Daily Archives: February 7, 2022 | LinksMedicus Free Medical News & Perspectives

Clinical update on COVID-19 for the emergency clinician: Presentation and evaluation.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:56h | UTC

Clinical update on COVID-19 for the emergency clinician: Presentation and evaluation – The American Journal of Emergency Medicine

Editorial: “Excess deaths” is the best metric for tracking the pandemic.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:54h | UTC

“Excess deaths” is the best metric for tracking the pandemic – The BMJ

The pandemic’s true death toll: millions more than official counts.

We can be confident there have been far more than 5 million global Covid deaths – “Estimating ‘excess’ fatalities, a more robust analysis method, puts the pandemic’s grim toll between 10m and 19m people”.

Global Covid-19 deaths surpass five million.

Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on life expectancy and premature mortality in 2020 – this time series analysis showed there were more than 28 million excess years of life lost in 2020 in 31 countries.

Under-reporting of deaths limits our understanding of true burden of covid-19.

Study shows COVID-19 has caused the biggest decrease in life expectancy since World War II.

Just how do deaths due to COVID-19 stack up?

Tracking excess mortality across countries during the COVID-19 pandemic with the World Mortality Dataset.

Exploring the gap between excess mortality and COVID-19 deaths in 67 countries.

Report: Three new estimates of India’s all-cause excess mortality during the COVID-19 Pandemic – pandemic death toll estimated to be between 3.4 million and 4.9 million excess deaths.

COVID-19 has caused 6.9 million deaths globally, more than double what official reports show

Commentaries on Twitter

If you want to track the pandemic and compare performance, then 'excess deaths' is the best metric. @_Nazrul_Islam explains.

For example, UK excess deaths have been running at higher than predicted levels since the middle of 2021.@bmj_latest https://t.co/fiMpk4tiIj pic.twitter.com/SKIvStmxm8

— Kamran Abbasi (@KamranAbbasi) February 4, 2022

The pandemic has far reaching effects—direct and indirect—beyond illnesses and deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2. Using the metric of excess deaths can help us to track this, argues @_Nazrul_Islam https://t.co/PzxgPbkqk0

— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) February 4, 2022

CDC unveils its latest weapon in Covid-19 detection: wastewater.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:49h | UTC

CDC unveils its latest weapon in Covid-19 detection: wastewater – CNN

CDC Website: National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS): A new public health tool to understand COVID-19’s spread in a community – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC Report: Using Wastewater Surveillance Data to Support the COVID-19 Response — United States, 2020–2021.

Rapid, large-scale wastewater surveillance and automated reporting system enabled early detection of nearly 85% of COVID-19 cases on a University campus.

[Preprint] Wastewater genomic testing can effectively track COVID-19 variants of concern.

Human Waste Could Be The Next Big Weapon in Controlling COVID-19 – TIME

Next steps for wastewater testing to help end this pandemic — and prevent the next one – STAT

Sewage sleuths helped an Arizona town beat back Covid-19. For wastewater epidemiology, that’s just the start – STAT

The myriad ways sewage surveillance is helping fight COVID around the world – Nature

Testing sewage can give school districts, campuses and businesses a heads-up on the spread of COVID-19 – The Conversation

It’s time to begin a national wastewater testing program for Covid-19 – STAT

Coronavirus: Testing sewage an ‘easy win’ – BBC

Development of wastewater pooled surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 from congregate living settings – high sensitivity, but unable to distinguish new infectious cases from persistent convalescent shedding.

Critical appraisal of the new CDC article on the effectiveness of masks for the prevention of Covid-19.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:52h | UTC

Mask studies reach a new scientific low point – Vinay Prasad’s Observations and Thoughts

Original Study: Effectiveness of Face Mask or Respirator Use in Indoor Public Settings for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection — California, February–December 2021 – CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

CDC urges Americans to wear most-protective mask or respirator that fits well and that they’ll wear consistently.

Modeling COVID-19 mortality across 44 Countries: Face covering may reduce deaths.

What can masks do? Part 2: What makes for a good mask study — and why most fail.

Opinion | Why Are Americans Still—Still!—Wearing Cloth Masks?

Evidence shows that, yes, masks prevent COVID-19 – and surgical masks are the way to go.

Face masks for COVID pass their largest test yet – “A rigorous study finds that surgical masks are highly protective, but cloth masks fall short”.

[Preprint] Largest study of masks yet details their importance in fighting Covid-19.

Commentary on Twitter

A new @CDCMMWR study shows that people who reported always wearing masks or respirators in indoor public settings in California were less likely to test positive for #COVID19 compared with those who reported not wearing a face covering. Learn more. https://t.co/T8gaqiPHyI pic.twitter.com/6UJ9cs60NK

— CDC (@CDCgov) February 4, 2022

EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular risk management in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:43h | UTC

EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular risk management in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome – Annals of Rheumatic Diseases

How Denmark Decided COVID Isn’t a Critical Threat to Society – “The country became the first in the EU to lift all COVID restrictions despite leading the world in per capita infections”.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:48h | UTC

How Denmark Decided COVID Isn’t a Critical Threat to Society – The Atlantic

Covid: Europe set for ‘long period of tranquillity’ in pandemic, says WHO.

As Denmark scraps COVID restrictions, WHO urges caution.

Despite the ongoing spread of Omicron, some European countries have decided to lift Covid-19 restrictions.

Scientists admit their Covid mistakes – “Being proved wrong lies at the heart of scientific progress. Here, experts reveal what they got wrong during the pandemic”.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:46h | UTC

‘The case for masks became hugely stronger’: scientists admit their Covid mistakes – The Guardian

The costs and benefits of primary prevention of zoonotic pandemics.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:45h | UTC

The costs and benefits of primary prevention of zoonotic pandemics – Science Advances

Commentary: Preventing pandemics costs far less than controlling them – Duke University

ERC-ESICM guidelines on temperature control after cardiac arrest in adults.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:44h | UTC

ERC-ESICM guidelines on temperature control after cardiac arrest in adults – Intensive Care Medicine (if the link is paywalled, try this one)

M-A: In comatose survivors of cardiac arrest, targeted hypothermia is not associated with improved survival or better neurological outcomes vs. targeted normothermia.

RCT: In comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, there was no difference in mortality and neurologic outcomes with mild (target temperature of 34 °C) vs. moderate therapeutic hypothermia (target temperature of 31 °C).

M-A: Targeted temperature management following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest – “Routine use of moderate or deep hypothermia in comatose survivors of OHCA may potentially be associated with more harm than benefit”.

RCT: In patients with coma after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, targeted hypothermia did not improve outcomes.

Commentary on Twitter

Temperature control post ROSC @ERC_resus @ESICM guidelines:
? monitor (core T) + prevent fever (min 72h)
❄️ insufficient evidence for/against 32-36°C or early cooling
Not recommended
? active rewarming (mild hypothermia)
? pre ? cooling (cold fluids)https://t.co/w6X8fLInzf pic.twitter.com/U8TWG1oUyV

— Intensive Care Medicine (@yourICM) January 28, 2022

A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:42h | UTC

A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands – Science

Commentaries:

New highly virulent and damaging HIV variant discovered in the Netherlands – University of Oxford

Highly virulent HIV variant found circulating in Europe – Nature

Guideline: Management and follow-up of gallbladder polyps – “If the patient has no risk factors for malignancy, and a gallbladder polypoid lesion of 5 mm or less, follow-up is not required”.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:39h | UTC

Management and follow-up of gallbladder polyps: updated joint guidelines between the ESGAR, EAES, EFISDS and ESGE – European Radiology

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines on Anaphylaxis.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:41h | UTC

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines on Anaphylaxis – Wilderness and Environmental Medicine

Related Guidelines:

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Acute Altitude Illness: 2019 Update

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Frostbite: 2019 Update

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Heat Illness: 2019 Update

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Out-of-Hospital Evaluation and Treatment of Accidental Hypothermia: 2019 Update

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment and Prevention of Drowning: 2019 Update

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for Spinal Cord Protection

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for Water Disinfection for Wilderness, International Travel, and Austere Situations

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diabetes Management

Small Cell Lung Cancer, Version 2.2022, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:36h | UTC

Small Cell Lung Cancer, Version 2.2022, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology – Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

AUA/SMSNA Guideline: Disorders of Ejaculation.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:37h | UTC

Disorders of Ejaculation: An AUA/SMSNA Guideline – American Urological Association

Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) After Stroke: Meta-analysis suggests the application of a multivariable causal classification system may better distinguish patient subgroups who may benefit from PFO closure from those unlikely to receive benefit.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:31h | UTC

Heterogeneity of Treatment Effects in an Analysis of Pooled Individual Patient Data From Randomized Trials of Device Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale After Stroke – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary: Classification System May Identify Patients Likely to Benefit from PFO Closure – Physician’s Weekly

Management of the Patient With Patent Foramen Ovale in 2021: A Spectrum of Cases

Practice advisory update summary: Patent foramen ovale and secondary stroke prevention: Report of the Guideline Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology – Neurology

Commentary on Twitter

Analysis of individual patient data from RCTs found application of a multivariable causal classification system to randomized trial results that distinguished subgroups who may benefit from patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure vs those unlikely to benefit https://t.co/L9Ic9EsNPG

— JAMA (@JAMA_current) December 15, 2021