scholarly journals Experience of a Neuro-Emergency Expert in the Emergency Department during One Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author(s):  
Yong-Won Jung ◽  
Sang-Ook Ha ◽  
Jin-Hyouk Kim ◽  
Won-Seok Yang ◽  
Young-Sun Park

We aimed to evaluate the overall clinical characteristics of patients treated by a neuro-emergency expert dedicated to the emergency department (ED) as an attending neurologist during the COVID-19 pandemic. We included adult patients who visited the ED between 1 January and 31 December 2020 and were treated by a neuro-emergency expert. We retrospectively obtained and analyzed the data on patients’ clinical characteristics and outcome. The neuro-emergency expert treated 1155 patients (mean age, 62.9 years). The proportion of aged 18–40 years was the lowest, and the most common modes of arrival were public ambulance (50.6%) and walk-in (42.3%). CT and MRI examinations were performed in 94.4 and 33.1% of cases, respectively. The most frequent complaints were dizziness (31.8%), motor weakness (24.2%), and altered mental status (15.8%). The ED diagnoses were acute ischemic stroke (19.8%), benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (14.2%), vestibular neuritis (9.9%), and seizure (8.8%). The mean length of stay in the ED was 207 min. Of the patients, 55.0% were admitted to the hospital, and 41.8% were discharged for outpatient follow-up. Despite the longer stay and the complexity and difficulty of neurological diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic, the accurate diagnosis and treatment provided by a neuro-emergency expert can be presented as a good model in the ED.

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1076.1-1077
Author(s):  
L. Moroni ◽  
L. Giudice ◽  
G. A. Ramirez ◽  
S. Sartorelli ◽  
A. Cariddi ◽  
...  

Background:Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is defined as airway narrowing below the vocal cords and is a common and potentially life-threatening manifestation of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA), with an estimated prevalence of 16-23% (1). Balloon catheter dilation is effective in GPA-related SGS, but relapses are frequent. Little is known about the role of immunosuppression in this setting.Objectives:to analyse the clinical characteristics of a monocentric GPA cohort, describe phenotype differences among patients with and without SGS and investigate the role of surgical and medical treatments on relapse risk and general outcome.Methods:Biopsy-proven patients with SGS were identified by review of medical charts among a cohort of patients with GPA, classified according to the algorithm of the European Medicine Agency (2). The clinical characteristics of patients with SGS were retrospectively collected over a median follow-up time of 15.9 years and compared to those of patients without SGS.Results:Fourteen patients with SGS-GPA were identified, with a female to male ratio of 1:1 and a prevalence of 29.2% among the cohort. The mean ± SD age at GPA onset was 30.8 ± 14.4 years, with a mean time from GPA diagnosis to SGS onset of 4.7 ± 4.2 years. ANCA were positive in 78.6% (54.0% anti-PR3, 18.1% anti-MPO and 27.9% IFI only). The mean Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) at onset was 10.0 ± 5.6. The main clinical manifestations associated with SGS were crusty rhinitis (100%), sinusitis (78%), pulmonary disease (72.7%), otitis/mastoiditis (50%), glomerulonephritis (42.9%), orbital pseudotumor (28.6%). Six patients (42.9%) received medical treatment only, other six (42.9%) had one to three balloon dilations and two (14.2%) underwent four or more procedures. Eight patients had no SGS relapse (maximum one dilation) and they all received immunosuppression with rituximab (RTX), cyclophosphamide (CYC) or azathioprine (AZA). All patients who received no immunosuppression, methotrexate (MTX) or mycophenolate (MMF) had at least one relapse. Patients treated with MTX or MMF had a mean relapse-free survival of 13.1 months, which was comparable to the one of patients not receiving medical treatment (40.2 months; p=NS) and shorter than the one of patients receiving CYC or RTX (153.2 months; p=0.032). CYC use also inversely correlated with the number of surgical procedures (r=-0.691, p=0.006). Compared to patients without SGS (31 consecutive patients with at least 4 years of follow-up), patients with SGS-GPA had an earlier disease onset (mean age 30.8 vs 50.4 years; p<0.001), but with lower BVAS (mean 10.0 vs 15.3; p=0.013) and showed a higher prevalence of crusty rhinitis (100% vs 67.7%; p=0.019). No difference was observed in damage accrual over time between the two groups.Conclusion:Subglottic stenosis is highly prevalent in patients with GPA and may define a milder disease subset occurring more frequently in younger patients. MTX and MMF might be insufficient to prevent SGS relapses requiring balloon dilation. Aggressive immunosuppression (CYC or RTX) might have a non-redundant role in this setting and reduce the risk of relapses.References:[1]Quinn KA, et al. Subglottic stenosis and endobronchial disease in granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Rheumatology 2019; 58 (12), 2203-2211.[2]Watts R, et al. Development and validation of a consensus methodology for the classification of the ANCA associated vasculitides and polyarteritis nodosa for epidemiological studies. Ann Rheum Dis 2007; 66: 222-7.Disclosure of Interests:Luca Moroni: None declared, Laura Giudice: None declared, Giuseppe Alvise Ramirez: None declared, Silvia Sartorelli: None declared, adriana cariddi: None declared, Angelo Carretta: None declared, Enrica Bozzolo: None declared, Lorenzo Dagna Grant/research support from: The Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases (UnIRAR) received unresctricted research/educational grants from Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen, Merk Sharp & Dohme, Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, and SOBI., Consultant of: Prof Lorenzo Dagna received consultation honoraria from Abbvie, Amgen, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, and SOBI.


1993 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. STEVENSON ◽  
I. W. R. ANDERSON

160 consecutive hand infections presented to an Accident and Emergency department over a four-month period. All but one were treated solely on an out-patient basis. The mean delay to presentation was three days, the mean duration of treatment was six days. Follow-up to complete resolution was achieved in 89% of cases. No patients were treated with parenteral antibiotics. The need for careful assessment, early aggressive surgery, and meticulous attention to the principles of wound care by experienced clinicians is emphasized.


Author(s):  
Nikita Mohan ◽  
Muhammad Ali Fayyaz ◽  
Christopher del Rio ◽  
Navpreet Kaur Rajinder Singh Khurana ◽  
Sampada Sandip Vaidya ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected everyone in a hit or miss manner. Since it began, evidence of the neuro-invasive potential of the virus has been intensifying significantly. Several pathways have been hypothesized to elucidate the neurotropic nature of SARS-CoV2. It is the need of the hour to collect vital information. Objective To evaluate and correlate the neuro-radiological and neurological manifestations in patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV2. To identify neuro-invasive pathways of COVID infection. Methods Relevant studies were identified through four databases—the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science. These were searched using relevant keywords—“COVID-19,” “SARS-CoV2,” “neurological manifestations,” “neuroimaging,” “CT,” and “MRI.” Relevant articles were screened according to a pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria from December 2019 to August 2020. Results Our review included a total of 63 full text publications with 584 patients, composed mainly of observational studies, case reports, and case series. The most common neurological manifestations associated with COVID-19 were altered mental status, stroke, and paralysis. About 17.85% patients who underwent neuroimaging were found to be having ischemic changes suggestive of a stroke. This was followed by hemorrhagic changes as the second most common finding. The most commonly involved vessel was the Middle Cerebral Artery. Besides stroke, we found that SARS-CoV2 could be the cause for new-onset seizures, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, encephalitis, and many other severe neurological diseases. Conclusion The information that we have obtained so far will prove dynamic to healthcare providers working against the COVID-19 pandemic. It is necessary to be aware of these atypical neurological findings for the early diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 infected patients. However, to completely understand the connection between SARS-CoV2 and the nervous system, further research is necessary.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-41
Author(s):  
Devendra Maheshwari ◽  
Rengappa Ramakrishanan ◽  
Mohideen Abdul Kader ◽  
Neelam Pawar ◽  
Ankit Gupta

Aim: To evaluate the effect of phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation in eyes with pre-existing trabeculectomy.Methods: This prospective single-center clinical study evaluated intraocular pressure in 60 eyes of 60 patients who underwent phacoemulsification and implantation of a foldable intraocular lens after a previous successful trabeculectomy. Patients who had a trabeculectomy more than one year prior to the study were included. Intraocular pressure, number of antiglaucoma medications, bleb appearance, and visual acuity were recorded preoperatively, and at each follow-up examination and 12 months after phacoemulsification.Results: The mean intraocular pressure before phacoemulsification was 12.42 mmHg (SD, 4.60 mmHg), which increased to 14.98 mmHg (SD, 4.18 mmHg), 14.47 mmHg (SD, 3.58 mmHg), 15.44 mmHg (SD, 3.60 mmHg), and 15.71 mmHg (SD, 3.47 mmHg) after one, three, six, and 12 months, respectively. At each follow-up visit, the mean IOP was significantly higher than the preoperative value (p < 0.001, p = 0.015, p ≤ 0.001, and p = 0.001 at month one, three, six, and 12, respectively). The mean preoperative best-corrected visual acuity was 0.98 logMAR (SD, 0.44 logMAR) and the mean postoperative best-corrected visual acuity at 12 months was 0.20 logMAR (SD, 0.21 logMAR) [p = 0.0001]. The mean preoperative number of antiglaucoma medications used was 0.57 (SD, 0.63), which increased to 0.65 (SD, 0.63 ), 0.70 (SD, 0.72 ) 0.68, (SD, 0.70), and 0.67 (SD, 0.77 ) at one, three, six, and 12 months, respectively, but there were no statistically significant differences. Bleb size decreased clinically after phacoemulsification. Nineteen of 60 eyes (32%) developed fibrosis of bleb with decreased bleb size.Conclusion: Phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation significantly increased intraocular pressure and increased the number of antiglaucoma medications in eyes with pre-existing functioning filtering blebs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagendra Bahadur KC ◽  
Sriraj Shrestha

<p><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong>: Sciatica is an important medical problem with socioeconomic impact; its effective management remains a challenge. Approximately 80% of the total population experiences low back pain at some point in their lives which may be associated with sciatica. As it is more common in adult working group, the pain caused by sciatica can incapacitate a person fromdoing his or her normal work. So the goal of our treatment is not to cure anatomic abnormalities but rather to reduce pain, which allows the patient to engage in early rehabilitation and return to a more normal lifestyle.</p><p><strong>METHODOLOGY</strong>: Fifty patients were initially included in the study and all patients received three injection of 4ml methyle prednisolone acetate (160 mg) and 6 ml of Normal saline that is of total volume 10 ml.at an interval of 48 hours. Among 50 study patients, five patients dropped out in subsequent follow-up. So only forty-five patients were analyzed for final results.</p><p><strong>RESULT</strong>: The mean age of the patient was 37.53 years, majority between 30-56 years. Female who were involved in household activities dominated the study group. Comparing the mean (SD) VAS score on the day of presentation 70.00 (16.78) and on 35<sup>th</sup> day 17.89 (25.23) so it was found to be statistically significant (P&lt;0.001). None of the patients in the study had motor weakness and none of them developed serious complications. But 12 (26.7%) patients developed transient headache after the procedure.</p><p><strong>CONCLUSION</strong>: As the goal of our treatment was symptomatic pain relief, most of the patient&rsquo;s pain improved at 2 weeks after the steroid injection with no severe complication. This was short term study with encouraging results, but larger scale and longer period of follow ups required for better results.</p><p><strong>KEY WORDS</strong>: Backache, Caudal, Epidural steroid, Sciatica,</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiyi Jiang ◽  
Xiao Xu ◽  
Binglin Jian ◽  
Xue Zhang ◽  
Zhixia Yue ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children with high heterogeneity and concealed onset. The mechanism for its occurrence and development has not been revealed. The purpose of this study was to summarize the clinical characteristics of children with NB and abnormal chromosome 10. To investigate the relationship between the number and structure of chromosome 10 abnormality and NB prognosis.MethodsWe used chromosome G-banding in the first diagnosis to evaluate the genetics of chromosomes in patients with NB, and follow up their clinical characteristics and prognosis. All participants were diagnosed with NB in Hematology Oncology Center, Beijing Children’s Hospital from May 2015 to December 2018, and were followed up for at least one year. ResultsOf all 150 patients with bone marrow metastases, 42 were clearly diagnosed with chromosomal abnormalities. There were 13 patients with chromosome 10 abnormalities definitely, and the loss of chromosome 10 was the most common decrease in the number of chromosomes. These 13 patient had higher LDH, lower OS and EFS than that of children in abnormal group without chromosome 10 abnormality. Eight patients both had MYCN amplification and 1p36 deletion. Two of them had optic nerve damage and no vision, and 1 had left supraorbital metastases five months after treatment. Among the 16 children with suspected chromosome 10 abnormalities, 3 also had orbital metastases. ConclusionsThe above results showed that chromosome 10 might be a new prognostic marker. MYCN amplification and 1p36 deletion may be related with chromosome 10 abnormalities in NB. And NB patients with abnormal chromosome 10 were prone to have orbital metastases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 210-213
Author(s):  
Zheng-Feng Liu ◽  
◽  
Da-Dong Guo ◽  
Mei-Hua Ding ◽  
Hong-Sheng Bi ◽  
...  

AIM: To evaluate the one-year outcome of intravitreal conbercept injections for the treatment of choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathological myopia (pm-CNV) by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: The medical records of 26 consecutive eyes of 23 patients who received intravitreal injections of conbercept for pm-CNV with a follow-up of one year were retrospectively reviewed. All the patients were diagnosed by fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and OCTA at the first visit. All approaches were performed as “1+PRN” treatment. Outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central foveal thickness (CFT) and the mean CNV area by OCTA. RESULTS: Mean Logarithm BCVA improved from (0.66±0.51) at baseline to (0.39±0.38) at one year (t=3.528, P=0.004). The CFT before treatment and after one year after were 275.08±48.74) μm and (205.15±43.74) μm respectively (t=4.630, P=0.001). The mean pm-CNV areas before treatment and after one year treatment were (0.48±0.24) mm2 and (0.15±0.11) mm2 respectively, with a significant difference among them (t=5.329, P=0.000). Twenty-one eyes had no needs after the first treatment. Four eyes received 2 injections and only one eye received 3 injections. No severe adverse events were noted relevant to the therapy. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal conbercept can improve the vision and relieve CFT and CNV area for the treatment of pm-CNV with “1+PRN” by OCTA for one year, however, long-term follow-up still need to be performed.


1991 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 133-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel W Mah ◽  
Elizabeth Anne Fanning

In 1987, an outbreak of primary tuberculosis occurred in a Canadian aboriginal community of 350 people. The source case was a young woman who had been symptomatic for four months with smear positive cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis. Her 17 siblings and their families were frequent close contacts. Among the 626 persons surveyed in the community and environs, 35 additional active cases of tuberculosis were identified. The mean age of cases was 13 years and the median age 10 years. The method of diagnosis was bacteriological in 20 and radiological in 16. There were 257 positive tuberculin reactors of whom 120 had no previous record of a positive skin test. Isoniazid prophylaxis was recommended to all new reactors, close household contacts, reactors under the age of 35 years and reactors with lung scars. One late case was identified at one year of follow-up in a contact who had refused prophylaxis. The rates of infection and disease were higher in the family (65% and 46%, respectively) than in the community and environs (19% and 5.6%, respectively). This report illustrates the nature of a point source epidemic of primary tuberculosis in a susceptible community with a predictable reservoir of infection. The delay in diagnosis of the source case allowed numerous new infections to occur. However, prompt aggressive contact follow-up was successful in containing the epidemic. To prevent future outbreaks, the reservoir of infected persons must be identified and administered chemoprophylaxis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
O Hanon ◽  
J Vidal ◽  
E Chaussade ◽  
J P David ◽  
N Boulloche ◽  
...  

Abstract Background/Introduction Age is one of the strongest predictors/risk factors for ischemic stroke in subjects with atrial fibrillation (AF). Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been shown to be effective in the prevention of this condition; however, clinical evidence on bleeding risk with this therapeutic strategy in very old and frail geriatric patients is poor. Purpose To assess bleeding risk in French geriatric patients aged ≥80 years and diagnosed with AF newly treated with rivaroxaban. Methods Subjects, presenting to one of 33 geriatric centers, with non-valvular AF and recent initiation of a treatment with rivaroxaban were enrolled in the study and followed-up every 3 months for 12 months. Clinical and routine laboratory data and evaluation scores, such as HAS-BLED, HEMORR2HAGES, ATRIA, and CHA2DS2-VASc, as well as comprehensive geriatric evaluation were reported. Major bleeding, as defined in ROCKET AF study, was reported at each visit, and this primary outcome was adjudicated by an independent committee. Results of this cohort were compared with findings from a similar cohort treated with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) from the same centers (n=924). Results A total of 1045 subjects were enrolled in the study of whom 995 (95%) had a one-year follow-up (analyzed population). The mean (standard deviation (SD)) age was 86.0 (4.3) years, with the majority of patients being female (61%), 23% aged 90 years or older, and 48% having an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <50 mL/min. The main comorbidities were hypertension in 77% of subjects, malnutrition 49%, anemia 43%, dementia 39%, heart failure 36%, and falls 27%. The mean (SD) score for CHA2DS2-VASc was 4.8 (1.4), HAS-BLED 2.4 (0.9), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) 21.5 (6.9), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) 4.4 (1.9), and Charlson Comorbidity Index 6.7 (2.0). The one-year rate of major bleeding events was 6.4% of which 0.8% were fatal and 1.1% intracranial hemorrhages (ICH), whereas the one-year rate of ischemic stroke was 1.4% and all-cause mortality 17.9%. Computed with VKA cohort findings and adjusted for age, gender, eGFR and Charlson score, this would result in a hazard ratio of 0.54 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38 to 0.78) for major bleeding, 0.36 (0.17 to 0.76) for ICH, 0.62 (0.29 to 1.33) for ischemic stroke, and 0.82 (0.65 to 1.02) for all-cause mortality, in favor of rivaroxaban. Conclusions This is the first large-scale prospective study in geriatric population in AF subjects treated with DOAC (rivaroxaban) Major bleeding risk appeared higher in very old than younger population, however major bleeding and ICH rates were significantly lower with rivaroxaban than with VKAs when used in the same geriatric population. This study indicates that Rivaroxaban can be used in very old and frail patients for the treatment of non-valvular AF. Acknowledgement/Funding Unrestricted grant from Bayer


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