The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mortality and morbidity of patients undergoing trauma surgery: a report from the UK Corona TRAUMA Surge (UKCoTS) study.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the outcomes of the patients who underwent trauma surgery during the peak of the pandemic. METHODS: The UKCoTS collected the postoperative outcomes of consecutive patients who underwent trauma surgery across 50 centres during the peak of the pandemic (April 2020) and during April 2019. RESULTS: Patients who were operated on during 2020 were less likely to be followed up within a 30-day postoperative period (57.5% versus 75.6% p <0.001). The 30-day mortality rate was significantly higher during 2020 (7.4% versus 3.7%, p <0.001). Likewise, the 60-day mortality rate was significantly higher in 2020 than in 2019 (p <0.001). Patients who were operated on during 2020 had lower rates of 30-day postoperative complications (20.7% versus 26.4%, p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative mortality was higher during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the same period in 2019, but with lower rates of postoperative complications and reoperation.

Predictors of severity and development of critical illness of Egyptian COVID-19 patients: A multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: We conducted the present multicenter, retrospective study to assess the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics associated with critical illness among patients with COVID-19 from Egypt. METHODS: The present study was a multicenter, retrospective study that retrieved the data of all Egyptian cases with confirmed COVID-19 admitted to hospitals affiliated to the General Organization for Teaching Hospitals and Institutes (GOTHI) through the period from March to July 2020. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was based on a positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) laboratory test. RESULTS: This retrospective study included 2724 COVID-19 patients, of whom 423 (15.52%) were critically ill. Approximately 45.86% of the critical group aged above 60 years, compared to 39.59% in the non-critical group (p = 0.016). Multivariate analysis showed that many factors were predictors of critically illness, including age >60 years (OR = 1.30, 95% CI [1.05, 1.61], p = 0.014), low oxygen saturation (OR = 0.93, 95% CI [0.91, 0.95], p<0.001), low Glasgow coma scale (OR = 0.75, 95% CI [0.67, 0.84], p<0.001), diabetes (OR = 1.62, 95% CI [1.26, 2.08], p<0.001), cancer (OR = 2.47, 95% CI [1.41, 4.35], p = 0.002), and serum ferritin (OR = 1.004, 95% CI [1.0003, 1.008], p = 0.031). CONCLUSION: In the present report, we demonstrated that many factors are associated with COVID-19 critical illness, including older age groups, fatigue, elevated temperature, increased pulse, lower oxygen saturation, the preexistence of diabetes, malignancies, cardiovascular disease, renal diseases, and pulmonary disease. Moreover, elevated serum levels of ALT, AST, and ferritin are associated with worse outcomes. Further studies are required to identify independent predictors of mortality for patients with COVID-19.

Knowledge, Applicability, and Barriers of Telemedicine in Egypt: A National Survey.

OBJECTIVES: The study is aimed at evaluating knowledge, attitude, and barriers to telemedicine among the general population in Egypt. METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional design was carried out among the general Egyptian population. A convenience sampling method was used to approach the eligible participants from University Teaching Hospitals of eight governorates from May to July 2020. RESULTS: A total of 686 participants filled the questionnaire (49.4% were males, mean age 36.7 ± 11.2 years old). Half of the participants stated that they previously used a telemedicine tool, mainly to follow up laboratory results (67.3%). Video or phone calls (39.3%) and mobile applications (23.7%) were the most commonly recognized telemedicine tools by the participants. The included participants exhibited a high level of knowledge and attitude towards telemedicine. On the other hand, 21.9% stated that telemedicine services could jeopardize patient privacy. 32.8% reported that telemedicine service could lead to disclosing medical information to people who are not authorized to do so. Almost half of the participants agreed to strongly agreed that telemedicine service could increase medical errors. 60.80% of the participants said that they are more likely to prefer telemedicine than traditional ways. However, 13.70% stated that telemedicine is more likely to be challenging to use. CONCLUSION: The Egyptian population has high knowledge about the applications of telemedicine. In addition, the vast majority of Egyptians appear to perceive the benefits of telemedicine positively and are willing to use it. However, some barriers that have been found must be taken into consideration to adopt telemedicine successfully, especially for people who are old, are low educated, and live in remote areas. Future studies should address the utility of telemedicine in improving the quality of healthcare and patient's health outcome and quality of life.