Complication Rate of Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy in Critically Ill Adults With Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Obesity has traditionally been described as a relative contraindication to percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT). Increased familiarity with the technique and use of bronchoscopy or real-time ultrasonography to enhance visualization have led many practitioners to expand the indication for PDT to patients historically deemed to have high risk of perioperative complications. Objective: To assess the reported complication rate of PDT in critically ill adults with obesity and compare it with that of open surgical tracheostomies (OSTs) in this patient population and with that of PDT in their counterparts without obesity. Data Sources: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from January 1, 2000, to March 1, 2022. Key terms related to percutaneous tracheostomy and obesity were included. Study Selection: Original investigations of critically ill adult patients (age ≥18 years) with obesity who underwent PDT that reported at least 1 complication of interest were included. Case reports or series with fewer than 5 patients were excluded, as were studies in a language other than English or French. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) were used, with independent extraction by multiple observers. Frequencies were reported for all dichotomous variables. Relative risks for complications were calculated using both fixed-effects and random-effects models in the meta-analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: Main outcomes included mortality directly associated with the procedure, conversion to OST, and complications associated with the procedure (subclassified into life-threatening or non-life-threatening adverse events). Results: Eighteen studies were included in the systematic review, comprising 1355 patients with obesity who underwent PDT. The PDT-related complication rate was 16.6% among patients with obesity overall (791 patients, 17 studies), most of which were non-life-threatening. Only 0.6% of cases (8 of 1314 patients, 17 studies) were aborted or converted to an OST. A meta-analysis of 12 studies (N = 4212; 1078 with obesity and 3134 without obesity) showed that patients with obesity had a higher rate of complications associated with PDT compared with their counterparts without obesity (risk ratio, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.38-2.28). A single study compared PDT with OST directly for critically ill adults with obesity; thus, the intended meta-analysis could not be performed in this subgroup. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings suggest that the rate of complications of PDT is low in critically ill individuals with obesity, although the risk of complications may be higher than in individuals without obesity.

Strategies to safely rule out pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 outpatients: a multicenter retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective was to define a safe strategy to exclude pulmonary embolism (PE) in COVID-19 outpatients, without performing CT pulmonary angiogram (CTPA). METHODS: COVID-19 outpatients from 15 university hospitals who underwent a CTPA were retrospectively evaluated. D-Dimers, variables of the revised Geneva and Wells scores, as well as laboratory findings and clinical characteristics related to COVID-19 pneumonia, were collected. CTPA reports were reviewed for the presence of PE and the extent of COVID-19 disease. PE rule-out strategies were based solely on D-Dimer tests using different thresholds, the revised Geneva and Wells scores, and a COVID-19 PE prediction model built on our dataset were compared. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC), failure rate, and efficiency were calculated. RESULTS: In total, 1369 patients were included of whom 124 were PE positive (9.1%). Failure rate and efficiency of D-Dimer > 500 µg/l were 0.9% (95%CI, 0.2-4.8%) and 10.1% (8.5-11.9%), respectively, increasing to 1.0% (0.2-5.3%) and 16.4% (14.4-18.7%), respectively, for an age-adjusted D-Dimer level. D-dimer > 1000 µg/l led to an unacceptable failure rate to 8.1% (4.4-14.5%). The best performances of the revised Geneva and Wells scores were obtained using the age-adjusted D-Dimer level. They had the same failure rate of 1.0% (0.2-5.3%) for efficiency of 16.8% (14.7-19.1%), and 16.9% (14.8-19.2%) respectively. The developed COVID-19 PE prediction model had an AUC of 0.609 (0.594-0.623) with an efficiency of 20.5% (18.4-22.8%) when its failure was set to 0.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The strategy to safely exclude PE in COVID-19 outpatients should not differ from that used in non-COVID-19 patients. The added value of the COVID-19 PE prediction model is minor. KEY POINTS: • D-dimer level remains the most important predictor of pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 patients. • The AUCs of the revised Geneva and Wells scores using an age-adjusted D-dimer threshold were 0.587 (95%CI, 0.572 to 0.603) and 0.588 (95%CI, 0.572 to 0.603). • The AUC of COVID-19-specific strategy to rule out pulmonary embolism ranged from 0.513 (95%CI: 0.503 to 0.522) to 0.609 (95%CI: 0.594 to 0.623).

Acute adrenal infarction as an incidental CT finding and a potential prognosis factor in severe SARS-CoV-2 infection: a retrospective cohort analysis on 219 patients.

OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively investigate the incidence of acute adrenal infarction (AAI) in patients who underwent chest CT for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and to correlate findings with prognosis. METHODS: The local ethics committee approved this retrospective study and waived the need of informed consent. From March 9 to April 10, 2020, all patients referred to our institution for a clinical suspicion of COVID-19 with moderate to severe symptoms underwent a chest CT for triage. Patients with a/parenchymal lesion characteristics of COVID-19 involving at least 50% of lung parenchyma and b/positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were retrospectively included. Adrenal glands were reviewed by two independent readers to look for AAI. Additional demographics and potential biological markers of adrenal insufficiency were obtained. Correlations with ICU stay and mortality were sought. RESULTS: Out of the 219 patients with critical (n = 52) and severe lung (n = 167) parenchyma lesions, 51 (23%) had CT scan signs of AAI, which was bilateral in 45 patients (88%). Four patients had an acute biological adrenal gland insufficiency (8%). Univariate analysis in AAI+ patients demonstrated a higher rate of ICU stay (67% vs. 45%, p < 0.05) and a longer stay (more than 15 days for 31% for AAI+ vs. 19%, p < 0.05) compared with AAI- patients. Mortality rate was similar (27%, p = 0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Acute adrenal infarction on initial chest evaluation of severe COVID-19 is frequent (51/219, 23%) and might be a sign of poorer prognosis. KEY POINTS: • Acute adrenal infarction on initial chest CT evaluation of severe COVID-19 is frequent (51/219). • AAI might be a factor of poorer prognosis, with increased rate of ICU hospitalization and length of stay.

Temporal variations in the diagnostic performance of chest CT for Covid-19 depending on disease prevalence: Experience from North-Eastern France.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to analyze temporal variations in the diagnostic performance of chest CT for Covid-19 throughout the first wave, depending on disease prevalence variations between the ascending, peak and descending phases of the epidemic in North-Eastern France. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 6th to April 22nd 2020, all consecutive adult patients referred to the "Covid-19 clinic" of our Emergency Department with the availability of chest CT and of at least one RT-PCR result were retrospectively included in the present study. Chest CT was considered positive when typical Covid-19 lesions were observed (bilateral and predominantly peripheral and sub-pleural ground glass opacities and/or alveolar consolidations). RT-PCR results were considered as the reference standard. Ascending, peak and descending phases were determined based on the number of CT scans performed daily. CT diagnostic performance were calculated and variations between phases were tested for equivalence or difference using Bayesian methods. RESULTS: 2194 consecutive chest CT were analyzed. Overall CT diagnostic performance was Se = 84.2 [82.0 ; 86.3], Sp = 86.6 [84.5 ; 88.5], PPV = 86.1 [84.0 ; 88.1], NPV = 84.7 [82.6 ; 86.7] and accuracy = 85.4 [83.9 ; 86.8], with no significant differences between chest and non-chest radiologists. Variations between the ascending (11 days, 281 chest CT, disease prevalence 37.0 %), the peak (18 days, 1167 chest CT, disease prevalence 64 %) and the descending phases (19 days, 746 chest CT, disease prevalence 32.2 %) were highest for PPV and NPV with a probability of difference >99.9 %, and smallest for accuracy and specificity with a probability of equivalence >98.8 %. CONCLUSION: In a homogenous cohort of 2194 consecutive chest CT performed over a 7-week epidemic wave, we observed significant variations of CT predictive values whereas CT specificity appeared marginally affected.

Normal chest CT in 1091 symptomatic patients with confirmed Covid-19: frequency, characteristics and outcome.

OBJECTIVE: Frequency of normal chest CT in symptomatic COVID-19 patients as well as the outcome of these patients remains unknown. The objectives of this work were to assess the incidence of initially normal chest CT in a cohort of consecutive confirmed COVID-19 patients with respiratory symptoms and to compare their clinical characteristics and their outcome to matched patients with typical COVID-19 lesions at initial CT. METHODS: From March 6th to April 22nd, all consecutive adult patients referred to the COVID-19 clinic of our Emergency Department were retrospectively analyzed. Each patient with a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR and a normal initial chest CT after second reading was 1:1 matched based on sex, age and date of CT acquisition to a patient with positive RT-PCR and initial chest CT with typical COVID-19 lesions. Clinical data, laboratory results and outcomes (major being mechanical ventilation and/or death) were compared between both groups, using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, McNemar's chi-squared test and/or exact McNemar's test where appropriate. RESULTS: Fifty-seven chest CT out of 1091 (5.2%, 95% CI 4.0-6.7) in symptomatic patients with positive RT-PCR were normal, with a median onset of symptoms of 4.5 days (IQR [1.25-10.25]). After a median follow-up of 43 days, death and/or mechanical ventilation occurred in 3 patients (5.3%) in the study group, versus 11 (19.3%) in the control group (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Normal initial chest CT occurred in 5.2% of symptomatic confirmed COVID-19 cases in our cohort. While better than those with abnormal chest CT, outcome was not entirely benign with 5.3% death and/or mechanical ventilation. KEY POINTS: • In a cohort of 1091 symptomatic COVID-19 patients, initial chest CT was normal in 5.2% of cases. • Normal chest CT in confirmed COVID-19 is frequent even when onset of symptoms is greater than 3 days. • The outcome of COVID-19 patients with initial normal chest CT, while better than those with abnormal CT, was not entirely benign with 5.3% death and/or mechanical ventilation.

Aerosolization in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery and Risk Mitigation in the COVID-19 Era: A Scoping Review.

Objective The continually evolving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a dire need for rapid reorganization of health care delivery within surgical services. Ensuing initial reports of high infection rates following endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery, various expert and societal guidelines have emerged. We hereby provide a scoping review of the available literature on endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery, exploring both the risk of aerosolization and expert recommendations on surgical management during the pandemic. Methods A literature search of the PubMed database was performed up until May 9th, 2020. Additionally, websites and published statements from otolaryngology associations were searched for recommendations. This scoping review followed the guidelines provided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. Results A total of 29 peer-reviewed publications and statements from expert recommendations or professional associations were included. Current expert guidance relies mainly on scarce, anecdotal evidence, and two cadaveric studies, which have demonstrated potential aerosolization during transnasal surgery. General consensus exists for delaying surgery when possible, ascertaining COVID-19 status preoperatively and donning of adequate personal protective equipment by all operating room staff (including at minimum an N95 mask). Cold, nonpowered surgical instruments are deemed the safest, while thermal instruments (electrocautery and laser) and high-speed drills should be minimized. Conflicting recommendations emerge for use of microdebriders. Conclusion Endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery impart a potential risk of aerosolization. Hence, surgical indications, protective measures for health care workers, and surgical instrumentation must be adapted accordingly in the COVID-19 context.

Acute Myopericarditis in a Patient With Mild SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Infection.

Herein is presented a case of a 71-year-old woman with mild SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infection who experienced acute myopericarditis diagnosed using clinical, biological, and electrocardiogram data and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The presented case highlights the risk of cardiac involvement, even in the absence of severe respiratory COVID-19 infection. The mechanisms involved in acute myocardial injury in SARS-CoV-2 infection are not well known and requires further studies to determine whether it is related to direct myocardial damage by the virus or to a systemic condition.

Nous présentons le cas d'une femme de 71 ans qui présentait une infection respiratoire légère causée par le virus SRAS-CoV-2 et qui a subi une myopéricardite aiguë diagnostiquée à partir de données cliniques, biologiques et électrocardiographiques et d'un examen d'imagerie par résonance magnétique cardiaque. Ce cas met en lumière le risque d'atteinte cardiaque chez les patients atteints de COVID-19, même en l'absence d'infection respiratoire grave. On ne connaît pas bien les mécanismes qui participent à l'atteinte myocardique aiguë chez les patients infectés par le virus SRAS-CoV-2, et des recherches plus poussées sont nécessaires pour déterminer si cette atteinte est causée directement par le virus ou si elle est due à un trouble systémique.

Acute Pulmonary Embolism in Patients with COVID-19 at CT Angiography and Relationship to d-Dimer Levels.

Online supplemental material is available for this article.