Prevalence of intestinal parasitism in preschool and school children in Colombia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are a public health challenge in developing countries such as Colombia, causing anaemia and delayed growth and development in children. We aimed to estimate the geographical and prevalence trend of IPIs in the last 30 years in school and preschool children in Colombia. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. We identified potential manuscripts through PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, LILACS, Scielo and Google Scholar on the IPIs prevalence in school and preschool children in Colombia. Articles included in the qualitative analysis were published between 1990 and 2020 in English or Spanish and met the inclusion criteria. Subsequently, a random-effects meta-analysis, a meta-regression and a trend analysis were performed. RESULTS: We identified 2292 articles; 109 were included in the qualitative review, and 79 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The estimated IPI prevalence was 55% (95% CI: 48-63). By age group, the prevalence in preschool children was 37% (95% CI: 26-49) and 66% (95% CI: 52-78) in schoolchildren. The prevalence by region was heterogeneous, with the Amazon being the highest (69%) and the Santanderes the lowest (28%). In the last 20 years, the prevalence of helminthiasis has decreased (from 64.66% in 1990-1995 to 22.09% in 2016-2020). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of IPIs is high (>30%) in three of the seven regions in Colombia. Biannual administration of mass deworming in schoolchildren is recommended in the Amazon region. Public policies aiming to control IPIs should be reinforced. Further prevalence studies should include Cesar, Guaviare, Vichada and Vaupés, where the epidemiology of IPIs is unknown. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: Good health and wellbeing, clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities.

Experience of a vascular ultrasound-guided program: from the ICU to the hospital.

BACKGROUND: The use of peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICCs) has increased worldwide in the last decade. However, PICCs are associated to catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) and central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). We describe the characteristics of patients requiring a PICC, estimate the incidence rate, and identify potential risk factors of PICC-related complications. METHODS: All adult patients requiring a PICC at our institution (Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia) from September 2022 to May 2024 were included in the analysis. The database from active PICC monitoring collected demographic and PICC-related information. The incidence rate of CLABSI and CRT, and crude odds ratios (cORs) were estimated. RESULTS: Overall, 1936 individuals were included in the study. The median age was 67 years (IQR: 50-78 years), and 51.5% were females. The median duration of PICC lines was 10 days (IQR: 4-17). Seventy-nine patients had catheter-related complications, mostly in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The CLABSI and CRT institutional incidence rates per 1000 catheter-days were 2.03 (2.96 in the ICU) and 0.58 (0.61 in the ICU), respectively. Prolonged catheter use (≥ 6 days), PICC insertion in the intensive care unit, and postoperative care after cardiac surgery were identified as potential risk factors for CLABSI, while a catheter insertion into the brachial vein was associated with CRT. CONCLUSION: Daily PICC assessment, particularly in patients with prolonged catheter use, PICC insertion into the brachial vein, or in postoperative care after cardiac surgery may significantly reduce CLABSI and CRT cases. Implementing Vascular Access Teams, venous catheter care bundles, and institutional insertion protocols optimize clinical outcomes.

Efficacy and safety of dynamic arterial elastance for weaning vasopressor support in septic shock patients: a randomised controlled trial protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The dynamic arterial elastance (EaDyn), calculated as pulse pressure variation divided by stroke volume variation, has been studied as a predictor of vasopressor weaning. However, its potential as a haemodynamic tool for tapering off vasopressors in patients with sepsis remains unexplored. Therefore, our study aimed to assess whether using EaDyn for weaning vasopressor support could reduce the duration of vasopressor support in patients with sepsis. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This pragmatic single-centre controlled clinical trial will take place at Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia. Adult patients diagnosed with septic shock according to the sepsis-3 criteria and a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score ≥4 will be included. A total of 114 patients (57 per group) will undergo conventional critical care monitoring, and the weaning of vasopressor support will be initiated based on the EaDyn or mean arterial pressure (MAP), depending on the assigned group. EaDyn will be estimated based on the measurements obtained from a PiCCO device connected to a PulsioFlex Monitoring Platform (PULSION Medical Systems SE, Feldkirchen, Germany). Our primary outcome is the difference in vasopressor support duration between the EaDyn and MAP groups.Participants and statisticians performing the statistical analysis will be blinded to the group allocation. Dependent and independent variables will be analysed through univariate and multivariate statistical tests. Since we will perform three repeated measurements for analysis, we will implement a Bonferroni post hoc correction. Additionally, Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses will be conducted to address objectives related to time. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee at Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá (CCEI-16026-2024). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The results will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international events. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT06118775.

Predictive value of dynamic arterial elastance for vasopressor withdrawal: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dynamic arterial elastance (Eadyn) has been investigated for its ability to predict hypotension during the weaning of vasopressors. Our study focused on assessing Eadyn's performance in the context of critically ill adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit, regardless of diagnosis. MAIN BODY: Our study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis checklist. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023421462) on May 26, 2023. We included prospective observational studies from the MEDLINE and Embase databases through May 2023. Five studies involving 183 patients were included in the quantitative analysis. We extracted data related to patient clinical characteristics, and information about Eadyn measurement methods, results, and norepinephrine dose. Most patients (76%) were diagnosed with septic shock, while the remaining patients required norepinephrine for other reasons. The average pressure responsiveness rate was 36.20%. The synthesized results yielded an area under the curve of 0.85, with a sensitivity of 0.87 (95% CI 0.74-0.93), specificity of 0.76 (95% CI 0.68-0.83), and diagnostic odds ratio of 19.07 (95% CI 8.47-42.92). Subgroup analyses indicated no variations in the Eadyn based on norepinephrine dosage, the Eadyn measurement device, or the Eadyn diagnostic cutoff to predict cessation of vasopressor support. CONCLUSIONS: Eadyn, evaluated through subgroup analyses, demonstrated good predictive ability for the discontinuation of vasopressor support in critically ill patients.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection among School Population of One Developing Country. Do School Closures Protect Students and Teachers against SARS-CoV-2 Infection?

Evidence about the effectiveness of school closures as a measure to control the spread of COVID-19 is controversial. We posit that schools are not an important source of transmission; thus, we analyzed two surveillance methods: a web-based questionnaire and a telephone survey that monitored the impact of the pandemic due to COVID-19 cases in Bogotá, Colombia. We estimated the cumulative incidences for Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) and COVID-19 for each population group. Then, we assessed the differences using the cumulative incidence ratio (CIR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI95%). The ARI incidence among students was 20.1 times higher when estimated from the telephone survey than from the online questionnaire (CIR: 20.1; CI95% 17.11-23.53). Likewise, the ARI incidence among schoolteachers was 10 times higher in the telephone survey (CIR: 9.8; CI95% 8.3-11.5). the incidence of COVID-19 among schoolteachers was 4.3 times higher than among students in the online questionnarie (CIR: 4.3, CI95%: 3.8-5.0) and 2.1 times higher in the telephone survey (CIR = 2.1, CI95%: 1.8-2.6), and this behavior was also observed in the general population data. Both methods showed a capacity to detect COVID-19 transmission among students and schoolteachers, but the telephone survey estimates were probably closer to the real incidence rate.

Burden of disease due to microcephaly associated with the Zika virus in Colombia.

In 2015, the Zika virus was introduced in Colombia. The emergence of this arbovirus is a public health challenge for the country, considering the association between the infection and congenital disorders such as microcephaly. Thus, we estimated the burden of disease due to microcephaly associated with Zika in Colombia and its administrative subdivisions for the period 2015-2016. We conducted an exploratory ecological study, using as unit of measurement disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The cases of microcephaly were obtained from the Zika national and departmental databases built by the National Public Health Surveillance System (SIVIGILA). Deaths attributed to microcephaly were estimated from previous studies. Finally, we calculated mortality rates and incidences, then we performed a sensitivity analysis under three scenarios (conservative, medium, and extreme) to estimate the DALYs. In the 2015-2016 period, 10,609.4 DALYs were caused by microcephaly associated with Zika in Colombia. 71% of the total DALYs were years of life lost and 29% were years lived with disability. Five out of 32 departments (Meta, Córdoba, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, and Norte de Santander) contributed 71% of total DALYs. The burden of microcephaly associated with Zika outweighed the burden of other congenital anomalies such as neural tube defects and Down syndrome in children aged between 0 and 4 years in Colombia. Public health efforts must be made to prevent and monitor these cases.

Estimating the burden of arboviral diseases in Colombia between 2013 and 2016.

OBJECTIVE: During the 2013-2016 period, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika affected more than 1 million people in Colombia. These arboviruses and their chronic manifestations pose a public health challenge. Therefore, we estimated the burden of disease by Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika in Colombia between 2013 and 2016. METHODS: An exploratory ecological study was carried out using the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) as a unit of measure. The mortality databases of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) and the morbidity databases of the National Public Health Surveillance System (SIVIGILA) were used. Deaths and cases for each arbovirus were grouped and then adjusted to control biases. Subsequently, we performed a sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: In the 2013-2016 period, 491,629.2 DALYs were lost due to arboviruses in Colombia. By disease, 26.6% of the total DALYs were caused by Dengue, 71.3% by Chikungunya, and the remaining 2.2%, by Zika. The majority of DALYs (68.2%) were caused by chronic complications. Five out of 32 departments (Valle del Cauca, Tolima, Norte de Santander, Huila, and Bolívar) contributed 50.5% of total DALYs. CONCLUSION: The burden of disease by arboviruses in the 2013-2016 period exceeded the burden of other infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in Colombia. Public health efforts must be made to mitigate new epidemics of these arboviruses.