Leveraging mobility data to analyze persistent SARS-CoV-2 mutations and inform targeted genomic surveillance.

Given the rapid cross-country spread of SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting difficulty in tracking lineage spread, we investigated the potential of combining mobile service data and fine-granular metadata (such as postal codes and genomic data) to advance integrated genomic surveillance of the pandemic in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. We sequenced over 6500 SARS-CoV-2 Alpha genomes (B.1.

The Incidence and Risk Factors of Persistent Opioid Use After Surgery—a Retrospective Secondary Data Analysis.

Background: The risk of persistent postoperative opioid use (PPOU) and its association with the type of surgery are still unclear in Germany.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study on the basis of claims data from BARMER, a statutory health insurance carrier in Germany. Opioid-naive adults who did not have cancer and who underwent inpatient surgery in 2018 were included in the study.

Changes in Attitudes towards Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination during the Subsiding COVID-19 Pandemic-Results of a Longitudinal Survey Study among Risk Groups in Germany between 2021 and 2023.

Background: In many countries, an increase in influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined how attitude, risk perception and knowledge towards influenza and pneumococcal vaccines of at-risk patients developed when the COVID-19 pandemic subsided and if COVID-19 vaccination attitude (VA) was still associated with the attitudes towards the two other vaccines.

Methods: We used longitudinal data from two surveys conducted in Germany in 2021 and 2023 among persons with chronic diseases.

Functional dependence following intensive care unit-treated sepsis: three-year follow-up results from the prospective Mid-German Sepsis Cohort (MSC).

Background: Surviving sepsis can lead to chronic physical, psychological and cognitive impairments, which affect millions of patients worldwide, including survivors after COVID-19 viral sepsis. We aimed to characterize the magnitude and trajectory of functional dependence and new impairments post-sepsis.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study including sepsis survivors who had been discharged from five German intensive care units (ICUs), until 36 months post-discharge.

How are Long-Covid, Post-Sepsis-Syndrome and Post-Intensive-Care-Syndrome related? A conceptional approach based on the current research literature.

Long-Covid (LC), Post-Sepsis-Syndrome (PSS) and Post-Intensive-Care-Syndrome (PICS) show remarkable overlaps in their clinical presentation. Nevertheless, it is unclear if they are distinct syndromes, which may co-occur in the same patient, or if they are three different labels to describe similar symptoms, assigned on the basis on patient history and professional perspective of the treating physician. Therefore, we reviewed the current literature on the relation between LC, PSS and PICS.

Long versus short course anti-microbial therapy of uncomplicated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: a systematic review.

Background: Current guidelines recommend at least 2 weeks duration of antibiotic therapy (DOT) for patients with uncomplicated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) but the evidence for this recommendation is unclear.

Objectives: To perform a systematic literature review assessing current evidence for recommended DOT for patients with SAB.

Methods: The following are the methods used for this study.

Sepsis incidence, suspicion, prediction and mortality in emergency medical services: a cohort study related to the current international sepsis guideline.

Purpose: Sepsis suspicion by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is associated with improved patient outcomes. This study assessed sepsis incidence and recognition by EMS and analyzed which of the screening tools recommended by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign best facilitates sepsis prediction.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of claims data from health insurances (n = 221,429 EMS cases), and paramedics' and emergency physicians' EMS documentation (n = 110,419); analyzed outcomes were: sepsis incidence and case fatality compared to stroke and myocardial infarction, the extent of documentation for screening-relevant variables and sepsis suspicion, tools' intersections for screening positive in identical EMS cases and their predictive ability for an inpatient sepsis diagnosis.

Association between hospital onset of infection and outcomes in sepsis patients - A propensity score matched cohort study based on health claims data in Germany.

Background: Hospital-acquired infections are a common source of sepsis. Hospital onset of sepsis was found to be associated with higher acute mortality and hospital costs, yet its impact on long-term patient-relevant outcomes and costs is unknown.

Objective: We aimed to assess the association between sepsis origin and acute and long-term outcomes based on a nationwide population-based cohort of sepsis patients in Germany.

Challenges of assessing the burden of sepsis.

Background: Sepsis is one of the most frequent causes of death worldwide, but the recording of population-based epidemiology is challenging, which is why reliable data on sepsis incidence and mortality are only available in a few, mostly highly-resourced countries.

Objective: The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of sepsis epidemiology worldwide and in Germany based on current literature, to identify challenges in this research area, and to give an outlook on future developments.

Materials And Methods: Selective literature review.

Urban-Rural Disparities in Case Fatality of Community-Acquired Sepsis in Germany: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: We aimed to examine urban-rural disparities in sepsis case fatality rates among patients with community-acquired sepsis in Germany.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study using de-identified data of the nationwide statutory health insurance AOK, covering approx. 30% of the German population.

Sepsis survivors and caregivers perspectives on post-acute rehabilitation and aftercare in the first year after sepsis in Germany.

Background: Sepsis survivors often suffer from new morbidities. Current rehabilitation therapies are not tailored to their specific needs. The perspective of sepsis survivors and their caregivers on rehabilitation and aftercare is insufficiently understood.

Psychometric properties of the Reintegration to Normal Living Index for sepsis survivors.

Purpose: Return to a normal state of living is a key patient-relevant outcome for sepsis survivors. The Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI) assesses self-perceived participation in patients with chronic disease, but its psychometric properties have been analyzed neither for patients after sepsis nor in a German patient cohort. This study aims to analyze the psychometric properties of the German version of the RNLI in sepsis survivors.

The Effects of Postacute Rehabilitation on Mortality, Chronic Care Dependency, Health Care Use, and Costs in Sepsis Survivors.

Sepsis often leads to long-term functional deficits and increased mortality in survivors. Postacute rehabilitation can decrease long-term sepsis mortality, but its impact on nursing care dependency, health care use, and costs is insufficiently understood. To assess the short-term (7-12 months postdischarge) and long-term (13-36 months postdischarge) effect of inpatient rehabilitation within 6 months after hospitalization on mortality, nursing care dependency, health care use, and costs.

Text-Based vs. Graphical Information Formats in Sepsis Prevention and Early Detection: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Informed Choice.

Sepsis is associated with 11 million global deaths annually. Although serious consequences of sepsis can generally be avoided with prevention and early detection, research has not yet addressed the efficacy of evidence-based health information formats for different risk groups. This study examines whether two evidence-based health information formats—text based and graphical—differ in how well they foster informed choice and risk and health literacy and in how well they support different sepsis risk groups.

Evaluation of Infection-Related Hospitalizations and Drug Prescriptions Among Sepsis Survivors in Germany.

This cohort study assesses infection-related hospitalizations and outpatient drug prescriptions among sepsis survivors in Germany and compares changes in hospitalization and prescription rates before and after sepsis occurrence.

Occurrence and Risk Factors for New Dependency on Chronic Care, Respiratory Support, Dialysis and Mortality in the First Year After Sepsis.

Sepsis survival is associated with adverse outcomes. Knowledge about risk factors for adverse outcomes is lacking. We performed a population-based cohort study of 116,507 survivors of hospital-treated sepsis identified in health claims data of a German health insurance provider.