Yair Binyamin MD, Philip Heesen MD, Igor Gruzman MD, Alexander Zlotnik MD PHD, Alexander Ioscovich MD, Ariel Ronen MD, Carolyn F. Weiniger MD, Dmitry Frank MD, Eyal Sheiner MD PHD, and Sharon Orbach-Zinger MD
Background: Our hospital used to perform cesarean delivery under general anesthesia rather than neuraxial anesthesia, mostly because of patient refusal of members of the conservative Bedouin society. According to recommendations implemented by the Israeli Obstetric Anesthesia Society, which were implemented due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, we increased the rate of neuraxial anesthesia among deliveries.
Objectives: To compare the rates of neuraxial anesthesia in our cesarean population before and during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Methods: We included consecutive women undergoing an elective cesarean delivery from two time periods: pre-SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (15 February 2019 to 14 April 2019) and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (15 February 2020 to 15 April 2020). We collected demographic data, details about cesarean delivery, and anesthesia complications.
Results: We included 413 parturients undergoing consecutive elective cesarean delivery identified during the study periods: 205 before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and 208 during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We found a statistically significant difference in neuraxial anesthesia rates between the groups: before the pandemic (92/205, 44.8%) and during (165/208, 79.3%; P < 0.0001).
Conclusions: We demonstrated that patient and provider education about neuraxial anesthesia can increase its utilization. The addition of a trained obstetric anesthesiologist to the team may have facilitated this transition
Ramona Lucchetti MD, Fulvia Ceccarelli MD PhD, Enrica Cipriano MD, Carlo Perricone MD PhD, Francesca Romana Spinelli MD PhD, Cristiano Alessandri MD, and Fabrizio Conti MD
Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory rheumatic disease characterized by different phenotypes in terms of joint involvement. The so-called oligoarticular pattern involves fewer than five active joints at a different time points. The evaluation of disease activity in this subset of patients is an unmet need due to the lack of specific indices able to capture modifications over time.
Objectives: To evaluate the ability of musculoskeletal ultrasound to monitor the response to apremilast treatment in oligoarticular PsA patients.
Methods: We evaluated 24 oligoarticular patients (19 women, 5 men; median age 56 years, interquartile range (IQR) 19; median disease duration 5 years, IQR 5.75). All patients were assessed at baseline (T0), and after 6 (T1), 12 (T2), and 24 (T3) weeks. Clinical assessment included evaluation of 66 swollen joints and patient global health assessment. All the patients underwent ultrasound assessment of the clinically involved joints. Synovial effusion/hypertrophy and power Doppler were scored with a semi-quantitative scale (0–3). The total inflammatory score was the sum of the scores.
Results: We found a reduction in the ultrasound inflammatory score at all time points, with a significant improvement at 6 and 12 weeks of treatment compared with baseline: T0 median 8.5 (IQR 5.0); T1 3.5 (3.0); T2 2.0 (3.5); P = 0.01. We observed a significant reduction of patient global health assessment after 24 weeks (T0 median 50 (32.5); T3 40 (57.5); P = 0.01).
Conclusions: Musculoskeletal ultrasound could be useful in the assessment of treatment response in PsA patients with oligoarticular subset
Osama Muhtaseb MD, Evan Avraham Alpert MD, and Shamai A. Grossman MD MS
Background: Syncope is a common reason for emergency department (ED) visits; however, the decision to admit or discharge patients after a syncopal episode remains challenging for emergency physicians. Decision rules such as the Boston Syncope Criteria have been developed in an attempt to aid clinicians in identifying high-risk patients as well as those who can be safely discharged, but applying these rules to different populations remains unclear.
Objectives: To determine whether the Boston Syncope Criteria are valid for emergency department patients in Israel.
Methods: This retrospective cohort convenience sample included patients who visited a tertiary care hospital in Jerusalem from August 2018 to July 2019 with a primary diagnosis of syncope. Thirty-day follow-up was performed using a national health system database. The Boston Syncope Criteria were retrospectively applied to each patient to determine whether they were at high risk for an adverse outcome or critical intervention, versus low risk and could be discharged.
Results: A total of 198 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and completed follow-up. Of these, 21 patients had either an adverse outcome or critical intervention. The rule detected 20/21 with a sensitivity of 95%, a specificity of 66%, and a negative predictive value of 99%.
Conclusions: The Boston Syncope Criteria may be useful for physicians in other locations throughout the world to discharge low-risk syncope patients as well as identify those at risk of complications
Nadav Yehoshua Schacham MD, Arkady Schwarzman MD, Adi Brom MD, Mayan Gilboa MD, Asnat Groutz MD, and Dan Justo MD
Background: Screening for asymptomatic urinary retention (AUR) in older adult men at hospital admission to the internal medicine department has never been studied.
Objectives: To assess the incidence of AUR in older adult men at hospital admission, its risk factors, and its outcome.
Methods: The study comprised 111 older adult men aged ≥ 75 years who were admitted to three internal medicine departments. All men underwent post-void residual (PVR) urine volume measurement on the morning following admission by using a portable ultrasound bladder scan. AUR was defined as a PVR urine volume of ≥ 200 ml without symptoms. Men with AUR had a follow-up phone call concerning symptoms and urinary catheter status30 days following hospitalization.
Results: Seven (6.3%) men had AUR. Relative to the 104 men without AUR, they had significantly higher prevalence of severe dependency (6/7 vs. 33/104, 85.7% vs. 31.7%, (P = 0.007), cognitive impairment (5/7 vs. 19/104, 71.4% vs. 18.3%, P = 0.005), and use of anticholinergic agents (4/7 vs. 19/104, 57.1% vs. 18.3%, P = 0.033). A urinary catheter was inserted in one man (14.3%), but it was removed later during hospitalization. No symptoms were reported and no urinary catheter was inserted following hospitalization in men with AUR.
Conclusions: AUR in older adult men at hospital admission is uncommon and has a favorable outcome. Hence, screening for AUR in all older adult men at admission is not recommended, but it may be considered in severely dependent older adult men with cognitive impairment who use anticholinergic agents
Jacob Weinstein MD, Amichai Shinfeld MD, Michal Simchen MD, Tal Cahan MD, Jonathan Frogel MD, Michael Arad MD, Haim Berkenstadt MD, and Rafael Kuperstein MD
Background: Pregnant women with Marfan syndrome (MS) have a high risk of aortic dissection around delivery and their optimal management requires a multi-disciplinary approach, including proper cardio-obstetric care and adequate pain management during labor, which may be difficult due to the high prevalence of dural ectasia (DE) in these patients.
Objectives: To evaluate the multidisciplinary management of MS patients during labor.
Methods: Nineteen pregnant women (31 pregnancies) with MS were followed by a multi-disciplinary team (cardiologist, obstetrician, anesthesiologist) prior to delivery.
Results:. Two patients had kyphoscoliosis; none had previous spine surgery nor complaints compatible with DE. In eight pregnancies (7 patients), aortic root diameter (ARd) before pregnancy was 40 to 46 mm. In this high-risk group, one patient underwent elective termination, two underwent an urgent cesarean section (CS) under general anesthesia, and five had elective CS; two under general anesthesia (GA), and three under spinal anesthesia. In 23 pregnancies (12 patients), ARd was < 40 mm. In this non-high-risk group three pregnancies (1 patient) were electively terminated. Of the remaining 20 deliveries (11 patients), 14 were vaginal deliveries, 9 with epidural analgesia and 5 without. Six patients had a CS; four under GA and two2 under spinal anesthesia. There were no epidural placement failures and no failed responses. There were 2 cases of aortic dissection, unrelated to the anesthetic management.
Conclusions: The optimal anesthetic strategy during labor in MS patients should be decided by a multi-disciplinary team. Anesthetic complications due to DE were not encountered during neuraxial block
Avishai M. Tsur MD MHA, Amitai Ziv MD MHA, and Howard Amital MD MHA
Renana Barak MD, Barliz Waissengrin MD, and Ido Wolf MD
Nir Stanescu MD, Keren Wood MD, Tal Greenberg MD, Marina Maklakovski MD, Avi Rubinov MD, and Amir Dagan MD
Mohammad Mowaswes MD, Yitschak Biton MD, and Bernard Belhassen MD
Adrian Duek MD, Batia Kaplan MD, Yafit Segman MD, and Merav Leiba MD
Yael Milgrom MD and Rifaat Safadi MD