Risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes associated with rheumatoid arthritis and phenotypic subgroups: a retrospective, comparative, multicentre cohort study.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis has been associated with severe COVID-19, but few studies have investigated how phenotypes of rheumatoid arthritis affect these associations. We aimed to investigate the associations between rheumatoid arthritis and phenotypes of interstitial lung disease, serostatus, and bone erosions with COVID-19 severity.

Methods: We did a retrospective, comparative, multicentre cohort study at two large health-care systems (Mayo Clinic [19 hospitals and affiliated outpatient centres] and Mass General Brigham [14 hospitals and affiliated outpatient centres]) in the USA.

Clinical and laboratory profiles of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant compared with pre-Delta variants.

Objectives: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern has led to significant phenotypical changes in transmissibility, virulence, and public health measures. Our study used clinical data to compare characteristics between a Delta variant wave and a pre-Delta variant wave of hospitalized patients.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study defined a wave as an increasing number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, which peaked and later decreased.

Low antispike antibody levels correlate with poor outcomes in COVID-19 breakthrough hospitalizations.

Background: While COVID-19 immunization programs attempted to reach targeted rates, cases rose significantly since the emergence of the delta variant. This retrospective cohort study describes the correlation between antispike antibodies and outcomes of hospitalized, breakthrough cases during the delta variant surge.

Methods: All patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction hospitalized at Mayo Clinic Florida from 19 June 2021 to 11 November 2021 were considered for analysis.

Clinical outcomes of first- and second-generation hydrogel coils compared with bare platinum coils: a systematic literature review.

Endovascular coiling has revolutionized intracranial aneurysm treatment; however, recurrence continues to represent a major limitation. The hydrogel coil was developed to increase packing density and improve neck healing and therefore decrease recurrence rates. In this paper, we review treatment outcomes of first- (1HCs) and second-generation (2HCs) hydrogel coils and compare them to those of bare platinum coils (BPC).

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine-Breakthrough Infections Requiring Hospitalization in Mayo Clinic Florida Through August 2021.

We characterized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) breakthrough cases admitted to a single center in Florida. With the emergence of delta variant, an increased number of hospitalizations was seen due to breakthrough infections. These patients were older and more likely to have comorbidities.

Quantifying the Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination to Our Future Outlook.

Predictive models have played a critical role in local, national, and international response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, health care systems and governmental agencies have relied on several models, such as the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Youyang Gu (YYG), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ensemble, to predict short- and long-term trends in disease activity. The Mayo Clinic Bayesian SIR model, recently made publicly available, has informed Mayo Clinic practice leadership at all sites across the United States and has been shared with Minnesota governmental leadership to help inform critical decisions during the past year.

Providing safe care for patients in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era: A case series evaluating risk for hospital-associated COVID-19.

Objective: We evaluated the risk of patients contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during their hospital stay to inform the safety of hospitalization for a non-COVID-19 indication during this pandemic.

Methods: A case series of adult patients hospitalized for 2 or more nights from May 15 to June 15, 2020 at large tertiary-care hospital in the midwestern United States was reviewed. All patients were screened at admission with the severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Deployment of an Interdisciplinary Predictive Analytics Task Force to Inform Hospital Operational Decision-Making During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In March 2020, our institution developed an interdisciplinary predictive analytics task force to provide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospital census forecasting to help clinical leaders understand the potential impacts on hospital operations. As the situation unfolded into a pandemic, our task force provided predictive insights through a structured set of visualizations and key messages that have helped the practice to anticipate and react to changing operational needs and opportunities. The framework shared here for the deployment of a COVID-19 predictive analytics task force could be adapted for effective implementation at other institutions to provide evidence-based messaging for operational decision-making.

Postoperative Opioid Utilization and Patient Satisfaction in General Surgery Procedures: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Wide variation of opioid prescribing persists despite attempts to quantify number of opioids utilized postoperatively. We aim to prospectively determine number of opioids used after common surgery procedures to guide future prescribing.

Methods: A prospective observational trial was performed of opioids prescribed and used postoperatively.

Representation of Women on Plastic Surgery Journal Editorial Boards in the United States.

Background: During the past decade, a growing number of women have pursued medical careers, including in plastic surgery. However, female physicians have tended to be underrepresented in a variety of leadership roles in their respective specialties.

Objectives: The authors sought to evaluate the representation of female plastic surgeons on the editorial boards of high-impact plastic surgery journals.

Early technical pancreas failure in Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Recipients does not impact renal allograft outcomes.

Early pancreas loss in simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplants has been associated with longer perioperative recovery and reduced kidney allograft function. We assessed the impact of early pancreas allograft failure on transplant outcomes in a contemporary cohort of SPK patients (n = 218). Early pancreas allograft loss occurred in 12.

Association of Do-Not-Resuscitate Patient Case Mix With Publicly Reported Risk-Standardized Hospital Mortality and Readmission Rates.

Importance: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services's (CMS's) 30-day risk-standardized mortality rate (RSMR) and risk-standardized readmission rate (RSRR) models do not adjust for do-not-resuscitate (DNR) status of hospitalized patients and may bias Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) financial penalties and Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings.

Objective: To identify the association between hospital-level DNR prevalence and condition-specific 30-day RSMR and RSRR and the implications of this association for HRRP financial penalty.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study obtained patient-level data from the Medicare Limited Data Set Inpatient Standard Analytical File and hospital-level data from the CMS Hospital Compare website for all consecutive Medicare inpatient encounters from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2018, in 4484 US hospitals.

Can a Convolutional Neural Network Classify Knee Osteoarthritis on Plain Radiographs as Accurately as Fellowship-Trained Knee Arthroplasty Surgeons?

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of disability among adults in the United States. As the diagnosis is based on the accurate interpretation of knee radiographs, use of a convolutional neural network (CNN) to grade OA severity has the potential to significantly reduce variability.

Methods: Knee radiographs from consecutive patients presenting to a large academic arthroplasty practice were obtained retrospectively.

Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Aesthetic Surgery: A Survey of Plastic Surgeons' Practices.

Background: Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, collectively known as venous thromboembolism (VTE), are among the most feared yet preventable surgical complications. Although many recommendations exist to reduce the risk of VTE, the actual VTE prophylaxis practices of aesthetic plastic surgeons remain unknown.

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to elucidate plastic surgeons' experiences with VTE, preferred VTE prophylaxis practices, and areas in which VTE prevention may be improved.

Calcific Tendonitis of the Shoulder: Protector or Predictor of Cuff Pathology? A Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation is to assess the incidence of rotator cuff tears in cases of calcific tendonitis and evaluate for differences in the incidences of rotator cuff tears by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between calcific lesions of different morphology, size, or location.

Methods: This single-center study involved a retrospective chart review searching for patients from January 2010 to April 2017 with a diagnosis of calcific tendonitis of the shoulder based on review of all MRI reads done on patients with shoulder pain. Anteroposterior radiographic and MRI studies were reviewed by a musculoskeletal radiologist to assess calcific tendonitis morphology, size, distance from cuff insertion, and any rotator cuff tear.

Individuals With Scleroderma May Have Increased Risk of Sleep-Disordered Breathing.

Study Objectives: Scleroderma is associated with abnormal skin thickening, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, and abnormalities of the upper airway. These changes can cause cardiopulmonary complications, potentially including sleep-disordered breathing. The objective of this study is to examine the risk of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with scleroderma.

The Clinical and Financial Consequences of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Two-Midnight Rule in Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Background: To lessen the financial burden of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and encourage shorter hospital stays, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently removed TKA from the inpatient-only list. This policy change now requires providers and institutions to apply the two-midnight rule (TMR) to short-stay (1-midnight) inpatient hospitalizations (SSIH).

Methods: The National Inpatient Sample from 2012 through 2016 was used to analyze trends in length of stay following elective TJA.

Efficacy of Pharmacologic and Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Therapies in Patients With Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Background The treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction has been the subject of numerous randomized controlled trials involving medications and cardiac implantable electronic device therapies. As newer effective pharmacological therapies suggest significant reductions in all-cause mortality, the role of additional device therapy in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction deserves further scrutiny. Methods A systematic review and network meta-analysis on the effect of medication and device therapies in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction on all-cause mortality was performed.

Bilateral Hip Arthroscopy: Can Results From Initial Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Predict Future Contralateral Results?

Purpose: To determine the degree of correlation of radiographic measurements, degree of correlation of intraoperative pathology, and difference in outcomes between sides of patients requiring staged bilateral hip arthroscopy.

Methods: Two high-volume hip preservation centers retrospectively reviewed hip preservation databases for staged bilateral hip arthroscopies conducted between 2008 and 2015. Patients were separated into those who presented with bilateral hip pain and those that presented with unilateral pain and developed contralateral pain >2 years later.

Robotic vs. open cystectomy: How length-of-stay differences relate conditionally to age.

Objectives: The length-of-stay (LOS) benefit of minimally invasive cystectomy varies in the published literature, potentially because of subgroup effects. Here, we investigated the effect of minimally invasive cystectomy on LOS among different age groups.

Methods And Materials: Adult patients who underwent cystectomy (open or minimally invasive) from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2016, were identified from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

What Is the Role of Repeat Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Hip Infection?

Background: The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons clinical practice guideline currently recommends repeat joint aspiration when workup of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) reveals conflicting data. This guideline is based on a single study of 31 patients published 25 years ago. We sought to determine the correlation between first and second aspirations and factors that may play a role in variability between them.