HealthDay Reports: Right Ventricular Dilation Linked to Mortality in COVID-19
May 26, 2020
Right ventricular enlargement significantly linked to in-hospital mortality in multivariable analysis.
Right Ventricular Dilation Linked to Mortality in COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Right ventricular dilation is associated with in-hospital mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a study published online May 15 in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging.
Edgar Argulian, M.D., M.P.H., from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues enrolled consecutive patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 who underwent clinically indicated echocardiograms from March 26 to April 22, 2020. The associations between clinical and echocardiographic variables and mortality were explored.
Echocardiograms of 110 patients were reviewed, with five excluded due to inadequate study quality. The researchers found that at the time of echocardiographic examination, 31 patients were intubated and mechanically ventilated. Thirty-two patients (31 percent) had right ventricular dilation. Patients with right ventricular dilation were more likely to have renal dysfunction than those without right ventricular dilation, but there were no significant differences noted in the prevalence of major comorbidities, laboratory markers of inflammation, or myocardial infarction. Patients with right ventricular enlargement had a higher prevalence of right ventricular hypokinesis and moderate or severe tricuspid regurgitation. Five of 10 patients with right ventricular enlargement who underwent computed tomography angiography of the chest had evidence of pulmonary embolism. During the study period, 21 patients died: 13 and eight (41 and 11 percent) patients with and without right ventricular dilation, respectively. Right ventricular enlargement was the only variable significantly associated with mortality in a multivariable analysis (odds ratio, 4.5).
HealthDay Reports: Remdesivir Will Not Be Enough to Curb COVID-19, Study Finds
May 26, 2020
A new study says the antiviral drug on its own won't be enough to significantly curb COVID-19 cases and deaths. There are several dual-drug trials already underway to see if remdesivir paired with another drug could help boost outcomes.
Remdesivir Will Not Be Enough to Curb COVID-19, Study Finds
SATURDAY, May 23, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- There have been high hopes that the antiviral drug remdesivir might be an answer to the pandemic of COVID-19. But a major, new study finds the drug on its own won't be enough to significantly curb cases and deaths.
The study, published May 22 in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that, "given high mortality [of patients] despite the use of remdesivir, it is clear that treatment with an antiviral drug alone is not likely to be sufficient."
HealthDay Reports: How to Cope With Your Grief During Coronavirus Pandemic
May 26, 2020
The American Psychological Association offers some tips on ways of coping with loss and grief.
How to Cope With Your Grief During Coronavirus Pandemic
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Grief is touching the lives of countless Americans as the COVID-19 death toll mounts.
The death of a family member or close friend can be among the most difficult things you'll have to deal with, so the American Psychological Association outlines ways of coping with that loss -- whether or not it is coronavirus-related.
Talking about the death with friends or others can help you understand what happened and remember that person. Avoiding the issue can lead to isolation and interfere with the healing process.
You may experience a wide range of emotions -- from sadness, anger or even exhaustion -- and should accept them, the APA says in a news release.
HealthDay Reports: Pandemic Has Overburdened Parents Stressed Out — Poll
May 26, 2020
Some common stressors included managing distance/online learning for their kids, providing basic needs like access to food and housing and being upset about missing major milestones.
Pandemic Has Overburdened Parents Stressed Out: Poll
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- If there's such a thing as a "new normal" during the coronavirus pandemic, it's a constant state of stress.
And it's particularly intense for many parents who are keeping house, working from home, and trying to keep their kids' online learning on track at the same time, according to a new online survey.
Nearly half (46%) of respondents who have kids younger than 18 said their average stress level is high these days. Only 28% of adults without minor children said the same, according to the online poll of more than 3,000 adults. It was conducted from April 24 to May 4.
HealthDay Reports: Age, Sex, History of Diabetes Predict Intubation in COVID-19
May 25, 2020
The only factors independently associated with time to extubation are age and body mass index.
Age, Sex, History of Diabetes Predict Intubation in COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Older age, male sex, and history of diabetes are factors predictive of intubation among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, while age and body mass index are associated with time to extubation, according to a study published online May 19 in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Kevin Hur, M.D., from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues examined sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with intubation and prolonged intubation for acute respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 infection among 486 patients admitted between March 1 and April 8, 2020.
The researchers found that 55.8 percent of the patients were male and the median body mass index was 30.6 kg/m². Overall, 28.4 percent of patients were intubated during the hospitalization; 56.5 percent of these patients were eventually extubated, while 15.2 percent died and 28.3 percent remained intubated at a median follow-up of 19.6 days. Compared with nonintubated patients, intubated patients had a significantly higher median age (65 versus 57 years) and higher rate of diabetes (40.6 versus 29.9 percent). Age, sex, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, history of diabetes, and shortness of breath were identified as factors predictive of intubation. The only factors independently associated with time to extubation were age and body mass index.