PRACTICAL CHALLENGES WITH IMAGING COVID-19 IN BRAZIL: MITIGATION IN AND BEYOND THE PANDEMIC.

Unlabelled: Computed tomography (CT) provides useful information in patients with known or suspected COVID-19 infection. However, there are substantial variations and challenges in scanner technologies and scan practices that have negative effect on the image quality and can increase radiation dose associated with CT.

Objective: In this article, we present major issues and challenges with use of CT at five Brazilian CT facilities for imaging patients with known or suspected COVID-19 infection and offer specific mitigating strategies.

Frailty score before admission as risk factor for mortality of renal patients during the first wave of the COVID pandemic in London.

Frailty is a known predictor of mortality and poor outcomes during hospital admission. In this large renal retrospective cohort study, we investigated whether frailer COVID-19 positive renal patients had worse outcomes. All SARS-Cov-2 positive renal patients aged ≥18 years who presented to the emergency department at the Royal Free Hospital or at the satellite dialysis centres from 10th of March until the 10th of May 2020, with recent data on frailty, were included.

Controversies in Reduction Mammoplasty: Being A "Clean" Operation, Does It Mandate Antibiotic Prophylaxis?

Background: Considered a clean operation, breast surgery has surgical site infection (SSI) rates ranging from 4% to 18%, higher than the reference value for clean surgery (<3.4%). The aim of this study was to measure the incidence of SSI in patients undergoing reduction mammoplasty with and without antibiotic prophylaxis, comparing the results and defining the value of antibiotic prophylaxis.

A wet dressing for hypospadias surgery.

Introduction: One of the main problems faced by surgeons involved in male genitalia surgeries, in particular in children with hypospadias, is the type of dressing and its use during the post-operatory period.

Materials And Methods: From a multidisciplinary project involving the use of sugarcane biopolymer membrane developed in the last 10 years, produced by bacterial action over sugarcane molasses, we developed a multiperforated pellicle that, when applied around the penis, protects the surgical field. It is a proven inert material that does not induce any reaction on the surgical field and can be left in situ maintaining the same characteristics during a long period of time without the need of replacement.