Edward Itelman MD, Yishay Wasserstrum MD, Amitai Segev MD, Chen Avaky MD, Liat Negru MD, Dor Cohen MD, Natia Turpashvili MD, Sapir Anani MD, Eyal Zilber MD, Nir Lasman MD, Ahlam Athamna MD, Omer Segal MD, Tom Halevy MD, Yehuda Sabiner MD, Yair Donin MD, Lital Abraham MD, Elisheva Berdugo MD, Adi Zarka MD, Dahlia Greidinger MD, Muhamad Agbaria MD, Noor Kitany MD, Eldad Katorza MD, Gilat Shenhav-Saltzman MD and Gad Segal MD
Background: In February 2020, the World Health Organisation designated the name COVID-19 for a clinical condition caused by a virus identified as a cause for a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. The virus subsequently spread worldwide, causing havoc to medical systems and paralyzing global economies. The first COVID-19 patient in Israel was diagnosed on 27 February 2020.
Objectives: To present our findings and experiences as the first and largest center for COVID-19 patients in Israel.
Methods: The current analysis included all COVID-19 patients treated in Sheba Medical Center from February 2020 to April 2020. Clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological data gathered during their hospitalization are presented.
Results: Our 162 patient cohort included mostly adult (mean age of 52 ± 20 years) males (65%). Patients classified as severe COVID-19 were significantly older and had higher prevalence of arterial hypertension and diabetes. They also had significantly higher white blood cell counts, absolute neutrophil counts, and lactate dehydrogenase. Low folic acid blood levels were more common amongst severe patients (18.2 vs. 12.9 vs. 9.8, P = 0.014). The rate of immune compromised patients (12%) in our cohort was also higher than in the general population. The rate of deterioration from moderate to severe disease was high: 9% necessitated non-invasive oxygenation and 15% were intubated and mechanically ventilated. The mortality rate was 3.1%.
Conclusions: COVID-19 patients present a challenge for healthcare professionals and the whole medical system. We hope our findings will assist other providers and institutions in their care for these patients.
Yael Peled MD, Eilon Ram MD, Jacob Lavee MD, and Zohar Dotan MD
Background: Heart transplantation (HT) success rate is limited by a high incidence of cancer post-HT. Data on kidney cancer following solid organ transplantation, especially HT, are limited, and only a few cases have been reported.
Objectives: To report a unique case series of detected kidney cancer following HT.
Methods: Between 1997 and 2018, 265 patients who underwent HT were enrolled and prospectively followed in the HT registry of the Sheba Medical Center.
Results: The series included 5 patients, 4 men and a woman (age range 35–50 years at HT). The patients were diagnosed with kidney tumors 6–11 years after HT (age range at diagnosis 40–72 years). Two of the men were identical twin brothers. At HT four patients received induction therapy with anti-thymocyte globulin and all received an initial immunosuppressive regimen based on cyclosporine. All male HT recipients had a history of heavy smoking. Two male patients developed allograft vasculopathy, but all had preserved heart function. The 72-year-old woman developed a kidney tumor of the native kidney 5 years after re-HT and kidney transplantation. Two patients had features of multifocal papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and eventually underwent bilateral nephrectomy, while another patient underwent left partial nephrectomy with preserved renal function.
Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case series study describing kidney tumors following HT. With the improving outcomes and life expectancy of HT patients, a better understanding of the factors that determine cancer risk is of the utmost importance and may have a major impact on the non-cardiac surveillance.
Yolanda Braun-Moscovici MD, Yonit Tavor MD, Doron Markovits MD PhD, Kohava Toledano MD, Alexander Rozin MD, Menahem A. Nahir MD PhD and Alexandra Balbir-Gurman MD
Background: Behçet's disease is a multi-systemic chronic relapsing inflammatory disease, classified among the vasculitides. The heterogeneity of clinical manifestations challenges the disease management.
Objectives: To assess efficacy and safety of adalimumab in patients with active persistent Behçet's arthritis who did not respond to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and to assess the impact of treatment on the cytokine milieu.
Methods: Our cohort comprised 10 patients with active arthritis who received adalimumab in a 24-week investigator-initiated prospective open-label study. Patients who relapsed within 12 weeks following adalimumab discontinuation could enter a 3-year extension study. The patients underwent a comprehensive assessment including questionnaires and measurement of inflammatory cytokines, adalimumab serum levels, and anti-drug antibodies.
Results: A significant improvement was observed in arthritis, disease activity visual analogue scales, Behçet's disease current activity form, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, but not in health assessment questionnaire and functional assessment of chronic illness therapy fatigue scale questionnaire. Resolution of oral and urogenital ulcers was achieved in all patients. Significant reduction of pain was reported by 40% of patients. The disease relapsed in 9 of 10 patients, within 2–6 weeks following adalimumab discontinuation. Of the 7 patients who continued the study, arthritis was resolved in 5. Two patients with high neutralizing antidrug antibodies titer relapsed.
Conclusions: Adalimumab treatment achieved a significant improvement in arthritis, mucocutaneous manifestations, and IL-6 levels in all study patients but only 40% reported significant pain reduction. The arthritis relapsed in 90% of patients following adalimumab discontinuation and long-term treatment was required.
Amir Mari MD, Mahmud Mahamid MD, Helal Said Ahmad MD, Ahmad Lubany MD, Sami Abu El Hija MD, Nadeem Shorbaji MD, Anas Kadah MD, George Daud MD, Fadi Abu Baker MD, Wisam Sbeit MD and Tawfik Khoury MD
Background: Bariatric surgery has become the most common and effective therapeutic option for obesity. However, it is associated with morbidity and complications. Identification of predictors for surgical complications is an unmet need.
Objectives: To determine a simple non-invasive parameter that predicts early postoperative complications following bariatric surgery.
Methods: In this retrospective study of all patients who underwent elective bariatric surgery at Nazareth Hospital EMMS during a 4-year period (2015–2018). We collected clinical and laboratory parameters and determined predictors of complications.
Results: A total of 345 patients underwent bariatric surgery during the study period. Of the patients, 51 experienced early post-bariatric surgery complications as compared to 294 patients who had no complications. Univariate analysis revealed that neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (odds ratio [OR] 1.912, P < 0.0001) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (OR 1.015, P < 0.0001) were associated with post-bariatric surgery complications. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, only NLR remained a significant predictor (OR 1.751, 95% confidence interval 1.264–2.425, P = 0.0008) with a receiver operating characteristic curve for NLR of 0.8404.
Conclusions: We found that the NLR predicts post bariatric surgery early complications. Further prospective studies are needed to validate our findings.
Michal Natan PhD, Gila Jacobi, Ehud Banin PhD and Shai Ashkenazi MD MSc
Background: Although indwelling catheters are increasingly used in modern medicine, they can be a source of microbial contamination and hard-to-treat biofilms, which jeopardize patient lives. At times 70% ethanol is used as a catheter-lock solution due to its bactericidal properties. However, high concentrations of ethanol can result in adverse effects and in malfunction of the catheters.
Objective: To determine whether low concentrations of ethanol can prevent and treat biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Methods: Ethanol was tested at a concentration range of 0.625–80% against laboratory and clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa for various time periods (2–48 hours). The following parameters were evaluated following ethanol exposure: prevention of biofilm formation, reduction of biofilm metabolic activity, and inhibition of biofilm regrowth.
Results: Exposing P. aeruginosa to twofold ethanol gradients demonstrated a significant biofilm inhibition at concentrations as low as 2.5%. Treating pre-formed biofilms of P. aeruginosa with 20% ethanol for 4 hours caused a sharp decay in the metabolic activity of both the laboratory and clinical P. aeruginosa isolates. In addition, treating mature biofilms with 20% ethanol prevented the regrowth of bacteria encased within it.
Conclusions: Low ethanol concentrations (2.5%) can prevent in vitro biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa. Treatment of previously formed biofilms can be achieved using 20% ethanol, thereby keeping the catheters intact and avoiding complications that can result from high ethanol concentrations.
Ygal Plakht RN PhD, Harel Gilutz MD, Jonathan Eli Arbelle MD, Dan Greenberg PhD and Arthur Shiyovich MD
Background: Survivors of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are at increased risk for recurrent cardiac events and tend to use excessive healthcare services, thus resulting in increased costs.
Objectives: To evaluate the disparities in healthcare resource utilization and costs throughout a decade following a non-fatal AMI according to sex and ethnicity groups in Israel.
Methods: A retrospective study included AMI patients hospitalized at Soroka University Medical Center during 2002–2012. Data were obtained from electronic medical records. Post-AMI annual length of hospital stay (LOS); number of visits to the emergency department (ED), primary care facilities, and outpatient consulting clinics; and costs were evaluated and compared according sex and ethnicity groups.
Results: A total of 7685 patients (mean age 65.3 ± 13.6 years) were analyzed: 56.8% Jewish males (JM), 26.6% Jewish females (JF), 12.4% Bedouin males (BM), and 4.2% Bedouin females (BF). During the up-to 10-years follow-up (median 5.8 years), adjusted odds ratios [AdjOR] for utilizations of hospital-associated services were highest among BF (1.628 for LOS; 1.629 for ED visits), whereas AdjOR for utilization of community services was lowest in BF (0.722 for primary clinic, 0.782 for ambulatory, and 0.827 for consultant visits), compared with JM. The total cost of BF was highest among the study groups (AdjOR = 1.589, P < 0.01).
Conclusions: Long-term use of hospital-associated healthcare services and total costs were higher among Bedouins (especially BF), whereas utilization of ambulatory services was lower in these groups. Culturally and economically sensitive programs optimizing healthcare resources utilization and costs is warranted.
Anas Kadah MD, Tawfik Khoury MD, Wisam Sbeit MD
Background: Buried bumper syndrome (BBS) mostly occurs as a late complication after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion; however, early BBS has been rarely reported, and the treatment of this condition is still unclear.
Objectives: To evaluate the Seldinger technique for treatment of early BBS after PEG insertion.
Methods: We report two cases of early BBS in two consecutive patients who underwent PEG insertion to maintain oral intake. The first patient was an 83-year-old woman showing Alzheimer type dementia, while the other one was a 76-year-old man who presented with maxillary cancer and treated with radiotherapy followed by left maxillectomy. Post-surgery, he developed progressive difficulty of swallowing due to mouth deformation and treatment related nerve toxicity. The first patient presented with fever and purulent discharge from the gastrostomy insertion site, without ability to rotate or slide the tube through the stoma 10 days after the PEG insertion. The man was admitted to the hospital 5 days following PEG insertion due to a fever of 38°C and peritubal swelling with purulent discharge. In addition, the tube could not rotate or slide through the stoma.
Results: Buried bumper syndrome was demonstrated by computed tomography scan. Gastroscopy and gastrostomy tube replacement was performed successfully according to the Seldinger technique (replacement over guidewire) in both cases. Correct intragastric tube positioning was demonstrated radiographically before resuming tube feeding. The two patients were discharged in good physical condition several days later.
Conclusions: External replacement over guide wire should be considered in such cases.
Gassan Moady MD MPH, Elias Daud MD, Ronen Galilee MD, Edmond Sabo MD, Salam Mazareb PhD and Shaul Atar MD
Daniel Rimbrot MD, Hadas Pri-Chen MD, Efrat Orenbuch MD, Simona Grozinsky-Glasberg MD and Dean Nachman MD