Epidemiological Characterization and the Impact of Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia in Patients Admitted in a Northern Portuguese Hospital

Pneumonia is one of the main causes of hospitalization and mortality. It’s the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. Healthcare-associated infections are the most frequent complication of healthcare and affect hundreds of millions of patients around the world, although the actual number of patients affected is unknown due to the difficulty of reliable data. The main goal of this manuscript is to describe the epidemiological characteristics of patients admitted with pneumonia and the impact of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) in those patients. It is a quantitative descriptive study with retrospective analysis of the clinical processes of 2436 individuals for 1 year (2018) with the diagnosis of pneumonia. The individuals with ≤5 years old represented 10.4% (n = 253) and ≥65 were 72.6% (n = 1769). 369 cases resulted in death, which gives a sample lethality rate of 15.2%. The severity and mortality index were not sensitive to the death event. We found 30.2% (n = 735) individuals with HCAP and 0.41% (n = 59) with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). In only 59 individuals (2.4%) the agent causing pneumonia was isolated. The high fatality rate obtained shows that pneumonia is a major cause of death in vulnerable populations. Moreover, HCAP is one of the main causes of hospital admissions from pneumonia and death and the most pneumonias are treated empirically. Knowledge of the epidemiology characterization of pneumonia, especially associated with healthcare, is essential to increase the skills of health professionals for the prevention and efficient treatment of pneumonia.

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Biomarkers-based personalized follow-up in chronic heart failure improves patient’s outcomes and reduces care associate cost

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes ◽

10.1186/s12955-021-01779-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Antonio Leon-Justel ◽

Jose I. Morgado Garcia-Polavieja ◽

Ana Isabel Alvarez-Rios ◽

Francisco Jose Caro Fernandez ◽

Pedro Agustin Pajaro Merino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Left Ventricular Ejection ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Ed Visits ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Heart failure (HF) is a major and growing medical and economic problem, with high prevalence and incidence rates worldwide. Cardiac Biomarker is emerging as a novel tool for improving management of patients with HF with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods This is a before and after interventional study, that assesses the impact of a personalized follow-up procedure for HF on patient’s outcomes and care associated cost, based on a clinical model of risk stratification and personalized management according to that risk. A total of 192 patients were enrolled and studied before the intervention and again after the intervention. The primary objective was the rate of readmissions, due to a HF. Secondary outcome compared the rate of ED visits and quality of life improvement assessed by the number of patients who had reduced NYHA score. A cost-analysis was also performed on these data. Results Admission rates significantly decreased by 19.8% after the intervention (from 30.2 to 10.4), the total hospital admissions were reduced by 32 (from 78 to 46) and the total length of stay was reduced by 7 days (from 15 to 9 days). The rate of ED visits was reduced by 44% (from 64 to 20). Thirty-one percent of patients had an improved functional class score after the intervention, whereas only 7.8% got worse. The overall cost saving associated with the intervention was € 72,769 per patient (from € 201,189 to € 128,420) and €139,717.65 for the whole group over 1 year. Conclusions A personalized follow-up of HF patients led to important outcome benefits and resulted in cost savings, mainly due to the reduction of patient hospitalization readmissions and a significant reduction of care-associated costs, suggesting that greater attention should be given to this high-risk cohort to minimize the risk of hospitalization readmissions.

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Development of the Madrid Stroke Programme: Milestones and Changes in Stroke Trends and Mortality from 1997 to 2017

Neuroepidemiology ◽

10.1159/000514077 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Silvia Pastor ◽

Elena de Celis ◽

Itsaso Losantos García ◽

María Alonso de Leciñana ◽

Blanca Fuentes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hospital Mortality ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Care Organization ◽

Stroke Units ◽

Health Region ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Stroke is a serious health problem, given it is the second leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in the European Union. Our study aimed to assess the impact of stroke care organization measures (such as the development of stroke units, implementation of a regional stroke code, and treatment with intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy) implemented from 1997 to 2017 on hospital admissions due to stroke and mortality attributed to stroke in the Madrid health region. Methods: Epidemiological data were obtained from the National Statistics Institute public website. We collected data on the number of patients discharged with a diagnosis of stroke, in-hospital mortality due to stroke and the number of inhabitants in the Madrid health region each year. We calculated rates of discharges and mortality due to stroke and the number of inhabitants per SU bed, and we analysed temporal trends in in-hospital mortality due to stroke using the Daniels test in 2 separate time periods (before and after 2011). Figures representing annual changes in these data from 1997 to 2017 were elaborated, marking stroke care organizational measures in the year they were implemented to visualize their temporal relation with changes in stroke statistics. Results: Hospital discharges with a diagnosis of stroke have increased from 170.3/100,000 inhabitants in 1997 to 230.23/100,000 inhabitants in 2017. However, the in-hospital mortality rate due to stroke has decreased (from 33.3 to 15.2%). A statistically significant temporal trend towards a decrease in the mortality percentage and rate was found from 1997 to 2011. Conclusions: Our study illustrates how measures such as the development of stroke units, implementation of a regional stroke code and treatment with intravenous thrombolysis coincide in time with a reduction in in-hospital mortality due to stroke.

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Changing Patterns of Mortality in Gaucher Disease Prior to and Following the Advent of Enzyme Replacement Therapy.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v104.11.3799.3799 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 104 (11) ◽

pp. 3799-3799

Author(s):

Neal J. Weinreb ◽

Robert E. Lee

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Enzyme Replacement Therapy ◽

Replacement Therapy ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

Gaucher Disease ◽

Age At Death ◽

Enzyme Replacement ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Changing Patterns ◽

The Impact

Abstract Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with exogenous glucosylceramide β-glucosidase (alglucerase, [Ceredase®] or imiglucerase, [Cerezyme®]) has been shown to improve anemia, thrombocytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, bone symptoms and quality of life in patients with Gaucher disease. However, the impact of ERT on mortality has not been assessed since the inception of ERT in 1991. Data from the epoch prior to the availability of ERT were obtained from the University of Pittsburgh Gaucher Disease Registry. Data from the time period following the advent of ERT were obtained from the International Collaborative Gaucher Group (ICGG) Gaucher Registry and the Ceredase/Cerezyme pharmacovigilance database (Genzyme Corporation). Age of death was obtained for patients with reported Type 1 (non-neuronopathic) Gaucher disease. Only patients with a known cause of death were included in this analysis. Pre-ERT Era (R.E.L.) Post-ERT Era Number of patients 31 137 Treated with ERT No Yes Mean age at death (years) 53.2 55.6 Range of age at death (years) 3–85 0.2–89 Cause of death due to: n % n % • Gaucher disease 4 12.9% 1 0.7% • Leukemia 3 9.7% 7 5.1% • Lymphoma 1 3.2% 3 2.2% • Myeloma 3 9.7% 1 0.7% • Solid tumor 12 38.7% 17 12.4% • Hemorrhage 1 3.2% 14 10.2% • Thromboembolism 0 0.0% 4 2.9% • Other cardiovascular disease 2 6.5% 26 19.0% • Infectious disease 3 9.7% 6 10.9% • Other causes 2 6.5% 49 35.8% These descriptive data collected prior to the advent of ERT and following approval of ERT in 1991 raise intriguing questions about the changing pattern of mortality in Gaucher disease. Any direct comparison of these populations must be qualified by the possibility of detection bias or a cohort effect. Therefore, pending further information, it is difficult to attribute significance to the difference in mean age at death between the two populations. However, there have been shifts in the pattern of the causes of death. Most notably, deaths due to the primary manifestations of Gaucher disease and to hematologic cancers and solid tumors appear substantially less common in the post-ERT era whereas the proportion of deaths due to cardiovascular disease and other causes appears to be increasing. More accurate estimates of the patterns of mortality in Gaucher disease remain to be determined, particularly for the pre-ERT era. Additional studies of the changing patterns of mortality in Gaucher disease are ongoing.

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The effect of the COVID pandemic lockdown measures on surgical emergencies: experience and lessons learned from a Greek tertiary hospital

World Journal of Emergency Surgery ◽

10.1186/s13017-021-00364-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Emmanouil Pikoulis ◽

Nikolaos Koliakos ◽

Dimitrios Papaconstantinou ◽

Nikolaos Pararas ◽

Andreas Pikoulis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Departments ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Perianal Abscess ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

University Hospital ◽

Tertiary Referral Center ◽

Surgical Department ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rise in healthcare demands leading to significant restructuring of hospital emergency departments worldwide. The aim of the present study is twofold: firstly, to discern any differences in regard to reason for surgical emergency department (SED) attendance and hospital admission during the pandemic and pre-pandemic eras in Greece, and secondly, to assess the impact of the lockdown measures implemented during the pandemic on SED patient attendance. Methods Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece (1 March 2020) and up to 15 December 2020, the charts of all adult patients arriving at the SED of the third surgical department of the “Attikon” University Hospital (a tertiary referral center for surgical and COVID-19 cases) were retrospectively reviewed and broken down in four periods reflecting two nationwide lockdown (period A 1/3/2020 to 30/4/2020 and period D 16/10/2020 to 15/12/2020) and two interim (period B 1/5/2020 to 15/6/2020 and period C 15/9/2020 to 30/10/2020) periods. Demographic and clinical data were compared to those obtained from the same time periods of the year 2019. Results The total number of patients attending the SED decreased by 35.9% during the pandemic (from 2839 total patients in 2019 to 1819 in 2020). During the first lockdown, there was statistically significant reduction of motor vehicle accidents (p=0.04) and torso injuries (p=0.01). Contrarily, the rate of head injuries (p<0.001) and abdominal pain (p=0.04) were significantly increased. The same effect was observed regarding the rate of hospital admissions (p=0.002), although in terms of absolute numbers, admissions remained unchanged. During the second lockdown, there was a reduction in the number of perianal abscess cases (p=0.04) and hernia-related problems (p=0.001). An increase in the rate of fall injuries was also demonstrable (p=0.02). Overall, application of the lockdown led to a significant decrease in minor (p<0.001) and torso (p=0.001) injuries. Conclusion The burden of the new COVID-19 disease has left a noticeable imprint in the function of emergency departments worldwide. In Greece, SED attendance was significantly reduced during the pandemic, an effect that was even more pronounced during the lockdown implementation; nevertheless, the overall rate of hospital admissions remained the same, denoting that patient care was not altered.

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A short therapeutic regimen based on hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin for the treatment of COVID-19 in patients with non-severe disease. A strategy associated with a reduction in hospital admissions and complications.

10.1101/2020.06.10.20101105 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

José A. Oteo ◽

Pedro Marco ◽

Luis Ponce de León ◽

Alejandra Roncero ◽

Teófilo Lobera ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Emergency Room ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Qtc Interval ◽

Therapeutic Regime ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Short Period ◽

The Impact ◽

At Home

The new SARS-CoV-2 infection named COVID-19 has severely hit our Health System. At the time of writing this paper no medical therapy is officially recommended or has shown results in improving the outcomes in COVID-19 patients. With the aim of diminishing the impact in Hospital admissions and reducing the number of medical complications, we implemented a strategy based on a Hospital Home-Care Unit (HHCU) using an easy-to-use treatment based on an oral administration regimen outside the hospital with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) plus azithromycin (AZM) for a short period of 5 days. Patients and methods: Patients ≥ 18 years old visiting the emergency room at the Hospital Universitario San Pedro de Logrono (La Rioja) between March, 31st and April, 12th diagnosed with COVID-19 with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by a specific PCR, as follows: Patients with pneumonia (CURB ≤ 1) who did not present severe comorbidities and had no processes that contraindicated this therapeutic regime. Olygosimptomatic patients without pneumonia aged ≥ 55 years. Patients ≥ 18 years old without pneumonia with significant comorbidities. We excluded patients with known allergies to some of the antimicrobials used and patients treated with other drugs that increase the QTc or with QTc >450msc. The therapeutic regime was: HCQ 400 mg every twice in a loading dose followed by 200 mg twice for 5 days, plus AZM 500 mg on the first day followed by 250 mg daily for 5 days. A daily telephone follow-up was carried out from the hospital by the same physician. The end-points of our study were: 1.- To measure the need for hospital admission within 15 days after the start of treatment. 2.- To measure the need to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) within 15 days after the start of the treatment. 3.- To describe the severity of the clinical complications developed. 4.- To measure the mortality within 30 days after starting treatment (differentiating if the cause is COVID-19 or something else). 5.-To describe the safety and adverse effects of the therapeutic regime. Results: During the 13 days studied a total of 502 patients were attended in the emergency room due to COVID-19. Forty-two were sent at home; 80 were attended by the HHCU (patients on this study) and 380 were admitted to the Hospital. In our series there were a group of 69 (85.18%) patients diagnosed with pneumonia (37 males and 32 females). Most of them, 57 (82.60%) had a CURB65 score of <1 (average age 49) and 12 (17.40%) a CURB score of 1 (average age 63). Eighteen (22.50%) of the pneumonia patients also had some morbidity as a risk factor. 11 patients (13.75%) without pneumonia were admitted to the HHCU because comorbidities or age ≥ 55 years. Six patients with pneumonia had to be hospitalized during the observation period, 3 of them because side effects and 3 because of worsening. One of these patients, with morbid obesity and asthma, had clinical worsening needing mechanical ventilation at ICU and developed acute distress respiratory syndrome. With the exception of the patient admitted to the ICU, the rest of the patients were discharged at home in the following 8 days (3 to 8 days). Twelve patients (15%), 11 of whom had pneumonia, experienced side effects affecting mainly the digestive. In another patient a QTc interval prolongation (452 msc) was observed. In total 3 of these patients had to be admitted in the Hospital, 2 because of vomiting and 1 because a QTc interval lengthening. None of the patients needed to stop the HCQ or AZM and all the 80 patients finished the therapeutic strategy. From the group without pneumonia only a patient developed diarrhea that did not require hospitalization or stop the medication. Conclusions: Our strategy has been associated with a reduction in the burden of hospital pressure, and it seems to be successful in terms of the number of patients who have developed serious complications and / or death. None of the patients died in the studied period and only 6 have to be admitted in conventional hospitalization area.

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Epidemiological Characteristics of Major Depression of Hospitalized Patients in Psychiatric Hospital “Demir Hisar” – Demir Hisar for a Five Year Period from 2013 to 2017

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2020.3555 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (A) ◽

pp. 378-384

Author(s):

Biljana Iliev ◽

Dimitar Bonevski ◽

Andromahi Naumovska

Keyword(s):

Major Depression ◽

Psychiatric Hospital ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Psychiatric Hospitals ◽

Hospitalized Patients ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Wide Range ◽

Epidemiological Characteristics ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND: Severe depression is a mental disorder with a wide range of changes in psychic functions, primarily of affectivity, and is manifested by dysphoric mood and reductive changes in cognitive, conative, and other psychic dynamics, with the presence of psychosomatic complaints and suicidal thoughts. There is always a triad of symptoms: Alteration of affectivity, anhedonia, and low energy with fatigue, but in her clinical picture, there are other symptoms, such as feeling guilty and helpless, obsessed with “black thoughts” with loss of confidence in themselves, with hopelessness, loss of appetite, and weight loss with present insomnia or hypersomnia, and more frequent thinking about death due to the feeling of worthlessness of life. This mental illness covers a vast area of the affective life of a human with a broad spectrum classified by ICD - 10- F 32, F 32.2, and F 32.3. AIM: The main goal is to determine the total number of patients with the major depression treated at “Demir Hisar” Psychiatric Hospital for a period of 5 years, retrospectively in 2013 until 2017 and to determine the impact of socio-demographic variables as risk factors and predictors. METHODS: The study is retrospective, and the necessary parameters for achieving the goals of the research are provided by analyzing the medical histories of all hospitalized patients treated in psychiatric hospitals Demir Hisar in the period from 2013 to 2017. Incidence rates and indexes of the dynamics of hospitalized patients with major depression were determined. RESULTS: About 61.8% of the patients are men and 38.2% women. Patients with no education and elementary school were 64.5% versus patients with high school and university 35.5% and are significantly underpowered. Regarding the employment status, 38.2% of patients are unemployed, and 61.8% of patients are employed. According to the cross-sectional study, 64.7% of men without education have severe depression and live in the city, and 53.3% of women with secondary education live in urban areas (city), meaning rural residence is associated with a reduced rate of severe depression. CONCLUSION: We can conclude that socio-demographic characteristics – age, gender, marital status, level of education, employment/unemployment status, and place of residence are related to the severity of depression.

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Physical restraint of dementia patients in acute care hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cohort analysis in Japan

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0260446 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. e0260446

Author(s):

Takuya Okuno ◽

Hisashi Itoshima ◽

Jung-ho Shin ◽

Tetsuji Morishita ◽

Susumu Kunisawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Care ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Cohort Analysis ◽

Physical Restraint ◽

Acute Care Hospitals ◽

Physical Restraints ◽

Restraint Use ◽

Dementia Patients ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

The Impact

Introduction The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges for the medical staff worldwide, especially for those in hospitals where COVID-19-positive patients are hospitalized. The announcement of COVID-19 hospital restrictions by the Japanese government has led to several limitations in hospital care, including an increased use of physical restraints, which could affect the care of elderly dementia patients. However, few studies have empirically validated the impact of physical restraint use during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the impact of regulatory changes, consequent to the pandemic, on physical restraint use among elderly dementia patients in acute care hospitals. Methods In this retrospective study, we extracted the data of elderly patients (aged > 64 years) who received dementia care in acute care hospitals between January 6, 2019, and July 4, 2020. We divided patients into two groups depending on whether they were admitted to hospitals that received COVID-19-positive patients. We calculated descriptive statistics to compare the trend in 2-week intervals and conducted an interrupted time-series analysis to validate the changes in the use of physical restraint. Results In hospitals that received COVID-19-positive patients, the number of patients who were physically restrained per 1,000 hospital admissions increased after the government’s announcement, with a maximum incidence of 501.4 per 1,000 hospital admissions between the 73rd and 74th week after the announcement. Additionally, a significant increase in the use of physical restraints for elderly dementia patients was noted (p = 0.004) in hospitals that received COVID-19-positive patients. Elderly dementia patients who required personal care experienced a significant increase in the use of physical restraints during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion Understanding the causes and mechanisms underlying an increased use of physical restraints for dementia patients can help design more effective care protocols for similar future situations.

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The decrease in hospitalizations for transient ischemic attack and ischemic stroke, especially in mild cases, during the COVID-19 epidemic in Japan

10.1101/2020.11.17.20233692 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hiroyuki Nagano ◽

Daisuke Takada ◽

Jung-ho Shin ◽

Tetsuji Morishita ◽

Susumu Kunisawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Transient Ischemic Attack ◽

Hemorrhagic Stroke ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Health Care Systems ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Stroke Diagnosis ◽

Before And After ◽

Ischemic Attack ◽

The Impact

AbstractBackground and PurposeThe epidemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected health care systems globally. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on hospital admissions for stroke in Japan.MethodsWe analyzed administrative (Diagnosis Procedure Combination) data for cases of inpatients aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with stroke (ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), hemorrhagic stroke, or subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)) and discharged from hospital during the period July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020. The number of patients with each stroke diagnosis, various patient characteristics, and treatment approaches were compared before and after the epidemic. Changes in the trend of the monthly number of inpatients with each stroke diagnosis were assessed using interrupted time-series analyses.ResultsA total of 111,922 cases (ischemic stroke: 74,897 cases; TIA: 5,374 cases; hemorrhagic stroke: 24,779 cases; SAH: 6,872 cases) in 253 hospitals were included. The number of cases for all types of stroke decreased (ischemic stroke: -13.9%; TIA: -21.4%; hemorrhagic stroke: -9.9%; SAH: -15.2%) in April and May 2020, compared to the number of cases in 2019. Ischemic stroke and TIA cases, especially mild cases (modified Rankin Scale = 0), decreased, with a statistically significant change in trend between the before- and after-epidemic periods.ConclusionsThese data showed a marked reduction in the number of hospital admissions due to stroke during the COVID-19 epidemic. The change in Ischemic stroke and TIA cases, especially mild cases, was statistically significant.

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The effect of a mental hospital strike on general hospital psychiatric services

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291700019875 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 913-921 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ross M. G. Norman ◽

Ashok K. Malla

Keyword(s):

General Hospital ◽

Suicidal Behaviour ◽

Mental Hospital ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Occupational Status ◽

General Hospitals ◽

Hospital Units ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Psychiatric Units ◽

The Impact

SynopsisData collected from 6043 psychiatric in-patient records were analysed to assess the impact of a strike at a mental hospital on in-patient services in general hospital psychiatric units in St John's, Newfoundland, Canada. As a whole, during the strike general hospital units showed an increase in the number of involuntary admissions, the number of prior mental hospital admissions of patients, and indications of violent or suicidal behaviour; and a decrease in the occupational status of patients admitted and the prescription of minor tranquillizers. There was also evidence of considerable variation between general hospitals in the extent to which their admission pattern changed during the strike and the permanence of some of the strike effects. The data indicate that all patients showing violent or suicidal behaviour who would normally have been admitted to the mental hospital were treated in the general hospital units during the strike. On the other hand, a large number of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, personality disorder or mental retardation, who normally would have been admitted to the mental hospital, apparently went without hospitalization during the strike. A substantial proportion of this latter group would usually have been admitted involuntarily.

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Acute Stroke in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.120.030395 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (7) ◽

pp. 2224-2227 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Carolin Hoyer ◽

Anne Ebert ◽

Hagen B. Huttner ◽

Volker Puetz ◽

Bernd Kallmünzer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Stroke ◽

Transient Ischemic Attack ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Admission Rates ◽

Cerebrovascular Events ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Before And After ◽

Ischemic Attack ◽

The Impact

Background and Purpose: This study aims to assess the number of patients with acute ischemic cerebrovascular events seeking in-patient medical emergency care since the implementation of social distancing measures in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: In this retrospective multicenter study, data on the number of hospital admissions due to acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack and numbers of reperfusion therapies performed in weeks 1 to 15 of 2020 and 2019 were collected in 4 German academic stroke centers. Poisson regression was used to test for a change in admission rates before and after the implementation of extensive social distancing measures in week 12 of 2020. The analysis of anonymized regional mobility data allowed for correlations between changes in public mobility as measured by the number and length of trips taken and hospital admission for stroke/transient ischemic attack. Results: Only little variation of admission rates was observed before and after week 11 in 2019 and between the weeks 1 and 11 of 2019 and 2020. However, reflecting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant decrease in the number of admissions for transient ischemic attack was observed (−85%, −46%, −42%) in 3 of 4 centers, while in 2 of 4 centers, stroke admission rates decreased significantly by 40% and 46% after week 12 in 2020. A relevant effect on reperfusion therapies was found for 1 center only (thrombolysis, −60%; thrombectomy, −61%). Positive correlations between number of ischemic events and mobility measures in the corresponding cities were identified for 3 of 4 centers. Conclusions: These data demonstrate and quantify decreasing hospital admissions due to ischemic cerebrovascular events and suggest that this may be a consequence of social distancing measures, in particular because hospital resources for acute stroke care were not limited during this period. Hence, raising public awareness is necessary to avoid serious healthcare and economic consequences of undiagnosed and untreated strokes and transient ischemic attacks.

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