scholarly journals Incidence and mortality of necrotizing fasciitis in The Netherlands: the impact of group A Streptococcus

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Femke Nawijn ◽  
Brechje de Gier ◽  
Diederik A. H. Brandwagt ◽  
Rolf H. H. Groenwold ◽  
Jort Keizer ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Little is known about the exact incidence of necrotizing soft tissue infections. The few incidences reported in international literature are not directly relatable to the Netherlands, or other European countries, due to geographic heterogeneity in causative micro-organisms involved. This resulted in the aim of this study to map the incidence, mortality rate and hospital course of necrotizing fasciitis infections in the Netherlands to gain insight in the incidence of necrotizing fasciitis in the Netherlands and the associated mortality and health care burden. Methods This nationwide retrospective database study used three distinct data sources to map the incidence of necrotizing fasciitis in the Netherlands between 2014 and 2019, being data from the Dutch Hospital Data (DHD) foundation, data from Osiris-AIZ, which is a database of notifiable diseases managed by regional Public Health Services (GGD) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), and previously published studies on necrotizing fasciitis conducted in the Netherlands. Results The incidence of necrotizing fasciitis in the Netherlands is estimated to be approximately 1.1 to 1.4 cases per 100,000 person years, which corresponds to 193–238 patients per year. Of all necrotizing fasciitis infections, 34 to 42% are caused by the group A Streptococcus. Annually, 56 patients die as a result of a necrotizing fasciitis infection (mortality of 23–29%) and 26 patients undergo an amputation for source control (11–14%). Patients stay a mean of 6 to 7 days at the intensive care unit and have a mean hospital length of stay of 24 to 30 days. Conclusion The combination of nationwide databases provides reliable insight in the epidemiology of low-incidence and heterogenic diseases. In the Netherlands, necrotizing fasciitis is a rare disease with group A Streptococcus being the most common causative micro-organism of necrotizing fasciitis. The prior Dutch cohort studies on necrotizing fasciitis report slightly higher sample mortality rates, compared to the population mortality. However, necrotizing fasciitis remain associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, risk at amputation and health care burden characterized by prolonged ICU and hospital stay.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Ding ◽  
Feng Sha ◽  
Bingyu Li ◽  
Jing Kong ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
...  

This study predicts the maximum hospital demand and number of infections for the LMICs in the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The epidemic is estimated to impose health care burden excessively exceeding the current capacity of hospitals in many LMICs, especially in Honduras, Central African Republic and Colombia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristie C. Waterfield ◽  
Gulzar H. Shah ◽  
Gina D. Etheredge ◽  
Osaremhen Ikhile

Abstract Background With the indiscriminate spread of COVID-19 globally, many populations are experiencing negative consequences such as job loss, food insecurity, and inability to manage existing medical conditions and maintain preventive measures such as social distancing and personal preventative equipment. Some of the most disadvantaged in the COVID-19 era are people living with HIV/AIDS and other autoimmune diseases. Discussion As the number of new HIV infections decrease globally, many subpopulations remain at high risk of infection due to lack of or limited access to prevention services, as well as clinical care and treatment. For persons living with HIV or at higher risk of contracting HIV, including persons who inject drugs or men that have sex with men, the risk of COVID-19 infection increases if they have certain comorbidities, are older than 60 years of age, and are homeless, orphaned, or vulnerable children. The risk of COVID-19 is also more significant for those that live in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, rural, and/or poverty-stricken areas. An additional concern for those living the HIV is the double stigma that may arise if they also test positive for COVID-19. As public health and health care workers try to tackle the needs of the populations that they serve, they are beginning to realize the need for a change in the infrastructure that will include more efficient partnerships between public health, health care, and HIV programs. Conclusion Persons living with HIV that also have other underlying comorbidities are a great disadvantage from the negative consequences of COVID-19. For those that may test positive for both HIV and COVID-19, the increased psychosocial burdens stemming from stress and isolation, as well as, experiencing additional barriers that inhibit access to care, may cause them to become more disenfranchised. Thus, it becomes very important during the current pandemic for these challenges and barriers to be addressed so that these persons living with HIV can maintain continuity of care, as well as, their social and mental support systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18620-e18620
Author(s):  
Shristi Upadhyay Upadhyay Banskota ◽  
Miguel Salazar ◽  
Estefania Gauto ◽  
Hugo Macchi ◽  
Prajwal Shrestha ◽  
...  

e18620 Background: Hospital readmissions after cardiac procedures are increasingly the major focus of quality improvement efforts. Although some reflect appropriate care, others are potentially preventable readmissions (PPRs). We aim to describe the burden, timing, and factors associated with readmissions after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with malignancy. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of the 2017 National Readmission Database (NRD) of adult patients readmitted within 30 days after an index admission for TAVR with a concomitant diagnosis of malignancy. We aimed to identify 30-day readmission rate, mortality, healthcare related utilization of resources and other independent predictors of readmission. Results: A total of 2,213 patients with malignancy underwent TAVR. The 30-days readmission rate was 16% (n=355). Main causes of readmissions were found to be heart failure, sepsis, acute hypercapnic respiratory failure, coronary artery disease with angina, and AKI with ATN. Readmitted patients were more likely to come from small metropolitan areas (43.1% vs 33.6, p≤0.01), micropolitan areas (1.4% vs 0.35%, p≤0.01), rural hospital (20.3% vs 8.8%, p≤0.01), non-teaching hospital (23.5% vs 9.1%, p≤0.01), and small sized hospitals (11.5% vs 4%, p≤0.01). Patients re-admitted were more likely to have malnutrition (8% vs 3.2%, p≤0.01), new VTEs (3.8% vs 0.6, p≤0.01), AKI (26% vs 13.6%, p≤0.01) and deaths (4.6% vs 1.7%, p≤0.01). The total health care in-hospital economic burden of readmission was $5.9 million in total charges and $25 million in total costs. Independent predictors of readmission were disposition to short-term skilled nursing facilities, home-health care, and sepsis. Conclusions: We concluded that readmissions after TAVR in patients with malignancy are associated with higher in-hospital mortality rate and pose a higher health care burden. We also identified risk factors that can be targeted to decrease readmissions after TAVR, health care burden, and patient mortality.[Table: see text]


2007 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 573-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Levin ◽  
Eric N. Gebbie ◽  
Kristine Qureshi

The federal pandemic influenza plan predicts that 30% of the population could be infected. The impact of this pandemic would quickly overwhelm the public health and health-care delivery systems in the U.S. and throughout the world. Surge capacity for staffing, availability of drugs and supplies, and alternate means to provide care must be included in detailed plans that are tested and drilled ahead of time. Accurate information on the disease must be made available to health-care staff and the public to reduce fear. Spokespersons must provide clear, consistent messages about the disease, including actions to be taken to contain its spread and treat the afflicted. Home care will be especially important, as hospitals will be quickly overwhelmed. Staff must be prepared ahead of time to assure their ability and willingness to report to work, and public health must plan ahead to adequately confront ethical issues that will arise concerning the availability of treatment resources. The entire community must work together to meet the challenges posed by an epidemic. Identification and resolution of these challenges and issues are essential to achieve adequate public health preparedness.


Author(s):  
Amie Shei ◽  
Matthew Hirst ◽  
Noam Kirson ◽  
Caroline Enloe ◽  
Howard Birnbaum ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 391-399
Author(s):  
Michael H. Kim ◽  
Kelly F. Bell ◽  
Dinara Makenbaeva ◽  
Daniel Wiederkehr ◽  
Jay Lin ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Haochuan Xu ◽  
Han Yang ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Xuefeng Li

Due to the limitations in the verifiability of individual identity, migrant workers have encountered some obstacles in access to public health care services. Residence permits issued by the Chinese government are a solution to address the health care access inequality faced by migrant workers. In principle, migrant workers with residence permits have similar rights as urban locals. However, the validity of residence permits is still controversial. This study aimed to examine the impact of residence permits on public health care services. Data were taken from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS). Our results showed that the utilization of health care services of migrant workers with residence permits was significantly better than others. However, although statistically significant, the substantive significance is modest. In addition, megacities had significant negative moderating effects between residence permits and health care services utilization. Our research results emphasized that reforms of the household registration system, taking the residence permit system as a breakthrough, cannot wholly address the health care access inequality in China. For developing countries with uneven regional development, the health care access inequality faced by migrant workers is a structural issue.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
Xingrong Shen ◽  
Rong Liu ◽  
Linhai Zhao ◽  
Debin Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In China, the primary health care (PHC) system has been designated responsible for control and prevention of COVID-19, but not treatment. Suspected COVID-19 cases presenting to PHC facilities must be transferred to specialist fever clinics. This study aims to understand the impact of COVID-19 on PHC delivery and on antibiotic prescribing at a community level in rural areas of central China. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 PHC practitioners and seven patients recruited from two township health centres and nine village clinics in two rural residential areas of Anhui province. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results PHC practitioners reported a major shift in their work away from seeing and treating patients (due to government-mandated referral to specialist Covid clinics) to focus on the key public health roles of tracing, screening and educating in rural areas. The additional work, risk, and financial pressure that PHC practitioners faced, placed considerable strain on them, particularly those working in village clinics. Face to face PHC provision was reduced and there was no substitution with consultations by phone or app, which practitioners attributed to the fact that most of their patients were elderly and not willing or able to switch. Practitioners saw COVID-19 as outside of their area of expertise and very different to the non-COVID-19 respiratory tract infections that they frequently treated pre-pandemic. They reported that antibiotic prescribing was reduced overall because far fewer patients were attending rural PHC facilities, but otherwise their antibiotic prescribing practices remained unchanged. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic had considerable impact on PHC in rural China. Practitioners took on substantial additional workload as part of epidemic control and fewer patients were seen in PHC. The reduction in patients seen and treated in PHC led to a reduction in antibiotic prescribing, although clinical practice remains unchanged. Since COVID-19 epidemic control work has been designated as a long-term task in China, rural PHC clinics now face the challenge of how to balance their principal clinical and increased public health roles and, in the case of the village clinics, remain financially viable.


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