August 26, 2020

On today's episode we discuss: —Epidemiology: A retrospective study of 242 COVID-19 positive inpatients found that 19% had bacterial co-infection and those with bacterial co-infection had an increased risk of mechanical ventilation (44% vs. 17%) and death (50% vs. 15%) independent of demographics and co-morbidities. The authors suggest the concomitant bacterial infection is relatively common in COVID-19 inpatients and may be associated with increased patient mortality. —Transmission & Prevention: Investigators at Guangzhou Blood Center, China assessed the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the blood of 2,199 volunteer blood donors. They found that of 7 total blood donors with positive serum-SARS-CoV-2 antigen reactivity, only 2 possessed antibodies (IgG and IgA) reliably derived from SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Based on these findings, the authors suggest that COVID-19 infection through blood transfusion is a fairly unlikely mode of transmission, although further investigation is needed. —Management: A comparative cohort study by a French neuroradiology department found that patients with COVID-19 had more severe cases of anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (aLVO) based on lower clot burden scores, lower Diffusion-Weighted Imaging-Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Scores, and higher infarct core volume. These findings suggest a higher in-hospital mortality risk in aLVO patients with COVID-19, and the authors raise concern that this predicting factor of poor outcome may lead to decreased treatment decisions provided to stroke patients, further worsening the prognosis of aLVO in the setting of COVID-19. · Gastroenterologists from Madrid, Spain performed a cross-sectional observational study to determine the relationship of incidence, presentation, and severity between patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The researchers found that among the 82 of 805 IBD patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, there was no correlation between IBD and COVID-19 infection rates, severity of infection, nor any evidence that COVID-19 induces more frequent IBD episodic flare-ups and suggest that management of IBD can be continued without adjustment due to COVID-19. —Mental Health & Resilience Needs: Researchers from the Philadelphia Care Foundation in the Netherlands conducted a retrospective, descriptive study on the use of the online support service DigiContact by individuals with intellectual disability and their loved ones during COVID-19 social distancing. They found that DigiContact usage was significantly greater during weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak when compared to the first 20 weeks of 2019 and the first 11 weeks of 2020, indicating that online social services can be important tools in maintaining social support for individuals with intellectual disabilities while adhering to exposure precautions in extenuating circumstances.