Performance of the World Health Organisation suspected COVID-19 case definition in cluster-associated and sporadic SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: Cluster-associated transmission has contributed to the majority of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia. Although widely used, the performance of the World Health Organization (WHO) case definition for suspected COVID19 in environments with high numbers of such cases has not been reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All suspected cases of COVID-19 that self-presented to hospitals or were cluster screened from 1st April to 31st May 2020 were included. Positive SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR was used as the diagnostic reference for COVID-19. RESULTS: 540 individuals with suspected COVID-19 were recruited. Two-third of patients were identified through contact screening, while the rest presented sporadically. Overall COVID-19 positivity rate was 59.4% (321/540) which was higher in the cluster screened group (85.6% vs. 11.6%, p<0.001). Overall, cluster-screened COVID-19 cases were significantly younger, had fewer comorbidities and were less likely to be symptomatic than those present sporadically. Mortality was significantly lower in the cluster-screened COVID-19 cases (0.3% vs. 4.5%, p<0.05). A third of all chest radiographs in confirmed COVID-19 cases were abnormal, with consolidation, ground-glass opacities or both predominating in the peripheral lower zones. The WHO suspected case definition for COVID-19 accurately classified 35.4% of all COVID-19 patients, a rate not improved by the addition of baseline radiographic data. Misclassification rate was higher among the cluster-associated cases (80.6%) compared to sporadic cases (35.3%). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 cases in Malaysia identified by active tracing of community cluster outbreaks had lower mortality rate. The WHO suspected COVID-19 performed poorly in this setting even when chest radiographic information was available, a finding that has implications for future spikes of the disease in countries with similar transmission characteristics.

Clinical and radiological outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 related organising pneumonia in COVID-19 survivors.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 patients frequently demonstrate radiological organising pneumonia (OP) pattern. The longterm outcome and treatment options for this group of patients remain uncertain. We aim to describe the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients with COVID-19-related OP and identify possible clinical factors associated with inferior radiological outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Post-COVID-19 clinic attendees, consisting of post-COVID-19 patients discharged from major hospitals in the state of Selangor during the third pandemic wave of COVID-19 in Malaysia, were enrolled in this retrospective study for 6 months. Physician-scored Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC), patient self-reported quality of life (EQ-VAS) score and follow-up CT scan were evaluated. RESULTS: Our cohort comprised 131 patients, with a median age of 52 (IQR 39-60) years and median BMI of 29.40 (IQR 25.59-34.72). Majority (72.5%) had co-morbidities, and 97.7% had severe disease requiring supplementary oxygen support during the acute COVID-19 episode. 56.5% required intensive care; among which one-third were invasively ventilated. Median equivalent dose of methylprednisolone prescribed was 2.60 (IQR 1.29-5.18) mg/kg during admission, while the median prednisolone dose upon discharge was 0.64 (IQR 0.51-0.78) mg/kg. It was tapered over a median of 8.0 (IQR 5.8-9.0) weeks. Upon follow-up at 11 (IQR 8-15) weeks, one-third of patients remained symptomatic, with cough, fatigue and dyspnoea being the most reported symptoms. mMRC and EQ-VAS scores improved significantly (p<0.001) during follow-up. Repeat CT scans were done in 59.5% of patients, with 94.8% of them demonstrating improvement. In fact, 51.7% had complete radiological resolution. Intensive care admission and mechanical ventilation are among the factors which were associated with poorer radiological outcomes, p<0.05. CONCLUSION: Approximately one-third of patients with SARSCoV- 2-related OP remained symptomatic at 3 months of follow-up. Majority demonstrated favourable radiological outcomes at 5-month reassessment, except those who required intensive care unit admission and mechanical ventilation.

Methylprednisolone in severe COVID-19 with acute respiratory distress syndrome - less is more?

INTRODUCTION: Corticosteroids, particularly methylprednisolone, are part of the treatment for severe COVID-19 with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In this study, we aimed to compare the mortalities of patients treated with higher versus lower doses of methylprednisolone. Secondary outcomes included oxygenation, need for mechanical ventilation, length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU), secondary infection, improvement of PaO2/FiO2 (PF) ratio, and inflammatory response as expressed by C-reactive protein (CRP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study conducted at Sarawak General Hospital from 1st June to 30th September 2021. Patients who received intravenous methylprednisolone for severe COVID-19 in the ICU were identified and divided into two groups: higher dose (cumulative dose more than 10 mg per kg) and lower dose (cumulative dose less than 10 mg per kg). RESULTS: Out of a total of 165 patients, 40 (24.2%) patients received higher dose methylprednisolone. There was no significant difference in socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, body mass index), COVID-19 vaccination status, laboratory parameters (lymphocyte count, CRP, lactate dehydrogenase, D-dimer), or usage of immunomodulator therapy between the groups. Overall mortality was 23.6%. Mortality in the higher dose group was twice as high compared to lower dose group (37.5% versus 19.2%) (OR 3.79, 95% CI 1.24-11.59, p<0.05). In addition, the higher dose cohort developed more secondary infections (87.5%) and had longer stays in ICU (median 11 days, IQR 8- 15). No significant difference was found between both cohorts in terms of CRP reduction, improvement of PF ratio, or the need for mechanical ventilation post methylprednisolone. CONCLUSION: In this study, the use of higher dose methylprednisolone in COVID-19 with ARDS was not associated with better clinical outcomes. A lower dose of methylprednisolone might be sufficient in treating severe COVID-19 with ARDS.

Diagnostic yield of medical thoracoscopy in exudative pleural effusions in a region with high tuberculosis burden.

INTRODUCTION: Pleural effusion is frequently encountered in respiratory medicine. However, despite thorough assessment including closed pleural biopsy, the cause of around 20% of pleural effusions remains undetermined. Medical thoracoscopy (MT) is the investigation of choice in these circumstances especially if malignancy is suspected. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic yield of MT in exudative pleural effusions in a single center from East Malaysia. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of all adult patients who underwent MT for undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion in a 24-month duration. RESULTS: Our cohort comprised of 209 patients with a median age of 61 years old (IQR 48.5-69.5). There were 92 (44%) patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and 117 (56%) benign effusions; which included 85 tuberculous pleural effusion (TBE) and 32 cases of non-tuberculous exudative pleural effusion. Conclusive pathological diagnosis was made in 79.4% of the cases. For diagnosis of MPE, MT had a sensitivity of 89.1% (95% CI 80.4-94.3), specificity of 100% (95% CI 96.0-100.0), and positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% (95% CI 94.4-100) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 92.1% (95% CI 85.6-95.9). For TBE, MT had a sensitivity of 90.5% (95% CI 81.8-95.6), specificity of 100% (95% CI 96.3- 100.0) PPV of 100% (95% CI 94.1-100) and NPV of 93.9% (95% CI 88.0-97.2). Overall complication rate was 3.3%. CONCLUSIONS: MT showed excellent sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of exudative pleural effusion in this region. It reduces empirical therapy by providing histological evidence of disease when initial non-invasive investigations were inconclusive.

Radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) guided transbronchial cryobiopsy in the diagnosis of peripheral solitary pulmonary nodule.

Solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) always raises suspicion for early lung cancer, in which accurate and less invasive biopsy is needed. We report a case of transbronchial cryobiopsy of right upper lobe SPN under radial endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) guidance after an inconclusive computed tomography guided transthoracic needle aspiration. A diagnosis of Stage 1B adenocarcinoma of the lung was made. Patient subsequently underwent curative right upper lobectomy after ruling out mediastinal lymph node involvement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of R-EBUS guided transbronchial cryobiopsy case reported from Malaysia.

The great masquerade: Empyema thoracis as an unusual presentation of primary lung malignancy.

Primary lung malignancy presenting as empyema is rare, with a reported incidence of 0.3%. We report a case of a 60- year-old man presenting with unilateral pleural effusion; diagnostic thoracocentesis confirmed Salmonella empyema. Post-drainage, chest radiograph showed persisting right hemithorax opacity; subsequent computed tomography revealed a right lung mass with right upper lobe bronchus obliteration. Percutaneous biopsy confirmed advanced stage lung adenocarcinoma. We discuss the mechanism of post-obstructive pneumonia in lung cancerassociated empyema and the utility of bedside ultrasound in diagnosis of lung masses. Clinicians are alerted to the possibility of lung malignancy in elderly patients presenting with empyema.

Drainage of multiloculated tuberculous pleural effusion by medical thoracoscopy: When and why should it be considered?

Tuberculous pleural effusion (TBE) is a common encounter in our region. Up to 50% of patients with TBE will develop residual pleural thickening (RPT) which can lead to functional impairment. However, the need of drainage remains controversial. We report a case of end-stage renal failure patient who presented with right multiloculated tuberculous pleural effusion which was drained via a medical thoracoscope. Patient reports immediate relief of breathlessness post procedure and one month follow up shown significant improvement of RPT. We also discussed the current perspective on the rationale of TBE drainage and the role of medical thoracoscope in TBE management.

Colon carcinoma with endobronchial metastasis masquerading as bronchial asthma causing ball valve effect.

Malignant central airway obstruction (CAO) with ball valve effect (BVE) in the lung is rare. We discuss a case of metastatic colon cancer who presented with asthma like symptoms which thoracic computed tomography and bronchoscopy revealed an intraluminal tumour obstructing the left main bronchus in a ball valve manner. Airway patency was restored urgently with immediate alleviation of symptoms. This illustrates the importance of recognizing subtle features of central airway obstruction to allow expedition of appropriate investigations and therapy.