Clinical presentation, complications, and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in an academic center with a centralized palliative care consult service.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Palliative care is a critical component of the response of a healthcare system to a pandemic. We present risk factors associated with mortality and highlight an operational palliative care consult service in facilitating early identification of risk factors to guide goal-concordant care and rational utilization of finite healthcare resources during a pandemic. METHODS: In this case series of 100 consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19, we analyzed clinical data, treatment including palliative care, and outcomes in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to three hospitals in Seattle, Washington. We compared data between patients who were discharged and non-survivors. RESULTS: Age (OR 4.67 [1.43, 15.32] ages 65-79; OR 3.96 [1.05, 14.89] ages 80-97), dementia (OR 5.62 [1.60, 19.74]), and transfer from a congregate living facility (OR 5.40 [2.07, 14.07]), as well hypoxemia and tachypnea (OR 7.00 [2.91, 22.41]; OR 2.78 [1.11, 6.97]) were associated with mortality. Forty-one (41%) patients required intensive care and 22 (22%) invasive mechanical ventilation. Forty-six (46%) patients were seen by the palliative care service, resulting in a change of resuscitation status in 54% of admitted patients. Fifty-eight (58%) patients recovered and were discharged, 34 (34%) died, and eight (8%) remained hospitalized, of which seven ultimately survived and one died. CONCLUSIONS: Older age, dementia, and congregate living were associated with mortality. Early discussions of goals of care facilitated by an operational palliative care consult service can effectively guide goal-concordant care in patients at high risk for mortality during a pandemic. Development of a functional palliative care consult service is an important component of pandemic planning.

Admission respiratory status predicts mortality in COVID-19.

COVID-19 has significant case fatality. Glucocorticoids are the only treatment shown to improve survival, but only among patients requiring supplemental oxygen. WHO advises patients to seek medical care for "trouble breathing," but hypoxemic patients frequently have no respiratory symptoms. Our cohort study of hospitalized COVID-19 patients shows that respiratory symptoms are uncommon and not associated with mortality. By contrast, objective signs of respiratory compromise-oxygen saturation and respiratory rate-are associated with markedly elevated mortality. Our findings support expanding guidelines to include at-home assessment of oxygen saturation and respiratory rate in order to expedite life-saving treatments patients to high-risk COVID-19 patients.

When cardiomyopathy, cancer, and COVID-19 collide: A case report.

Malignancy has historically prohibited solid organ transplant; however, patients with effectively treated, favorable-risk cancers should not necessarily be eliminated as transplant candidates. These cases require careful review by a multidisciplinary team. Here, we report the case of a woman with end-stage heart failure undergoing heart transplant evaluation during the COVID pandemic who was found to have early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Given her favorable cancer-related prognosis, a multidisciplinary committee recommended lumpectomy, accelerated partial breast irradiation, and adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy for definitive treatment to allow for consideration of orthotopic heart transplant.

Cardiovascular Care of the Oncology Patient During COVID-19: An Expert Consensus Document From the ACC Cardio-Oncology and Imaging Councils.

In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Cardio-Oncology and Imaging Councils of the American College of Cardiology offers recommendations to clinicians regarding the cardiovascular care of cardio-oncology patients in this expert consensus statement. Cardio-oncology patients-individuals with an active or prior cancer history and with or at risk of cardiovascular disease-are a rapidly growing population who are at increased risk of infection, and experiencing severe and/or lethal complications by COVID-19. Recommendations for optimizing screening and monitoring visits to detect cardiac dysfunction are discussed. In addition, judicious use of multimodality imaging and biomarkers are proposed to identify myocardial, valvular, vascular, and pericardial involvement in cancer patients. The difficulties of diagnosing the etiology of cardiovascular complications in patients with cancer and COVID-19 are outlined, along with weighing the advantages against risks of exposure, with the modification of existing cardiovascular treatments and cardiotoxicity surveillance in patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.