Background Long-term pulmonary sequelae following hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia is largely unclear. The aim of this study was to identify and characterise pulmonary sequelae caused by SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia at 12-month from discharge. Methods In this multicentre, prospective, observational study, patients hospitalised for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and without prior diagnosis of structural lung diseases were stratified by maximum ventilatory support (“oxygen only”, “continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)” and “invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV)”) and followed up at 12 months from discharge. Pulmonary function tests and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), 6 min walking test, high resolution CT (HRCT) scan, and modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale were collected. Results Out of 287 patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and followed up at 1 year, DLCO impairment, mainly of mild entity and improved with respect to the 6-month follow-up, was observed more frequently in the “oxygen only” and “IMV” group (53% and 49% of patients, respectively), compared to 29% in the “CPAP” group. Abnormalities at chest HRCT were found in 46%, 65% and 80% of cases in the “oxygen only”, “CPAP” and “IMV” group, respectively. Non-fibrotic interstitial lung abnormalities, in particular reticulations and ground-glass attenuation, were the main finding, while honeycombing was found only in 1% of cases. Older patients and those requiring IMV were at higher risk of developing radiological pulmonary sequelae. Dyspnea evaluated through mMRC scale was reported by 35% of patients with no differences between groups, compared to 29% at 6-month follow-up. Conclusion DLCO alteration and non-fibrotic interstitial lung abnormalities are common after 1 year from hospitalization due to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, particularly in older patients requiring higher ventilatory support. Studies with longer follow-ups are needed.

Pulmonary parenchymal and vascular damage are frequently reported in COVID-19 patients and can be assessed with unenhanced chest computed tomography (CT), widely used as a triaging exam. Integrating clinical data, chest CT features, and CT-derived vascular metrics, we aimed to build a predictive model of in-hospital mortality using univariate analysis (Mann–Whitney U test) and machine learning models (support vectors machines (SVM) and multilayer perceptrons (MLP)). Patients with RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and unenhanced chest CT performed on emergency department admission were included after retrieving their outcome (discharge or death), with an 85/15% training/test dataset split. Out of 897 patients, the 229 (26%) patients who died during hospitalization had higher median pulmonary artery diameter (29.0 mm) than patients who survived (27.0 mm, p < 0.001) and higher median ascending aortic diameter (36.6 mm versus 34.0 mm, p < 0.001). SVM and MLP best models considered the same ten input features, yielding a 0.747 (precision 0.522, recall 0.800) and 0.844 (precision 0.680, recall 0.567) area under the curve, respectively. In this model integrating clinical and radiological data, pulmonary artery diameter was the third most important predictor after age and parenchymal involvement extent, contributing to reliable in-hospital mortality prediction, highlighting the value of vascular metrics in improving patient stratification.

Stent graft seems to improve primary patency for central venous stenosis and requires fewer reinterventions in a dialysis population with a high prevalence of long-term catheters.

Aims In this work, the survival and mortality data of 54 consecutive patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and suffering from severe respiratory insufficiency imputable to viral SARS - CoV - 2 infection were analyzed and shared, after a critical review of the evidence in order to optimize the most dedicated clinical and treatment strategy, for a future ‘targeted’ management in the care of the possible return flu outbreak. Methods At our Emergency Department of the Crema Hospital, from the beginning of the pandemic until the end of June 2020, 54 consecutive patients admitted to ICU suffering from severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and severe respiratory distress (ARDS) attributable to viral SARS - CoV - 2 infection were recruited. The recruitment criterion was based on refractory hypoxia, general condition and clinical impairment, comorbidities and CT images. The incoming parameters of the blood chemistry and radiology investigations and the timing of the gold - tracheal intubation were compared. Medical therapy was based on the application of shared protocols. Results The onset of symptoms was varyng, i.e. within the range of 1–14 days. The average time from the admission to the emergency room to the admission to intensive care was approximately 120 h. The average number of days of hospitalization in the ICU was 28 days. With a majority of male patients, the most significant age group was between 60 and 69 years. There were 21 deaths and, compared to the survivors, the deceased ones were older at an average age of about 67 years (vs an average age of the survivors of about 59 years). From the available data entering the ICU, the surviving patients presented average better values of oximetry and blood gas analysis, with a lower average dosage of D-Dimer than the deceased. Ones with a presence of bilateral pneumonia in all patients, the worsening of the ARDS occurred in 31 patients. 9 out of 25 patients early intubated died, while 12 out of 23 patients died when intubation was performed after 24 h of non-invasive ventilation. The presence of multiple comorbidities was shown in 17 of 28 patients and revealed an additional adverse prognostic factor. Also, more than one complication in the same patient were detected; after respiratory worsening, renal failure was more frequently found in 16 patients. Some particular complications such as lesions induced by ventilation with barotrauma mechanism (VILI), ischemic heart disease and the appearance of central and peripheral neurological events were detected too. Considerations SARS - CoV - 2 disease is caused by a new coronavirus that has its main route of transmission through respiratory droplets and close contact, resulting in a sudden onset of the clinical syndrome with acute respiratory infection (SARI) and severe respiratory distress (ARDS). But it can also appear with other symptoms such as gastrointestinal or neurological events, as to be consi...