Coronavirus Disease 2019 continues to spread and to date, no definitive treatment is available. Overcrowded and under-resourced healthcare centres have had to design different strategies to treat these patients, what includes the control of the electrocardiogram (ECG), as some drugs that have been used to treat this disease may prolong the QT interval as a side effect. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we designed a protocol for monitoring the QT interval using a portable device with Bluetooth connectivity. After a validation study with 50 patients, we found a very good correlation between the QT interval measured both with this device and with the conventional body surface ECG. In this article, we provide a brief overview of the protocol and then analyse the QT changes observed in a group of patients during their hospitalization and treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection. 81 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled in the protocol (age 63.4 SD 17.2 years; 70.3% men), while being treated with lopinavir/ritonavir, azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine, both individually or combined. Ten patients developed long drug-related QT interval, and the QT prolongation was statically significant for all treatment schemes. All patients with drug induced QT prolongation corrected the QT interval following the indications of the protocol, and no patients died of arrhythmic causes after its implementation. In our experience, a protocol for the electrocardiographic monitoring of these patients minimizes the risk of iatrogenic QT interval prolongation and consequently reduces sudden death events, and for that purpose, portable devices like the one used in this protocol may constitute a useful tool to minimize the contact with such patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcha.2020.100644 | DOI Listing |
Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol)
December 2024
Radiation Oncology Network, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia; Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address:
Aims: Unresectable cutaneous squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (HNcSCC) poses treatment challenges in elderly and comorbid patients. Radiation therapy (RT) is often employed for locoregional control. This study aimed to determine progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) outcomes achieved with upfront RT in unresectable HNcSCC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Surg Educ
January 2025
Department of Sociology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Objective: Discussions related to the importance of seeking specific consent for sensitive (e.g., pelvic, rectal) exams performed on anesthetized patients by medical students have been growing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Emerg Med
January 2025
Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Background: This study aimed to examine how physician performance metrics are affected by the speed of other attendings (co-attendings) concurrently staffing the ED.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using patient data from two EDs between January-2018 and February-2020. Machine learning was used to predict patient length of stay (LOS) conditional on being assigned a physician of average speed, using patient- and departmental-level variables.
Am J Emerg Med
January 2025
Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain; Emergency Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Gerencia Regional de Salud de Castilla y León, Valladolid, Spain.
Background: The study of the inclusion of new variables in already existing early warning scores is a growing field. The aim of this work was to determine how capnometry measurements, in the form of end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) and the perfusion index (PI), could improve the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2).
Methods: A secondary, prospective, multicenter, cohort study was undertaken in adult patients with unselected acute diseases who needed continuous monitoring in the emergency department (ED), involving two tertiary hospitals in Spain from October 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.
J Nurs Adm
December 2024
Authors Affiliations: PhD Candidate (Hung) and Professor (Dr Jeng), School of Nursing, Taipei Medical University; Head Nurse (Hung) and Director (Dr Ming), Department of Nursing, Taipei Veterans General Hospital; Adjunct Assistant Professor (Dr Ming), School of Nursing, College of Nursing, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei City; and Professor (Dr Tsao), Nursing Department and Graduate School, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taiwan.
Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of presenteeism among Taiwanese nursing staffs.
Background: Presenteeism is a subjective and multifaceted experience, but nurses have rarely been invited to provide their own views of presenteeism.
Methods: A qualitative study based on content analysis was conducted.
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