Characterization of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients with a Long Length of Stay: A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study.

Objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation is one of the most common reasons for hospital admission. Patients with COPD with a long length of stay (LoS) occupy a disproportionately high fraction of hospital bed-days. The objective of this study was to identify associations of long LoS in patients admitted with COPD exacerbation.

Schistosomiasis presenting in travellers: a 15 year observational study at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London.

Background: Schistosomiasis in returning travellers is one of the most common imported tropical infections with potentially serious complications, which are preventable if diagnosed early.

Methods: A review was undertaken of consecutive cases of schistosomiasis presenting at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, UK from 1997 to 2012.

Results: All 1020 schistosomiasis cases were from Africa and Schistosoma haematobium was the predominant species in those with microscopy confirmed schistosomiasis (74.