected for the first 24 h of the hospital stay. K-medoids clustering was used to determine groups of individuals based on these values. Multivariable linear regression or Firth's logistic regression were used to examine the association between cluster membership and clinical outcomes. Results: Three clusters were selected for 2017/2018, mainly differentiated by blood glucose level. After adjustment, those in C171 had 5.6 times the odds of mechanical ventilator use than those in C172 (95% CI: 1.49, 21.1) and a significantly longer mean hospital length of stay than those in both C172 (mean 1.5 days longer, 95% CI: 0.2, 2.7) and C173 (mean 1.4 days longer, 95% CI: 0.3, 2.5). Similar results were seen between the two clusters selected for 2018/2019. Conclusion: In this study of hospitalized influenza patients, we show that distinct clusters with higher disease acuity can be identified and could be targeted for evaluations of vaccine and influenza antiviral effectiveness against disease attenuation. The association of higher disease acuity with glucose level merits evaluation.

Risks of organ failures and deaths associated with young-onset dementia after hospitalizations for motor vehicle crash injuries: a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study.

Patients with dementia are at increased risks of adverse consequences associated with motor vehicle crash injury (MVCI). However, studies of the association for patients with young-onset dementia (YOD) are limited. Therefore, we aim to investigate whether YOD was associated with adverse outcomes after hospitalization for MVCI. In this retrospective cohort study, we identified 2052 MVCI patients with YOD (aged 40-64 years) between 2006 and 2015 and included 10 260 matched MVCI patients without YOD (matching ratio: 1:5) from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and the Taiwan Police-Reported Traffic Accident Registry. We evaluated the intensive care unit (ICU) admission, organ failure, in-hospital and 30-day mortalities, length of hospital stay, and hospital costs. Compared with participants without dementia, patients with YOD had higher rates of ICU admission (34.31% vs. 20.89%) and respiratory failure (6.04% vs. 2.94%), with a covariate-adjusted odds ratio of 1.50 (95% CI 1.33-1.70) and 1.63 (95% CI 1.24-2.13), respectively. The patients also exhibited higher in-hospital mortality (4.73% vs. 3.12%) and 30-day mortality (5.12% vs. 3.34%) than their non-YOD counterparts, but the risk ratio was not significant after adjusting for transport mode. Moreover, the log means of hospital stay and cost were higher among patients with YOD (0.09 days; 95% CI 0.04-0.14 and NT$0.17; 95% CI 0.11-0.23, respectively). This cohort study determined that YOD may be adversely associated with hospital outcomes among MVCI patients. However, the association between YOD and mortality risk may depend on transport mode.

Traumatic Injury in Pregnancy: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Trauma represents the leading cause of nonobstetrical maternal death. How in-hospital outcomes of acutely injured pregnant patients (PP) compares to that of similarly aged nonpregnant control groups (CGs) has not been described. We hypothesized that PPs suffering acute traumatic injuries would have worse outcomes compared to a matched CG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) was used to identify traumatically injured females between 2017 and 2019. Propensity score matching on age, race, injury severity score , and type of trauma (blunt, penetrating, or other) was used to compare PPs and the CG. Primary outcomes were mortality, disposition, length of stay (LOS), and complications. RESULTS: A total of 1078 traumatically injured pregnant females were identified. Propensity score matching resulted in 990 patients in the PP and CG cohorts. After matching, PPs were more likely to be assault victims (11% versus 6%, P < 0.001), had longer length of stay (LOS) (5 versus 3 d, P < 0.001), and were more likely to require mechanical ventilation (26% versus 16%, P < 0.001) or intensive care unit (ICU) admission (44% versus 32%, P < 0.001). PPs were more likely to proceed directly to the operating room (OR)(34% versus 15%, P < 0.001) and less likely to be discharged home from the emergency department (ED) (1% versus 12%, P < 0.001). Complications and mortality rates were similar among PPs. CONCLUSIONS: After acute trauma, PPs did not have increased mortality or complications when compared to matched controls, although they were more likely to be victims of assault, directly proceed to the OR, require mechanical ventilation or ICU admission, and have longer LOSs.

Characterization of Mortality by Sepsis Source in Patients Admitted to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of infectious source on sepsis outcomes for surgical patients is unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between sepsis sources and cumulative 90-d mortality in patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) with sepsis. METHODS: All patients admitted to the SICU at an academic institution who met sepsis criteria (2014-2019, n = 1296) were retrospectively reviewed. Classification of source was accomplished through a chart review and included respiratory (RT, n = 144), intra-abdominal (IA, n = 859), skin and soft tissue (SST, n = 215), and urologic (UR, n = 78). Demographics, comorbidities, and clinical presentation were compared. Outcomes included 90-d mortality, respiratory and renal failure, length of stay, and discharge disposition. Cox-proportional regression was used to model predictors of mortality; P < 0.05 was significant. RESULTS: Patients with SST were younger, more likely to be diabetic and obese, but had the lowest total comorbidities. Median admission sequential organ failure assessment scores were highest for IA and STT and lowest in urologic infections. Cumulative 90-d mortality was highest for IA and RT (35% and 33%, respectively) and lowest for SST (20%) and UR (8%) (P < 0.005). Compared to the other categories, UR infections had the lowest SICU length of stay and the highest discharge-to-home (57%, P < 0.0005). Urologic infections remained an independent negative predictor of 90-d mortality (odds ratio 0.14, 95% confidence interval: 0.1-0.4), after controlling for sequential organ failure assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Urologic infections remained an independent negative predictor of 90-d mortality when compared to other sources of sepsis. Characterization of sepsis source revealed distinct populations and clinical courses, highlighting the importance of understanding different sepsis phenotypes.

An artificial intelligence approach for predicting death or organ failure after hospitalization for COVID-19: development of a novel risk prediction tool and comparisons with ISARIC-4C, CURB-65, qSOFA, and MEWS scoring systems.

BACKGROUND: We applied machine learning (ML) algorithms to generate a risk prediction tool [Collaboration for Risk Evaluation in COVID-19 (CORE-COVID-19)] for predicting the composite of 30-day endotracheal intubation, intravenous administration of vasopressors, or death after COVID-19 hospitalization and compared it with the existing risk scores. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 from March 2020 to February 2021. Patients, each with 92 variables, and one composite outcome underwent feature selection process to identify the most predictive variables. Selected variables were modeled to build four ML algorithms (artificial neural network, support vector machine, gradient boosting machine, and Logistic regression) and an ensemble model to generate a CORE-COVID-19 model to predict the composite outcome and compared with existing risk prediction scores. The net benefit for clinical use of each model was assessed by decision curve analysis. RESULTS: Of 1796 patients, 278 (15%) patients reached primary outcome. Six most predictive features were identified. Four ML algorithms achieved comparable discrimination (P > 0.827) with c-statistics ranged 0.849-0.856, calibration slopes 0.911-1.173, and Hosmer-Lemeshow P > 0.141 in validation dataset. These 6-variable fitted CORE-COVID-19 model revealed a c-statistic of 0.880, which was significantly (P < 0.04) higher than ISARIC-4C (0.751), CURB-65 (0.735), qSOFA (0.676), and MEWS (0.674) for outcome prediction. The net benefit of the CORE-COVID-19 model was greater than that of the existing risk scores. CONCLUSION: The CORE-COVID-19 model accurately assigned 88% of patients who potentially progressed to 30-day composite events and revealed improved performance over existing risk scores, indicating its potential utility in clinical practice.

Automated prediction of COVID-19 severity upon admission by chest X-ray images and clinical metadata aiming at accuracy and explainability.

In the past few years COVID-19 posed a huge threat to healthcare systems around the world. One of the first waves of the pandemic hit Northern Italy severely resulting in high casualties and in the near breakdown of primary care. Due to these facts, the Covid CXR Hackathon-Artificial Intelligence for Covid-19 prognosis: aiming at accuracy and explainability challenge had been launched at the beginning of February 2022, releasing a new imaging dataset with additional clinical metadata for each accompanying chest X-ray (CXR). In this article we summarize our techniques at correctly diagnosing chest X-ray images collected upon admission for severity of COVID-19 outcome. In addition to X-ray imagery, clinical metadata was provided and the challenge also aimed at creating an explainable model. We created a best-performing, as well as, an explainable model that makes an effort to map clinical metadata to image features whilst predicting the prognosis. We also did many ablation studies in order to identify crucial parts of the models and the predictive power of each feature in the datasets. We conclude that CXRs at admission do not help the predicting power of the metadata significantly by itself and contain mostly information that is also mutually present in the blood samples and other clinical factors collected at admission.

Estimation of glomerular filtration rate in children: interest of FAS formula / Estimation du débit de filtration glomérulaire de l'enfant : intérêt de la formule FAS

The recommended equation to estimate the value of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) among children is Schwartz equation updated in 2009. However, it is few frequently used because involves height, a factor rarely documented for laboratories, especially hospital laboratories. The FAS (Full Aged Spectrum) formula developed by a European group, allows to get away from this factor. We compared CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease-EPIdemiology collaboration) and FAS formulas to Schwartz equation to estimate GFR in children. We realized a retrospective study included 1.668 children between 2 and 14 years old, whose serum creatinine had been measured during their hospitalization stay. We showed that FAS formula is correlated to Schwartz (r = 0.88), with a mean underestimation of eGFR at 6.2% versus CKD-EPI which has a correlation coefficient equal to 0.45 and overestimates eGFR to approximatively 42.0% compared to Schwartz formula. Furthermore, concordance at 30% is 99% with FAS whereas it's only 35% with CKD-EPI. Thus, we recommend using the FAS formula to estimate GFR in children between 2 and 14 years old when their height is not available.

L'équation recommandée pour estimer le débit de filtration glomérulaire (DFG) chez l'enfant est la formule de Schwartz mise à jour en 2009. Cependant, celle-ci n'est pas toujours utilisée en routine, car elle fait intervenir la taille, un paramètre auquel les laboratoires, notamment hospitaliers, n'ont pas facilement accès. La formule FAS (Full Aged Spectrum), mise au point par un groupe européen, permet de s'affranchir de la taille de l'enfant. Nous avons comparé les résultats du DFG obtenus à partir des équations CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease-EPIdemiology collaboration) et FAS, aux valeurs obtenues avec la formule de Schwartz. Nous avons réalisé une étude rétrospective sur 1 668 enfants âgés entre 2 et 14 ans dont le dosage de la créatininémie avait été effectué durant l'hospitalisation. Nous avons montré que l'équation FAS est bien corrélée à celle de Schwartz (r = 0,88), avec une sous-estimation moyenne du DFG de 6,2 % versus CKD-EPI qui a un coefficient de corrélation égal à 0,45 et qui surestime le DFG d'environ 42 % par rapport à la formule de Schwartz. De plus, la concordance à 30 % est de 99 % pour FAS alors qu'elle n'est que de 35 % pour CKD-EPI. Ainsi, nous recommandons d'utiliser l'équation FAS pour estimer le DFG chez l'enfant entre 2 et 14 ans lorsque la taille n'est pas disponible.

Emergency hemodialysis in the Joseph Raseta Befelatanana hospital, Antananarivo, Madagascar / Hémodialyse en urgence à l'hôpital Joseph Raseta Befelatanana, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Introduction: Initiation of emergency dialysis is a critical situation responsible for high morbidity and mortality. This study describes the characteristics of emergency hemodialysis patients in a hospital in Madagascar. Patients and methods: It is a descriptive study over a period of 7 months, from September 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019, on emergency hemodialysis patients in the hemodialysis department of the University Hospital of Joseph Raseta Befelatanana, Antananarivo. Emergency hemodialysis was defined as dialysis performed immediately or within the first 48 hours of hospitalisation in a life-threatening situation. Results: Among 124 haemodialysis patients, 52 patients (41.93%) had started dialysis as an emergency. The mean age of patients was 50.5 years and the sex ratio (male/female) was 1.08. Hypertension (51.92%) and diabetes (34.61%) were the main comorbidities. Chronic kidney disease was found in 82.7%. The majority of patients were unprepared and had initiated dialysis with a central venous catheter. The most frequent indication was Kussmaul's breathing (32.6%) followed by anuria (28.84%). The mortality rate was 23.08% and the prognosis was influenced by their condition on arrival. Conclusion: The predominance of chronic kidney disease and the absence of a permanent vascular approach can be explained by the late referral to nephrologists of patients with chronic kidney disease. Efforts need to be made to increase the proportion of scheduled dialysis patients with a permanent approach.

Introduction: L'initiation de la dialyse en urgence est une situation critique responsable d'une morbi-mortalité élevée. Cette étude décrit les caractéristiques des patients hémodialysés en urgence dans un centre hospitalier de Madagascar. Patients et méthodes: Il s'agit d'une étude descriptive sur une période de sept mois, du 1er septembre 2018 au 31 mars 2019, portant sur les patients hémodialysés en urgence dans le service d'hémodialyse du centre hospitalier Joseph Raseta Befelatanana, Antananarivo. L'hémodialyse en urgence était définie par une dialyse réalisée dans l'immédiat ou dans les 48 premières heures d'hospitalisation devant une situation mettant en jeu le pronostic vital. Résultats: Parmi les 124 patients hémodialysés, 52 patients (41,93 %) avaient démarré la dialyse en urgence. L'âge moyen des patients était de 50,5 ans et le sex-ratio (hommes/femmes) était de 1,08. L'hypertension artérielle (51,92 %) et le diabète (34,61 %) étaient les principales comorbidités. L'insuffisance rénale chronique a été trouvée dans 82,7 %. La majorité des patients n'étaient pas préparés et avaient initié la dialyse avec un cathéter veineux central. L'indication la plus fréquente était la dyspnée de Kussmaul (32,6 %) suivie de l'anurie (28,84 %). Le taux de mortalité était de 23,08 % et le pronostic était influencé par l'état à l'arrivée. Conclusion: La prédominance de l'insuffisance rénale chronique et l'absence d'abord vasculaire permanent peuvent s'expliquer par la référence tardive aux néphrologues des patients ayant une insuffisance rénale chronique. Des efforts doivent être faits pour augmenter la proportion de patients dialysés programmés avec une approche permanente.

[Profiling patients with early onset psychosis in Flanders]. / Profielschets van de minderjarige patiënt met psychose in een Vlaams kader.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about patients with early onset psychosis (EOP) because of the low prevalence and separation of mental health care for adolescents and adults. AIM: To describe characteristics of patients with EOP, their global functioning and their journey concerning healthcare, education, employment status, living situation and wellbeing in the years following onset of psychosis. METHOD: Data about demography, symptoms, treatment and functioning were collected from electronic patient records for 31 patients with EOP. Fourteen of these patients completed a questionnaire after discharge from inpatient treatment in ZNA University Child and Youth Psychiatry in Antwerp (UKJA) regarding after care, education, work and living conditions and wellbeing. RESULTS: Most patients developed severe psychotic symptoms before the age of 16 that required prolonged intensive psychiatric treatment. They showed multiple risk factors associated with psychosis. Following inpatient treatment most patients received special needs education and a majority transitioned into adult psychiatric care. Parents were the main source of social support for patients. CONCLUSION: During recovery access to support in different domains of life is needed. If we want to offer adequate care for each patient the organization of mental healthcare and assistance needs to be improved.

THE NEED TO ESTABLISH A SUICIDE RISK PROTOCOL IN HOSPITALIZATION UNITS.

In Spain, 82% of the provinces have an intervention plan to promote continuity of care for suicidal patients, but what is reported by the 2020 Clinical Practice Guide for the Pre- vention and Treatment of Suicidal Behavior in relation to management is scarce.

Evaluation of endoscopic ureteral stone treatments in the period of decreasing severity of COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, people's admissions to the hospital for their current illness were delayed. We aimed to reveal how this situation has affected the endoscopic treatment of ureteral stones. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who were treated for 59 endoscopic ureteral stones in the pre-pandemic period between September 2019 and December 2019, and patients who were treated for 60 endoscopic ureteral stones between January 2022 and April 2022, when the effectiveness of the COVID-19 pandemic decreased, were evaluated in two groups. Pre-pandemic patients were classified as group 1, and patients treated during the period when the effectiveness of the pandemic decreased as group 2. The patients' ages, preoperative laboratory examinations and radiological findings, localization and size of the stones in the ureter, time until the operation, duration of the operation, length of hospital stay, preoperative ESWL history, complication rates according to the Modified Clavien classification were evaluated. The problems observed in the ureter during the operation were examined separately as edema, polyp formation in the ureter, distal ureteral stenosis, and adhesion of the stone to the mucosa. RESULTS: In group 1, 9 patients were female and 50 were male, with a mean age of 42.19 ± 14.06 years; in group 2, 17 patients were female and 43 were male, with a mean age of 45.23 ± 12.20 years. The stone size was found to be higher in group 2. Group 1 had more patients who did not develop complications in the Modified Clavien classification, and the proportion of group 2 patients in the grade I-II-IIIA-IIIB classification was higher. Considering the waiting time before hospitalization, it was determined that the rate of group 2 patients was higher in those with a waiting period of 31-60 days (33.9-48.3%) and ≥60 days (10.2-21.7%). Except for the development of ureteral polyps, all other problems rate were found to be higher in group 2 patients compared to group 1. CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a delay in the treatment of ureteral stones in patients. In the next period, as a result of this delay, negative effects on the ureteral mucosa were detected and, accordingly, an increase in the complication rates of the operation was observed.

The association between electric scooter riding position and injury characteristics.

BACKGROUND: The popularity of electric scooters (e-scooters) and the shared e-scooter services as new means of transportation worldwide led to high numbers of injuries requiring emergency department (ED) visits. Private and rental e-scooters have different sizes and capabilities, offering several possible riding positions. While the rising use of e-scooters and their associated injuries have been reported, little is known about the influence of riding position on injury characteristics. The purpose of this study was to characterize e-scooter riding positions and their related injuries. METHODS: E-scooters related ED admissions were retrospectively collected between June 2020 and October 2020, in a level-I trauma center. Demographics, ED presentation data, injury information, e-scooter design, and clinical course were collected and compared according to e-scooter riding position ("foot-behind-foot" vs "side-by-side"). RESULTS: During the study period, 158 patients were admitted to the ED with e-scooter related injuries. The majority of riders used the foot-behind-foot position (n = 112, 71.3 %) compared to the side-by-side position (n = 45, 28.7 %). Orthopedic fractures were the most common injuries (n = 78, 49.7 %). "Foot-behind-foot" group had a significantly higher fracture rate compared to "side-by-side" group (54.4 % vs 37.8 % within group, respectively; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Riding position is associated with different injury types, with orthopedic fracture rates significantly higher in the more commonly used "foot-behind-foot" riding position. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: These study findings suggest that the common e-scooter narrow-based design is considerably more dangerous, calling for further research to introduce safer e-scooter designs and update recommendations for safer riding positions.

Endometriosis and cardiovascular disease: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis, a prevalent condition among females of reproductive age, may be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) through chronic inflammation and early menopause. The objective of this study was to estimate the association between endometriosis and subsequent risk of CVD. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study using administrative health data from Ontario residents from 1993 to 2015. We compared the incidence of CVD and cardiovascular health outcomes between females with endometriosis and 2 age-matched females without endometriosis. The primary outcome was hospital admission for CVD. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital CVD events of interest and emergency department visits for CVD. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) between endometriosis and CVD events. RESULTS: We identified 166 835 eligible patients with endometriosis and matched 333 706 patients without endometriosis. The mean age of those with endometriosis was 36.4 years. Patients with endometriosis had a higher incidence of hospital admission for CVD (195 admissions/100 000 person-years) compared with those without endometriosis (163 admissions/100 000 person-years). Similarly, the incidence of secondary CVD events was slightly higher among patients with endometriosis (292 cases/100 000 person-years) than among those without endometriosis (224 cases/100 000 person-years). Females with endometriosis had an increased risk of hospital admission (adjusted HR 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-1.19) and secondary CVD events (adjusted HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.23-1.30). INTERPRETATION: In this large, population-based study, endometriosis was associated with a small increased risk of CVD events. Future studies need to investigate potential etiological mechanisms and strategies to decrease long-term CVD risk in patients with endometriosis.

Intersectionality of Systemic Disadvantage on Mortality and Care Following TBI.

BACKGROUND: People of color (POC), especially those who also hold social identities associated with disadvantage (non-English-speaking, female, older, lower socioeconomic level), continue to be underserved in the health system, which can result in poorer care and worsened health outcomes. Most disparity research in traumatic brain injury (TBI) focuses on the impact of single factors, which misses the compounding effect of belonging to multiple historically marginalized groups. OBJECTIVE: To examine the intersectional impact of multiple social identities vulnerable to systemic disadvantage following TBI on mortality, opioid usage during acute hospitalization, and discharge location. METHODS: Retrospective observational design utilizing electronic health records merged with local trauma registry data. Patient groups were defined by race and ethnicity (POC or non-Hispanic White), age, sex, type of insurance, and primary language (English-speaking vs non-English-speaking). Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to identify clusters of systemic disadvantage. Outcome measures were then assessed across latent classes and tested for differences. RESULTS: Over an 8-year period, 10 809 admissions with TBI occurred (37% POC). LCA identified a 4-class model. Groups with more systemic disadvantage had higher rates of mortality. Classes with older populations had lower rates of opioid administration and were less likely to discharge to inpatient rehabilitation following acute care. Sensitivity analyses examining additional indicators of TBI severity demonstrated that the younger group with more systemic disadvantage had more severe TBI. Controlling for more indicators of TBI severity changed statistical significance in mortality for younger groups. CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate significant health inequities in the mortality and access to inpatient rehabilitation following TBI along with higher rates of severe injury in younger patients with more social disadvantages. While many inequities may be related to systemic racism, our findings suggested an additive, deleterious effect for patients who belonged to multiple historically disadvantaged groups. Further research is needed to understand the role of systemic disadvantage for individuals with TBI within the healthcare system.