6 research outputs found

    Immunization Status in Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Hidden Risk Which Could be Prevented

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    BackgroundA limited number of studies have examined the vaccine-specific antibody status of children with cancer. There are disagreements over the guidelines for postcancer immunization strategy.MethodsOur study was an observational, cross-sectional retrospective review of data collected on children who were seen in the outpatient clinic at King Abdullah Medical City, Oncology Center, Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our aim was to evaluate the seropositive status to vaccine-preventable diseases: measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB) in childhood cancer survivors at our center in order to plan future vaccination for these children and establish a simple revaccination schedule.ResultsForty-seven patients (21 boys and 26 girls) were included in the study. Age at the time of cancer diagnosis (mean±standard deviation) was 5.68±3.79 years and age at test sampling was 10.68±3.79 years. Acute leukemia was the most common cancer (49% of patients), followed by lymphoma (28%), brain tumors (13%), and solid tumors (10%). Treatment intensities (according to the Treatment Intensity Rating Scale, version 3.0; ITR-3) were 2, 3, and 4 for 26 patients (55%), 20 patients (43%), and one patient (2.1%), respectively. We found that 93% of our patients were considered seronegative (unprotected) for at least one vaccine-preventable disease. The seronegative rates for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and HIB were 46.8%, 36.2%, 36.2%, 46.8%, 61.7%, 17.1%, and 42.6%, respectively. Criteria including age at diagnosis, age at sampling, type of malignancy, and treatment intensity were not significantly different between seropositive and seronegative patients.ConclusionSeronegative rates for vaccine-preventable diseases were very high in childhood cancer survivors, which represented a subpopulation of high-risk patients who could benefit from revaccination. We suggest a universal revaccination approach for all childhood cancer survivors, which is easily applicable and of low cost

    Postrenal transplant malignancy: Incidence, risk factors, and prognosis

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    The newer and potent immunosuppressive agents have successfully reduced the risk of rejection after kidney transplantation, but the development of cardiovascular diseases, infections, and malignancy is major factors limiting their success. Posttransplantation malignancy is the second most common cause of death in renal transplant recipients after cardiovascular disease; it is expected that mortality due to malignancy may become the most common cause of death within the next two decades. This study is designed to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and types of malignancies occurring after renal transplantation and their impact on patient and graft survival. A total of 2288 patients underwent living donor renal allotransplantation in the Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University, during the period between 1975 and 2011. Among these patients, 100 patients developed posttransplantation malignancy. Patients were categorized into five major groups according to their type of malignancy; Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), non-Kaposi’s skin tumors (non-KS), posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD), solid tumors, and genitourinary and reproductive system (GU and RS). Overall, the incidence of cancer in renal transplant recipients was 4%. There were 83 male (83%) and 17 female patients (17%). The most frequent cancer was KS seen in 33 patients (33%). The lowest median time to development of cancer was observed in KS (35 months). The highest median time to development of cancer was observed in PTLD (133 months). The best graft survival was observed in PTLD and the worst in non-KS tumors. The best patient survival was observed in KS and the worst in GU and RS tumors. Azathioprine-based regimen was associated with a higher rate of cancer. The number of patients who died was 65 (65%). Our results indicate that the occurrence of malignancy has an important impact on short- and long-term graft and patient survival

    Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital with and without respiratory symptoms

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    Background: COVID-19 is primarily known as a respiratory illness; however, many patients present to hospital without respiratory symptoms. The association between non-respiratory presentations of COVID-19 and outcomes remains unclear. We investigated risk factors and clinical outcomes in patients with no respiratory symptoms (NRS) and respiratory symptoms (RS) at hospital admission. Methods: This study describes clinical features, physiological parameters, and outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, stratified by the presence or absence of respiratory symptoms at hospital admission. RS patients had one or more of: cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose or wheezing; while NRS patients did not. Results: Of 178,640 patients in the study, 86.4 % presented with RS, while 13.6 % had NRS. NRS patients were older (median age: NRS: 74 vs RS: 65) and less likely to be admitted to the ICU (NRS: 36.7 % vs RS: 37.5 %). NRS patients had a higher crude in-hospital case-fatality ratio (NRS 41.1 % vs. RS 32.0 %), but a lower risk of death after adjusting for confounders (HR 0.88 [0.83-0.93]). Conclusion: Approximately one in seven COVID-19 patients presented at hospital admission without respiratory symptoms. These patients were older, had lower ICU admission rates, and had a lower risk of in-hospital mortality after adjusting for confounders

    Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

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    Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures. Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge. Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to sideeffects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (β coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and lowand middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not. Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

    International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium report, data summary of 50 countries for 2010-2015: Device-associated module

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    •We report INICC device-associated module data of 50 countries from 2010-2015.•We collected prospective data from 861,284 patients in 703 ICUs for 3,506,562 days.•DA-HAI rates and bacterial resistance were higher in the INICC ICUs than in CDC-NHSN's.•Device utilization ratio in the INICC ICUs was similar to CDC-NHSN's. Background: We report the results of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2010-December 2015 in 703 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific. Methods: During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 861,284 patients hospitalized in INICC hospital ICUs for an aggregate of 3,506,562 days. Results: Although device use in INICC ICUs was similar to that reported from CDC-NHSN ICUs, DA-HAI rates were higher in the INICC ICUs: in the INICC medical-surgical ICUs, the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection, 4.1 per 1,000 central line-days, was nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.8 per 1,000 central line-days reported from comparable US ICUs, the overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher, 13.1 versus 0.9 per 1,000 ventilator-days, as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection, 5.07 versus 1.7 per 1,000 catheter-days. From blood cultures samples, frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (29.87% vs 10%) and to imipenem (44.3% vs 26.1%), and of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (73.2% vs 28.8%) and to imipenem (43.27% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC ICUs compared with CDC-NHSN ICUs. Conclusions: Although DA-HAIs in INICC ICU patients continue to be higher than the rates reported in CDC-NSHN ICUs representing the developed world, we have observed a significant trend toward the reduction of DA-HAI rates in INICC ICUs as shown in each international report. It is INICC's main goal to continue facilitating education, training, and basic and cost-effective tools and resources, such as standardized forms and an online platform, to tackle this problem effectively and systematically
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