Prediction of Bleeding in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Using Clinical Characteristics and Prospective Coagulation Test Results

Bleeding caused by coagulopathy is common in children undergoing cardiac surgery and causes adverse outcomes. Coagulation testing assists selection of treatments to stop bleeding but has an uncertain role for predicting bleeding. We aimed to evaluate how well prospective coagulation testing predicted excessive bleeding during and after cardiac surgery compared to prediction using clinical characteristics alone. The study was a single-center, prospective cohort study in children having a range of cardiac surgery procedures with coagulation testing at anesthetic induction and immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass. The primary outcome was clinical concern about bleeding (CCB), a composite of either administration of prohemostatic treatments in response to bleeding or a high chest drain volume after surgery. In 225 children, CCB occurred in 26 (12%) during surgery and in 68 (30%) after surgery. Multivariable fractional polynomial models using the clinical characteristics of the children alone predicted CCB during surgery (c-statistic 0.64; 95% confidence interval 0.53, 0.76) and after surgery (0.74; 0.67, 0.82). Incorporating coagulation test results into these models improved prediction (c-statistics 0.79; 0.70, 0.87, and 0.80; 0.74, 0.87, respectively). However, this increased the overall proportion of children classified correctly as CCB or not CCB during surgery by only 0.9% and after surgery by only 0.4%. Incorporating coagulation test results into predictive models had no effect on prediction of blood transfusion or postoperative complications. Prospective coagulation testing marginally improves prediction of CCB during and after cardiac surgery but the clinical impact of this is small when compared to prediction using clinical characteristics.

Investigating duration and intensity of Covid-19 social-distancing strategies

The exponential character of the recent Covid-19 outbreak requires a change in strategy from containment to mitigation. Meanwhile, most countries apply social distancing with the objective to keep the number of critical cases below the capabilities of the health care system. Due to the novelty and rapid spread of the virus, an a priori assessment of this strategy was not possible. In this study, we present a model-based systems analysis to assess the effectiveness of social distancing measures in terms of intensity and duration of application. Results show a super-linear scaling between intensity (percent contact reduction) and required duration of application to have an added value (a lower number of fatalities). This holds true for an effective reproduction of [Formula: see text] and is reverted for [Formula: see text]. If R is not reduced below 1, secondary effects of required long-term isolation are likely to unravel the added value of disease mitigation. If an extinction is not feasible, we recommend moderate social-distancing that is well balanced against capability limits of national health-care systems.

Impact of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic on the workload of the orthopaedic service in a busy UK district general hospital

INTRODUCTION

The COVID -19 outbreak has had a profound effect on the management of healthcare service provision in the UK. Orthopaedic departments have been no exception to this and have needed to adapt to the changing circumstances by releasing resources and focusing on 'essential' activity. The aim of this study is to quantify the reduction in trauma and, in addition, describe any changes in the type of referrals to the trust which may have been affected by the pandemic itself and the social distancing measures employed by the UK government.

METHODS

The study was performed in a UK District Hospital which is also a Trauma Unit providing trauma and orthopaedic care to a population of 625,000 people. The trust based electronic database of trauma referrals was used to compare the numbers of, and types of referral to our trauma service during the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding time periods in the previous 3 years.

RESULTS

The mean number of referrals per week to the service reduced by 33% in the time period following the confirmation of the outbreak as a pandemic (p<0.0001). Number of operations performed per week reduced by 26% (p = 0.001). There was no change in the number of referrals relating to domestic abuse or non-accidental injury. In addition, numbers of hip fractures, periprosthetic fractures and prosthetic joint dislocations were unchanged. There was a significant reduction in the number of referrals for simple fractures, native joint dislocations, wounds and soft tissue injuries. Within the paediatric population, similarly, a reduction in simple fracture referrals was demonstrated.

DISCUSSION

An association between the outbreak of the pandemic and a reduction in referral numbers to our department has been demonstrated. The direct cause of this may be multifactorial but proposing that it is, in part, due to the social distancing measures introduced by the government is certainly conceivable. The patterns of injury would reflect this also with low energy and fragility trauma persisting whilst injuries associated with younger people have reduced. We would suggest that information such as this could be useful in healthcare planning and resource allocation in future pandemic situations.

The relationship between serum adipokines and glucose homeostasis in normal-weight and obese patients on hemodialysis: a preliminary study

PURPOSE

Insulin resistance (IR) is a prevalent disorder in advanced renal failure irrespective of diabetes. Adipokines might play a role in IR, which has not been well-documented in uremic conditions. This study investigated the relationship of Zinc-α₂-glycoprotein (ZAG), adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), and adipolin with glucose-insulin homeostasis in normal weight (NW) and obese (OB) patients with hemodialysis.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 59 patients (29 NW; 18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m², and 30 OB; BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) were studied. Anthropometries, circulating ZAG, adipolin, ATGL, free fatty acids (FFAs), fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA)-IR were assessed.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in age, gender, hemodialysis duration, dialysis adequacy and diabetes between the two groups. ZAG (100.9 ± 37.1 vs. 107.5 ± 30.5 ng/mL, P = 0.03) and adipolin (12.4 ± 1.6 vs. 13.2 ± 2.8 ng/mL, P = 0.002) concentrations were significantly lower, and FFAs (228.1 ± 112.6 vs. 185 ± 119 ng/mL, P = 0.014) were significantly higher in the OB than NW group. No significant differences were observed in ATGL, FBG, insulin and HOMA-IR between the two groups. Patients with lower IR had higher ZAG (112.9 ± 31.7 vs. 94.9 ± 34.5 ng/mL; P = 0.046), lower FFAs (167.8 ± 98.4 vs. 249.9 ± 120.8 ng/mL; P = 0.004), and marginally lower ATGL (9.1 ± 5.2 vs. 12.3 ± 9.6 mIU/mL; P = 0.079) concentrations than those with higher IR. ZAG was negatively (r =  - 0.323, P = 0.018 and r =  - 0.266, P = 0.054) and FFAs were positively (r = 0.321, P = 0.019 and r = 0.353, P = 0.009) correlated with insulin and HOMA-IR, respectively. ATGL was directly correlated with FFAs (r = 0.314, P = 0.018).

CONCLUSIONS

Novel adipokines, ZAG and ATGL, might contribute to glucose-insulin homeostasis in hemodialysis. Understanding potential causative, diagnostic or therapeutic roles of adipokines in IR require further studies.

The Relationship Between Streptococcal Antibodies and the Course of OCD and Tics in a Pediatric Population

The clinical phenotype of pediatric OCD and tic disorders in relation to streptococcal antibody patterns will be discussed. Also, cellular and other immune findings will be presented on a group of children with OCD and tic disorders taking into account clinical phenotype data.

Panel 8: Vaccines and immunology

OBJECTIVE

To review and highlight significant advances made towards vaccine development and understanding of the immunology of otitis media (OM) since the 19th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Otitis Media (ISOM) in 2015, as well as identify future research directions and knowledge gaps.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed database, National Library of Medicine.

REVIEW METHODS

Key topics were assigned to each panel member for detailed review. Draft reviews were collated, circulated, and thoroughly discussed when the panel met at the 20th ISOM in June 2019. The final manuscript was prepared with input from all panel members.

CONCLUSIONS

Since 2015 there have been a number of studies assessing the impact of licensed pneumococcal vaccines on OM. While these studies have confirmed that these vaccines are effective in preventing carriage and/or disease caused by vaccine serotypes, OM caused by non-vaccine serotype pneumococci and other otopathogens remains a significant health care burden globally. Development of multi-species vaccines is challenging but essential to reducing the global burden of OM. Influenza vaccination has been shown to prevent acute OM, and with novel vaccines against nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), Moraxella catarrhalis and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in clinical trials, the potential to significantly prevent OM is within reach. Research into alternative vaccine delivery strategies has demonstrated the power of maternal and mucosal vaccination for OM prevention. Future OM vaccine trials must include molecular diagnostics of middle ear effusion, for detection of viruses and bacteria that are persisting in biofilms and to enable accurate assessment of vaccine impact on OM etiology. Understanding population differences in natural and vaccine-induced immune responses to otopathogens is also important for development of the most effective OM vaccines. Improved understanding of the interaction between otopathogens will also advance development of effective therapies and encourage the assessment of the indirect benefits of vaccination.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

While NTHi and M. catarrhalis are the predominant otopathogens, funding opportunities to drive vaccine development for these species are limited due to a focus on prevention of childhood mortality rather than morbidity. Delivery of a comprehensive report on the high financial and social costs of OM, including the potential for OM vaccines to reduce antibiotic use and subsequent development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), would likely assist in engaging stakeholders to recognize the value of prevention of OM and increase support for efforts on OM vaccine development. Vaccine trials with OM prevention as a clinical end-point are challenging, however a focus on developing assays that measure functional correlates of protection would facilitate OM vaccine development.

Protocol for the Process Evaluation of the Online Remote Behavioural Intervention for Tics (ORBIT) randomized controlled trial for children and young people

BACKGROUND

Process evaluations are an important component in the interpretation and understanding of outcomes in trials. The Online Remote Behavioural Intervention for Tics (ORBIT) study is a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an Internet-delivered behavioural intervention (called BIP TIC) compared to an Internet-delivered education programme aimed at children and young people with tics. A process evaluation will be undertaken alongside the main trial to determine precisely how the behavioural intervention works and ascertain whether, and if so, how, the intervention could be successfully implemented in standard clinical practice. This protocol paper describes the rationale, aims, and methodology of the ORBIT trial process evaluation.

METHODS

The process evaluation will have a mixed-methods design following the UK Medical Research Council 2015 guidelines, comprising both quantitative and qualitative data collection. This will include analysing data usage of participants in the intervention arm; purposively sampled, semi-structured interviews of parents and children, therapists and supervisors, and referring clinicians of the ORBIT trial, as well as analysis of qualitative comments put into the online therapy platform by participants at the end of treatment. Qualitative data will be analysed thematically. Quantitative and qualitative data will be integrated in a triangulation approach, to provide an understanding of how the intervention works, and what resources are needed for effective implementation, uptake and use in routine clinical care.

DISCUSSION

This process evaluation will explore the experiences of participants, therapists and supervisors and referring clinicians of a complex online intervention. By contextualising trial efficacy results, this will help understand how and if the intervention worked and what may be required to sustain the implementation of the treatment long term. The findings will also aid in our understanding of factors that can affect the success of complex interventions. This will enable future researchers developing online behavioural interventions for children and young people with mental health and neurological disorders to gain invaluable information from this process evaluation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number, ISRCTN70758207. Registered on 20 March 2018. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03483493. Registered on 30 March 2018.

Anesthetist-delivered intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in pediatric cardiac surgery

This article reviews the evidence for anesthetist-delivered perioperative transesophageal echocardiography for children undergoing cardiac surgery. It addresses the additional issues of training, developing practice, accreditation, and the requirement for collaboration with pediatric cardiologists, surgeons and other members of the perioperative team. Finally an overview of the potential structure of an anesthetist-delivered perioperative transesophageal echocardiography service is presented.

A radio counterpart to a neutron star merger

Gravitational waves have been detected from a binary neutron star merger event, GW170817. The detection of electromagnetic radiation from the same source has shown that the merger occurred in the outskirts of the galaxy NGC 4993, at a distance of 40 megaparsecs from Earth. We report the detection of a counterpart radio source that appears 16 days after the event, allowing us to diagnose the energetics and environment of the merger. The observed radio emission can be explained by either a collimated ultrarelativistic jet, viewed off-axis, or a cocoon of mildly relativistic ejecta. Within 100 days of the merger, the radio light curves will enable observers to distinguish between these models, and the angular velocity and geometry of the debris will be directly measurable by very long baseline interferometry.

Illuminating gravitational waves: A concordant picture of photons from a neutron star merger

Merging neutron stars offer an excellent laboratory for simultaneously studying strong-field gravity and matter in extreme environments. We establish the physical association of an electromagnetic counterpart (EM170817) with gravitational waves (GW170817) detected from merging neutron stars. By synthesizing a panchromatic data set, we demonstrate that merging neutron stars are a long-sought production site forging heavy elements by r-process nucleosynthesis. The weak gamma rays seen in EM170817 are dissimilar to classical short gamma-ray bursts with ultrarelativistic jets. Instead, we suggest that breakout of a wide-angle, mildly relativistic cocoon engulfing the jet explains the low-luminosity gamma rays, the high-luminosity ultraviolet-optical-infrared, and the delayed radio and x-ray emission. We posit that all neutron star mergers may lead to a wide-angle cocoon breakout, sometimes accompanied by a successful jet and sometimes by a choked jet.

Biological and clinical consequences of NPM1 mutations in AML

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by accumulation of myeloid cells in the bone marrow because of impaired differentiation and proliferation, resulting in hematopoietic insufficiency. NPM1 is one of the most commonly mutated genes in AML, present in 20-30% of cases. Mutations in NPM1 represent a distinct entity in the World Health Organization (WHO) classification and commonly indicate a better risk prognosis. In this review, we discuss the many functions of NPM1, the consequence of mutations in NPM1 and possible mechanisms through which mutations lead to leukemogenesis. We also discuss clinical consequences of mutations, associated gene expression patterns and the role of NPM1 mutations in informing prognosis and therapeutic decisions and predicting relapse in AML.