Estimating Risk of Mechanical Ventilation and Mortality Among Adult COVID-19 patients Admitted to Mass General Brigham: The VICE and DICE Scores

Background: Risk stratification of COVID-19 patients upon hospital admission is key for their successful treatment and efficient utilization of hospital resources. Objective: To evaluate the risk factors associated with ventilation need and mortality. Design, setting and participants: We established a retrospective cohort of COVID-19 patients from Mass General Brigham hospitals. Demographic, clinical, and admission laboratory data were obtained from electronic medical records of patients admitted to hospital with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 before May 19th, 2020. Using patients admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH, derivation cohort), multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to construct the Ventilation in COVID Estimator (VICE) and Death in COVID Estimator (DICE) risk scores. Measurements: The primary outcomes were ventilation status and death. Results: The entire cohort included 1042 patients (median age, 64 years; 56.8% male). The derivation and validation cohorts for the risk scores included 578 and 464 patients, respectively. We found seven factors to be independently predictive for ventilation requirement (diabetes mellitus, dyspnea, alanine aminotransferase, troponin, C-reactive protein, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, and lactate dehydrogenase), and 10 factors to be predictors of in-hospital mortality (age, sex, diabetes mellitus, chronic statin use, albumin, C-reactive protein, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, mean corpuscular volume, platelet count, and procalcitonin). Using these factors, we constructed the VICE and DICE risk scores, which performed with C-statistics of at least 0.8 in our cohorts. Importantly, the chronic use of a statin was associated with protection against death due to COVID-19. The VICE and DICE score calculators have been placed on an interactive website freely available to the public (https://covid-calculator.com/). Limitations: One potential limitation is the modest sample sizes in both our derivation and validation cohorts. Conclusion: The risk scores developed in this study may help clinicians more appropriately determine which COVID-19 patients will need to be managed with greater intensity.

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The role of coinfection with influenza viruses in the pathogenesis of severe infection in patients with COVID-19

Medical academic journal ◽

10.17816/maj78155 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 159-164

Author(s):

Tamara N. Shvedova ◽

Olga S. Kopteva ◽

Polina A. Kudar ◽

Anna A. Lerner ◽

Yuliya A. Desheva

Keyword(s):

Influenza A ◽

Fold Increase ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

C Reactive Protein ◽

S Protein ◽

Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio ◽

Lymphocyte Ratio ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Coronavirus Infection

BACKGROUND: Despite the continuing global spread of the coronavirus infection COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the mechanisms of the pathogenesis of severe infections remain poorly understood. The role of comorbidity with other seasonal viral infections, including influenza, in the pathogenesis of the severe course of COVID-19 remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study used sera left over from ongoing laboratory studies of patients with varying degrees of severity of COVID-19. The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution IEM (protocol 3/20 from 06/05/2020). We studied 28 paired samples obtained upon admission of patients to the hospital and after 57 days of hospital stay. Paired sera of patients with COVID-19 were tested for antibodies to influenza A and B viruses. The presence of IgG antibodies specific to the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein was studied using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum concentration of C-reactive protein and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio on the day of hospitalization were also assessed. RESULTS: At least a 4-fold increase in serum IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 S protein was found both in patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and without PCR confirmation. It was shown that out of 18 patients with moderate and severe forms of COVID-19 infection, six of them showed at least a 4-fold increase in antibodies to influenza A/H1N1, in one to influenza A/H3N2 and in two cases to the influenza B. Laboratory data in these two groups were characterized by significant increases in serum C-reactive protein and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio concentrations compared with the moderate COVID-19 group. CONCLUSIONS: Serological diagnostics can additionally detect cases of coronavirus infection when the virus was not detected by PCR. In moderate and severe cases of COVID-19, coinfections with influenza A and B viruses have been identified. The results obtained confirm the need for anti-influenza immunization during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Influenza virus screening can significantly improve patient management because recommended antiviral drugs (neuraminidase inhibitors) are available.

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Comparison of the Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Patients With Amputation for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds ◽

10.1177/1534734617696729 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 23-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hasan Metineren ◽

Turan Cihan Dülgeroğlu

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Foot ◽

Inflammatory Marker ◽

Foot Ulcer ◽

Diabetic Foot Ulcer ◽

C Reactive Protein ◽

Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio ◽

Lymphocyte Ratio ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Before And After

This study compared the effectiveness of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) versus C-reactive protein (CRP) for evaluating the prognosis and degree of inflammation in patients with amputation for a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). This study enrolled 56 patients with amputations for DFU with gangrene and compared the CRP levels and NLR measured before and after surgery. Overall, 24 patients (42%) died within 2 weeks postoperatively. Mortality increased with a preoperative/postoperative CRP difference ≤1.5 ( P < .001) and age 73 years or older ( P < .001). The postoperative NLR was lower than the preoperative value but was not significant as a prognostic or inflammatory marker ( P = .945). An increasing serum CRP level is a significant predictor of mortality. CRP and old age are reliable prognostic factors in patients with DFU.

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