Multidisciplinary management of ventilator weaning and tracheostomies for COVID-19 patients at a major NYC public hospital: A blueprint for other institutions.

At the height of the coronavirus pandemic in New York City, at our hospital (NYC Health/Hospitals-Elmhurst) 95% of inpatients tested positive for COVID-19 and it operated at 500% surge ICU capacity-one of the greatest impacted centers in the nation. In the face of this we established a systematic multidisciplinary approach to manage ventilated ICU patients and select those appropriate for tracheostomy. Members from Pulmonary Critical Care, Anesthesiology, Surgery, Ethics, and Otolaryngology, created a protocolized way to assess all ICU patients in our hospital and, if deemed appropriate, help them towards weaning or tracheostomy and subsequent discharge.

Coronary artery disease in patients with body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2): a retrospective chart analysis.

Objective: In this study, we evaluated obesity as a single risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), along with the synergistic effect of obesity and other risk factors.

Methods: A retrospective study of 7,567 patients admitted to hospital for chest pain from 2005 to 2014 and underwent cardiac catheterization. Patients were divided into two groups: obese and normal with body mass index (BMI) calculated as ≥30 kg/m(2) and <25, respectively.

Morbidity and mortality of infective endocarditis in a hospital system in New York City serving a diverse urban population.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a severe illness associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate morbidity and mortality of IE in a hospital serving the most diverse area in New York City. An analysis of 209 patients admitted to the hospital from 2000 to 2012 who were found to have IE based on modified Duke criteria.

Serum vitamin D levels correlate to coronary artery disease severity: a retrospective chart analysis.

Background: The pro-atherosclerotic nature of vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase cardiovascular events. We further emphasized and evaluated the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) with varying levels of vitamin D in relation to age, gender, ethnicity and baseline confounders.

Methods: A retrospective, single-center study of 9,399 patients admitted between 2005 and 2014 for chest pain who underwent coronary angiography.

Avoiding transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography for patients with variable body mass indexes in infective endocarditis.

Background: Echocardiography has been a popular modality used to aid in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) with the modified Duke criteria. We evaluated the necessity between the uses of either a transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25 kg/m(2) and less than 25 kg/m(2).

Methods: A single-centered, retrospective study of 198 patients between 2005 and 2012 diagnosed with IE based on modified Duke criteria.

Isolated supra-cardiac partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection causing right heart failure.

Right heart failure (RHF) has been overlooked as left heart failure has predominated. One of the many causes of RHF is partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection (PAPVC), an extremely rare entity in nature. Physicians should consider the unusual causes of RHF after ruling out the common causes.