Plos One
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As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has remained in Latin America, Mexico has become the third country with the highest death rate worldwide. Data regarding in-hospital mortality and its risk factors, as well as the impact of hospital overcrowding in Latin America has not been thoroughly explored. ⋯ In this study we found similar in-hospital and ICU mortality, as well as risk factors for mortality, compared to previous reports. However, 45% of the patients who did not survive justified admission to ICU but did not receive IMV / ICU care due to the unavailability of ICU beds. Furthermore, mortality rate over time was mainly due to the availability of ICU beds, indirectly suggesting that overcrowding was one of the main factors that contributed to hospital mortality.
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Globally, road traffic accidents are the leading causes of death among young people in general, and the main cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years. Recently, in Ethiopia, the number of road traffic accidents has been increasing. The study aimed to identify the potential factors associated with the number of human deaths by road traffic accidents in the Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. ⋯ Human deaths per road traffic accidents occurred due to the younger age of the driver, driver's lack of sufficient experience, vehicle serviced for long years, driving on a wet road, driving in the afternoon, driving near/around residential places and vehicle to driver's relation. Thus, the regional traffic police should give special attention to younger drivers, less experienced drivers, old vehicles, driving near residential areas, driving automobiles, and driving in the afternoon to control traffic system to reduce the number of human deaths pear road traffic accident.
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In out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs), the use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED) by a bystander remains low, as AEDs may be misplaced with respect to the locations of OHCAs. As the distribution of historical OHCAs is potentially predictive of future OHCA locations, the purpose of this study is to assess AED positioning with regard to past locations of OHCAs, in order to improve the efficiency of public access defibrillation programs. ⋯ This study confirms that geodata tools can assess AED locations and increase the efficiency of their placement. Historical hotspots and AED overlays should be considered, with the aim of efficiently relocating or adding AEDs. At-home OHCAs should become a priority target for future public access defibrillation programs as they represent the majority of OHCAs but have the lowest AED coverage rates.
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Early recognition of COVID-19 cases is essential for effective public health measures aimed at isolation of individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). The objective of this study was to describe characteristics, self-reported symptoms, and predictors of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection in a community-based sample. ⋯ This study assessed the impact of COVID-19 using community-level self-reported data across the US during the peak of most stay at home' orders. Self-reported symptoms and risk factors identified in this study are consistent with the clinical profile emerging for COVID-19. In the absence of widespread testing, this study demonstrates the utility of a representative US community-based sample to provide direct-reported symptoms and outcomes to quickly identify high-risk individuals who are likely to test positive and should consider taking greater precautions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
The effects of 0.9% saline versus Plasma-Lyte 148 on renal function as assessed by creatinine concentration in patients undergoing major surgery: A single-centre double-blinded cluster crossover trial.
Saline and Plasma-Lyte have different physiochemical contents; consequently, they may differently affect patients' renal function. We compared the effects of fluid therapy with 0.9% saline and with Plasma-Lyte 148 on renal function as assessed by creatinine concentration among patients undergoing major surgery. ⋯ The study design was feasible to support a future follow-up larger clinical trial. Patients treated with saline did not demonstrate an increased incidence of postoperative AKI (defined as changes in creatinine) compared to those treated with Plasma-Lyte. Our findings imply that clinicians can reasonably use either solution intraoperatively for adult patients undergoing major surgery.