Is Routine Diagnostic Radioiodine Whole-Body Scintigraphy Needed in Patients who Received Ablative doses of Radioiodine for Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma?

Aim: The present large-series retrospective sought to assess DWBS findings 6‒12 weeks after RIAT in DTC patients in various risk groups. In addition, the study compared patients’ simultaneous sTg levels.Material and Methods: The follow-up data of 2879 patients who had received RIAT for DTC between 1998 and 2016 were evaluated for inclusion in the study. The study retrospectively evaluated the following: age at the time of diagnosis; gender; histopathological features of thyroidectomy materials (histological subtype, variant, dimension, multi-focality, thyroid capsule, and vascular invasion of tumors); TNM stage; ATA classification; sTg, suppressed-serum Tg, and antiTg antibody levels; and DWBS findings. Patients were categorized according to sTg level (undetectable, 1‒10 ng/ml, and >10 ng/ml). Then, the DWBS findings were analyzed according to sTg level.Results: The study analyzed 2184 patients (1805 F, 379 M; mean age: 43.54±12.64). In 2077 (95%) patients, the DWBSs performed 6‒12 months after RIAT had shown no pathological uptake throughout the entire body. Pathological uptake had been detected in the neck and outside the neck in 88 (4%) and 19 (1%) patients, respectively. All patients who had had normal DWBSs also had had undetectable simultaneous sTg levels. In addition, the DWBSs had been normal in 187 (8%) patients who had had simultaneous sTg levels> 1 ng/ml and in 286 (13%) patients who had had levels > 10 ng/ml. In all patients who had pathological uptake in DWBSs, simultaneous sTg levels were > 1ng/ml, and in 47, they were> 10 ng/ml.Conclusion: Routine DWBS seems to be unnecessary, even in high-risk DTCs. However, in patients who have detectable levels of serum sTg, it could be performed to localize the disease and plan patient management

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

TÜRKIYE’DE YOĞUN BAKIM ÜNITELERINDE VENTILATÖR ILIŞKILI PNÖMONIYI ÖNLEMEK IÇIN ALINAN GÜNCEL ÖNLEMLER: TÜRK TORAKS DERNEĞI SOLUNUM YETMEZLIĞI VE YOĞUN BAKIM ÇALIŞMA GRUBU NOKTA PREVALANS ÇALIŞMASI

Objectives: The inadequate quality and nature of sleep is a commonly reported problem among hospitalized patients. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of progressive muscle relaxation training program on sleep quality, sleep state, pain and life quality of patients who underwent pulmonary resection

Current Statement of Intensive Care Units in Turkey: Data obtained from 67 Centers

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to obtain information about the characteristics of the ICUs in our country via a point prevalence study