Sustainable plastic waste management in a circular economy

The discovery of plastics as useful materials for human existence, providing comfort and ease has now turned into a menace in the society and a pain in the neck as plastics have also become co-habitat of the human ecosystem. Plastics were made by men, but plastics now live way longer than the men who gave them the privilege of existence. Since these colonies of materials cannot be eradicated, it is very pertinent to discover possible ways of useful diversion through recycling by converting plastic bottle waste into useful raw materials for other sectors of the economy. This paper has stirred the pool of relevant literature to extract some of the innovative efforts that have been deployed into redirecting the potential of plastic waste into useful applications like engineering and building construction, horticulture in agriculture, and the most advanced application is the 3D printing using plastics as filaments. Following the trend of technology, 3D printing is a grey area of plastic recycling, it is quite expensive however, it worth exploring.

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Plastics are not biodegradable in nature because they can live up to hundreds of years.

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Incineration of plastics is not environmentally healthy because of the harmful gases emitted during the process.

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The circular economy has provided the possibilities for recycling and sustainable management of plastic wastes.

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Waste pet bottles are used for arts, crafts and reinforcement aggregate for building construction.

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Plastics are also used as filaments for 3D printing of various items.

Incidence and predictors of sudden cardiac arrest in the immediate post-percutaneous coronary intervention period for ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a single-center study

BACKGROUND

Data on the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in the immediate post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) period for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are limited.

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to investigate the trends and predictors of SCA occurring within 48 h post PCI for STEMI.

METHODS

We systematically reviewed data from the electronic medical records of 403 patients who underwent PCI for STEMI between January 2014 and December 2019. Trends in the incidence of SCA 48 h post PCI for STEMI were assessed using the Cochrane-Armitage test. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of SCA within 48 h post PCI for STEMI.

RESULTS

Of the 403 patients who underwent PCI for STEMI, 44 (11%) had SCA within 48 h post PCI. The incidence of SCA within 48 h post PCI decreased from 22% in 2014 to 8% in 2019; P = 0.03. After adjusting for underlying confounding variables in the multivariable logistic regression models, out of hospital cardiac arrest [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 23.9; confidence interval (CI), 10.2-56.1], left main coronary artery disease (aOR, 3.1; CI, 1.1-9.4), left main PCI (aOR, 6.6; CI: 1.4-31.7), new-onset heart failure (aOR, 2.0; CI, 4.3-9.4), and cardiogenic shock (aOR, 5.8; CI, 1.7-20.2) were statistically significant predictors of SCA within 48 h post PCI for STEMI.

CONCLUSION

We identified essential factors associated with SCA within 48 h post PCI for STEMI. Future studies are needed to devise effective strategies to decrease the risk of SCA in the early post-PCI period.

Sudden cardiac arrest during the immediate revascularization period in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction: A case series

INTRODUCTION

The timing of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) after myocardial infarction (MI) has been a subject of research because of the impact on preventive strategies. Currently, there is limited data on the risk of SCA in the immediate post revascularization period (≤48 h) in non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical record system and identified patients who underwent revascularization for NSTEMI at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia between January 1st, 2014-December 31st, 2019. We selected patients who had SCA within 48 h of revascularization and evaluated their socio-demographic and inpatient characteristics and outcomes.

RESULTS

Sixteen (16) cases of SCA in the immediate post revascularization period (within 48 h) were identified and analyzed which corresponds to an incidence rate of 1.8% (n = 16/869). The mean age (SD) was 69 years (14.6) and 75% were males. On angiography, more than 80% of the patients had hemodynamically significant lesions in the left anterior descending arteries and its territories and 50% had multivessel disease. All 16 patients had at least one coronary artery with hemodynamically significant lesion and successfully underwent revascularization. Three-quarter of the patients had a shockable rhythm. The etiology of SCA was in-stent thrombosis in 25% of the patients, cardiogenic shock in 19%, acute respiratory failure in 13% and unknown in 44% of the cases. The 30-day mortality rate was 38%.

CONCLUSION

The rate of SCA is high in the first 48 h after MI even with revascularization. Risk stratification for SCA during this critical period may improve outcomes.

Trends, Predictors and Outcomes of Ischemic Stroke Among Patients Hospitalized with Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVES

This study assessed the temporal trends in the incidence of ischemic stroke among patients hospitalized with takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) stratified by the subtypes of ischemic stroke (cardioembolic versus thrombotic). Predictors of each stroke subtype, the association with atrial fibrillation (AF), the occurrence of ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT), cardiogenic shock (CS), in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and total healthcare cost were also assessed.

BACKGROUND

Ischemic stroke in TCM is thought to be primarily cardioembolic from left ventricular mural thromboembolism. Limited data are available on the incidence of thrombotic ischemic stroke in TCM.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified 27,970 patients hospitalized with the primary diagnosis of TCM from the 2008 to 2017 National Inpatient Sample, of which 751 (3%) developed ischemic stroke. Of those with ischemic stroke, 571 (76%) had thrombotic stroke while 180 (24%) had cardioembolic stroke. Cochrane armitage test was used to assess the incidence of thrombotic and cardioembolic strokes and multivariate regression was used to identify risk factors associated with each stroke subtype. We compared the incidence of AF, VF/VT, CS, LOS, in-hospital mortality and total cost between hospitalized patients with TCM alone to those with cardioembolic and thrombotic strokes.

RESULTS

From 2008 - 2017, the incidence of thrombotic stroke (4.7%-9.5% (p< 0.0001) increased while it was unchanged for cardioembolic stroke (0.5%-0.7% P=0.5). In the multivariate regression, peripheral artery disease, prior history of stroke, and hyperlipidemia were significantly associated with thrombotic stroke, while CS, AF, and Asian race (compared to White race) were associated with cardioembolic stroke. Both cardioembolic and thrombotic strokes were associated with higher odds of IHM, AF, CS, longer LOS and increased cost. Trends in in-hospital mortality and the utilization of thrombolysis, cerebral angiography, and mechanical thrombectomy among patients with TCM and ischemic stroke were unchanged from 2008 to 2017.

CONCLUSION

Among patients with TCM and ischemic stroke, thrombotic stroke was more common compared to cardioembolic stroke. Ischemic stroke was associated with poorer outcomes, including higher in-hospital mortality and increased healthcare resource utilization in TCM.

Virtually Serving the Underserved: Resident Perceptions of Telemedicine Use While Training During Coronavirus Disease 2019

Background: To adapt during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a large safety-net hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and other hospitals across the United Sates, increased telemedicine (TM) for outpatient visits. The impact on resident physicians, including minority providers, had not yet been reported. We aimed to assess how primary care residents perceived increased TM in clinics during the pandemic, and assess resident burnout. Materials and Methods: An online survey was sent to 60 internal medicine (IM) and 18 family medicine (FM) residents who used TM to treat underserved patients, from March to May 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire included questions on resident demographics, satisfaction with TM, screening capability for COVID-19, effectiveness for patient education on COVID-19, impact on patient interactions and time management. Burnout was assessed with the Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results: A majority (62 of 78) eligible residents (79.5%) responded to the survey. Ninety-one percent of residents agreed that TM was a secure alternative to face-to-face encounters. Seventy-nine percent used it to screen for signs/symptoms of COVID-19 and 93% provided patient education on COVID-19. Average visit length decreased by 10-20 min with TM. Post-TM, scores for overall burnout were decreased (p = 0.0003) and less residents in total exhibited burnout (p = 0.0156). Discussion and Conclusions: IM and FM residents viewed TM as an efficient way to screen for and provide education on COVID-19, as well as a secure alternative to face-to-face encounters. With increased used of TM during COVID-19, there was decreased burnout among primary care residents.

Cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients with or without diabetes mellitus

Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has become a major global crisis. Preliminary reports have, in general, indicated worse outcomes in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, but the magnitude of cardiovascular (CV) complications in this subgroup has not been elucidated.

Methods

We included 142 patients admitted with laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19 from April 1st to May 30th 2020; 71 (50%) had DM. We compared baseline demographics and study outcomes between those with or without DM using descriptive statistics. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio for the study outcomes in DM patients, compared to those without DM, stratified by age, sex and glycaemic control. CV outcomes of interest include acute myocarditis, acute heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, new‐onset atrial fibrillation and composite cardiovascular end‐point consisting of all individual outcomes above.

Result

Mean age was 58 years. The unadjusted rates were higher in DM patients compared to non‐diabetics for the composite cardiovascular end‐point (73.2% vs. 40.6% p < .0001), acute myocarditis (36.6% vs. 15.5% p = .004), acute heart failure (25.3% vs. 5.6% p = .001), acute myocardial infarction (9.9% vs. 1.4% p = .03) and new‐onset atrial fibrillation (12.7% vs. 1.4% p = .009). After controlling for relevant confounding variables, diabetic patients had higher odds of composite cardiovascular end‐point, acute heart failure and new‐onset atrial fibrillation.