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ECMO life support is a last resort for covid, and in short supply in South

Hospital discharge day for Phoua Yang was more like a pep rally. On her way rolling out of TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, she teared up as streamers and confetti rained down on her. Nurses chanted her name as they wheeled her out of the hospital for the first time since she arrived in February with covid-19, barely able to breathe.

10 Sep 2021

Rheumatoid arthritis drug plus standard of care may reduce COVID-19 mortality for hospitalized patients

Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who received the rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib, in combination with the standard of care including corticosteroids, died less often than those receiving only the standard of care, according to a study released this week in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

1 Sep 2021

Growing use of mechanical circulatory support causes moral distress among clinicians

The growing use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) may contribute to high levels of moral distress for clinicians who regularly care for critically ill patients receiving the aggressive but life-sustaining therapy, according to a study in American Journal of Critical Care.

1 Sep 2021

Unconventional T cell and inflammation levels in COVID-19 during pregnancy

A new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server has focused on investigating SARS-CoV-2 immune responses in pregnant women

25 Aug 2021

UC San Diego Health performed region’s first double lung transplant for a COVID-19 patient

On a July afternoon, Federico Gomez Gil, 56, is dressed in a short-sleeved, collared shirt, sweatpants and a baseball cap. He sits in a chair in a hospital room, surrounded by his wife and two daughters. Given the past five months, this is the moment of a lifetime — a new lifetime.

24 Aug 2021

Getting a covid vaccine during pregnancy even more urgent as ICU beds fill up

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doubling down on its recommendation that people who are pregnant get the covid-19 vaccine, in light of new data underscoring its safety and effectiveness throughout pregnancy.

12 Aug 2021

New biocompatible glue could quickly seal injured tissues and stop bleeding

Inspired by the sticky substance that barnacles use to cling to rocks, MIT engineers have designed a strong, biocompatible glue that can seal injured tissues and stop bleeding.

9 Aug 2021

Heart problems in kids with MIS-C resolve rapidly, study shows

Heart problems in children hospitalized with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C)--an inflammatory condition triggered by COVID--were mostly gone within a few months, a new study by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and NewYork-Presbyterian has found.

15 Jul 2021

Study finds no evidence for remdesivir's benefit in severe COVID-19 patients

A new analysis of current data indicates that remdesivir does not show efficacy in regulating the severity of the illness.

23 Jun 2021

Long COVID patients at higher risk of small airway disease

The preprint discussed herein describes the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on lung structure and function in patients with long COVID.

2 Jun 2021

Hyperinvasive approach is an effective treatment strategy for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

A subgroup of patients who experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) that did not respond to standard advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), were immediately transported to a cardiac care center, and placed on a device similar to a heart-lung bypass machine were more likely to have survived with good brain function six months later than similar patients who received standard care at the site where the OHCA occurred.

18 May 2021

AI methods predict COVID-19 patient outcomes using routine clinical data from ICUs

The investigators used machine learning to predict which patients might get worse and not respond positively to being turned onto their front in intensive care units (ICUs) - a technique known as proning that is commonly used in this setting to improve oxygenation of the lungs.

11 May 2021

Study shows that heart transplantation using donation after cardiac death with NRP is feasible in the U.S.

A new study, presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, found that heart transplantation using donation after cardiac death (DCD) with normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) is feasible in the United States.

3 May 2021

Severely ill COVID-19 patients treated with ECMO did not suffer worse long-term outcomes, study finds

A new study, presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, found that severely ill COVID-19 patients treated with ECMO did not suffer worse long-term outcomes than other mechanically-ventilated patients.

30 Apr 2021

Study investigates severe lung injuries among e-cigarette users in rural Appalachia

Just as e-cigarette ingredients can vary from one region to another, the health effects of vaping can have regional characteristics as well. A new study out of West Virginia University suggests that rural e-cigarette users are older--and often get sicker--than their urban counterparts.

20 Apr 2021

Study demonstrates that the main creators of SARS-CoV-2 mutations are vaccine-suppressed

A new research paper posted to the medRxiv* preprint server describes the changes in genomic sequence observed during the course of infection in a patient on the drug tacrolimus, along with steroids, both potent immunosuppressants, and who also received convalescent plasma treatment. These mutations were observed to occur within three weeks from infection.

14 Apr 2021

UHN performed first double-lung transplant after COVID-19 in Canada

University Health Network has performed what is believed to be the first lung transplant in Canada on a patient whose lungs were irreparably damaged by COVID-19.

12 Apr 2021

Study finds no evidence of SARS-CoV2 transmission by breast milk

Some studies have reported the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in breast milk from women who were recently infected with the virus. A new study explores the relationship between viral RNA and infectious virus to clarify the occurrence of vertical transmission through breast milk.

9 Apr 2021

First general selection criteria for lung transplantation in Covid-19 patients

In May 2020, a team led by thoracic surgeon Konrad Hoetzenecker of the Department of Surgery of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital performed a lung transplant on a 44-year-old patient who had been seriously ill with Covid-19, making her the first patient in Europe to receive a lung transplant for this indication.

2 Apr 2021

AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine protects against symptomatic disease

Results from a large clinical trial in the United States and South America indicate that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, AZD1222, is well-tolerated and protects against symptomatic COVID-19 disease, including severe disease or hospitalization.

22 Mar 2021