Publications by authors named "Desiree Moodley"
Article Synopsis
- This study focuses on the use of noninvasive diagnostic methods to detect esophageal varices (EVs) in patients with compensated cirrhosis, contrasting with the traditional invasive method of upper endoscopy.
- Conducted on 50 patients at a hospital in Cape Town, the study analyzed various clinical and lab data, showing that 68% of participants had EVs, primarily caused by alcohol, hepatitis B, or autoimmune factors.
- Key findings emphasize significant differences in factors like liver and spleen stiffness, platelet counts, and dimensions that could enhance the accuracy of noninvasive tools for identifying EVs in patients.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of admissions during the fourth wave of COVID-19 in order to inform future public health policies.
Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study of an early cohort of all adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to a tertiary hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, at the start of the country's fourth wave. This was compared with an early cohort from the first wave at the same institution.
Background: Hyperkalaemia is a common electrolyte disorder in hospitalised patients. There is a lack of data from Africa on the prevalence, causes and outcomes of patients with hyperkalaemia. We aimed to identify the frequency of hyperkalaemia in hospitalised adults, and to identify any risk factors for in-hospital death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: During the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many studies have investigated laboratory biomarkers in management and prognostication of COVID-19 patients, however to date, few have investigated arterial blood gas, acid-base and blood pressure patterns. The aim of the study is to assess the arterial blood gas and acid-base patterns, blood pressure findings and their association with the outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to an intensive care unit.
Methods: A single-centre retrospective, observational study in a dedicated COVID-19 intensive care unit in Cape Town, South Africa.
Background: The utility of heated and humidified high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) for severe COVID-19-related hypoxaemic respiratory failure (HRF), particularly in settings with limited access to intensive care unit (ICU) resources, remains unclear, and predictors of outcome have been poorly studied.
Methods: We included consecutive patients with COVID-19-related HRF treated with HFNO at two tertiary hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who were successfully weaned from HFNO, whilst failure comprised intubation or death on HFNO.