Clinical medicine (London, England)
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A 74-year-old woman carrying the human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) presented with abdominal pain and vomiting. Computed tomography and microscopic analysis of the gastroduodenal drainage fluid made a diagnosis of paralytic ileus due to Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection with underlying HTLV-1 infection. Strongyloidiasis should be included in the differential diagnosis for paralytic ileus in patients who have lived in or migrated from the endemic regions.
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Large reductions in emergency department attendances and hospitalisations with non-COVID acute medical illness early during the pandemic were attributed to reluctance to seek medical help and higher referral thresholds. Here, we compare acute medical admissions with a comparison cohort from 2017. Deaths in the same geographic area were examined, and Wales-wide deaths during these 4 weeks in 2020 were compared with a seasonally matched period in 2019. ⋯ While far fewer patients required hospitalisation as medical emergencies, rises in local non-COVID deaths proved small. Wales-wide non-COVID deaths rose by just 1% compared with 2019. The findings suggest that changes in population behaviour and lifestyle during lockdown brought about unforeseen health benefits.
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During the coronavirus pandemic, our intensive care units were faced with large numbers of patients with an unfamiliar disease. To support our colleagues and to assist with diagnosis and treatment, we developed a specialist team. ⋯ A specialised cardiorespiratory team approach contributes significantly to successful management of severely unwell patients with COVID-19 and offers an important platform for continuity of patient care, education and staff well-being.
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Reliable prediction of discharge destination in acute stroke informs discharge planning and can determine the expectations of patients and carers. There is no existing model that does this using routinely collected indices of pre-morbid disability and stroke severity. ⋯ Pre-stroke disability rather than stroke severity is the strongest predictor of discharge destination, but in combination with other routinely collected data, both can be used as an adjunct by the multidisciplinary team to predict discharge destination in patients with acute stroke.