Polycythaemia Vera and Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVES: Polycythaemia vera (PV) is a condition that may potentially put patients undergoing cardiac surgery at an increased risk of bleeding and thrombosis; however, there is currently a paucity of literature regarding the management of these patients. We aim to examine the literature in this systematic review to indicate the interventions that may be considered to minimise complications. METHODS: We conducted a literature search using keywords and MeSH terms to identify articles discussing PV and cardiac surgery. The studies were identified and qualitatively analysed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) protocol. RESULTS: In total, 10 case reports representing 11 patients were identified for this systematic review and were included in qualitative analysis. 63.6% of patients had preoperative intermittent phlebotomy, and the majority of patients received postoperative therapy that involved one antiplatelet agent and one anticoagulant. Generous perioperative fluid management, phlebotomy, preservation of core body temperature, early extubation, monitoring of myocardial ischaemia, infarction and vascular events, intense chest physiotherapy and patient mobilisation are important to consider to reduce the risk of complications arising from surgery. CONCLUSION: These considerations should be systematically discussed in a multidisciplinary team, where the acute surgical need can be balanced appropriately against the risk of haemorrhage and thrombosis.

Management of urticaria in COVID-19 patients: A systematic review.

The global pandemic COVID-19 has resulted in significant global morbidity, mortality and increased healthcare demands. There is now emerging evidence of patients experiencing urticaria. We sought to systematically review current evidence, critique the literature, and present our findings. Allowing PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was carried out with Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar, using key MeSH words, which include "COVID-19," "Coronavirus," "SARS-Cov-2," "Urticaria," "Angioedema," and "Skin rash" up to 01 August 2020. The key inclusion criteria were articles that reported on urticaria and/or angioedema due to COVID-19 infection and reported management and outcome. Studies were excluded if no case or cohort outcomes were observed. Our search returned 169 articles, 25 of which met inclusion criteria. All studies were case reports, reporting 26 patients with urticaria and/or angioedema, COVID-19 infection and their management and/or response. ajority of patients (n = 16, 69%) were over 50 years old. However, urticaria in the younger ages was not uncommon, with reported case of 2 months old infant. Skin lesions resolved from less than 24 hours to up to 2 weeks following treatment with antihistamines and/or steroids. There have been no cases of recurrent urticaria or cases nonresponsive to steroids. Management of urticarial in COVID-19 patients should involve antihistamines. Low dose prednisolone should be considered on an individualized basis. Further research is required in understanding urticarial pathogenesis in COVID-19. This will aid early diagnostic assessment in patients with high index of suspicion and subsequent management in the acute phase.

Reducing prolonged fasting for abdominal ultrasound scans.

This project aimed to address the issue of patients experiencing prolonged fasting periods before undergoing abdominal ultrasound scans in a busy surgical service at our hospital. A review of in-patient data revealed that 78% of patients were not following the recommended 6 hours fast before the scan. This led to poor patient experiences, prolonged diagnosis and management, and increased costs due to rescheduling of scans. To address this problem, a series of plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles were implemented to test different interventions aimed at improving staff awareness and compliance with fasting guidelines. The first PDSA cycle involved displaying a poster with fasting instructions in the doctors and nursing offices. This was followed by increasing awareness of guidelines during meetings and presenting the findings at a teaching session. Each PDSA cycle was followed by data collection to assess the impact of the intervention. The project resulted in an improvement in patient experiences, with 88% of patients being appropriately fasted by the end of the project. The study highlights the importance of using PDSA cycles to test and refine interventions and the positive impact of simple interventions on patient outcomes and clinical workflow.

Quantitative Autofluorescence in Non-Neovascular Age Related Macular Degeneration.

Quantitative autofluorescence (qAF8) level is a presumed surrogate marker of lipofuscin content in the retina. We investigated the changes in the qAF8 levels in non-neovascular AMD. In this prospective cohort study, Caucasians aged ≥50 years with varying severity of non-neovascular AMD in at least one eye and Snellen visual acuity ≥6/18 were recruited. The qAF8 levels were analysed in the middle eight segments of the Delori pattern (HEYEX software, Heidelberg, Germany). The AMD categories were graded using both the Beckman classification and multimodal imaging (MMI) to include the presence of subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD). A total of 353 eyes from 231 participants were analyzed. Compared with the age-matched controls, the qAF8 values decreased in the eyes with AMD (adjusted % difference = -19.7% [95% CI -28.8%, -10.4%]; p < 0.001) and across the AMD categories, (adjusted % differences; Early, -13.1% (-24.4%, -1%), p = 0.04; intermediate AMD (iAMD), -22.9% (-32.3%, -13.1%), p < 0.001; geographic atrophy -25.2% (-38.1%, -10.4%), p = 0.002). On MMI, the qAF8 was reduced in the AMD subgroups relative to the controls, (adjusted % differences; Early, -5.8% (-18.9%, 8.3%); p = 0.40; iAMD, -26.7% (-36.2%, -15.6%); p < 0.001; SDD, -23.7% (-33.6%, -12.2%); p < 0.001; atrophy, -26.7% (-39.3%, -11.3%), p = 0.001). The qAF8 levels declined early in AMD and were not significantly different between the severity levels of non-neovascular AMD, suggesting the early and sustained loss of function of the retinal pigment epithelium in AMD.

Barriers in establishing systematic diabetic retinopathy screening through telemedicine in low- and middle-income countries.

Vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) is one of the leading causes of impaired vision in the working-age population. Early identification, timely diagnosis, and prompt treatment of VTDR have to be tackled simultaneously to reduce the rate of blindness due to this condition. Considerable emphasis has been placed globally on establishing diabetic retinopathy screening (DRS) programs to enable early identification and referral of VTDR for treatment. However, there is an urgent need to shift from the common practice of opportunistic screening to a systematic DRS pathway to ensure that individuals with diabetes are screened at regular intervals and treated appropriately. While systematic DRS programs have been successfully established in countries such as the United Kingdom (UK), it continues to be a challenge to initiate and sustain such programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), home to approximately 80% of people with diabetes. Telemedicine is widely recognized as an ideal DRS screening program. Although it has resulted in an upsurge of opportunistic screening, systematic recall of screened patients remains a challenge. In addition, the link between referred patients from the telemedicine programs to treatment centers is often not established or has failed to deliver; so, there is minimal impact of these telemedicine programs on VTDR blindness at present. This review covers the various barriers of establishing and sustaining systematic telemedicine DRS programs, especially in resource-constrained settings, and the challenges in aligning telemedicine to VTDR treatment pathways to ensure patients with VTDR are treated promptly and effectively.