Direct bilirubin and the neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio timely predict intensive care unit admission in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection (COVID-19)

Objective: Intensive care units (ICUs) collapsed under the global wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Thus, we designed a clinical decision-making model that can help predict at hospital admission what patients with COVID-19 are at higher risk of requiring critical care. Method(s): This was a cross-sectional study in 119 patients that met hospitalization criteria for COVID-19 including less than 30 breaths per minute, peripheral oxygen saturation < 93%, and/or >= 50% lung involvement on imaging. Depending on the need for critical care, patients were retrospectively assigned to ICU and non-ICU groups. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters were collected at admission and analyzed by classification and regression tree (CRT). Result(s): Forty-five patients were admitted to ICU and 80% of them were men older than 57.13 +/- 12.80 years on average. The leading comorbidity in ICU patients was hypertension. The CRT revealed that direct bilirubin (DB) > 0.315 mg/dl together with the neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio (NMR) > 15.90 predicted up to correctly in 92% of the patients the requirement of intensive care management, with sensitivity of 93.2%. Preexisting comorbidities did not influence on the tree growing. Conclusion(s): At hospital admission, DB and NMR can help identify nine in 10 patients with COVID-19 at higher risk of ICU admission.Copyright © 2022 Sociedad Medica del Hospital General de Mexico.

Surgical clinical characteristics of acute arterial thrombosis of the extremities in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Objective: To determine the clinical-surgical features of critical limb ischaemia (CLI) within the context of infection by SARS-CoV-2. Method(s): Cross-sectional, retrospective, observational, descriptive study, with clinical data obtained from printed and electronic records of patients with CLI treated by the Angiology and Vascular Surgery Service of the General Hospital of Mexico in the period between January 2020 and July 2021. Result(s): We evaluated the data of 33 patients with critical limb ischaemia of which 15 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the period from January 2020 to July 2021, females were the most affected representing the 53.3% of the total, patients under 60 years old accounted for 26.67%. Twenty-six percent of the patients presented critical limb ischaemia without having previous comorbidities, 60% of these presented with an advanced state of the disease and a delay in specialised medical care of more than 6 hours after the onset of symptoms, which warranted a major amputation in 37% of cases, the lower extremities represented 90% of the affected anatomical regions. Conclusion(s): the outcomes in our study show that the incidence of critical limb ischaemia during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic period occurred in an atypical way in a segment of young patients and without known event-generating comorbidities. Thromboembolic events, probably associated with the hypercoagulable state generated by this infection, also evolved rapidly and aggressively from the onset of symptoms despite prompt treatment.Copyright © 2022 Sociedad Medica del Hospital General de Mexico. Published by Permanyer.

Impact and risk factors related to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in older adults

Objective: To identify and describe the risk factors that increase susceptibility in older adults to infection by SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19). Material(s) and Method(s): Descriptive, cross-sectional study in adults over 60 years, patients with a positive result (RT-PCR) were analysed to detect SARS-CoV-2. The study was carried out from May 17 to July 21, 2020. A multiple logistic regression model was used to analyse the risk factors of the study population. Result(s): 102 older adults were included with a mean age of 82.5 +/- 8.8 years, 55 (54%) were positive and 47 (46%) were negative. When analysing the risk factors related to higher mortality coupled with Covid-19 infection, the statistically significant variable was frailty, with an OR of 11.6 in frail adults compared to robust individuals (p-value = 0.024.) Conclusion(s): In the vulnerable population, risk factors must be identified and treated, but above all, such factors must be prevented in advance;early detection, isolation, effective treatment must be carried out as well as follow-up of contacts and prevention of the spread of the new virus to reduce mortality in vulnerable groups.Copyright © 2022 Sociedad Medica del Hospital General de Mexico. Published by Permanyer.