SP4.1.13 Management of appendicitis during COVID-19 pandemic; short-term outcomes

Abstract Aims COVID-19 pandemic has predisposed patients undergoing surgery to post-operative infection and resultant complications. Appendicitis is frequently managed by appendicectomy. After the onset of the pandemic, selected cases of appendicitis were managed with antibiotics which is a recognised treatment option. Our objective was to compare the management of appendicitis and post-operative outcomes between pre- and post-COVID-19. Methods Ninety-six patients were identified from before the onset of the pandemic (November 2019) to after the onset of the pandemic (May 2020). Data were collected retrospectively from electronic records including demographics, investigations, treatment, duration of inpatient stay, complications, readmissions and compared between pre- and post-COVID-19 groups. Results One hundred percent underwent surgical treatment before the onset of pandemic, compared with 56.3% from the onset of the pandemic. A greater percentage of patients were investigated with imaging post-COVID-19 (100% versus 60.9%; p < 0.00001). There was no significant difference in the outcomes between the two groups. Conclusion CT/MRI scan was preferred to laparoscopy in diagnosing appendicitis and conservative management of uncomplicated appendicitis was common practice after the onset of pandemic. Health boards can adapt their management of surgical conditions during pandemics without adverse short-term consequences. Long term follow-up of this cohort will identify patients suitable for conservative management.

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Management of appendicitis during COVID-19 pandemic; short-term outcomes

Scottish Medical Journal ◽

10.1177/0036933020956316 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 144-148

Author(s):

Radhakrishnan Ganesh ◽

James Lucocq ◽

Neville Ogbonnia Ekpete ◽

Noor Ul Ain ◽

Su Kwan Lim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conservative Management ◽

Short Term ◽

Mri Scan ◽

Operative Outcomes ◽

Uncomplicated Appendicitis ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

Surgical Conditions

Background and aim COVID-19 pandemic has predisposed patients undergoing surgery to post-operative infection and resultant complications. Appendicitis is frequently managed by appendicectomy. After the onset of the pandemic, selected cases of appendicitis were managed with antibiotics which is a recognised treatment option. Our objective was to compare the management of appendicitis and post-operative outcomes between pre- and post-COVID-19. Methods Ninety-six patients were identified from before the onset of the pandemic (November 2019) to after the onset of the pandemic (May 2020). Data were collected retrospectively from electronic records including demographics, investigations, treatment, duration of inpatient stay, complications, readmissions and compared between pre- and post-COVID-19 groups. Results One hundred percent underwent surgical treatment before the onset of pandemic, compared with 56.3% from the onset of the pandemic. A greater percentage of patients were investigated with imaging post-COVID-19 (100% versus 60.9%; p < 0.00001). There was no significant difference in the outcomes between the two groups. Conclusion CT/MRI scan was preferred to laparoscopy in diagnosing appendicitis and conservative management of uncomplicated appendicitis was common practice after the onset of pandemic. Health boards can adapt their management of surgical conditions during pandemics without adverse short-term consequences. Long term follow-up of this cohort will identify patients suitable for conservative management.

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Abstract 34: Cardiorespiratory Fitness Response to Short Term Supervised Exercise Training Predicts Age Related Cardiorespiratory Fitness Decline Over Long Term Follow up

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.135.suppl_1.34 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 135 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Ambarish Pandey ◽

Cris A Slentz ◽

Johanna L Johnson ◽

Jarett D Berry ◽

William E Kraus

Keyword(s):

Exercise Training ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Short Term ◽

Supervised Exercise ◽

Age Related ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

Baseline Characteristics

Introduction: Substantial heterogeneity exists in the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) change response to short-term supervised exercise training and its long-term prognostic implication is not well understood. Here, we evaluated the association between the short-term training related changes in CRF and CRF levels 10 years later. Methods: STRRIDE trial participants that were originally randomized to exercise training for 8 months and participated in the 10-year follow up visit were included. CRF levels were measured at baseline, post-training (8 months), and 10-year follow-up as peak oxygen uptake (VO 2 , ml/kg/min) using the maximal treadmill test. Participants were stratified into low, moderate, and high CRF response (CRF-R) groups according to the training-regimen specific tertiles of CRF change from baseline to post-training. Adjusted linear regression models were used to determine the association between short-term change in CRF with training and CRF levels at 10-year follow-up. Results: The study included 80 participants (age = 52 years, 35% women). There was no significant difference in the baseline characteristics of the CRF-R groups. At 10-year follow-up, high CRF-R group had the lowest decline in CRF compared with moderate or low CRF-R groups (-0.005 vs. -2.6. vs. -3.6 ml/kg/min, p = 0.009, Figure). This was largely related to the differential age-related changes in peak oxygen pulse across the three groups (0.58 vs. -0.23 vs. -0.86 ml/beat, p = 0.02) with no difference in the peak heart rate change. In adjusted analysis, high CRF-R was significantly associated with higher CRF levels at follow-up independent of the exercise intervention and other baseline characteristics [High vs. Low (ref) CRF-R: Std β = 0.25; p = 0.004] Conclusion: CRF change in response to short-term training is a significant predictor of age-related CRF decline over long-term follow-up. Thus, training responsiveness may identify individuals at risk for exaggerated CRF decline with aging and associated incidence of cardiovascular diseases.

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Anticoagulation in addition to dual antiplatelet therapy has no impact on long-term follow-up after endovascular treatment of (sub)acute lower limb ischemia

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000786 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 321-329

Author(s):

Mariya Kronlage ◽

Erwin Blessing ◽

Oliver J. Müller ◽

Britta Heilmeier ◽

Hugo A. Katus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endovascular Treatment ◽

Antiplatelet Therapy ◽

Dual Antiplatelet Therapy ◽

Limb Ischemia ◽

Bleeding Complications ◽

Severe Bleeding ◽

Short Term ◽

Long Term Follow Up

Summary. Background: To assess the impact of short- vs. long-term anticoagulation in addition to standard dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) upon endovascular treatment of (sub)acute thrombembolic occlusions of the lower extremity. Patient and methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on 202 patients with a thrombembolic occlusion of lower extremities, followed by crirical limb ischemia that received endovascular treatment including thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy, or a combination of both between 2006 and 2015 at a single center. Following antithrombotic regimes were compared: 1) dual antiplatelet therapy, DAPT for 4 weeks (aspirin 100 mg/d and clopidogrel 75 mg/d) upon intervention, followed by a lifelong single antiplatelet therapy; 2) DAPT plus short term anticoagulation for 4 weeks, followed by a lifelong single antiplatelet therapy; 3) DAPT plus long term anticoagulation for > 4 weeks, followed by a lifelong anticoagulation. Results: Endovascular treatment was associated with high immediate revascularization (> 98 %), as well as overall and amputation-free survival rates (> 85 %), independent from the chosen anticoagulation regime in a two-year follow up, p > 0.05. Anticoagulation in addition to standard antiplatelet therapy had no significant effect on patency or freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR) 24 months upon index procedure for both thrombotic and embolic occlusions. Severe bleeding complications occurred more often in the long-term anticoagulation group (9.3 % vs. 5.6 % (short-term group) and 6.5 % (DAPT group), p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our observational study demonstrates that the choice of an antithrombotic regime had no impact on the long-term follow-up after endovascular treatment of acute thrombembolic limb ischemia whereas prolonged anticoagulation was associated with a nominal increase in severe bleeding complications.

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Exercise interventions in lateral elbow tendinopathy have better outcomes than passive interventions, but the effects are small: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 2123 subjects in 30 trials

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2020-102525 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. bjsports-2020-102525

Author(s):

Stefanos Karanasios ◽

Vasileios Korakakis ◽

Rod Whiteley ◽

Ioannis Vasilogeorgis ◽

Sarah Woodbridge ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Short Term ◽

Lateral Elbow ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

Wait And See ◽

Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of exercise compared with other conservative interventions in the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET) on pain and function.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsWe used the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool 2 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to assess risk of bias and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology to grade the certainty of evidence. Self-perceived improvement, pain intensity, pain-free grip strength (PFGS) and elbow disability were used as primary outcome measures.Eligibility criteriaRCTs assessing the effectiveness of exercise alone or as an additive intervention compared with passive interventions, wait-and-see or injections in patients with LET.Results30 RCTs (2123 participants, 5 comparator interventions) were identified. Exercise outperformed (low certainty) corticosteroid injections in all outcomes at all time points except short-term pain reduction. Clinically significant differences were found in PFGS at short-term (mean difference (MD): 12.15, (95% CI) 1.69 to 22.6), mid-term (MD: 22.45, 95% CI 3.63 to 41.3) and long-term follow-up (MD: 18, 95% CI 11.17 to 24.84). Statistically significant differences (very low certainty) for exercise compared with wait-and-see were found only in self-perceived improvement at short-term, pain reduction and elbow disability at short-term and long-term follow-up. Substantial heterogeneity in descriptions of equipment, load, duration and frequency of exercise programmes were evident.ConclusionsLow and very low certainty evidence suggests exercise is effective compared with passive interventions with or without invasive treatment in LET, but the effect is small.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018082703.

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The Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Cystine Stones: A Single-Center Experience for 13 Years

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10071336 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1336

Author(s):

Toshifumi Takahashi ◽

Shinya Somiya ◽

Katsuhiro Ito ◽

Toru Kanno ◽

Yoshihito Higashi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surgical Intervention ◽

Median Number ◽

Small Sample ◽

Age At Diagnosis ◽

Surgical Interventions ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

Cystine Stones

Introduction: Cystine stone development is relatively uncommon among patients with urolithiasis, and most studies have reported only on small sample sizes and short follow-up periods. We evaluated clinical courses and treatment outcomes of patients with cystine stones with long-term follow-up at our center. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 22 patients diagnosed with cystine stones between January 1989 and May 2019. Results: The median follow-up was 160 (range 6–340) months, and the median patient age at diagnosis was 46 (range 12–82) years. All patients underwent surgical interventions at the first visit (4 extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, 5 ureteroscopy, and 13 percutaneous nephrolithotripsy). The median number of stone events and surgical interventions per year was 0.45 (range 0–2.6) and 0.19 (range 0–1.3) after initial surgical intervention. The median time to stone events and surgical intervention was 2 years and 3.25 years, respectively. There was a significant difference in time to stone events and second surgical intervention when patients were divided at 50 years of age at diagnosis (p = 0.02, 0.04, respectively). Conclusions: Only age at a diagnosis under 50 was significantly associated with recurrent stone events and intervention. Adequate follow-up and treatment are needed to manage patients with cystine stones safely.

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A randomized trial of levamisole versus placebo as adjuvant therapy in malignant melanoma.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.1991.9.5.736 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 736-740 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

L E Spitler

Keyword(s):

Malignant Melanoma ◽

Adjuvant Therapy ◽

Randomized Trial ◽

Control Groups ◽

Disease Free Interval ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

And Control

We conducted a long-term follow-up (median, 10.5 years) of patients included in a randomized trial of levamisole versus placebo as surgical adjuvant therapy in 203 patients with malignant melanoma. Of the patients randomized, 104 received levamisole, and 99 received placebo. The results show that there is no difference between the treatment and control groups with regard to any of the three end points analyzed. These included disease-free interval, time to appearance of visceral metastasis, and survival. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the treatment and control groups after adjusting for age, sex, or stage of disease.

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Impact of Coronary Artery Disease and Diabetes Mellitus on the Long-Term Follow-Up in Patients after Retrograde Recanalization of the Femoropopliteal Arterial Region

Journal of Diabetes Research ◽

10.1155/2019/6036359 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joanna Wojtasik-Bakalarz ◽

Zoltan Ruzsa ◽

Tomasz Rakowski ◽

Andreas Nyerges ◽

Krzysztof Bartuś ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Coronary Artery Disease ◽

Coronary Artery ◽

Risk Of Death ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

Artery Disease ◽

The Impact

The most relevant comorbidities in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) are coronary artery disease (CAD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). However, data of long-term follow-up of patients with chronic total occlusion (CTO) are scarce. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of CAD and DM on long-term follow-up patients after superficial femoral artery (SFA) CTO retrograde recanalization. In this study, eighty-six patients with PAD with diagnosed CTO in the femoropopliteal region and at least one unsuccessful attempt of antegrade recanalization were enrolled in 2 clinical centers. Mean time of follow-up in all patients was 47.5 months (±40 months). Patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence of CAD (CAD group: n=45 vs. non-CAD group: n=41) and DM (DM group: n=50 vs. non-DM group: n=36). In long-term follow-up, major adverse peripheral events (MAPE) occurred in 66.6% of patients with CAD vs. 36.5% of patients without CAD and in 50% of patients with DM vs. 55% of non-DM subjects. There were no statistical differences in peripheral endpoints in both groups. However, there was a statistically significant difference in all-cause mortality: in the DM group, there were 6 deaths (12%) (P value = 0.038). To conclude, patients after retrograde recanalization, with coexisting CTO and DM, are at higher risk of death in long-term follow-up.

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Long-term follow-up of therapeutic efficacy of everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold in comparison to everolimus-eluting stent in treatment of chronic total occlusion guided by intracoronary imaging

The Egyptian Heart Journal ◽

10.1186/s43044-020-00104-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Abdallah Eltahlawi ◽

Abdel-Aziz Fouad Abdel-Aziz ◽

Abdel-Salam Sherif ◽

Khalid Abdel-Azeem Shokry ◽

Islam Elsayed Shehata

Keyword(s):

Chronic Total Occlusion ◽

Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold ◽

Total Occlusion ◽

Intracoronary Imaging ◽

Group I ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Vascular Scaffold ◽

Long Term Follow Up

Abstract Background We hypothesized that 1st generation everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) stent associated with less complication and less restenosis rate than everolimus-eluting stent (EES) in chronic total occlusion (CTO) recanalization guided by intracoronary imaging. Therefore, we aimed to assess the safety and performance of BVS stent in CTO revascularization in comparison to EES guided by intracoronary imaging. Our prospective comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 CTO patients divided into two groups according to type of stent revascularization: group I (EES group): 40 (66.7%) patients and group II (BVS group): 20 (33.3%) patients. All patients were subjected to history taking, electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography, laboratory investigation, stress thallium study to assess viability before revascularization. Revascularization of viable CTO lesion guided by intracoronary imaging using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Then, long-term follow-up over 1 year clinically and by multi-slice CT coronary angiography (MSCT). Our clinical and angiographic endpoints were to detect any clinical or angiographic complications during the follow-up period. Results At 6 months angiographic follow-up, BVS group had not inferior angiographic parameters but without statistically significant difference (p = 0.566). At 12 months follow-up, there was no difference at end points between the two groups (p = 0.476). No differences were found at angiographic or clinical follow-up between BVS and EES. Conclusion This study shows that 1st generation everolimus-eluting BVS is non-inferior to EES for CTO revascularization. Further studies are needed to clearly state which new smaller footprint BVS, faster reabsorption, magnesium-based less thrombogenicity, and advanced mechanical properties is under development. We cannot dismiss the efficacy and safety of new BVS technology. Trial registration ZU-IRB#2498/3-12-2016 Registered 3 December 2016, email: [email protected]

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