Search

Objective: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) hospital outbreaks have been common and devastating during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Understanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in these environments is critical for preventing and managing outbreaks., Design: Outbreak investigation through epidemiological mapping and whole-genome sequencing phylogeny., Setting: Hospital in-patient medical unit outbreak in Toronto, Canada, from November 2020 to January 2021., Participants: The outbreak involved 8 patients and 10 staff and was associated with 3 patient deaths., Results: Patients being cared for in geriatric chairs at the nursing station were at high risk for both acquiring and transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to other patients and staff. Furthermore, given the informal nature of these transmissions, they were not initially recognized, which led to further transmission and missing the opportunity for preventative COVID-19 therapies., Conclusions: During outbreak prevention and management, the risk of informal patient care settings, such as geriatric chairs, should be considered. During high-risk periods or during outbreaks, efforts should be made to care for patients in their rooms when possible.

There is a paucity of evidence from population-based studies identifying prevalence and incidence of dysphagia, as well as health and sociodemographic risk factors that may contribute to its development. As such, the current study aimed to determine prevalence, incidence, and associated predictors of dysphagia in adults. The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging is a nationally representative population study that follows 51,338 Canadians over 45 years of age. Biological, medical, psychological, social, lifestyle and economic data are collected. A secondary analysis of the data was conducted to determine prevalence, incidence, and the predictors of self-reported swallowing difficulty in adults between 45 and 85 years of age. Rates of swallowing difficulty by demographic risk factor, as well as lifestyle and health factors were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Associations between lifestyle and health variables with dysphagia were tested using Chi-square tests or t tests, as appropriate. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of self-reported swallowing difficulties. Overall prevalence of self-reported swallowing difficulties in adults over the age of 45 was 10.6% and increased to 13.7% after 3 years. Significant differences (p < 0.001) in self-reported swallowing difficulty at baseline were apparent across smoking status, requiring help to prepare meals, life satisfaction, social participation, all disease categories except dementia, number of medications, cognition, oral health status, and frailty. Incidence of dysphagia was 8.6%. Regression analyses suggested the following independent predictors of reports of swallowing difficulty: older age; non-white ethnicity; female sex; poor oral health; malnutrition; and frailty. These predictors should be carefully considered to ensure we are screening at-risk populations. Social determinants of health, such as ethnicity, must also be considered to ensure equitable care across the population., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Health care workers (HCWs) are at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and may play a role in transmitting the infection to vulnerable patients and members of the community. This is particularly worrisome in the context of asymptomatic infection. We performed a cross-sectional study looking at asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs. We screened asymptomatic HCWs for SARS-CoV-2 via PCR. Complementary viral genome sequencing was performed on positive swab specimens. A seroprevalence analysis was also performed using multiple assays. Asymptomatic health care worker cohorts had a combined swab positivity rate of 29/5776 (0.50%, 95%CI 0.32-0.75) relative to a comparative cohort of symptomatic HCWs, where 54/1597 (3.4%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (ratio of symptomatic to asymptomatic 6.8:1). SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among 996 asymptomatic HCWs with no prior known exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was 1.4-3.4%, depending on assay. A novel in-house Coronavirus protein microarray showed differing SARS-CoV-2 protein reactivities and helped define likely true positives vs. suspected false positives. Our study demonstrates the utility of routine screening of asymptomatic HCWs, which may help to identify a significant proportion of infections., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objectives: Long-term thromboembolic and hemorrhagic outcomes after mechanical valve replacement have been well described; however, few studies have described these outcomes after valve replacement with the On-X mechanical prosthesis (On-X Life Technologies, Inc, Austin, Tex)., Methods: Between 2003 and 2008, 737 patients underwent either aortic valve replacement (n = 400), mitral valve replacement (n = 282), or double-valve replacement (n = 55). Longitudinal performance, freedom evaluation, and risk analysis were assessed with regard to major thromboembolism and hemorrhage. Risk modeling was performed with 16 variables inclusive of age, atrial fibrillation, concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting, New York Heart Association class, and ventricular dysfunction., Results: Early mortality was 2.5% (n = 10) for aortic valve replacement and 3.2% (n = 9) for mitral valve replacement. Late mortality for aortic valve replacement was 4.8% per patient-year and 6.0% per patient-year for mitral valve replacement. Five-year freedom from major thromboembolism was 96.5% ± 1.2% for aortic valve replacement and 97.7% ± 0.9% for mitral valve replacement. Five-year freedom from hemorrhage was 93.6% ± 1.8% for aortic valve replacement and 95.7% ± 1.5% for mitral valve replacement. Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting was predictive of major thromboembolism after aortic valve replacement (hazard ratio, 5.3; P = .02) and antithrombotic hemorrhage after mitral valve replacement (hazard ratio, 4.7; P = .03). No other independent predictors of major thromboembolism or hemorrhage were identified. One thrombosed mitral prosthesis was observed after deliberate discontinuation of anticoagulation. The major thromboembolic events occurred with variation of international normalized ratio levels inclusive of subtherapeutic levels. The majority of hemorrhagic events occurred with high international normalized ratio levels., Conclusions: The On-X mechanical prosthesis provides favorable intermediate-term results with regard to major thromboembolism and hemorrhage., (Copyright © 2010 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim of the Study: The optimal approach to anticoagulation during the early postoperative period after mechanical valve replacement, by which early thromboembolism is prevented without bleeding complications, is not yet known. The study aim was to examine the practice patterns of Canadian cardiac surgeons with regard to early postoperative anticoagulation after mechanical valve implantation., Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 100 Canadian cardiac surgeons in July 2004, and 57 responses were received. Data were collected regarding the approaches to early postoperative anticoagulation following uncomplicated isolated mechanical aortic valve replacement (AVR) and mitral valve replacement (MVR)., Results: Heparin was administered routinely after AVR and MVR by 63% and 68% of surgeons, respectively. This was most commonly initiated on postoperative day (POD) 1, and given either subcutaneously (AVR, 28%; MVR, 25%) or intravenously (AVR, 33%; MVR, 42%). Alternatively, low-molecular-weight heparin was used by 21% and 23% of surgeons after AVR and MVR, respectively. Oral warfarin was usually started on POD 1 (72% and 68%, respectively), with 40% prescribing an initial dose between 2.5 and 5.0 mg, and 51% administering between 5.1 and 7.5 mg. When heparin was not used, oral anticoagulation was more often administered earlier (AVR, p = 0.003; MVR, p = 0.006), but not at higher doses (AVR, p = 0.07; MVR, p = 0.2). Following surgery, aspirin was prescribed by 61% and 65% of surgeons after AVR and MVR, respectively., Conclusion: The study results highlighted a significant variability in the management of early postoperative anticoagulation after mechanical valve implantation. The clinical impact of these findings is unknown, and can only be assessed through a prospective trial.

Objective: To review data from published population trials and clinical practice guidelines on screening for lung cancer to provide a recommendation for early detection of lung cancer., Quality of Evidence: Literature was searched via MEDLINE using the MeSH headings "lung neoplasm," "mass screening," "thoracic radiography," and "sputum." Only prospective randomized controlled trials with large numbers of subjects were selected., Main Message: Risk of lung cancer among long-term heavy smokers continues even years after stopping smoking. Risk is highest in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Canadian clinical practice guidelines currently recommend that sputum cytology examination and chest radiography (CXR) not be used for lung cancer screening. This guideline was deducted from four randomized population trials in the 1970s that have serious limitations and applies to asymptomatic adults only. A CXR and sputum cytology examination are indicated in symptomatic current and former smokers older than 45 years with a smoking history of 30 pack-years or more and airflow obstruction defined as a forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) of 70% or less and a FEV1 lower than 70%. Curative treatment is available for early lung cancer. Substantial advances in innovative technologies for early detection using low-dose spiral CT and newer sputum tests have been made in the last three decades. Additional studies are under way to evaluate these new technologies., Conclusion: Primary care physicians have an important role in identifying people at risk of developing lung cancer and in supporting research to evaluate new screening technology.