In March 2020, Americans began experiencing numerous lifestyle changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some reports have suggested that pet acquisition and ownership increased during this period, and some have suggested shelters and rescues will be overwhelmed once pandemic-related restrictions are lifted and lifestyles shift yet again. In May 2021, the ASPCA hired the global market research company Ipsos to conduct a general population survey that would provide a more comprehensive picture of pet ownership and acquisition during the pandemic. Although pet owners care for a number of species, the term pet owner in this study specifically refers to those who had dogs and/or cats. One goal of the survey was to determine whether data from a sample of adults residing in the United States would corroborate findings from national shelter databases indicating that animals were not being surrendered to shelters in large numbers. Furthermore, this survey gauged individuals' concerns related to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, and analyses examined factors associated with pet owners indicating they were considering rehoming an animal within the next 3 months. The data showed that pet ownership did not increase during the pandemic and that pets may have been rehomed in greater numbers than occurs during more stable times. Importantly, rehomed animals were placed with friends, family members, and neighbors more frequently than they were relinquished to animal shelters and rescues. Findings associated with those who rehomed an animal during the pandemic, or were considering rehoming, suggest that animal welfare organizations have opportunities to increase pet retention by providing resources regarding pet-friendly housing and affordable veterinary options and by helping pet owners strategize how to incorporate their animals into their post-pandemic lifestyles.
Thibault MW, Robinson LR, Franklin G, Fulton-Kehoe D: Use of the AAEM guidelines in electrodiagnosis of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2005;84:267-273.Objective: The goal of this study was to determine if practice patterns in Washington State were altered by the development and publication of the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine practice parameter for electrodiagnosis of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow.Design: Medical records from 350 workers' compensation patients who underwent surgery for ulnar neuropathy at the elbow in Washington State were reviewed for the consistency of the electrodiagnosticians' report and the practice parameter. Statistical analysis ( 2 or Fischer's exact test) compared prepublication and postpublication patterns of test use.Results: Thirty-one percent of the 153 studies (n ϭ 47) were not consistent with American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine guidelines before its publication vs. 34% of the 138 studies (n ϭ 47) after publication. This was not a statistically significant change (P ϭ 0.63).Conclusion: Evaluation of the usefulness and dissemination of the guidelines is warranted. The practice parameter may need to be simplified and educational efforts extended to improve provider use of new guidelines.
A growing number of case reports and series have described a wide spectrum of neurological manifestations of COVID-19 disease including encephalopathy, cerebrovascular disease, and Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). However, peripheral neuropathy associated with COVID-19 disease has been uncommonly reported.Here, we describe a young patient with a COVID-19 infection who developed unilateral sciatic neuropathy during the course of treatment requiring prolonged physical medicine and rehabilitation stay. She was treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) for hypoxic respiratory failure for 22 days total, during which she was intubated, sedated, and paralyzed for 14 days. She received dexamethasone, convalescent plasma, and remdesivir for COVID-19; she also received ceftriaxone and azithromycin for possible superimposed bacterial pneumonia. The hypoxic respiratory failure was improved progressively, and she was extubated. On day 17 of ICU stay, she reported numbness and weakness in left leg and had 0/5 motor strength at the left ankle in all directions. She was able to move left hip and knee and had decreased sensation to light touch and pain from the level of the left knee to the toes. Imaging of the brain and spine showed no obvious findings that would explain the neurological symptoms. On electromyography (EMG), there was acute denervation in the left tibialis anterior muscle. She required prolonged physical medicine and rehabilitation care, greater than 60 days during which she had some improvement in sensation, but remained without ankle movement for two more months. This could be a rare manifestation of COVID-19-induced sciatic mono-neuropathy given her symptoms, EMG reports, clinical exam, and normal imaging studies.
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