Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients in a tertiary hospital in Baguio City, Philippines

Objective@#Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), primarily targets the respiratory system. This study describes the characteristics associated with mortality among patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 at a single hospital in Baguio City, Philippines.@*Methods@#We reviewed medical records (including history, laboratory results and treatment regimen) of 280 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to a single hospital during March–October 2020. Clinical characteristics and outcomes (frequency and type of complication, recovery rate and mortality) were evaluated. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyse factors associated with mortality.@*Results@#The mean age of COVID-19 patients was 48.4 years and the female-to-male ratio was 1.8:1. Hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes were the most frequent comorbidities reported. Common presenting symptoms were respiratory and constitutional, with 41% of patients not reporting symptoms on admission. Patients with moderate, severe and critical disease comprised 45%, 8% and 4%, respectively. A total of 15% had complications, health care-associated pneumonia being the most frequent complication. The recovery rate was 95%; 5% of patients died, with multiorgan failure being the most common cause. The presence of CVD, chronic kidney disease, prolonged prothrombin time and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were associated with mortality.@*Discussion@#Most COVID-19 patients in our population had asymptomatic to moderate disease on admission. Mortality from COVID-19 was associated with having CVD, chronic kidney disease, elevated LDH and prolonged prothrombin time. Based on these results, we emphasize that people should take all necessary precautions to avoid infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol target attainment in patients with stable or acute coronary heart disease in the Philippines: Results from the Dyslipidemia international study II

Objective@#To quantify the extent of hyperlipidemia and its treatment in patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD) or an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the Philippines.@*Methods@#The Dyslipidemia International Study (DYSIS) II was an observational, multinational study conducted in patients aged ≥18 years with stable CHD or being hospitalized with an ACS. A full lipid profile was evaluated at baseline, and for the ACS cohort, at 4 months after discharge from hospital. Achievement of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets and the use of lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) were assessed.@*Results@#A total of 232 patients were enrolled from 10 centers in the Philippines, 184 with stable CHD and 48 being hospitalized with an ACS. The mean LDL-C level for the CHD patients was 88.0±40.1 mg/dL, with 33.3% achieving the target of <70 mg/dL recommended for very high-risk patients. For the ACS cohort, the mean LDL-C level was 109.0±48.5 mg/dL, with target attainment of 25.0%. The majority of the CHD cohort was being treated with LLT (97.3%), while 55.3% of the ACS patients were receiving LLT prior to hospitalization, rising to 100.0% at follow-up. There was little use of non-statins.@*Conclusions@#For these very high-risk patients from the Philippines, LDL-C target attainment was poor. Opportunities for better monitoring and treatment of these subjects are being missed.

Leishmaniasis in HIV infection.

Herein we review the particular aspects of leishmaniasis associated with HIV infection. The data in this review are mainly from papers identified from PubMed searches and from papers in reference lists of reviewed articles and from the authors' personal archives. Epidemiological data of HIV/Leishmania co-infection is discussed, with special focus on the influence of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) on incidence of leishmaniasis and transmission modalities. Microbiological characteristics, pathogenesis, clinical presentation and specific treatment of the co-infection are also presented.

Análisis comparativo de la cirugía de la necrosis pancreática en las dos últimas décadas / Comparative study of surgery in pancreatic necrosis in the last 2 decades

Con la finalidad de examinar nuestros resultados en el tratamiento quirúrgico de la necrosis pancreática se analizan retrospectivamente 31 pacientes a los que se les practicó necrosectomía en un lapso de 20 años (1971-1990). En la serie predominó el sexo masculino (22 enfermos). Se detallan las características clínicas que, junto a las pruebas de laboratorio y diagnóstico por imágenes, permitieron sospechar la necrosis con infección y decidir la oportunidad quirúrgica. La mortalidad global postoperatoria fue de 11 pacientes (35,48 por ciento). En la primera década sobre 12 operados observamos una letalidad de 8 casos (66,66 por ciento), mientras que en el segundo decenio ésta se redujo a 3 observaciones (15,78 por ciento). La completa exéresis de los tejidos desvitalizados y el aporte de una correcta reanimación pre y postoperatoria en unidades de cuidado intensivo, sumados a una nutrición parenteral o enteral que permitió evitar una realimentación oral temprana, a un mejor manejo infectológico y a la incorporación de nuevos procedimientos de diagnóstico por imágenes constituyeron la base para mejorar los resultados en los últimos 19 casos de nuestra casuística

Colecistectomía con y sin drenaje / Cholecystectomy with and without drainage

Se realiza un estudio prospectivo de 200 colecistectomías electivas, comparando 100 pacientes con drenaje subhepático con 100 sin drenaje. No se registraron muertes ni complicaciones graves. La incidencia de complicaciones menores tales como hipertermia, atelectasias laminares y pequeños derrames pleurales fue mayor en el grupo con drenaje aunque la diferencia no fue significativa. El tiempo promedio de internación fue menor en el grupo sin drenaje; no hubo morbilidad atribuible a la ausencia del mismo. La experiencia recogida nos permite sugerir que bajo las circunstancias establecidas en nuestro protocolo se puede prescindir de drenar la región subhepática a continuación de una colecistectomía.