The COVID-19 Hospitalization Metric in the Pre- and Post-vaccination Eras as a Measure of Pandemic Severity: A Retrospective, Nationwide Cohort Study

Background: COVID-19 hospitalization definitions do not include a disease severity assessment. Thus, we sought to identify a simple and objective mechanism for identifying hospitalized severe cases and to measure the impact of vaccination on trends. Methods: All admissions to a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital, where routine screening is recommended, between 3/1/2020-11/22/2021 with SARS-CoV-2 were included. Moderate-to-severe COVID-19 was defined as any oxygen supplementation or any SpO2 <94% between one day before and two weeks after the positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Admissions with moderate-to-severe disease were divided by the total number of admissions, and the proportion of admissions with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 was modelled using a penalized spline in a Poisson regression and stratified by vaccination status. Dexamethasone receipt and its correlation with moderate-to-severe cases was also assessed. Results: Among 67,025 admissions with SARS-CoV-2, the proportion with hypoxemia or supplemental oxygen fell from 64% prior to vaccine availability to 56% by November 2021, driven in part by lower rates in vaccinated patients (vaccinated, 52% versus unvaccinated, 58%). The proportion of cases of moderate-to-severe disease identified using SpO2 levels and oxygen supplementation was highly correlated with dexamethasone receipt (correlation coefficient, 0.95), and increased after 7/1/2021, concurrent with delta variant predominance. Conclusions: A simple and objective definition of COVID-19 hospitalizations using SpO2 levels and oxygen supplementation can be used to track pandemic severity. This metric could be used to identify risk factors for severe breakthrough infections, to guide clinical treatment algorithms, and to detect trends in changes in vaccine effectiveness over time and against new variants.

The COVID-19 Hospitalization Metric in the Pre- and Post-vaccination Eras as a Measure of Pandemic Severity: A Retrospective, Nationwide Cohort Study

Background: COVID-19 hospitalization definitions do not include a disease severity assessment. Thus, we sought to identify a simple and objective mechanism for identifying hospitalized severe cases and to measure the impact of vaccination on trends.Methods: All admissions to a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital, where routine screening is recommended, between 3/1/2020-11/22/2021 with SARS-CoV-2 were included. Moderate-to-severe COVID-19 was defined as any oxygen supplementation or any SpO2 <94% between one day before and two weeks after the positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Admissions with moderate-to-severe disease were divided by the total number of admissions, and the proportion of admissions with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 was modelled using a penalized spline in a Poisson regression and stratified by vaccination status. Dexamethasone receipt and its correlation with moderate-to-severe cases was also assessed. Results: Among 67,025 admissions with SARS-CoV-2, the proportion with hypoxemia or supplemental oxygen fell from 64% prior to vaccine availability to 56% by November 2021, driven in part by lower rates in vaccinated patients (vaccinated, 52% versus unvaccinated, 58%). The proportion of cases of moderate-to-severe disease identified using SpO2 levels and oxygen supplementation was highly correlated with dexamethasone receipt (correlation coefficient, 0.95), and increased after 7/1/2021, concurrent with delta variant predominance.Conclusions: A simple and objective definition of COVID-19 hospitalizations using SpO2 levels and oxygen supplementation can be used to track pandemic severity. This metric could be used to identify risk factors for severe breakthrough infections, to guide clinical treatment algorithms, and to detect trends in changes in vaccine effectiveness over time and against new variants.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in peripartum period: a case report

Cardiomyopathy is a group of disorders characterised by structural and functional abnormalities in the myocardium in the absence of other cardiac diseases of myocardial abnormality. Its occurrence in pregnancy is uncommon and exact incidence is unknown even though some studies shows that the incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy is 1 in 1000 to 4000 births. Here we have discussed about a 34 years primigravida with twin pregnancy conceived after 12 years of married life by assisted reproductive technique (ART), admitted with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) at 28 weeks of gestation who developed a rare condition called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) in the peripartum period. She was managed in intensive care unit with oxygen supplementation, beta blockers, diuretics and heparin. Patient had an excellent recovery in the early postoperative period.

Better outcomes of COVID-19 in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated patients with systemic rheumatic diseases

ObjectiveΤo report outcomes of breakthrough COVID-19 in comparison with COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients with systemic rheumatic diseases (SRDs).MethodsPatients with SRD with COVID-19 (vaccinated and unvaccinated) were included by their rheumatologists in a registry operated by the Greek Rheumatology Society in a voluntarily basis. Type, date and doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were recorded, and demographics, type of SRD, concurrent treatment, comorbidities and COVID-19 outcomes (hospitalisation, need for oxygen supplementation and death) were compared between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.ResultsBetween 1 March 2020 and 31 August 2021, 195 patients with SRD with COVID-19 were included; 147 unvaccinated and 48 vaccinated with at least one dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Pfizer n=38 or AstraZeneca n=10). Among vaccinated patients, 29 developed breakthrough COVID-19 >14 days after the second vaccine dose (fully vaccinated), while 19 between the first and <14 days after the second vaccine dose (partially vaccinated). Despite no differences in demographics, SRD type, treatment or comorbidities between unvaccinated and vaccinated patients, hospitalisation and mortality rates were higher in unvaccinated (29.3% and 4.1%, respectively) compared with partially vaccinated (21% and 0%) or fully vaccinated (10.3% and 0%) patients.ConclusionsVaccinated patients with SRD with breakthrough COVID-19 have better outcomes compared with unvaccinated counterparts with similar disease/treatment characteristics.

1155. Covering Your Tracts? The Effect of Antibiotic Prophylaxis on Respiratory Tract Infections in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background Antibiotic prophylaxis decreases rates of febrile neutropenia and systemic infection in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, it is unknown whether prophylaxis prevents or ameliorates the severity of specific types of infections like upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) or lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). Methods This is a retrospective, observational convenience cohort study of children with newly-diagnosed ALL, comparing respiratory tract infections (RTI) in participants receiving no antibiotic prophylaxis, levofloxacin prophylaxis, or non-levofloxacin prophylaxis. Information regarding the presence of URTI or LRTI, identified respiratory viruses, hospitalization, oxygen supplementation, and ICU admission was collected through medical record review. The proportion of participants in each group was estimated and compared between groups using Fisher’s exact test and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results Of 262 evaluable participants, 126 received no antibiotic prophylaxis, 59 received levofloxacin prophylaxis, and 77 received non-levofloxacin prophylaxis, with a total of 136 children getting any antibiotic prophylaxis regimen. In the no-prophylaxis group, 22/126 (17.4%) had RTI, compared to 23/136 (16.9%) in the prophylaxis group. There was no significant difference in the numbers of LRTI and URTI, with or without an identified respiratory virus, regardless of the presence or type of antibiotic prophylaxis. Participants receiving prophylaxis did not have a significantly different risk of hospitalization, oxygen supplementation, or ICU admission. Participant Characteristics Comparisons of levofloxacin prophylaxis, other prophylaxis, any prophylaxis, and no prophylaxis Conclusion There was no observed difference in RTI, hospitalization, oxygen supplementation, or ICU admission for RTI between participants receiving or not receiving antibiotic prophylaxis in this cohort. Because of the relatively low number and severity of respiratory infections, and the high proportion that are viral in etiology, it would likely take a very large sample size to determine the impact of antibacterial prophylaxis on respiratory infections during induction therapy for pediatric ALL. Disclosures Joshua Wolf, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, Karius Inc. (Research Grant or Support) Joshua Wolf, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, Nothing to disclose

COVID-19 and Hemoglobinopathies: A Systematic Review of Clinical Presentations, Investigations, and Outcomes

This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of the clinical profile and outcome of COVID-19 infection in patients with hemoglobinopathy. The rate of COVID-19 mortality and its predictors were also identified. A systematic search was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines in five electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, WHO COVID-19 database) for articles published between 1st December 2019 to 31st October 2020. All articles with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with underlying hemoglobinopathy were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklists. Thirty-one articles with data on 246 patients with hemoglobinopathy were included in this review. In general, clinical manifestations of COVID-19 infection among patients with hemoglobinopathy were similar to the general population. Vaso-occlusive crisis occurred in 55.6% of sickle cell disease patients with COVID-19 infection. Mortality from COVID-19 infection among patients with hemoglobinopathy was 6.9%. After adjusting for age, gender, types of hemoglobinopathy and oxygen supplementation, respiratory (adj OR = 89.63, 95% CI 2.514–3195.537, p = 0.014) and cardiovascular (adj OR = 35.20, 95% CI 1.291–959.526, p = 0.035) comorbidities were significant predictors of mortality. Patients with hemoglobinopathy had a higher mortality rate from COVID-19 infection compared to the general population. Those with coexisting cardiovascular or respiratory comorbidities require closer monitoring during the course of illness. More data are needed to allow a better understanding on the clinical impact of COVID-19 infections among patients with hemoglobinopathy.Clinical Trial Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020218200.

Acute effect of oxygen therapy on exercise tolerance and dyspnea perception in ILD patients

Ambulatory oxygen therapy (AOT) is commonly prescribed in Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) patients, with the aim of reducing dyspnea and increasing exercise tolerance. Despite its frequent use and a reasonable physiological rationale, there is a lack of evidence supporting the effect of AOT on improving dyspnea during exercise. Moreover, dyspnea encompasses distinct sensory (intensity, quality) and affective (anxiety, fear) components with different underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oxygen supplementation on exercise tolerance and dyspnea in ILD patients with exercise induced hypoxia (EIH). Forty-seven ILD patients performed a six minute walk test (6MWT) on room air (RA) and with oxygen supplementation (Ox). The 6MWT distance (6MWD) was significantly greater with oxygen supplementation (RA: 242±143 m vs Ox: 345±106 m p<0,01). With oxygen supplementation, the overall dyspnea and anxiety significantly decreased both at rest (1,1±1,4 Borg Unit (BU) vs 0,4±0,9BU , p.<0.01, and 1,1±1,6BU vs 0,5±1,3 BU, p.<0.05, respectively) and at the end of exercise (5,1±2,6 BU vs 3,7±2,5 BU, p.<0.001 and 3,4 ±2,9 vs 2,5 ±2,8, p.<0.01, respectively) despite a greater walked distance. In ILD patients with EIH, oxygen supplementation increases the exercise tolerance and reduces overall dyspnea perception and the anxiety component of breathlessness.