COVID-19 Computed tomography patterns in renal replacement therapy patients / Padrões de tomografia computadorizada da COVID-19 em pacientes em terapia renal substitutiva

ABSTRACT Introduction: Lung diseases are common in patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD), making differential diagnosis with COVID-19 a challenge. This study describes pulmonary chest tomography (CT) findings in hospitalized ESKD patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) with clinical suspicion of COVID-19. Methods: ESKD individuals referred to emergency department older than 18 years with clinical suspicion of COVID-19 were recruited. Epidemiological baseline clinical information was extracted from electronic health records. Pulmonary CT was classified as typical, indeterminate, atypical or negative. We then compared the CT findings of positive and negative COVID-19 patients. Results: We recruited 109 patients (62.3% COVID-19-positive) between March and December 2020, mean age 60 ± 12.5 years, 43% female. The most common etiology of ESKD was diabetes. Median time on dialysis was 36 months, interquartile range = 12-84. The most common pulmonary lesion on CT was ground glass opacities. Typical CT pattern was more common in COVID-19 patients (40 (61%) vs 0 (0%) in non-COVID-19 patients, p < 0.001). Sensitivity was 60.61% (40/66) and specificity was 100% (40/40). Positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 100% and 62.3%, respectively. Atypical CT pattern was more frequent in COVID-19-negative patients (9 (14%) vs 24 (56%) in COVID-19-positive, p < 0.001), while the indeterminate pattern was similar in both groups (13 (20%) vs 6 (14%), p = 0.606), and negative pattern was more common in COVID-19-negative patients (4 (6%) vs 12 (28%), p = 0.002). Conclusions: In hospitalized ESKD patients on RRT, atypical chest CT pattern cannot adequately rule out the diagnosis of COVID-19.

RESUMO Introdução: Doenças pulmonares são comuns em pacientes com doença renal em estágio terminal (DRET), dificultando o diagnóstico diferencial com COVID-19. Este estudo descreve achados de tomografia computadorizada de tórax (TC) em pacientes com DRET em terapia renal substitutiva (TRS) hospitalizados com suspeita de COVID-19. Métodos: Indivíduos maiores de 18 anos com DRET, encaminhados ao pronto-socorro com suspeita de COVID-19 foram incluídos. Dados clínicos e epidemiológicos foram extraídos de registros eletrônicos de saúde. A TC foi classificada como típica, indeterminada, atípica, negativa. Comparamos achados tomográficos de pacientes com COVID-19 positivos e negativos. Resultados: Recrutamos 109 pacientes (62,3% COVID-19-positivos) entre março e dezembro de 2020, idade média de 60 ± 12,5 anos, 43% mulheres. A etiologia mais comum da DRET foi diabetes. Tempo médio em diálise foi 36 meses, intervalo interquartil = 12-84. A lesão pulmonar mais comum foi opacidades em vidro fosco. O padrão típico de TC foi mais comum em pacientes com COVID-19 (40 (61%) vs. 0 (0%) em pacientes sem COVID-19, p < 0,001). Sensibilidade 60,61% (40/66), especificidade 100% (40/40). Valores preditivos positivos e negativos foram 100% e 62,3%, respectivamente. Padrão atípico de TC foi mais frequente em pacientes COVID-19-negativos (9 (14%) vs. 24 (56%) em COVID-19-positivos, p < 0,001), enquanto padrão indeterminado foi semelhante em ambos os grupos (13 (20%) vs. 6 (14%), p = 0,606), e padrão negativo foi mais comum em pacientes COVID-19-negativos (4 (6%) vs. 12 (28%), p = 0,002). Conclusões: Em pacientes com DRET em TRS hospitalizados, um padrão atípico de TC de tórax não pode excluir adequadamente o diagnóstico de COVID-19.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes in COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients: a propensity score matched cohort study.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially those on dialysis or who have received a kidney transplant (KT), are considered more vulnerable to severe COVID-19. This susceptibility is attributed to advanced age, a higher frequency of comorbidities, and the chronic immunosuppressed state, which may exacerbate their susceptibility to severe outcomes. Therefore, our study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in KT patients with those on chronic dialysis and non-CKD patients in a propensity score-matched cohort study. This multicentric retrospective cohort included adult COVID-19 laboratory-confirmed patients admitted from March/2020 to July/2022, from 43 Brazilian hospitals. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Propensity score analysis matched KT recipients with controls - patients on chronic dialysis and those without CKD (within 0.25 standard deviations of the logit of the propensity score) - according to age, sex, number of comorbidities, and admission year. This study included 555 patients: 163 KT, 146 on chronic dialysis, and 249 non-CKD patients (median age 57 years, 55.2% women). With regards to clinical outcomes, chronic dialysis patients had a higher prevalence of acute heart failure, compared to KT recipients, furthermore, both groups presented high in-hospital mortality, 34.0 and 28.1%, for KT and chronic dialysis patients, respectively. When comparing KT and non-CKD patients, the first group had a higher incidence of in-hospital dialysis (26.4% vs. 8.8%, p < 0.001), septic shock (24.1% vs. 12.0%, p = 0.002), and mortality (32.5% vs. 23.3%, p = 0.039), in addition to longer time spent in the intensive care unit (ICU). In this study, chronic dialysis patients presented a higher prevalence of acute heart failure, compared to KT recipients, whereas KT patients had a higher frequency of complications than those without CKD, including septic shock, dialysis during hospitalization, and in-hospital mortality as well as longer time spent in the ICU.

COVID-19 Computed tomography patterns in renal replacement therapy patients.

INTRODUCTION: Lung diseases are common in patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD), making differential diagnosis with COVID-19 a challenge. This study describes pulmonary chest tomography (CT) findings in hospitalized ESKD patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) with clinical suspicion of COVID-19. METHODS: ESKD individuals referred to emergency department older than 18 years with clinical suspicion of COVID-19 were recruited. Epidemiological baseline clinical information was extracted from electronic health records. Pulmonary CT was classified as typical, indeterminate, atypical or negative. We then compared the CT findings of positive and negative COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: We recruited 109 patients (62.3% COVID-19-positive) between March and December 2020, mean age 60 ± 12.5 years, 43% female. The most common etiology of ESKD was diabetes. Median time on dialysis was 36 months, interquartile range = 12-84. The most common pulmonary lesion on CT was ground glass opacities. Typical CT pattern was more common in COVID-19 patients (40 (61%) vs 0 (0%) in non-COVID-19 patients, p < 0.001). Sensitivity was 60.61% (40/66) and specificity was 100% (40/40). Positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 100% and 62.3%, respectively. Atypical CT pattern was more frequent in COVID-19-negative patients (9 (14%) vs 24 (56%) in COVID-19-positive, p < 0.001), while the indeterminate pattern was similar in both groups (13 (20%) vs 6 (14%), p = 0.606), and negative pattern was more common in COVID-19-negative patients (4 (6%) vs 12 (28%), p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: In hospitalized ESKD patients on RRT, atypical chest CT pattern cannot adequately rule out the diagnosis of COVID-19.

Tools and scores for perioperative pulmonary, renal, hepatobiliary, hematological, and surgical site infection risk assessment: an update.

INTRODUCTION: perioperative risk assessment is essential to mitigate surgical complications, which suggests individual and collective interest since the number of surgical procedures in Brazil has been expanding steadily. The aim of this study was to summarize and detail the main calculators, indexes and scores regarding perioperative pulmonary, renal, hepatobiliary, hematological and surgical site infection risks for general non-cardiac surgeries, which are dispersed in the literature. METHOD: a narrative review was performed based on manuscripts in English and Portuguese found in the electronic databases Pubmed/MEDLINE and EMBASE. RESULTS: the review included 11 tools related to the systems covered, for which the application method and its limitations are detailed. CONCLUSION: the non-cardiovascular perioperative risk estimation tools are beneficial when disturbances are identified in the preoperative clinical examination that justify a possible increased risk to the affected system, so the use of these tools provides palpable values to aid in the judgment of surgical risk and benefit as well as it identifies factors amenable to intervention to improve outcomes.

Tools and scores for general and cardiovascular perioperative risk assessment: a narrative review.

The number of surgical procedures in the world is large and in Brazil it has been expressing a growth trend higher than the population growth. In this context, perioperative risk assessment safeguards the optimization of the outcomes sought by the procedures. For this evaluation, anamnesis and physical examination constitute an irreplaceable initial stage which may or may not be followed by complementary exams, interventions for clinical stabilization and application of risk estimation tools. The use of these tools can be very useful in order to obtain objective data for decision making by weighing surgical risk and benefit. Global and cardiovascular risk assessments are of greatest interest in the preoperative period, however information about their methods is scattered in the literature. Some tools such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) and the Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) are more widely known, while others are less known but can provide valuable information. Here, the main indices, scores and calculators that address general and cardiovascular perioperative risk were detailed.

Tools and scores for general and cardiovascular perioperative risk assessment: a narrative review / Ferramentas e escores para avaliação de risco perioperatório geral e cardiovascular: uma revisão narrativa

ABSTRACT The number of surgical procedures in the world is large and in Brazil it has been expressing a growth trend higher than the population growth. In this context, perioperative risk assessment safeguards the optimization of the outcomes sought by the procedures. For this evaluation, anamnesis and physical examination constitute an irreplaceable initial stage which may or may not be followed by complementary exams, interventions for clinical stabilization and application of risk estimation tools. The use of these tools can be very useful in order to obtain objective data for decision making by weighing surgical risk and benefit. Global and cardiovascular risk assessments are of greatest interest in the preoperative period, however information about their methods is scattered in the literature. Some tools such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) and the Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) are more widely known, while others are less known but can provide valuable information. Here, the main indices, scores and calculators that address general and cardiovascular perioperative risk were detailed.

RESUMO O número de procedimentos cirúrgicos no mundo é amplo e no Brasil vem expressando tendência de crescimento superior ao crescimento populacional. Nesse contexto, a avaliação de risco perioperatório resguarda a otimização dos desfechos buscados pelos procedimentos. Para a realização dessa avaliação, a anamnese e exame físico constituem etapa inicial insubstituível, a qual pode ou não ser seguida de exames complementares, intervenções para estabilização clínica e aplicação de ferramentas de estimativa de risco. A utilização destas ferramentas pode ser bastante útil a fim de se obter um dado objetivo para a tomada de decisão pesando-se risco e benefício cirúrgico. As avaliações de risco global e cardiovascular são as de maior interesse no pré-operatório, entretanto informações sobre seus métodos encontram-se dispersas na literatura. Algumas ferramentas como o American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) e Índice de Risco Cardíaco Revisado (RCRI) são mais amplamente conhecidos, enquanto outros são menos conhecidos em nosso meio mas podem fornecer informações valiosas. Aqui detalhou-se os principais índices, escores e calculadoras que abordam risco perioperatório geral e cardiovascular.

Tools and scores for perioperative pulmonary, renal, hepatobiliary, hematological, and surgical site infection risk assessment: an update / Ferramentas e escores para avaliação de risco perioperatório pulmonar, renal, hepatobiliar, hematológico e de infecção do sítio cirúrgico: uma atualização

ABSTRACT Introduction: perioperative risk assessment is essential to mitigate surgical complications, which suggests individual and collective interest since the number of surgical procedures in Brazil has been expanding steadily. The aim of this study was to summarize and detail the main calculators, indexes and scores regarding perioperative pulmonary, renal, hepatobiliary, hematological and surgical site infection risks for general non-cardiac surgeries, which are dispersed in the literature. Method: a narrative review was performed based on manuscripts in English and Portuguese found in the electronic databases Pubmed/MEDLINE and EMBASE. Results: the review included 11 tools related to the systems covered, for which the application method and its limitations are detailed. Conclusion: the non-cardiovascular perioperative risk estimation tools are beneficial when disturbances are identified in the preoperative clinical examination that justify a possible increased risk to the affected system, so the use of these tools provides palpable values to aid in the judgment of surgical risk and benefit as well as it identifies factors amenable to intervention to improve outcomes.

RESUMO Introdução: a avaliação de risco perioperatório é essencial para mitigação das complicações cirúrgicas, o que aventa interesse individual e coletivo uma vez que o número de procedimentos cirúrgicos no Brasil vem se expandindo de maneira crescente. O objetivo deste estudo foi resumir e detalhar as principais calculadoras, índices e escores dos riscos perioperatórios pulmonar, renal, hepatobiliar, hematológico e de infecção de sítio cirúrgico para cirurgias gerais não cardíacas, os quais encontram-se dispersos na literatura. Método: foi realizada revisão narrativa a partir de manuscritos em inglês e português encontrados nas bases eletrônicas Pubmed/MEDLINE e EMBASE. Resultados: a revisão incluiu 11 ferramentas relativas aos sistemas abordados, para as quais detalha-se o método de aplicação e suas limitações. Conclusão: as ferramentas de estimativa de risco perioperatório não cardiovascular encontram benefício quando se identifica no exame clínico pré-operatório alterações que justifiquem possível risco aumentado ao sistema afetado, assim a utilização destas ferramentas fornece valores palpáveis para auxílio no julgamento de risco e benefício cirúrgico bem como identifica fatores passíveis de intervenção para melhoria dos desfechos.

Chagas Cardiomyopathy: Clinical Presentation and Management in the Americas.

The initial infection of Chagas disease is typically asymptomatic, but approximately 30% of people will progress to a chronic cardiac form, and others develop the gastrointestinal form. Death is often sudden due to arrhythmias or progressive heart failure. Prevention through vector control programs and blood bank screening, along with strengthened surveillance systems and rapid information sharing, are key to decreasing disease burden globally. The epidemiology, diagnostic evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of acute and chronic Chagas cardiac disease are discussed with focus on educating the primary care professionals and general cardiologists in nonendemic areas who have limited experience treating this disease.

Carotid stenosis management: a review for the internist.

Stroke is one of the most important causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide and, for a long time, was the leading cause of death in developed countries. Atherothrombotic carotid stenosis is one of the most important etiologies behind this event. If properly recognized and treated, lives can be saved, as well as long-term disabilities prevented. With population aging and improvements in surgical and clinical care, patients with several comorbidities will be referred for revascularization procedures more frequently, posing a challenge for physicians. The purpose of this review is to provide internists and clinicians with information based on several studies so they can offer to their patients, the best evidence-based care, indicating appropriate medical therapy, as well as referral to a vascular surgeon, or what contraindicates endarterectomy or angioplasty, depending on individual characteristics.

Avaliação perioperatória do paciente hipertenso / Perioperative evaluation of the hypertensive patient

A hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS) é uma das doenças mais prevalentes no mundo, com taxas que superam 30%. Está intimamente associada à aterosclerose coronariana, insufi ciência renal e doença cerebrovascular, os quais se correlacionam a complicações cardiovasculares maiores após procedimentos cirúrgicos. O aumento no número de cirurgias em uma população cada vez mais idosa coloca diante de nós o desafi o de lidar com grupos de pacientes com mais fatores de risco, dentre os quais se encontra a HAS. Portanto, conhecer a infl uência dessa doença no período perioperatório se torna essencial para todo cardiologista. Contudo, os estudos são escassos e existem problemas metodológicos que impedem conclusões defi nitivas. Logo, conhecer as recomendações das diretrizes vigentes torna-se fundamental.

Arterial hypertension (AH) is one of the most common diseases, with rates of more than 30%. It is closely related with coronary atherosclerosis, chronic renal failure and cerebrovascular diseases, which are associated with postoperative major cardiovascular complications. To deal with an increasing number of surgeries in an older population is a challenge, especially because of a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, including AH. Thus, the knowledge of the relations between this disease and perioperative complications is essential for every cardiologist. However, data are scant and there are important methodological problems, what precludes defi nitive conclusions. Therefore, it is important and necessary to follow the guidelines recommendations.