Overview of dermatologic tele-expertise in areas of low physician density: A retrospective study at Le Mans general hospital.

BACKGROUND: In areas of low physician density, especially as regards dermatologists in France, there is an increasing interest in tele-expertise. This is particularly the case in the Sarthe department, where the number of physicians continues to decline and access to care was further limited by the COVID 19 epidemic. STUDY DESIGN: We retrospectively collected data from tele-expertise requests submitted to Le Mans General Hospital by general practitioners via a dedicated platform between May 6, 2019, and April 9, 2021. RESULTS: Six hundred and forty three requests relating to 90 different diagnoses were recorded during this period. One hundred and thirty four patients (20% of requests) were invited to attend a face-to-face consultation within an average of 29 days. DISCUSSION: Through the use of tele-expertise at Le Mans Genreal Hospital it was possible to introduce a means of tackling the problem of the lack of dermatologists in the Sarthe department. Rapid responses enabled the number of consultation requests to be reduced, leading to fewer population displacements in the context of the present pandemic. CONCLUSION: These initial results are encouraging and confirm that tele-expertise seems a satisfactory option to optimize access to care for populations in areas of low physician density.

Pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism and COVID-19: A district general hospital experience from the UK.

BACKGROUND: Preliminary data suggest that the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with COVID-19 is around 13%, but its prognostic role remains unclear. Approximately 3% of patients develop chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) following diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). It is recommended that patients are screened for CTEPH if they remain symptomatic 3 months following diagnosis of PE. The primary aim of the study was to assess the chances of persistent PH following PE secondary to COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at a District General Hospital (DGH) in the United Kingdom. All patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and PE between April 2020 and October 2021 were examined. Patients were divided into two groups:·COVID-19 and PE with comorbidities (excluding pre-existing PH) and·COVID-19 and PE without comorbidities. We compared the ECHO features suggestive of PH between the two groups at the time of diagnosis of PE and at 3 months following treatment. RESULTS: 80 patients were included in the study (49 with comorbidities and 31 with no comorbidities). Average age of comorbidities and no comorbidities groups were 73 years and 70 years, respectively. Average PaO2/FiO2 ratio for comorbidities and no comorbidities groups were 170 and 195, respectively. Fourteen patients (13 with comorbidities and 1 with no comorbidities) died in total. Results showed that risk of persistent PH and subsequent mortality following PE in COVID-19 is 4.17 times and 1.32 times more in comorbidity group as compared to no comorbidity group, respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with comorbidities are at high risk of persistent PH and mortality due to PE secondary to COVID-19.

Changes in the Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Disaggregated Analysis by Region and Hospital Type in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a global shortage of medical resources; therefore, we investigated whether COVID-19 impacted the quality of non-COVID-19 hospital care in Korea by comparing hospital standardized mortality rates (HSMRs) before and during the pandemic. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed Korean National Health Insurance discharge claim data obtained from January to June in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Patients' in-hospital deaths were classified according to the most responsible diagnosis categories. The HSMR is calculated as the ratio of expected deaths to actual deaths. The time trend in the overall HSMR was analyzed by region and hospital type. RESULTS: The final analysis included 2 252 824 patients. In 2020, the HSMR increased nationwide (HSMR, 99.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 97.7 to 101.0) in comparison to 2019 (HSMR, 97.3; 95% CI, 95.8 to 98.8). In the COVID-19 pandemic zone, the HSMR increased significantly in 2020 (HSMR, 112.7; 95% CI, 107.0 to 118.7) compared to 2019 (HSMR, 101.7; 95% CI, 96.9 to 106.6). The HSMR in all general hospitals increased significantly in 2020 (HSMR, 106.4; 95% CI, 104.3 to 108.5) compared to 2019 (HSMR, 100.3; 95% CI, 98.4 to 102.2). Hospitals participating in the COVID-19 response had a lower HSMR (HSMR, 95.6; 95% CI, 93.9 to 97.4) than hospitals not participating in the COVID-19 response (HSMR, 124.3; 95% CI, 119.3 to 129.4). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively impacted the quality of care in hospitals, especially general hospitals with relatively few beds. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to prevent excessive workloads in hospitals and to properly employ and coordinate the workforce.

[Discussion on the establishment of regional peacetime and wartime combined emergency hospital from the collaborative governance theory].

In the context of the prevention and control for coronavirus disease (COVID), public health emergency governance has been incorporated into an important part of the national governance system, and the "combination of peacetime and wartime" has become an important principle of public health emergency governance. Based on the experience of public health emergency management in large cities and the theory of collaborative governance, this study analyzed the problems and obstacles of general hospitals in coping with emerging respiratory infectious diseases. It is proposed to select general hospitals above tertiary level in the region to build peacetime and wartime combined emergency hospital, establish standardized conversion procedures and strengthen the construction of key elements of integrated emergency hospitals, so as to provide new ideas for the construction of emergency medical system "combination of peacetime and wartime" mechanism and improve the "combination of civilian and combat" public health emergency governance system.

Recording of intellectual disability in general hospitals in England 2006-2019: Cohort study using linked datasets.

BACKGROUND: Accurate recognition and recording of intellectual disability in those who are admitted to general hospitals is necessary for making reasonable adjustments, ensuring equitable access, and monitoring quality of care. In this study, we determined the rate of recording of intellectual disability in those with the condition who were admitted to hospital and factors associated with the condition being unrecorded. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Retrospective cohort study using 2 linked datasets of routinely collected clinical data in England. We identified adults with diagnosed intellectual disability in a large secondary mental healthcare database and used general hospital records to investigate recording of intellectual disability when people were admitted to general hospitals between 2006 and 2019. Trends over time and factors associated with intellectual disability being unrecorded were investigated. We obtained data on 2,477 adults with intellectual disability who were admitted to a general hospital in England at least once during the study period (total number of admissions = 27,314; median number of admissions = 5). People with intellectual disability were accurately recorded as having the condition during 2.9% (95% CI 2.7% to 3.1%) of their admissions. Broadening the criteria to include a nonspecific code of learning difficulty increased recording to 27.7% (95% CI 27.2% to 28.3%) of all admissions. In analyses adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic deprivation, having a mild intellectual disability and being married were associated with increased odds of the intellectual disability being unrecorded in hospital records. We had no measure of quality of hospital care received and could not relate this to the presence or absence of a record of intellectual disability in the patient record. CONCLUSIONS: Recognition and recording of intellectual disability in adults admitted to English general hospitals needs to be improved. Staff awareness training, screening at the point of admission, and data sharing between health and social care services could improve care for people with intellectual disability.

The role of corticosteroids in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at Mexico general Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the evolution of hospitalized patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 who received corticosteroid-based treatment versus patients who received standard therapy. METHOD: Retrospective, observational, and analytical study. Clinical records were collected from the different intensive care units, and data were obtained from confirmed COVID-19 patients over 18 years of age who were hospitalized. The population was divided into two groups: patients who received corticosteroid treatment, and those who received standard therapy. RESULTS: A total of 1603 patients were admitted to hospital, and of these 984 (62.9%) were discharged due to death. The main result was the identification by odds ratio (OR: 4.68; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 3.75-5.83; p = 0.001) as risk for death to the use of systemic steroids, as well as the use of invasive mechanical ventilation (OR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.80-2.82; p < 0.001). The male gender was the most affected with 1051 (65.6%) patients. Mean age was 56 years (± 14). CONCLUSIONS: Corticosteroid use was associated with poor prognosis in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 compared to those receiving standard therapy.

OBJETIVO: Comparar la evolución de los pacientes hospitalizados infectados por SARS-CoV-2 que recibieron tratamiento a base de corticoesteroides frente a los pacientes que recibieron la terapia estándar. MÉTODO: Estudio de tipo retrospectivo, observacional y analítico. Se recolectaron los expedientes clínicos de las diferentes unidades de terapia intensiva y se obtuvieron datos de los pacientes confirmados de COVID-19, mayores de 18 años, que estuvieron hospitalizados. Se dividió la población en dos grupos: pacientes que recibieron tratamiento con corticoesteroides y pacientes que recibieron terapia estándar. RESULTADOS: De un total de 1603 pacientes ingresados a hospitalización, 984 (62.9%) fallecieron. El resultado principal fue la identificación mediante razón de momios (odds ratio [OR]: 4.68; intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC95%]: 3.75-5.83; p = 0.001) como riesgo para defunción con uso de esteroides sistémicos, así como con uso de ventilación mecánica invasiva (OR: 2.26; IC95%: 1.80-2.82; p < 0.001). El sexo masculino fue el más afectado, con 1051 (65.6%) pacientes. La media de edad fue de 56 años (± 14). CONCLUSIONES: El uso de corticoesteroides se asoció con mal pronóstico en los pacientes hospitalizados por COVID-19, en comparación con los que recibieron la terapia estándar.

Implementing caregiver management measures in general hospitals to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: To summarize the whole process management measures for caregivers of inpatients in a non-new coronavirus pneumonia designated hospital in China during the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic. The implementation of these measures is mainly to prevent the virus pandemic caused by crowd gathering. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental study. METHODS: Novel coronavirus pneumonia prevention and control measures were implemented in the 'pre-hospital link, hospitalization link and discharge link' for the whole process of the hospitalized patients' caregivers. To evaluate the effects by time point inspection, the results were fed back using information technology for quality improvement. RESULTS: The results of three time point inspections indicated that the management quality of many projects improved continuously (p < 0.05). From January to June of 2021, 20 departments implemented a facial recognition information management system. The ratio of patients/caregivers admitted was 1:0.528~1:0.965; It was found that it is effective to implement the whole process management measures. The facial recognition system plays a key role in the comprehensive management of the caregivers.

Day Case Local Anaesthetic Thoracoscopy: Experience from 2 District General Hospitals in the United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: Local anaesthetic thoracoscopy (LAT) can be a vital procedure for diagnosis of unexplained pleural effusions. Traditionally, poudrage for pleurodesis and insertion of a large bore drain necessitated admission. There has been a shift towards performing LAT as a day case procedure with indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) insertion. This was advocated during the COVID pandemic by the British Thoracic Society (BTS). To determine the feasibility of such pathways, continuous evaluations are required. METHODS: All day case LAT procedures with IPC insertion, performed in theatre, were identified at two large district general hospitals (Northumbria HealthCare in the North East of England and Victoria Hospital, NHS Fife, in Scotland). Rapid pleurodesis with talc was not performed due to local staffing problems. All patients had their LAT in theatre under conscious sedation with a rigid scope. Demographics, clinical, radiological and histopathological characteristics and outcomes were collected. RESULTS: 79 patients underwent day case LAT. The lung did not deflate, meaning biopsies were not enabled, in four of the patients. The mean age was 72 years (standard deviation 13). Fifty-five patients were male and twenty-four were female. The main diagnoses were lung cancers, mesotheliomas and fibrinous pleuritis with an overall diagnostic sensitivity of 93%. Other diagnoses were breast, tonsillar, unknown primary cancers and lymphomas. Seventy-three IPCs were simultaneously placed and, due to normal macroscopic appearances in two patients, two large bore drains were placed and removed within one hour of LAT termination. Sixty-six (88%) patients were discharged on the same day. Seven patients required admission: one for treatment of surgical emphysema, four because they lived alone, one for pain control and one for control of a cardiac arrythmia. Within 30 days, there were five IPC site infections with two resultant empyemas (9%), with no associated mortality. Two patients developed pneumonia requiring admission and one patient required admission for pain management. The median number of days for which the IPCs remained in situ was 78.5 days (IQR 95). The median length of stay (LoS) was 0 days (IQR 0). No patients required further interventions for pleural fluid management. CONCLUSIONS: Day case LAT with IPC insertion is feasible with this current set up, with a median stay of 0 days, and should be widely adopted. The health economics of preventing admission are considerable, as our previous analysis showed a median length of stay of 3.96 days, although we are not comparing matched cohorts.

Personal protective equipment availability and accessibility among nurses and midwives in selected urban general hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic in January 2020, which has spread to many countries, including Zambia. Zambia has had challenges in providing personal protective equipment (PPEs) to nurses and midwives. The study's objective was to assess the availability and accessibility of PPEs among nurses and midwives caring for women in the general hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods: a cross-sectional analytical study design was conducted at five general hospitals in Lusaka on 162 nurses and midwives between February and April 2021, selected by purposive sampling of study sites and simple random sampling to select the participants. Data was collected using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire and analyzed in STATA version 13. Chi-square and Fisher's exact test were used to test associations between the independent variables and the outcome, and a multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the predictors of accessing PPEs. Results: out of the 162 who participated in the study, 48.8% were nurses, while 51.2% were midwives. Only 10% (16/160) of the participants reported having enough PPEs at work. Age, marital status, PPE use, employment duration, and protection confidence were associated with accessibility (P<0.05). Conclusion: overall, there was an inadequate provision of PPEs in the health facilities putting the nurses and midwives at a high risk of acquiring COVID-19. Policymakers need a deliberate move to make the availability and accessibility of PPEs a reality during the pandemic.

Implementation of a digital early warning score (NEWS2) in a cardiac specialist and general hospital settings in the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate implementation of digital National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) in a cardiac care setting and a general hospital setting in the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Thematic analysis of qualitative semistructured interviews using the non-adoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, sustainability framework with purposefully sampled nurses and managers, as well as online surveys from March to December 2021. SETTINGS: Specialist cardiac hospital (St Bartholomew's Hospital) and general teaching hospital (University College London Hospital, UCLH). PARTICIPANTS: Eleven nurses and managers from cardiology, cardiac surgery, oncology and intensive care wards (St Bartholomew's) and medical, haematology and intensive care wards (UCLH) were interviewed and 67 were surveyed online. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged: (1) implementing NEWS2 challenges and supports; (2) value of NEWS2 to alarm, escalate and during the pandemic; and (3) digitalisation: electronic health record (EHR) integration and automation. The value of NEWS2 was partly positive in escalation, yet there were concerns by nurses who undervalued NEWS2 particularly in cardiac care. Challenges, like clinicians' behaviours, lack of resources and training and the perception of NEWS2 value, limit the success of this implementation. Changes in guidelines in the pandemic have led to overlooking NEWS2. EHR integration and automated monitoring are improvement solutions that are not fully employed yet. CONCLUSION: Whether in specialist or general medical settings, the health professionals implementing early warning score in healthcare face cultural and system-related challenges to adopting NEWS2 and digital solutions. The validity of NEWS2 in specialised settings and complex conditions is not yet apparent and requires comprehensive validation. EHR integration and automation are powerful tools to facilitate NEWS2 if its principles are reviewed and rectified, and resources and training are accessible. Further examination of implementation from the cultural and automation domains is needed.

COVID-19-related consultation-liaison (CL) mental health services in general hospitals: A perspective from Europe and beyond.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic posed new challenges for integrated health care worldwide. Our study aimed to describe newly implemented structures and procedures of psychosocial consultation and liaison (CL) services in Europe and beyond, and to highlight emerging needs for co-operation. METHODS: Cross-sectional online survey from June to October 2021, using a self-developed 25-item questionnaire in four language versions (English, French, Italian, German). Dissemination was via national professional societies, working groups, and heads of CL services. RESULTS: Of the participating 259 CL services from Europe, Iran, and parts of Canada, 222 reported COVID-19 related psychosocial care (COVID-psyCare) in their hospital. Among these, 86.5% indicated that specific COVID-psyCare co-operation structures had been established. 50.8% provided specific COVID-psyCare for patients, 38.2% for relatives, and 77.0% for staff. Over half of the time resources were invested for patients. About a quarter of the time was used for staff, and these interventions, typically associated with the liaison function of CL services, were reported as most useful. Concerning emerging needs, 58.1% of the CL services providing COVID-psyCare expressed wishes for mutual information exchange and support, and 64.0% suggested specific changes or improvements that they considered essential for the future. CONCLUSION: Over 80% of participating CL services established specific structures to provide COVID-psyCare for patients, their relatives, or staff. Mostly, resources were committed to patient care and specific interventions were largely implemented for staff support. Future development of COVID-psyCare warrants intensified intra- and inter-institutional exchange and co-operation.

Proactive use of QI methodology in consultation-liaison psychiatry to support the opening of a new COVID+ behavioral health inpatient unit during the omicron surge.

Inpatient consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatry teams routinely facilitate the transfer of medically stable patients in behavioral health crisis from the general hospital to inpatient psychiatric units. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on this process when inpatient psychiatric units were unable to provide care for patients with asymptomatic COVID-19 infection because of infection control concerns in units unable to accommodate isolation precautions. Similar to other disrupted hospital workflows, these clinical handoffs became more complicated by requiring COVID exposed or COVID+ patients in the midst of behavioral health crisis to quarantine or isolate on general hospital units if not otherwise stable for discharge to the community. To better respond to the growing number of patients isolating in the general hospital during the 2022 Omicron surge, we used quality improvement (QI) methodology to illustrate the need to create a COVID+ unit in the inpatient psychiatric hospital to care for the growing cohort of COVID+ patients in psychiatric crisis who were otherwise unable to access traditional psychiatric hospital care because of their isolation status.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2.0 - Brazilian version.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety culture concerns the values, beliefs and standards shared by an organisation's health staff and other personnel which influence their care provision actions and conduct. Several countries have made a priority of strengthening patient safety culture to improve the quality and safety of health care. In this direction, measuring the patient safety culture through validated instruments is a strategy applied worldwide. The purpose of this study was to adapt transculturally and validate the HSOPSC 2.0 to Brazilian Portuguese and the hospital context in Brazil. METHODS: Of the various validated scales for measuring safety culture, the instrument most used internationally is the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) developed by the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2004 and revised in 2019, when version 2.0 was released. Adaptation was conducted on a universalist approach and the adapted instrument was then applied to a sample of 2,702 respondents (56% response rate) comprising staff of a large general hospital in the city of São Paulo. Construct validity was investigated by Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling-within-Confirmatory Factor Analysis (ESEM-within-CFA) and reliability was measured in each dimension by means of Cronbach alpha coefficients. RESULTS: ESEM fit indexes showed good data fit with the proposed model: χ2 = 634.425 df = 221 χ2/df ratio = 2.9 p-value < 0.0000; RMSEA = 0.045 (90% C.I. = 0.041-0.050) and probability RMSEA < = .05 = 0.963; CFI = 0.986; TLI = 0.968. However, ten items had loads lower than 0.4. Cronbach alpha values were 0.6 or more for all dimensions, except Handoffs and information exchange ([Formula: see text]= 0.50) and Staffing and work pace ([Formula: see text] = 0.41). CONCLUSION: The psychometric properties of the Brazilian version were found to be satisfactory, demonstrating good internal consistency and construct validity as expressed by estimates of reliability and indexes of model fit. However, given factor loadings smaller than 0.4 observed in ten items and considering that the scale translated and adapted to Portuguese was tested on a single sample during the Covid-19 pandemic, the authors recognize the need for it to be tested on other samples in Brazil to investigate its validity.

[Comparison of postvaccinal antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic cases, symptomatic cases, and non-cases in a cohort of general hospital workers]. / Comparación de anticuerpos postvacunales al SARS-CoV-2 en casos asintomáticos, casos sintomáticos, y no casos de una cohorte de trabajadores de un hospital general.

Estimada Sra. Directora: Agradecemos a los doctores Rujittika Mungmunpuntipantip y Viroj Wiwanitkit su interés por nuestra publicación(1) en la carta en la que se subrayan la importancia de los casos asintomáticos de COVID-19 en la evaluación de los efectos de la vacunación anti-SARS-CoV-2(2). Compartimos con ellos que las personas asintomáticas al COVID-19 pueden presentar unos niveles de anticuerpos anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG-S mayores que las personas sin historia previa de COVID-19, y que pueden diferir en las reacciones a la vacunación, considerando que la prevalencia de COVID-19 asintomáticos se ha descrito como elevada(3).  En nuestra cohorte de trabajadores del Hospital General Universitario de Castellón, se detectaron 5 casos de COVID-19 asintomáticos (CA), incluyendo los dos seguimientos realizados(1,4), y 20 casos presentaron síntomas de COVID-19 (CS), con un total de 25 casos con confirmación por el laboratorio, 20 % tasa de asintomáticos (5/25). En la tabla 1 se recogen las características de los CA, CS, y de los participantes que no habían sufrido la enfermedad. Los CA eran más jóvenes que los otros 2 grupos, y la proporción de varones era significativamente mayor (p=0,027). En cuanto a los anticuerpos Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG-S al mes de la vacunación, los niveles de los CS fueron mayores que los de CA, y de los no casos, siendo estos últimos los que tuvieron significativamente menores niveles (p<0,001). Sin embargo, a los 8 meses de la vacunación la caída de IgG-S fue general, y los niveles de IgG-S eran mayores en los CA que en los CS y en los no casos (p<0,001). Los niveles de IgG-S considerados como protectores ? 4160 UA/ml, eran mayores en los CA y CS que el de los no casos (p=0,001). Si bien, el declive era similar en los tres grupos (p=0,084). Los síntomas y los efectos secundarios de las dos dosis de vacuna Pfizer-BioNTech no presentaron diferencias significativas entre los grupos. Estos resultados son coincidentes con númerosos estudios, en los que se constata que los casos de COVID-19 presentan niveles más elevados de IgG-S que las personas que no han sufrido la enfermedad(5), y se apreció que en valores medio no se alcanzaron los niveles de IgG-S protectores. De aquí la importancia de disponer de marcadores más efectivos de la situación de protección de la personas vacunadas tanto si han sufrido la enfermedad como sino. Además de los anticuerpos neutralizantes, la determinación de la inmunidad celular podría ser muy conveniente para conocer los niveles de protección.

Neurosurgical Services in the Northern Zone of Sarawak in Malaysia: The Way Forward Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has set a huge challenge to the delivery of neurosurgical services, including the transfer of patients. We aimed to share our strategy in handling neurosurgical emergencies at a remote center in Borneo island. Our objectives included discussing the logistic and geographic challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Miri General Hospital is a remote center in Sarawak, Malaysia, serving a population with difficult access to neurosurgical services. Two neurosurgeons were stationed here on a rotational basis every fortnight during the pandemic to handle neurosurgical cases. Patients were triaged depending on their urgent needs for surgery or transfer to a neurosurgical center and managed accordingly. All patients were screened for potential risk of contracting COVID-19 prior to the surgery. Based on this, the level of personal protective equipment required for the health care workers involved was determined. RESULTS: During the initial 6 weeks of the Movement Control Order in Malaysia, there were 50 urgent neurosurgical consultations. Twenty patients (40%) required emergency surgery or intervention. There were 9 vascular (45%), 5 trauma (25%), 4 tumor (20%), and 2 hydrocephalus cases (10%). Eighteen patients were operated at Miri General Hospital, among whom 17 (94.4%) survived. Ninety percent of anticipated transfers were avoided. None of the medical staff acquired COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: This framework allowed timely intervention for neurosurgical emergencies (within a safe limit), minimized transfer, and enabled uninterrupted neurosurgical services at a remote center with difficult access to neurosurgical care during a pandemic.

[Post-vaccination antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of workers of a general hospital]. / Anticuerpos postvacunales frente a SARS-CoV-2 en una cohorte de trabajadores de un hospital general.

INTRODUCTION: The aim was to estimate the evolution of the levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, the associated factors, and the incidence of new infections during the follow-up period.  Method: Prospective cohort study of a representative sample of workers at the General University Hospital of Castellon 8 months after receiving the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, by determining IgG-S, IgG-NP, follow-up and response to a questionnaire. The results were compared with those at the start of the cohort in February 2021. Multivariate linear regression and Poisson regression were used.  Results: A total of 253 workers participated out of the 275 in the start of the cohort. All had detectable levels of IgG-S, median 691% AU/ml, decreasing by 93.3% compared with the first study. The decline of IgG-S increased with age and obesity; and decreased with a COVID-19 previous history, regular exercise, and in smokers. IgG-NP was positively associated with a history of COVID-19, taking vitamin D, and decreased from 4.4% to 1.2%. There were 4 new cases of COVID-19 in the cohort, with and incidence rate of 1.7%. One death occurred in a participant with immunosuppressive treatment, only one case was asymptomatic and no reinfections occurred. CONCLUSIONS: A general decrease of IgG-S and IgG-NP antibodies after the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was observed in the cohort, as well as with new SARS-CoV-2 infections. Booster doses, maintaining protective measures and further determination of the protection threshold of vaccination are recommended.

Introducción: Estimar la evolución de los niveles de anticuerpos anti-SARS-CoV-2 y los factores asociados, así como la incidencia de nuevas infecciones. Método: Estudio de cohorte prospectivo de una muestra representativa de trabajadores del Hospital General Universitario de Castellón a los 8 meses de recibir la 2ª dosis de la vacuna Pfizer-BioNTech contra el SARS-CoV-2, mediante la determinación de anticuerpos IgG-S y IgG-NP, y la cumplimentación de un cuestionario. Se compararon los resultados con los del inicio de la cohorte en febrero de 2021. Se usó regresión lineal múltiple y regresión de Poisson.  Resultados: Participaron 253 trabajadores de los 275 reclutados al inicio de la cohorte (92%). Todos mantenían niveles detectables de IgG-S, mediana de 691,5 UA/ml, disminuyendo un 93,3% con respecto al inicio. Los descensos de IgG-S fueron mayores con la edad y la obesidad, y menores en aquellos con historia de COVID-19, IgG-S elevada inicial, practicar ejercicio habitual y ser fumador. Tener IgG-NP se asoció positivamente con historia de COVID-19, tomar vitamina D, y disminuyeron del 4,4% al 1,2%. Se produjeron 4 casos de COVID-19 en la cohorte, con una tasa de incidencia del 1,7%, con un fallecimiento en un participante con tratamiento inmunosupresor, solo un caso fue asintomático y no hubo reinfecciones.  Conclusiones: Se produce un descenso general de los anticuerpos IgG-S e IgG-NP después de la segunda dosis de vacuna Pfizer-BioNTech, así como nuevas infecciones por SARS-CoV-2. Se recomienda dosis de recuerdo, mantener medidas protectoras y determinar el umbral de anticuerpos protectores de la vacunación.