Publications by authors named "Declan G Byrne"
Background: The outcomes of acute medical admissions have been shown to be influenced by a variety of factors including system, patient, societal, and physician-specific differences.
Aim: To evaluate the influence of on-call specialty on outcomes in acute medical admissions.
Methods: All acute medical admissions to our institution from 2015 to 2020 were evaluated.
While a low vitamin D state has been associated with an increased risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2 in addition to an increased severity of COVID-19 disease, a causal role is not yet established. Here, we review the evidence relating to i) vitamin D and its role in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease ii) the vitamin D status in the Irish adult population iii) the use of supplemental vitamin D to treat a deficient status and iv) the application of the Bradford-Hill causation criteria. We conclude that reverse causality probably makes a minimal contribution to the presence of low vitamin D states in the setting of COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has put considerable strain on healthcare systems.
Aim: To investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on 30-day in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS) and resource utilization in acute medical care.
Methods: We compared emergency medical admissions to a single secondary care centre during 2020 to the preceding 18 years (2002-2019).
The emergence of persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection, known as , is providing a new challenge to healthcare systems. The cardinal features are fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance. Vitamin D is known to have pleotropic effects far beyond bone health and is associated with immune modulation and autoimmunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe relationship between serum potassium levels and mortality in acute medical admissions is uncertain. In particular, the relevance of minor abnormalities in potassium level or variations within the normal range remains to be determined. We performed a retrospective cohort study of all emergency medical admissions to St James's Hospital (Dublin, Ireland) between 2002 and 2012.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Little data exists relating years of hospital consultant work experience, from time of consultant certification, and costs incurred for emergency medical patients under their care. We examined the total cost of emergency medical episodes in relation to certified consultant years experience using a database of emergency admissions.
Methods: All emergency admissions (19,295 patients) from January 2008 to December 2012 were studied.
Background: The actual impact of emergency department (ED) 'wait' time on hospital mortality in patients admitted as a medical emergency has often been debated. We have evaluated the impact of such waits on 30-day mortality, for all medical patients over a 7-year period.
Methods: All patients admitted as medical emergencies by the ED between 2002 and 2008 were studied; we looked at the impact of time to medical referral and subsequent time to a ward bed on any inhospital death within 30 days.
Background: there is a lack of outcome information with respect to older health service users. The purpose of this study was to examine 30-day in-hospital mortality and its predictors in all elderly patients admitted as a medical emergency to our hospital.
Methods: all patients admitted between 2002 and 2008 were studied, linking anonymised clinical, administrative, laboratory and mortality data.