The prognostic value of lung ultrasound score (LUSS) in patients with COVID-19 admitted in Emergency Department: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: The Lung Ultrasound (LUS) is routinely used as a point-of-care imaging tool in Emergency Department (ED) and its role in COVID-19 is being studied. The Lung UltraSound Score (LUSS) is a semi quantitative score of lung damage severity. Alongside instrumental diagnostic, the PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) ratio, obtained from arterial blood gas analysis, is the index used to assess the severity of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), according to the Berlin definition. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of the study was to evaluate a possible correlation between the LUSS score and the P/F Ratio, obtained from the arterial sampling in COVID-19 positive patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-perspective monocentric observational study and it was carried out in the Emergency Department of the "AOU delle Marche" (Ancona, Italy), from 1 January 2023 to 28 February 2023. The study foresaw, once the patient was admitted to the ED, the execution of the LUS exam and the subsequent calculation of the LUSS score. RESULTS: The sample selected for the study was of 158 patients. The proportion of LUSS ≤4 was statistically higher in those with a P/F >300 (76.2%), compared to those with a P/F ≤300 (13.2%). On the other end, the proportion of LUSS >4 was lower in those who have P/F >300 (23.8%), while it was higher in those who have P/F ≤300 (86.8%). Those patients with a LUSS >4 were 1.76 (95% CI: 1.57 - 1.99) times more likely to have a P/F ≤300, compared to those with LUSS ≤4. The Odds Ratio of having a P/F ≤300 value in those achieving a LUSS >4, compared to those achieving a LUSS ≤4, was 21.0 (95% CI: 8.4 - 52.4). The study identified pO2, Hb and dichotomous LUSS as predictors of the level of P/F ≤300 or P/F >300. DISCUSSION: We found that the LUSS score defined by our study was closely related to the P/F ratio COVID-19 positive patients. Our study presented provides evidence on the potential rule of the LUSS for detecting the stage of lung impairment and the need for oxygen therapy in COVID-19 positive patients.

Minor head injury in anticoagulated patients: performance of biomarkers S100B, NSE, GFAP, UCH-L1 and Alinity TBI in the detection of intracranial injury. A prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Data in literature indicate that in patients suffering a minor head injury (MHI), biomarkers serum levels could be effective to predict the absence of intracranial injury (ICI) on head CT scan. Use of these biomarkers in case of patients taking oral anticoagulants who experience MHI is very limited. We investigated biomarkers as predictors of ICI in anticoagulated patients managed in an ED. METHODS: We conducted a single-cohort, prospective, observational study in an ED. Our structured clinical pathway included a first head CT scan, 24 h observation and a second CT scan. The outcome was delayed ICI (dICI), defined as ICI on the second CT scan after a first negative CT scan. We assessed the sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), negative predictive value (NNV) and positive predictive value (PPV) of the biomarkers S100B, NSE, GFAP, UCH-L1 and Alinity TBI in order to identify dICI. RESULTS: Our study population was of 234 patients with a negative first CT scan who underwent a second CT scan. The rate of dICI was 4.7 %. The NPV for the detection of dICI were respectively (IC 95 %): S100B 92.7 % (86.0-96.8 %,); ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) 91.8 % (83.8-96.6 %); glial fibrillary protein (GFP) 100 % (83.2-100 %); TBI 100 % (66.4-100 %). The AUC for the detection of dICI was 0.407 for S100B, 0.563 for neuron-specific enolase (NSE), 0.510 for UCH-L1 and 0.720 for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The NPV of the analyzed biomarkers were high and they potentially could limit the number of head CT scan for detecting dICI in anticoagulated patients suffering MHI. GFAP and Alinity TBI seem to be effective to rule out a dCI, but future trials are needed.

Predictors of Worse Prognosis in Young and Middle-Aged Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Multi-Center Italian Study (COVID-UNDER50).

Obesity as well as metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities are established, significant predictors of worse prognosis in the overall COVID-19 population, but limited information is available on their roles in young and middle-aged adults (aged ≤ 50 years). The main objectives of the present Italian multi-center study were to describe clinical characteristics and role of selected prognostic predictors in a large cohort of young and middle-aged hospitalized patients. Nine pulmonology units, across north and center of Italy, were involved in this retrospective study. Comorbidities were classified according to their known or potential association with COVID-19. A total of 263 subjects were included. The prevalence of obesity was 25.9%, mechanical ventilation (MV) was needed in 27.7%, and 28 in-hospital deaths occurred (10.6%). Obesity and older age were the only independent, significant predictors for MV. Comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and increased D-dimer levels were significantly associated with higher mortality risk, regardless of age, body mass index, and MV. Obesity in young and middle-aged adults is a strong predictor of a more complicated COVID-19, without, however, evidence of a significant effect on in-hospital mortality. Selected comorbidities, including hypertension, diabetes and asthma, significantly impact survival even in a younger population, suggesting the need for prompt recognition of these conditions.