Factors Associated With Risk of Postdischarge Thrombosis in Patients With COVID-19

Importance: COVID-19 is associated with a high incidence of thrombotic events; however, the need for extended thromboprophylaxis after hospitalization remains unclear. Objective: To quantify the rate of postdischarge arterial and venous thromboembolism in patients with COVID-19, identify the factors associated with the risk of postdischarge venous thromboembolism, and evaluate the association of postdischarge anticoagulation use with venous thromboembolism incidence. Design, Setting, and Participants: This is a cohort study of adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 confirmed by a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Eligible patients were enrolled at 5 hospitals of the Henry Ford Health System from March 1 to November 30, 2020. Data analysis was performed from April to June 2021. Exposures: Anticoagulant therapy after discharge. Main Outcomes and Measures: New onset of symptomatic arterial and venous thromboembolic events within 90 days after discharge from the index admission for COVID-19 infection were identified using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes. Results: In this cohort study of 2832 adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the mean (SD) age was 63.4 (16.7) years (IQR, 53-75 years), and 1347 patients (47.6%) were men. Thirty-six patients (1.3%) had postdischarge venous thromboembolic events (16 pulmonary embolism, 18 deep vein thrombosis, and 2 portal vein thrombosis). Fifteen (0.5%) postdischarge arterial thromboembolic events were observed (1 transient ischemic attack and 14 acute coronary syndrome). The risk of venous thromboembolism decreased with time (Mann-Kendall trend test, P \u3c .001), with a median (IQR) time to event of 16 (7-43) days. There was no change in the risk of arterial thromboembolism with time (Mann-Kendall trend test, P = .37), with a median (IQR) time to event of 37 (10-63) days. Patients with a history of venous thromboembolism (odds ratio [OR], 3.24; 95% CI, 1.34-7.86), peak dimerized plasmin fragment D (D-dimer) level greater than 3 μg/mL (OR, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.86-7.57), and predischarge C-reactive protein level greater than 10 mg/dL (OR, 3.02; 95% CI, 1.45-6.29) were more likely to experience venous thromboembolism after discharge. Prescriptions for therapeutic anticoagulation at discharge were associated with reduced incidence of venous thromboembolism (OR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04-0.75; P = .02). Conclusions and Relevance: Although extended thromboprophylaxis in unselected patients with COVID-19 is not supported, these findings suggest that postdischarge anticoagulation may be considered for high-risk patients who have a history of venous thromboembolism, peak D-dimer level greater than 3 μg/mL, and predischarge C-reactive protein level greater than 10 mg/dL, if their bleeding risk is low

Data of atrial arrhythmias in hospitalized COVID-19 and influenza patients

Atrial arrhythmias (AA) are common in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with limited data on their association with COVID-19 infection, clinical and imaging outcomes. In the related research article using retrospective research data from one quaternary care and five community hospitals, patients aged 18 years and above with positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test were included. 6927 patients met the inclusion criteria. The data in this article provides demographics, home medications, in-hospital events and COVID-19 treatments, multivariable generalized linear regression regression models using a log link with a Poisson distribution (multi-parameter regression [MPR]) to determine predictors of new-onset AA and mortality in COVID-19 patients, computerized tomography chest scan findings, echocardiographic findings, and International Classification of Diseases-Tenth Revision codes. The clinical outcomes were compared to a propensity-matched cohort of influenza patients. For influenza, data is reported on baseline demographics, comorbid conditions, and in-hospital events. Generalized linear regression models were built for COVID-19 patients using demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and presenting labs which were significantly different between the groups, and hypoxia in the emergency room. Statistical analysis was performed using R programming language (version 4, ggplot2 package). Multivariable generalized linear regression model showed that, relative to normal sinus rhythm, history of AA (adjusted relative risk [RR]: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.11-1.71; p = 0.003) and newly-detected AA (adjusted RR: 2.02 95% CI: 1.68-2.43; p \u3c 0.001) were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality. Age in increments of 10 years, male sex, White race, prior history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, end-stage renal disease, presenting leukocytosis, hypermagnesemia, and hypomagnesemia were found to be independent predictors of new-onset AA in the MPR model. The dataset reported is related to the research article entitled Incidence, Mortality, and Imaging Outcomes of Atrial Arrhythmias in COVID-19 [Jehangir et al. Incidence, Mortality, and Imaging Outcomes of Atrial Arrhythmias in COVID-19, American Journal of Cardiology] [1]

Risk Factors Associated With Hospitalization and Death in COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections

BACKGROUND: Characterizations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine breakthrough infections are limited. We aim to characterize breakthrough infections and identify risk factors associated with outcomes. METHODS: This was a retrospective case series of consecutive fully vaccinated patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a multicenter academic center in Southeast Michigan, between December 30, 2020, and September 15, 2021. RESULTS: A total of 982 patients were identified; the mean age was 57.9 years, 565 (59%) were female, 774 (79%) were White, and 255 (26%) were health care workers (HCWs). The median number of comorbidities was 2; 225 (23%) were immunocompromised. BNT162b2 was administered to 737 (75%) individuals. The mean time to SARS-CoV-2 detection was 135 days. The majority were asymptomatic or exhibited mild to moderate disease, 154 (16%) required hospitalization, 127 (13%) had severe-critical illness, and 19 (2%) died. Age (odds ratio [OR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.04-1.07; P \u3c .001), cardiovascular disease (OR, 3.02; 95% CI, 1.55-5.89; P = .001), and immunocompromised status (OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.70-3.90; P \u3c .001) were independent risk factors for hospitalization. Additionally, age (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.11; P = .006) was significantly associated with mortality. HCWs (OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.05-0.50; P = .002) were less likely to be hospitalized, and prior receipt of BNT162b2 was associated with lower odds of hospitalization (OR, 0.436; 95% CI, 0.303-0.626; P \u3c .001) and/or death (OR, 0.360; 95% CI, 0.145-0.898; P = .029). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 vaccines remain effective at attenuating disease severity. However, patients with breakthrough infections necessitating hospitalization may benefit from early treatment modalities and COVID-19-mitigating strategies, especially in areas with substantial or high transmission rates

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Acute Stroke Care, Time Metrics, Outcomes, and Racial Disparities in a Southeast Michigan Health System

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has impacted acute stroke care with several reports showing worldwide drops in stroke caseload during the pandemic. We studied the impact of COVID-19 on acute stroke care in our health system serving Southeast Michigan as we rolled out a policy to limit admissions and transfers. METHODS: in this retrospective study conducted at two stroke centers, we included consecutive patients presenting to the ED for whom a stroke alert was activated during the period extending from 3/20/20 to 5/20/20 and a similar period in 2019. We compared demographics, time metrics, and discharge outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS: of 385 patients presented to the ED during the two time periods, 58% were African American. There was a significant decrease in the number of stroke patients presenting to the ED and admitted to the hospital between the two periods (p \u3c0.001). In 2020, patients had higher presenting NIHSS (median: 2 vs 5, p = 0.012), discharge NIHSS (median: 2 vs 3, p = 0.004), and longer times from LKW to ED arrival (4.8 vs 9.4 h, p = 0.031) and stroke team activation (median: 10 vs 15 min, p = 0.006). In 2020, stroke mimics rates were lower among African Americans. There were fewer hospitalizations (p \u3c0.001), and transfers from outside facilities (p = 0.015). CONCLUSION: a trend toward faster stroke care in the ED was observed during the pandemic along with dramatically reduced numbers of ED visits, hospitalizations and stroke mimics. Delayed ED presentations and higher stroke severity characterized the African American population, highlighting deepening of racial disparities during the pandemic

A Four-Year Multi-Center Retrospective Observational Study of Pediatric Emergency Medical Services Utilization in a Large Metropolitan Health System

Study Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly decreased pediatric emergency department (ED) utilization. The objective of this study was to quantify the characteristics of pediatric EMS utilization both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a metropolitan health care system. Methods: We performed a multi-center, retrospective observational study of all pediatric ED visits between 1/1/2018 and 12/31/2021, that presented to one of nine EDs within our health system. The data were sorted by mode of arrival; children arriving to the ED via EMS, or arrival by other means. Data collection included a variety of demographic and clinical variables. We compared overall pediatric ED patients’ arrival methods as well as ED and EMS volumes by year using a binomial test with a null hypothesis that the population proportion equals 50%. Analysis compared ED mode of arrival, admission rate, and Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage scores using chi-square tests. Results: There were 201,313 pediatric ED encounters for 118,744 unique patients meeting the inclusion criteria. There were 8,815 (4.38%) children who arrived via EMS compared to 192,498 (95.62%) children who arrived by other means (p \u3c 0.0001). Children who arrived via EMS had a higher admission rate of 22.27% (1963) compared to 5.9% (11,351, p \u3c 0.0001). ESI among children arriving via EMS was higher, with 44.3% (3847) having ESI 1 or 2 triage scores compared to 8.8% (16,790) for children arriving by other means (p \u3c 0.0001). Overall pediatric ED mortality was 0.03% (61 deaths), with 86.9% (53) of those children arriving via EMS (p \u3c 0.0001). Pediatric ED and EMS volumes in 2018 and 2019 pre-pandemic were 127,652 ED visits and 5,306 EMS visits, respectively, compared to 73,661 and 3,509 visits in 2020 and 2021. This represents a 42.3% overall reduction in pediatric ED visits (p \u3c 0.0001) and a 33.9% reduction in pediatric EMS visits (p \u3c 0.0001). Conclusion: Approximately 5% of pediatric ED encounters in our health system arrived via EMS. These children appeared to have higher acuity presentations and required inpatient services more often than children who arrived by other means. Pediatric ED and EMS encounters have decreased substantially since the onset of the pandemic

COVID-19 vaccination up-take in three districts of Nepal

Vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be an issue in terms of global efforts to decrease transmission rates. Despite high demand for the vaccines in Nepal, the country still contends with challenges related to vaccine accessibility, equitable vaccine distribution, and vaccine hesitancy. Study objectives were to identify: 1) up-take and intention for use of COVID-19 vaccines, 2) factors associated with vaccine up-take, and 3) trusted communication strategies about COVID-19 and the vaccines. A quantitative survey was implemented in August and September 2021 through an initiative at the Nepali Ministry of Health and Population Department of Health Services, Family Welfare Division. Data were collected from 865 respondents in three provinces (Bagmati, Lumbini, and Province 1). Ordinal multivariate logistic regression was utilized to determine relationships between vaccination status and associated factors. Overall, 62% (537) respondents were fully vaccinated and 18% (159) were partially vaccinated. Those respondents with higher education (p \u3c .001) and higher household income (p \u3c .001) were more likely vaccinated. There were also significant differences in vaccine up-take across the three provinces (p \u3c .001). Respondents who were vaccinated were significantly more likely to perceive vaccines as efficacious in terms of preventing COVID-19 (p = .004) and preventing serious outcomes (p = .010). Among both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, there was a high level of trust in information about COVID-19 vaccines provided through local health-care workers [e.g. nurses and physicians]. These results are consistent with other findings within the South Asia region. Targeted advocacy and outreach efforts are needed to support ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaigns throughout Nepal

Olfaction and apathy in early idiopathic Parkinson\u27s disease

BACKGROUND: Apathy remains a disabling symptom in Parkinson\u27s disease (PD) with limited therapeutic success. Processing of emotions and smell share neuroanatomical and evolutionary pathways. OBJECTIVES: To explore the association of apathy with smell dysfunction (SD) in early PD. METHODS: We analyzed patients with de-novo PD, with follow-up of at least 5 years from the Parkinson\u27s Progression Markers Initiative. SD and apathy were defined using University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test and MDS-UPDRS part 1A. Odds ratios were calculated between apathy and olfaction groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was grouped by presence/ absence of smell dysfunction. The Log Rank test was used to compare time to apathy. RESULTS: We found no association between presence of apathy in patients with and without SD (OR 1.01 [0.49-2.08]). There was no significant difference between PD patients with and without SD in time to apathy (p = 0.72). CONCLUSIONS: SD does not portend greater risk of apathy in PD

Hyposmia and apathy in early, de novo Parkinson\u27s disease: Lessons from structural brain connectivity

INTRODUCTION: The neuroanatomical structures implicated in olfactory and emotional processing overlap significantly. Our understanding of the relationship between hyposmia and apathy, common manifestations of early Parkinson\u27s disease (PD), is inadequate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed data on 40 patients with early de-novo idiopathic PD enrolled within 2 years of motor symptom onset in the Parkinson\u27s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) study. To be included in the analysis, patients must have smell dysfunction but no apathy at the baseline visit and had completed a diffusion MRI (dMRI) at the baseline visit and at the 48-month follow-up visit. We used the FMRIB Software Library\u27s diffusion tool kit to measure fractional anisotropy (FA) in six regions of interest on dMRI: bilateral anterior corona radiata, left cingulum, left superior corona radiata, genu and body of the corpus callosum. We compared the FA in each region from the dMRI done at the beginning of the study with the follow up studies at 4 years. RESULTS: We found a significant decrease of FA at the bilateral anterior corona radiata, and the genu and body of the corpus callosum comparing baseline scans with follow up images at 4-years after starting the study. CONCLUSION: Structural connectivity changes associated with apathy can be seen early in PD patients with smell dysfunction

Extended Thromboprophylaxis in Patients with COVID-19

Introduction: Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have an increased incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and arterial thromboembolism (ATE) events. These thrombotic events increase readmission and mortality rate in COVID-19 survivors who are recently discharged from hospital. To lower the risk of VTE, a short course of post-discharge anticoagulation at either prophylactic or therapeutic dose has been variably prescribed among different facilities to COVID-19 patients. This practice, however, is challenged by less than 3% incidence of VTE in unselected patients. The net clinical benefit of extended thromboprophylaxis beyond hospitalization remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter observational study of 5613 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 2838 patients were included in statistical analysis. Patients were excluded if they had negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR, remained hospitalized at the time of analysis, or were discharged to hospice service. The first symptomatic ATE and VTE events up to 90 days after patients\u27 discharge from their index admission for COVID-19 were identified using ICD-10 codes, and subsequently validated by chart review. The predictors for post-discharge VTE were identified using multivariate logistic regression. The average protective effect of anticoagulation was assessed using inverse propensity score weighting. Results: The mean age (SD) of our cohort was 63.4 (16.7) years old and 47.6% were male. Black, white and other races were 38.9%, 50.7% and 10.3%, respectively. Thirty-six (1.3%) patients developed post-discharge VTE events that require hospital visits (18 deep vein thromboses, 16 pulmonary embolisms and 2 portal vein thromboses). Fifteen (0.5%) patients developed post-discharge ATE events (14 acute coronary syndromes and 1 transient ischemic attack). The incidence of VTE decreased with time (p \u3c.001) with the median event time of 16 days (Figure 1). The incidence of ATE was unchanged with time (p =.369) with the median event time of 37 days (Figure 1). Patients who had a history of VTE (OR=3.24, 95% CI 1.34-7.86), peak D-dimer \u3e3 µg/mL (OR=3.76, 95% CI 1.86-7.57), and predischarge C-reactive protein \u3e10 mg/dL (OR=3.02, 95% CI 1.45-6.29) were at a high risk of developing VTE after hospital discharge (Figure 2). A short course of prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation after hospital discharge markedly reduced VTE (OR=0, 95% CI 0-0, p\u3c.001, and OR=0.176, 95% CI 0.04-0.75, p=.02, respectively). Conclusions: Although extended thromboprophylaxis in unselected COVID-19 patients is not recommended, post-discharge anticoagulation may be considered in high-risk patients who have a history of VTE, peak D-dimer \u3e3 µg/mL and predischarge C-reactive protein \u3e10 mg/dL if their bleeding risk is low. Our study has provided the first evidence to guide the selection of hospitalized COVID-19 patients who may benefit from post-discharge anticoagulation

Assessing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke and Emergency Department Volumes

Background and Objectives: The initial wave of the COVID pandemic in spring of 2020 caused a well-documented and dramatic reduction in nationwide stroke volumes as well as total emergency department (ED) visits. The recovery of these volumes has not been well described across subsequent waves of the pandemic. We quantified the impact of three pandemic waves on both stroke and ED volume trends from a community and free-standing ED perspective. Methods: We performed a 15-month retrospective multi-center analysis of COVID cases, total ED visits, and stroke data from an academic community hospital designated as a primary stroke center (PSC) as well as a nearby free-standing ED (FSED) across three waves of the pandemic and the intervening recovery periods. Monthly ED volume and COVID data were collected from health system dashboards. Monthly stroke volume and stroke quality of care metrics were obtained from stroke manager’s database of stroke alerts and stroke metrics. Variables are presented as count and frequency and compared between groups using a chi square test. Results: ED volumes decreased from 83,785 combined ED visits in 2019, to 62,481 combined ED visits in 2020 for a 25.4% reduction in visits. In 2021, both EDs saw partial volume recovery and finished the year at 71,065 combined ED visits which was 84.8% of 2019’s pre-COVID volume. There was a total of 160,033 ED visits and 1,059 stroke cases included in the analysis (105,631 from PSC and 54,402 from FSED). There was a significant change in both stroke diagnosis (p=.03) and stroke alerts (p \u3c.001) between the different COVID waves and recovery periods. Stroke diagnosis peaked during the first COVID wave and second recovery period and then began to decline towards pre-COVID rates. Stroke alerts were lowest pre-COVID and highest in the second recovery period. There was not a significant association between COVID waves and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) use at the PSC, but at the FSED, there was a significant association between COVID waves and tPA use (p=0.024) with tPA use peaking during the first recovery wave and third COVID wave. Conclusion: The COVID 19 pandemic caused significant ED volume decreases during 2020. This study of two EDs may suggest a generalizable trend toward increased ED visits in 2021. There was significant fluctuation in stroke volumes and stroke alerts over the course of three COVID waves and recovery periods which has not been previously reported