scholarly journals COVID-19 Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes in Children and Adolescents Hospitalized at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica in 2020-2021

Author(s):  
Crista-Lee Shahine Berry ◽  
Roxanne Helene Melbourne-Chambers ◽  
Abigail Natalie Harrison ◽  
Joshua James Anzinger ◽  
Kelly-Ann Maxorinthia Gordon-Johnson ◽  
...  

Objectives: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome of children (MISC) carries a high attributable morbidity. We describe children aged <16 years hospitalised with COVID-19 and/or MISC, April 2020 to June 2021. Methods: All were tested for SARS-CoV-2, infectious disease consultations performed, modified CDC criteria for MISC applied, charts reviewed and data analyzed. Results: Among 79 consecutive children with SARS-CoV-2, 41(52%) were hospitalised; with median age 10.5 years; Afro-Caribbean ethnicity 40(98%); males 21(51%); SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positivity 26 (63%), IgG/IgM positivity 7(17%), community exposures 8 (20%). MISC-cases 18 (44%) vs. non-MISC 23(56%) had fever (94% vs. 30%; p<0.01), fatigue/lethargy (41% vs. 4%; p=0.004), rhinorrhoea (28% vs. 4%; p=0.035), elevated neutrophils (100% vs. 87%; p=0.024) and ≥4 abnormal inflammatory biomarkers 13 (72%). MISC-cases had >2 organ/systems (100% vs. 35%; p<0.01), including gastrointestinal (72% vs. 17%; p<0.01), haematological/coagulopathic (67% vs. 4%; p<0.01); dermatologic (56% vs. 0%; p<0.01), cardiac (17% vs. 0%; p=0.042) with Kawasaki Syndrome (44% vs. 0%; p<0.01) and pleural effusions (17% vs. 0%; p=0.042). MISC-cases were treated with intravenous immune gammaglobulin (14, 78%), aspirin (12, 68%), steroids (9, 50%) and intensive care with non-invasive ventilation (2, 11%). One (6%) with pre-morbid illness died, the remainder recovered. Conclusion: MISC was treated successfully with intravenous gammaglobulin, steroids and/or aspirin in 94% before cardiopulmonary decompensation, or need for inotropes, vasopressors, or invasive ventilation.  

2022 ◽  
Vol 35 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Themistoklis Paraskevas ◽  
Eleousa Oikonomou ◽  
Maria Lagadinou ◽  
Vasileios Karamouzos ◽  
Nikolaos Zareifopoulos ◽  
...  

Introduction: Oxygen therapy remains the cornerstone for managing patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and several modalities of non-invasive ventilation are used worldwide. High-flow oxygen via nasal canula is one therapeutic option which may in certain cases prevent the need of mechanical ventilation. The aim of this review is to summarize the current evidence on the use of high-flow nasal oxygen in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.Material and Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search of the databases PubMed and Cochrane Library until April 2021 using the following search terms: “high flow oxygen and COVID-19” and “high flow nasal and COVID-19’’.Results: Twenty-three articles were included in this review, in four of which prone positioning was used as an adjunctive measure. Most of the articles were cohort studies or case series. High-flow nasal oxygen therapy was associated with a reduced need for invasive ventilation compared to conventional oxygen therapy and led to an improvement in secondary clinical outcomes such as length of stay. The efficacy of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy was comparable to that of other non-invasive ventilation options, but its tolerability is likely higher. Failure of this modality was associated with increased mortality.Conclusion: High flow nasal oxygen is an established option for respiratory support in COVID-19 patients. Further investigation is required to quantify its efficacy and utility in preventing the requirement of invasive ventilation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hultström ◽  
Ola Hellkvist ◽  
Lucian Covaciu ◽  
Filip Fredén ◽  
Robert Frithiof ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction The ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to inspired oxygen fraction (PaO2/FIO2) during invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) is used as criteria to grade the severity of respiratory failure in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). During the SARS-CoV2 pandemic the use of PaO2/FIO2 ratio has been increasingly used in non-invasive respiratory support such as high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The grading of hypoxemia in non-invasively ventilated patients is uncertain. The main hypothesis, investigated in this study, was that the PaO2/FIO2 ratio does not change when switching between MV, NIV and HFNC. Methods This was a sub-study of a single-center prospective observational study of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden for critical COVID-19. In a steady state condition, the PaO2/FIO2 ratio was recorded before and after any change between two of the studied respiratory support techniques (i.e., HFNC, NIV and MV). Results A total of 148 patients were included in the present analysis. We find that any change in respiratory support from or to HFNC caused a significant change in PaO2/FIO2 ratio (up to 48 mmHg, from HFNC to MV). Changes in respiratory support between NIV and MV did not show consistent change in PaO2/FIO2 ratio. In patients classified as mild to moderate ARDS during MV, the change from HFNC to MV showed a variable increase in PaO2/FIO2 ratio ranging between 52 and 140 mmHg (median of 127 mm Hg). This made prediction of ARDS severity during MV from the apparent ARDS grade during HFNC impossible. Conclusion HFNC is associated with lower PaO2/FIO2 ratio than either NIV or MV in the same patient, while NIV and MV provided similar PaO2/FIO2 and thus ARDS grade by Berlin definition. The large variation of PaO2/FIO2 ratio precludes using ARDS grade as a measure of pulmonary damage during HFNC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Almeida Quadros ◽  
Maria Carolina BDM Leal ◽  
Carlos A Baptista-Sobrinho ◽  
Carolina KV Nonaka ◽  
Bruno SF Souza ◽  
...  

Background SARS-CoV-2 has high transmissibility through respiratory droplets and aerosol, making COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic. In its severe form, patients progress to respiratory failure. Non-invasive mechanical ventilation restrictions and early orotracheal intubation have collapsed health systems due to insufficient intensive care unit beds and mechanical ventilators. COVID-19 dedicated healthcare professionals have high infection rates. This publication describes experimental testing of the Protection and Isolation System for Patients with COVID-19 (PISP/COVID-19). Method PISP/COVID-19 is a disposable transparent polyethylene plastic that covers the patient's entire hospital bed, with its internal air aspirated by the hospital's vacuum system attached to a microparticle filter. Experiments validated PISP/COVID-19's ability to block aerosolized microparticles dissemination. Caffeine was used as a molecular marker, with leakage evaluation through sensors analysis using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The biological marker was synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA, using Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) as the detection method. Results PISP/COVID-19 was effective against molecular and biological markers environmental dispersion in simulations of non-invasive ventilation, high-flow nasal cannula oxygen and mechanical ventilation isolation. Caffeine was not detected in any of the sensors positioned at points outside the PISP/COVID-19. The ability of PISP/COVID-19 to retain virus particles and protect the surrounding environment was confirmed by detection and gradients quantification of synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR. Conclusion PISP/COVID-19 was effective in the retention of the molecular and biological markers in all tested simulations. Considering the current pandemic, PISP/COVID-19 might increase the use of non-invasive ventilation, high-flow nasal cannula oxygen and provide additional protection to healthcare professionals.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Gidaro ◽  
Federica Samartin ◽  
Anna Maria Brambilla ◽  
Chiara Cogliati ◽  
Stella Ingrassia ◽  
...  

Background: Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure (AHRF) is a common complication of Covid-19 related pneumonia, for which non-invasive ventilation (NIV) with Helmet Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is widely used. During past epidemics of SARS and MERS pneumomediastinum (PNM) and pneumothorax (PNX) were common complications (respectively 1.7-12% and 16,4%) either spontaneous or associated to ventilation. Methods: Aim of our retrospective study was to investigate the incidence of PNX/PNM in COVID-19 pneumonia patients treated with CPAP. Moreover, we examined the correlation between PNX/PNM and Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) values. We collected data from patients admitted to Luigi Sacco University Hospital of Milan from 21/02/2020 to 06/05/2020 with COVID-19 pneumonia requiring CPAP. Results: One-hundred-fifty-four patients were enrolled. During hospitalization 3 PNX and 2 PNM occurred (3.2%). Out of these five patients 2 needed invasive ventilation after PNX, two died. In the overall population, 42 patients (27%) were treated with High-PEEP (>10 cmH2O), and 112 with Low-PEEP (≤10 cmH2O). All the PNX/PNM occurred in the High-PEEP group (5/37 vs 0/112, p<0,001). Conclusion: The incidence of PNX appears to be lower in COVID-19 than SARS and MERS, but their occurrence is accompanied by high mortality and worsening of clinical conditions. Considering the association of PNX/PNM with high PEEP we suggest using the lower PEEP as possible to prevent these complications.


Critical Care ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthieu Schmidt ◽  
Elise Langouet ◽  
David Hajage ◽  
Sarah Aissi James ◽  
Juliette Chommeloux ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was frequently used to treat patients with severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-associated acute respiratory distress (ARDS) during the initial outbreak. Care of COVID-19 patients evolved markedly during the second part of 2020. Our objective was to compare the characteristics and outcomes of patients who received ECMO for severe COVID-19 ARDS before or after July 1, 2020. Methods We included consecutive adults diagnosed with COVID-19 in Paris–Sorbonne University Hospital Network ICUs, who received ECMO for severe ARDS until January 28, 2021. Characteristics and survival probabilities over time were estimated during the first and second waves. Pre-ECMO risk factors predicting 90-day mortality were assessed using multivariate Cox regression. Results Characteristics of the 88 and 71 patients admitted, respectively, before and after July 1, 2020, were comparable except for older age, more frequent use of dexamethasone (18% vs. 82%), high-flow nasal oxygenation (19% vs. 82%) and/or non-invasive ventilation (7% vs. 37%) after July 1. Respective estimated probabilities (95% confidence intervals) of 90-day mortality were 36% (27–47%) and 48% (37–60%) during the first and the second periods. After adjusting for confounders, probability of 90-day mortality was significantly higher for patients treated after July 1 (HR 2.27, 95% CI 1.02–5.07). ECMO-related complications did not differ between study periods. Conclusions 90-day mortality of ECMO-supported COVID-19–ARDS patients increased significantly after July 1, 2020, and was no longer comparable to that of non-COVID ECMO-treated patients. Failure of prolonged non-invasive oxygenation strategies before intubation and increased lung damage may partly explain this outcome.


2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Diaz de Teran ◽  
Elena Barbagelata ◽  
Catia Cilloniz ◽  
Antonello Nicolini ◽  
Tommaso Perazzo ◽  
...  

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