Enhancing stroke risk prediction in patients with transient ischemic attack: insights from a prospective cohort study implementing fast-track care.

Background And Aims: Fast-track care have been proved to reduce the short-term risk of stroke after transient ischemic attack (TIA). We aimed to investigate stroke risk and to characterize short- and long-term stroke predictors in a large cohort of TIA patients undergoing fast-track management.

Methods: Prospective study, enrolling consecutive TIA patients admitted to a Northern Italy emergency department from August 2010 to December 2017.

Effects of 24/7 palliative care consultation availability on the use of emergency department and emergency medical services resources from non-oncological patients: a before-and-after observational cohort study.

Objectives: The non-oncological population is relatively under-represented among end-of-life (EOL) patients managed by palliative care (PC) services, and the effects of different PC delivery models are understudied in this population.This retrospective observational study on routinely collected data aimed at evaluating the effects of the extension from workday-only to 24/7 mixed hands-on and advisory home PC service on emergency department (ED) access and emergency medical services (EMS) interventions needed by non-oncological patients during their last 90 days of life, and their probability to die in hospital.

Methods: A before-and-after design was adopted comparing preimplementation and postimplementation periods (2018-2019 and 2021-22).

Lung ultrasound in the COVID-19 era: a lesson to be learned for the future.

Lung Ultrasound (LUS) is a reliable, radiation free and bedside imaging technique to assess several pulmonary diseases. Although the diagnosis of COVID-19 is made with the nasopharyngeal swab, detection of pulmonary involvement is key for a safe patient management. LUS is a valid alternative to explore, in paucisymptomatic self-presenting patients, the presence and extension of pneumonia compared to High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) that represent the gold standard.

Mortality and its association with chronic alcohol-related diseases in patients admitted to the emergency department for acute alcoholic intoxication: retrospective cohort study.

We assessed long-term mortality and its association with chronic alcohol-related diseases in patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) because of acute alcoholic intoxication (AAI). A retrospective cohort study was performed at the ED of Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy. 3304 patients, corresponding to 6415 admissions for AAI, who accessed the ED from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2017, were studied.

Capsular Warning Syndrome: Features, Risk Profile, and Prognosis in a Large Prospective TIA Cohort.

Introduction: Features and prognosis of capsular warning syndrome (CWS) have been poorly investigated prospectively.

Aims: The study aimed to characterize CWS clinical features, risk profile, short- and long-term prognosis, among a large TIA cohort.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of consecutive TIAs was conducted from August 1, 2010, to December 31, 2017.

Platelet Count in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Prognostic Factor in COVID-19.

COVID-19 patients may manifest thrombocytopenia and some of these patients succumb to infection due to coagulopathy. The aim of our study was to examine platelet count values in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, comparing them to a control group consisting of non-COVID-19 patients. Moreover, we evaluated the correlation between the platelet value and the respiratory alteration parameters and the outcome (hospitalization and mortality) in COVID-19 patients.

CovHos score for predicting severe respiratory failure in COVID-19 patients presenting at the emergency department.

Hospitalization of COVID-19 patients in low-intensity wards may put patients at risk in case of clinical deterioration. We tested CovHos score in predicting severe respiratory failure (SFR) at emergency department (ED) admission. This is a monocentric observational prospective study enrolling adult COVID-19 patients admitted to the ED of IRCCS AOU di Bologna Policlinico S.

First-line therapies for H. pylori infection in Italy: a pooled-data analysis.

Background: Curing H. pylori infection remains challenging, and the use of most effective first-line therapy represents a therapeutic cornerstone. To monitor the efficacy of first-line therapies in Italy, we designed a systematic review with pooled- data analysis of data published in the last 15 years.

Role of Lung Ultrasound in the Management of Patients with Suspected SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Emergency Department.

Background: The lung ultrasound (LUS) score has been proposed as an optimal scheme for the ultrasound study of patients with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia. The aims of our study were to evaluate the use of lung ultrasound as a diagnostic tool for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, to examine the validity of the LUS score for the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia, and to correlate this score with hospitalization rate and 30-day mortality. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 1460 patients who were referred to the General Emergency Department of the S.

Sickle Cell Trait and SARS-CoV-2-Induced Rhabdomyolysis: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome characterized by muscle necrosis and the subsequent release of intracellular muscle constituents into the bloodstream. Although the specific cause is frequently evident from the history or from the immediate events, such as a trauma, extraordinary physical exertion, or a recent infection, sometimes there are hidden risk factors that have to be identified. For instance, individuals with sickle cell trait (SCT) have been reported to be at increased risk for rare conditions, including rhabdomyolysis.

Prediction of Conventional Oxygen Therapy Failure in COVID-19 Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure by Assessing Serum Lactate Concentration, PaO2/FiO2 Ratio, and Body Temperature.

One of the challenges that emerged during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and is still relevant today is the need to identify patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) who could benefit from conventional oxygen therapy (COT) - oxygen supplementation with nasal cannulas, Venturi masks, and non-rebreather masks - without recurring to advanced respiratory therapy, such as high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), non-invasive ventilation (NIV), or invasive mechanical ventilation. The aim of the study was to develop a clinical tool able to predict the failure of COT in COVID-19 patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with ARF. This was a retrospective monocentric cohort study carried out in the ED of the University Hospital of Bologna Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, Italy.

CovHos, a New Score to Predict the Need of Hospitalization for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Patients at the Emergency Department.

Introduction And Aim: As first receivers of suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, clinicians of the Emergency Department (ED) have to rapidly perform the first clinical assessment evaluating the intensity of care needed. So far, clear management guidelines still lack. We identified variables associated with hospitalization in order to give a quick tool to assist clinicians in stratifying cases based on the severity at their arrival at the ED and in predicting the need for hospital care.

Patterns of Emergency Department visits for acute and chronic diseases during the two pandemic waves in Italy.

Background: Evidence is lacking about the impact of subsequent COVID-19 pandemic waves on Emergency Departments (ED). We analyzed the differences in patterns of ED visits in Italy during the two pandemic waves, focusing on changes in accesses for acute and chronic diseases.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using data from a metropolitan area in northern Italy that includes twelve ED.

Interoperator Reliability of Lung Ultrasound during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Aim:  Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a reliable, radiation-free, and bedside imaging technique used to assess several pulmonary diseases. Although COVID-19 is diagnosed with a nasopharyngeal swab, detection of pulmonary involvement is crucial for safe patient discharge. Computed tomography (CT) is currently the gold standard.

One year of SARS-CoV-2 and lung ultrasound: what has been learned and future perspectives.

A first screening by ultrasound can be relevant to set a specific diagnostic and therapeutic route for a patient with a COVID-19 infection. The finding of bilateral B-lines and white lung areas with patchy peripheral distribution and sparing areas is the most suggestive ultrasound picture of COVID-19 pneumonia. Failure to detect bilateral interstitial syndrome (A pattern) on ultrasound excludes COVID-19 pneumonia with good diagnostic accuracy, but does not exclude current infection.

Non-COVID-19 patients in times of pandemic: Emergency department visits, hospitalizations and cause-specific mortality in Northern Italy.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare services organization to adjust to mutating healthcare needs. Not exhaustive data are available on the consequences of this on non-COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the pandemic on non-COVID-19 patients living in a one-million inhabitants' area in Northern Italy (Bologna Metropolitan Area-BMA), analyzing time trends of Emergency Department (ED) visits, hospitalizations and mortality.

Lung ultrasound for the early diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia: an international multicenter study.

Purpose: To analyze the application of a lung ultrasound (LUS)-based diagnostic approach to patients suspected of COVID-19, combining the LUS likelihood of COVID-19 pneumonia with patient's symptoms and clinical history.

Methods: This is an international multicenter observational study in 20 US and European hospitals. Patients suspected of COVID-19 were tested with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swab test and had an LUS examination.

Can Lung Ultrasound be Used to Screen for Pulmonary Embolism in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia?

Unlabelled: Thromboembolic disease is strongly associated with, or even an integral part of, COVID-19 pneumonia. Indeed, endothelial/microvascular damage to pulmonary capillaries seems to be the main trigger of the pneumonia. Here we report a case of pulmonary embolism in a COVID-19 patient with an atypical clinical presentation.

Not all abolished lung sliding are pneumothorax: the case of a particular lung atelectasis.

Introduction: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is expanding from the field of emergency medicine, also to the pneumological specialist field, becoming part of the diagnostic procedure of lung consolidation.

Case Presentation: A 78-year-old male was admitted to our emergency department for exertional dyspnea. LUS was performed, thus showing at right hemitorax air interface, A lines pattern, pleural sliding abolished on the whole hemitorax, thus suggesting a pneumothorax, but no evidence of lung point.

Rebounds after discharge from the emergency department for community-acquired pneumonia: focus on the usefulness of severity scoring systems.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is common cause of hospital admission and leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Severity scoring systems are used to predict risk profile, outcome and mortality, and to help decisions about management strategies. Aim of the work and Methods: To critically analyze pneumonia "rebound" cases, once discharged from the emergency department (ED) and afterwards admitted.