ABSTRACT
BackgroundA devastating medical disorder, the coronavirus pandemic infection (COVID-19), produced by the coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), is primarily characterized by severe pneumonia. Pulmonary hypertension (PH), which may cause right ventricular (RV) involvement and dysfunction, can occur as a result of lung parenchymal injury and disturbed pulmonary circulation. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a very reliable noninvasive approach to determining the severity of PH. Similar to that, thorax computer tomography (TCT) can effectively detect the severity of lung damage during the acute phase of a COVID-19 infection.AimsThe goal of this research is to examine PH and altered right ventricular function by TTE in post-COVID-19 cases.Patients and methodsThis retrospective case-control study was conducted at Tanta Chest University Hospital, Tanta, Egypt. The study started from October 2021 to September 2022 on 50 post-COVID-19 cases with one or more clinical manifestations of PH. These cases underwent TTE (group I showed normal PAP "control group," groups II & III with PH further subdivided according to PaO2).ResultsRisk factors of age, BMI, diabetes mellitus, and smoking were substantially raised in group III, but sex and hypertension were insignificant. Symptoms of chest pain, dyspnea, and palpitation were worse in group III. Levels of LDH, d-dimer, ESR, and serum bilirubin were substantially increased in group III in comparison to the other groups. Post-COVID-19-associated lung fibrosis and embolism were higher in group III. Mean values of estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (esPAP) and right atrial and right ventricular diameters were substantially increased in groups III and II in comparison to group I. Mean values of RV-GLS and TAPSE were lower in groups III and II in comparison to group I. FEV1, FVC, PEFR, and FEF25-75% percentage of the predicted were significantly low in groups II and III. FEV1/FVC ratio was substantially lower in group II in comparison to groups I and III.ConclusionsThe incidence of pulmonary hypertension in post-COVID-19 patients with suspected manifestations of PH is 70%. Increased age, BMI, DM, smoking, decreased PaO2, increased CORADS score, and abnormal spirometry are risk factors for PH in post-COVID-19 patients. Patients with post-COVID-19 PH stay more either in ICU or ward.
ABSTRACT
Background: Nursing is a noble profession that aims to care for individuals, families, and communities to achieve optimum health and quality of life. Nurses are the largest constituent of the healthcare team and nursing students’ motivation towards their field of inquiry affects their satisfaction and academic performance. Aim: To examine the academic motivation among nursing students in public universities in Jordan in the context of COVID-19. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in three public universities in Jordan. A total of 437 nursing students in their second, third, or fourth year of study answered a self-administered online questionnaire. Descriptive and multivariant analysis was conducted using SPSS 24. Results: Academic motivation among students from three public universities was below the averages reported in the international literature. Students’ mean scores on the academic motivation scale knowledge was 90.25 out of 196, and the average mean scores for all subscales were just above the midpoint, except for the extrinsic regulation scale, which was 14.57 out of 30. Students reported higher levels of extrinsic motivation. Conclusions: Educators must focus on nursing students’ need for support and consider the development of a curriculum that strengthens student learning and nurtures their internal and external motivation needs. © 2022 DSR Publishers ∕ The University of Jordan. All Rights Reserved.