Clinical medicine (London, England)
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Observational Study
NEWS2 shows low sensitivity and high specificity for delirium detection: a single site observational study of 13,908 patients.
Delirium affects 25% of hospital admissions of older people and is a serious medical condition with poor outcomes. 'New confusion' as a delirium indicator was incorporated into the 'alert, verbal, pain and unresponsive' (AVPU) level of consciousness scale in the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) in 2017. We measured sensitivity of non-alert NEWS2 (new confusion and/or V, P or U ratings) for delirium through comparison with the four 'A's test (4AT) delirium tool in 13,908 consecutive non-elective hospital admissions. We included NEWS2 scores 4 hours before or after 4AT. ⋯ Sensitivity of NEWS2 for 4AT ≥4 was 17.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 16.4-19.2), and specificity was 99.1% (95% CI 98.9-99.3). These findings suggest that NEWS2 in current practice has low sensitivity but high specificity for delirium. Further research is needed to improve routine inpatient monitoring for delirium.
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Case Reports
Lesson of the month: Cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum (CLOCCs) in status epilepticus.
A 26-year-old man was diagnosed with epilepsy a few months previously and admitted with status epilepticus. Computed tomography (CT) of the brain and CT venography were unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed evidence of possible acute focal infarction in the splenium of the corpus callosum that showed a true restricted diffusion. ⋯ MRI of the brain was repeated 1 month later to assess for progression of that lesion and showed resolution of it. This case highlights the association of cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum that show true restricted diffusion with status epilepticus. It also emphasises the importance of medical reasoning and not being solely dependent on diagnostic investigations without reasonably linking them to the history and examination.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, different clinical manifestations are better understood and studied. These include various haematologic disorders that have been shown to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We studied the prevalence of one unusual manifestation, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) and its clinical implications in patients who are severely ill with COVID-19 in a single tertiary centre in Israel. ⋯ Platelet abnormalities and HIT are common in patients who are critically ill with COVID-19 and are associated with the worst clinical outcomes. The mechanisms underlying HIT in COVID-19 are yet to be studied; HIT may contribute to the dysregulated immunologic response associated with COVID-19 critical illness and may play a significant part in the coagulopathy seen in these patients. As many patients with COVID-19 require aggressive thromboprophylaxis, further understanding of HIT and the implementation of appropriate protocols are important.