Objective: The emergence of COVID-19 presents a challenge for neurologists caring for patients with pre-existing neurological conditions hospitalized for COVID-19 or for evaluation of patients who suffer neurological complications during COVID-19 infection. We conducted a scoping review of available literature on COVID-19 to assess the potential impact on neurologists in terms of prevalent comorbidities and incidence of new neurological events in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods:We searched Medline/PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCO), and SCOPUS databases for adult patients with pre-existing neurologic disease that were diagnosed and hospitalized for COVID-19, or reported incidence of secondary neurologic events following diagnosis of COVID-19. Pooled descriptive statistics of clinical data and comorbidities were examined.Results: Among screened articles, 322 of 4014 (8.0 %) of hospitalized patients diagnosed and treated for COVID-19 had a pre-existing neurological illness. Four retrospective studies demonstrated an increased risk of secondary neurological complications in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (incidence of 6%, 20% and 36.4%, respectively). Inconsistent reporting and limited statistical analysis among these studies did not allow for assessment of comparative outcomes.Conclusion: Emerging literature suggests a daunting clinical relationship between COVID-19 and neurological illness. Neurologists need to be prepared to reorganize their consultative practices to serve the neurological needs of patients during this pandemic. Herman

Background Patients surviving critical illness develop muscle weakness and impairments in physical function; however, the relationship between early skeletal muscle alterations and physical function at hospital discharge remains unclear. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether changes in muscle size, strength and power assessed in the intensive care unit (ICU) predict physical function at hospital discharge. Methods Study design is a single-center, prospective, observational study in patients admitted to the medicine or cardiothoracic ICU with diagnosis of sepsis or acute respiratory failure. Rectus femoris (RF) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscle ultrasound images were obtained day one of ICU admission, repeated serially and assessed for muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), layer thickness (mT) and echointensity (EI). Muscle strength, as measured by Medical Research Council-sum score, and muscle power (lower-extremity leg press) were assessed prior to ICU discharge. Physical function was assessed with performance on 5-times sit-to-stand (5STS) at hospital discharge. Results Forty-one patients with median age of 61 years (IQR 55–68), 56% male and sequential organ failure assessment score of 8.1 ± 4.8 were enrolled. RF muscle CSA decreased significantly a median percent change of 18.5% from day 1 to 7 (F = 26.6, p = 0.0253). RF EI increased at a mean percent change of 10.5 ± 21% in the first 7 days (F = 3.28, p = 0.081). At hospital discharge 25.7% of patients (9/35) met criteria for ICU-acquired weakness. Change in RF EI in first 7 days of ICU admission and muscle power measured prior to ICU were strong predictors of ICU-AW at hospital discharge (AUC = 0.912). Muscle power at ICU discharge, age and ICU length of stay were predictive of performance on 5STS at hospital discharge. Conclusion ICU-assessed muscle alterations, specifically RF EI and muscle power, are predictors of diagnosis of ICU-AW and physical function assessed by 5x-STS at hospital discharge in patients surviving critical illness.

Background We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of two neutralising monoclonal antibody therapies (sotrovimab [Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline] and BRII-196 plus BRII-198 [Brii Biosciences]) for adults admitted to hospital for COVID-19 (hereafter referred to as hospitalised) with COVID-19. Methods In this multinational, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, clinical trial (Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19 [TICO]), adults (aged ≥18 years) hospitalised with COVID-19 at 43 hospitals in the USA, Denmark, Switzerland, and Poland were recruited. Patients were eligible if they had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 symptoms for up to 12 days. Using a web-based application, participants were randomly assigned (2:1:2:1), stratified by trial site pharmacy, to sotrovimab 500 mg, matching placebo for sotrovimab, BRII-196 1000 mg plus BRII-198 1000 mg, or matching placebo for BRII-196 plus BRII-198, in addition to standard of care. Each study product was administered as a single dose given intravenously over 60 min. The concurrent placebo groups were pooled for analyses. The primary outcome was time to sustained clinical recovery, defined as discharge from the hospital to home and remaining at home for 14 consecutive days, up to day 90 after randomisation. Interim futility analyses were based on two seven-category ordinal outcome scales on day 5 that measured pulmonary status and extrapulmonary complications of COVID-19. The safety outcome was a composite of death, serious adverse events, incident organ failure, and serious coinfection up to day 90 after randomisation. Efficacy and safety outcomes were assessed in the modified intention-to-treat population, defined as all patients randomly assigned to treatment who started the study infusion. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT04501978 . Findings Between Dec 16, 2020, and March 1, 2021, 546 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to sotrovimab (n=184), BRII-196 plus BRII-198 (n=183), or placebo (n=179), of whom 536 received part or all of their assigned study drug (sotrovimab n=182, BRII-196 plus BRII-198 n=176, or placebo n=178; median age of 60 years [IQR 50–72], 228 [43%] patients were female and 308 [57%] were male). At this point, enrolment was halted on the basis of the interim futility analysis. At day 5, neither the sotrovimab group nor the BRII-196 plus BRII-198 group had significantly higher odds of more favourable outcomes than the placebo group on either the pulmonary scale (adjusted odds ratio sotrovimab 1·07 [95% CI 0·74–1·56]; BRII-196 plus BRII-198 0·98 [95% CI 0·67–1·43]) or the pulmonary-plus complications scale (sotrovimab 1·08 [0·74–1·58]; BRII-196 plus BRII-198 1·00 [0·68–1·46]). By day 90, sustained clinical recovery was seen in 151 (85%) patients in the placebo group compared with 160 (88%) in the sotrovimab group (adjusted rate ratio 1·12 [95% CI 0·91–...

Objective The purpose of this case report is to present the clinical presentation and physical therapist management for a patient with post–COVID syndrome. Secondarily, the report highlights the importance of assessing cognitive and emotional health in patients with post–COVID syndrome. Methods (Case Description) A 37-year-old woman tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and developed mild COVID-19 disease but did not require supplemental oxygen or hospitalization. The patient experienced persistent symptoms including dyspnea, headaches, and cognitive fog. On day 62, she participated in an outpatient physical therapist evaluation that revealed deficits in exercise capacity, obtaining 50% of her age-predicted 6-minute walk distance (6MWD). She had minor reductions in muscle strength and cognitive function. Self-reported quality of life (QoL) was 50, and she scored above established cut-off scores for provisional diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results The patient participated in biweekly physical therapist sessions for 8 weeks, which included aerobic training, strengthening exercises, diaphragmatic breathing techniques, and mindfulness training. Metabolic equivalent for task (METS) levels increased with variability over the course of the program. The patient’s muscle strength, physical function, and exercise capacity improved. 6MWD increased by 199 m, equating to 80% of her age-predicted distance. QoL and PTSD scores did not improve. At evaluation after physical therapy, the patient was still experiencing migraines, dyspnea, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. Conclusion This case report described the clinical presentation and physical therapist management of a person with post–COVID syndrome, a novel health condition for which little evidence exists to guide rehabilitation examination and interventions. Physical therapists should consider cognitive function and emotional health in their plan of care for patients with post–COVID syndromes. Impact This case alerts physical therapists to post–COVID syndrome—which can include debilitating symptoms of decreased aerobic tolerance, anxiety, PTSD, and cognitive dysfunction—and to the role that therapists can play in assessing these symptoms and managing these patients.

Objective Previous studies have demonstrated that muscle ultrasound can be reliably performed at the patient bedside by novice assessors with minimal training. The primary objective of this study was to determine the interrater reliability of muscle ultrasound image acquisition by physical therapists and physical therapist students. Secondarily, this study was designed to elucidate the process for training physical therapists to perform peripheral skeletal muscle ultrasonography. Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study. Four novice and 1 expert participated in the study. Novice sonographers engaged in a structured training program prior to implementation. Ultrasound images were obtained on the biceps brachii, quadriceps femoris, and tibialis anterior muscles in 3 groups: patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), patients on the hospital ward, and participants in the outpatient gym who were healthy. Reliability of image acquisition was analyzed in comparison to the expert sonographer. Results Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values ranged from 0.76 to 0.97 with an average for all raters and all muscles of 0.903, indicating excellent reliability of image acquisition. In general, the experienced physical therapist had higher or similar ICC values compared with the physical therapist students in relation to the expert sonographer. Conclusions Excellent interrater reliability for ultrasonography was observed, regardless of the level of experience, severity of patient illness, or patient setting. These findings indicate that the use of muscle ultrasound by physical therapists can accurately capture reliable images in patients with a range of illness severity and different clinical practice settings across the continuum of care. Impact Physical therapists can utilize ultrasound to obtain images to assess muscle morphology.

Purpose: This study's primary objective is to determine the current use of outcome measures (OMs) by physical therapists practicing in acute care settings. Secondarily, this study aims to establish whether physical therapists support the development of a core OM set for use in acute care settings. Methods: An investigator-developed online survey (Qualtrics) was distributed to acute care physical therapy stakeholders, including practicing clinicians, educators, and administrators. The survey contained 4 sections with 28 questions: (1) acute care physical therapy practice patterns; (2) use of OMs in practice; (3) the development of a core OM set; and (4) demographic, education, and experience in the physical therapy profession. Descriptive statistics were used to assess response frequency and rationale for the use of specific OMs. Results: A convenience sample of 170 acute physical therapy stakeholders completed the survey. Respondents represented 38 states, with most respondents (n = 153; 90%) practicing in one or more acute care specialty areas. The majority of respondents (n = 145; 83%) reported using an OM more than 50% of the time in their practice. Physical function was the main construct (n = 163; 96%) respondents assessed with an OM. Acute care physical therapists primarily used OMs to track response to interventions (n = 134; 79%) and develop a care plan (n = 91; 54%). Length of time required to complete an OM and its clinical utility were the most common rationales for selecting an OM (n = 150, 88%; n = 147, 86%, respectively). Strong support was found for developing a core OM set for acute physical therapist practice (n = 147; 86%). The preferred methods for the organization of a core OM set, in rank order, were by diagnosis, International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework, domains of health, and settings/location. Conclusion: Most physical therapists participating in this study of practice in acute care reported using OMs in their daily practice. This survey confirms the desire to develop a core OM set with high clinical utility for use in acute care settings.

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Critically ill patients with requirement of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) represent a growing intensive care unit (ICU) population. Optimal CRRT delivery demands continuous communication between stakeholders, iterative adjustment of therapy, and quality assurance systems. This Quality Improvement (QI) study reports the development, implementation and outcomes of a quality assurance system to support the provision of CRRT in the ICU. This study was carried out at the University of Kentucky Medical Center between September 2016 and June 2019. We implemented a quality assurance system using a step-wise approach based on the (a) assembly of a multidisciplinary team, (b) standardization of the CRRT protocol, (c) creation of electronic CRRT flowsheets, (d) selection, monitoring and reporting of quality metrics of CRRT deliverables, and (e) enhancement of education. We examined 34-month data comprising 1185 adult patients on CRRT (~ 7420 patient-days of CRRT) and tracked selected QI outcomes/metrics of CRRT delivery. As a result of the QI interventions, we increased the number of multidisciplinary experts in the CRRT team and ensured a continuum of education to health care professionals. We maximized to 100% the use of continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration and doubled the percentage of patients using regional citrate anticoagulation. The delivered CRRT effluent dose (~ 30 ml/kg/h) and the delivered/prescribed effluent dose ratio (~ 0.89) remained stable within the study period. The average filter life increased from 26 to 31 h (p = 0.020), reducing the mean utilization of filters per patient from 3.56 to 2.67 (p = 0.054) despite similar CRRT duration and mortality rates. The number of CRRT access alarms per treatment day was reduced by 43%. The improvement in filter utilization translated into ~ 20,000 USD gross savings in filter cost per 100-patient receiving CRRT. We satisfactorily developed and implemented a quality assurance system for the provision of CRRT in the ICU that enabled sustainable tracking of CRRT deliverables and reduced filter resource utilization at our institution.