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Journal and News Scan
Quite refreshing well-written experimental paper leaving promises of artificial organoids.
Former AATS President Dr. Craig Smith updates his 'Department of Surgery family' at Columbia University each day, highlighted as "Winston Churchill's radio speeches of this war."
Short but promising follow-up: the intervention appears again to trade off short-term peripheral vascular complications for hitherto semi-qualified MAJOR bleed in patients undergoing revascularization for peripheral vascular disease, for an assumed considerable financial cost.
Useful series from the Pacific North West, main questions:
-Why four patients who had a do-not-resuscitate order on admission were included in the dead and, ultimately, why been admitted in an ITU/ICU setting?
-How come no sputum samples from nine fatalities were ever sent for bacterial culture in an ITU/ICU setting?
It has been highlighted by experts such as Ioannides of Stanford that, since we cannot/will not screen for this elusive SARS-associated virus, we cannot computate mortality nor ultimately ascribe CAUSATION.
Interesting to follow up the translational potential of this rodent-model of carotid intimal re-hyperplasia/stenosis.
In a cohort of 416 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, nearly 20% had elevated troponins indicating myocardial injury. These patients also had a host of other serum and radiographic abnormalities, were older, had more comorbidities, and more often required ventilatory support. Their mortality rate was 51% compared to 4.5% for other hospitalized patients. Elevated troponins were an independent predictor of mortality (HR 4.26).
A frank, eye opening discussion with specific recommendations about allocating scarce resources in a time of pandemic.
A thoughtful commentary about the need for a triage committee to determine the optimal allocation of ventilators in a time of competing needs, and how these determinations are best communicated to caregivers and families.
This is an interesting systematic review looking at the evidence so far for chrloroquine for COVID. it is a fast moving field but this cheap option to treat coronavirus may soon become accepted for treatment once the studies have been fully evaluated.
Succinct recommendations for the management of COVID-19 cases in the operating room. Includes infographic outlining comprehensive operating room workflow, detailing the roles and responsibilities of each OR team member.