International journal of environmental research and public health
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jan 2021
ReviewRisk Management and Treatment of Coagulation Disorders Related to COVID-19 Infection.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease. Bilateral pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and coagulation activation are key features of severe COVID-19. Fibrinogen and D-dimer levels are typically increased. ⋯ Some institutional protocols provide more aggressive anticoagulation with intermediate or even therapeutic dose anticoagulation for COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU. Therapeutic dose anticoagulation is always appropriate to treat deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, unless contraindicated. This article reviews evaluation and management of coagulation abnormalities in individuals with COVID-19.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jan 2021
Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Budgetary Mechanism Established to Cover Public Health Expenditure. A Case Study of Romania.
The COVID-19 pandemic stressed the importance of understanding the sources of vulnerabilities that can lead to a financial crisis and highlighted the predominant impact on health systems. Firstly, the paper aims to conduct a retrospective analysis of the Romanian health care system, over the period of time 1985-2019, based on our own computed sustainability index for public health. ⋯ Based on the retrospective analysis of the long-run co-movement between health spending and GDP, the study allows one to prospectively examine not only the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care spending, but also to reveal the government's fiscal position and vulnerabilities. Our results highlight the intergenerational costs related to the policy incoherence roadmap and regulatory fragmentation, stressing the importance of economic system resilience through fiscal diligence and the consolidation of the institutional context.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jan 2021
Observational StudyImpact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Psychiatric Admissions to a Large Swiss Emergency Department: An Observational Study.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a public health emergency with profound mental health consequences. The psychiatric emergency department (ED) plays a key role during this mental health crisis. This study aimed to investigate differences in admissions at a Swiss psychiatric ED from 1 April to 15 May during a "pandemic-free" period in 2016 and a "during-pandemic" period in 2020. ⋯ Though only statistically significant in bivariate analysis, patients were also more likely to be involuntarily hospitalized. This picture appears to be reversed from a sociodemographic and clinical point of view to our observation of psychiatric ED consultation in 2016. These findings highlight that the reduction in psychiatric ED admissions during the pandemic seems to be associated with living alone and more severe psychopathologies, which must alert psychiatrists to ensure access to mental health care in times of pandemic.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jan 2021
ReviewVeno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in COVID-19-Where Are We Now?
The recent development in extracorporeal life support (ECLS) has created new therapeutic opportunities for critically ill patients. An interest in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), the pinnacle of ECLS techniques, has recently increased, as for the last decade, we have observed improvements in the survival of patients suffering from severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) while on ECMO. Although there is a paucity of conclusive data from clinical research regarding extracorporeal oxygenation in COVID-19 patients, the pathophysiology of the disease makes veno-venous ECMO a promising option.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jan 2021
Observational StudyDifferences in Characteristics, Hospital Care and Outcomes between Acute Critically Ill Emergency Department Patients with Early and Late Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders.
Background: A do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order is associated with an increased risk of death among emergency department (ED) patients. Little is known about patient characteristics, hospital care, and outcomes associated with the timing of the DNR order. Aim: Determine patient characteristics, hospital care, survival, and resource utilization between patients with early DNR (EDNR: signed within 24 h of ED presentation) and late DNR orders. ⋯ EDNR patients underwent lesser endotracheal tube (ET) intubation (15.6% vs. 39.9%, p < 0.001) and had reduced epinephrine injection (19.9% vs. 30.3%, p = 0.009), ventilator support (16.7% vs. 37.9%, p < 0.001), and narcotic use (51.1% vs. 62.6%, p = 0.012). EDNR patients had significantly lower 7-day (p < 0.001), 30-day (p < 0.001), and 90-day (p = 0.023) survival. Conclusions: EDNR patients underwent decreased ET intubation and had reduced epinephrine injection, ventilator support, and narcotic use during EOL as well as decreased length of hospital stay, hospital expenditure, and survival compared to LDNR patients.