Here is what the editors at Physician’s Briefing chose as the most important COVID-19 developments for you and your practice for the week of May 25 to 29, 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
VA Slashes Use of Hydroxychloroquine to Treat COVID-19 Patients
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The VA health system has stopped nearly all use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said at a House hearing on Thursday.
Deferment of Elective Surgeries Due to COVID-19 Will Have Lasting Impact
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — At two years after the end of the elective orthopedic surgery deferment related to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a cumulative backlog of more than 1 million surgical cases in an optimistic scenario, according to a study published online May 12 in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Remdesivir Use Growing Globally in COVID-19 Patients
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Worldwide more physicians are using remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients, according to a survey released May 21 by Sermo, a global health care polling company and social platform for physicians.
Five-Day Course of Remdesivir Beneficial in Severe COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There seems to be no significant difference between a five- and 10-day course of remdesivir for patients with severe COVID-19 not requiring mechanical ventilation, according to a study published online May 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Burden of Severe COVID-19 High in California, Washington State
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For residents of California and Washington with COVID-19, the length of hospital stay and intensive care unit admission are high, according to a study published online May 22 in The BMJ.
Positive RT-PCR Findings Seen After COVID-19 Discharge
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Some patients with COVID-19 have positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction results after discharge, according to a research letter published online May 28 in JAMA Network Open.
CDC: Coronavirus Antibody Tests Still Not Accurate Enough
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Coronavirus antibody test results may not be accurate enough to help guide decisions about whether to allow large groups of people to gather at work, schools, dormitories, correctional facilities, and other locations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
Parents Facing Higher Levels of Stress During Pandemic
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Individuals, particularly parents, are coping with extreme stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results of a survey released May 21 by the American Psychological Association.
CV Toxicity Tied to Azithromycin and/or Hydroxychloroquine
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin may have a serious adverse impact on the cardiovascular system, according to a research letter published online May 22 in Circulation.
Improving Glycemic Control May Also Aid COVID-19 Outcomes
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Insulin infusion helps achieve glycemic targets and may reduce the risk for poor outcomes in patients with hyperglycemia and COVID-19, according to a study published online May 19 in Diabetes Care.
Parents Struggling to Provide for Families During Pandemic
WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The COVID-19 pandemic poses risks to children’s health, well-being, and development as parents struggle to provide for their families, according to a survey released by the Urban Institute.
U.K. Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 Are More Often Male
WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are more often male and frequently have comorbidities, according to a study published online May 22 in the The BMJ.
Neuroimaging Features of COVID-19 Are Variable
WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Neuroimaging features of COVID-19 are variable among patients with acute neurological symptoms but are dominated by acute ischemic infarcts, according to a research letter published online May 21 in Radiology.
African-Americans More Likely to Be Hospitalized With COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — African-American patients have an increased likelihood of hospitalization for COVID-19, according to a report published online May 21 in Health Affairs.
WHO Suspends Testing of Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 Patients
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The World Health Organization has suspended use of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine in a clinical trial of treatments of COVID-19 after a study revealed that patients taking the drug are at increased risk for death and serious heart problems.
Remdesivir Beats Placebo for Time to COVID-19 Recovery
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For adults hospitalized with COVID-19 with lower respiratory tract infection, time to recovery is shorter with remdesivir than placebo, according to a study published online May 22 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Hydroxychloroquine Plus Macrolides No Benefit in COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with COVID-19 requiring hospitalization, there is no evidence of benefit for use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide, according to a study published online May 22 in The Lancet.
Adenovirus Type-5 Vectored COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promise
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A recombinant adenovirus type-5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine is safe, tolerable, and immunogenic, according to a study published online May 22 in The Lancet.
Placental Injury Seen in Pregnant Women With SARS-CoV-2
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Higher rates of decidual arteriopathy and other maternal vascular malperfusion features are seen in placentas of women with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, according to a study published online May 22 in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology.
Right Ventricular Dilation Linked to Mortality in COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Right ventricular dilation is associated with in-hospital mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a study published online May 15 in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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