SummaryWe performed a retrospective study of 135 patients presenting for emergency abdominal aneurysm repair to determine predictive factors for outcome. The outcome measures investigated were mortality in the operating theatre and intensive care, and at 28 and 100 days. Univariate analysis showed that the patient's age, hypotension on admission, aneurysmal rupture, pre-operative cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intra-operative blood loss and hypotension were risk factors for death either in the operating theatre or up to 100 days after surgery. Binary logistic regression identified the independent risk factors for survival. Operative survival was determined by acute factors such as pre-operative cardiopulmonary resuscitation, aneurysmal rupture and intra-operative hypotension. Longer term survival was determined by the patient's age, aneurysmal rupture, blood loss and blood pressure at admission. Using a binary logistic regression equation, from which a simplified risk score was derived, it is possible to predict the likelihood of survival of individual patients presenting for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Background: Point-of-care (POC) tests for COVID-19 could relieve pressure on isolation resource, support infection prevention and control, and help commence more timely and appropriate treatment. We aimed to undertake a systematic review and pooled diagnostic test accuracy study of available individual patient data (IPD) to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a commercial POC test (FebriDx) in patients with suspected COVID-19. Methods: A literature search was performed on the 1st of October 2020 to identify studies reporting diagnostic accuracy statistics of the FebriDx POC test versus real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for SARS-CoV-2. Studies were screened for risk of bias. IPD were sought from studies meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Logistic regression was performed to investigate the study effect on the outcome of the RT-PCR test result in order to determine whether it was appropriate to pool results. Diagnostic accuracy statistics were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: 15 studies were screened, and we included two published studies with 527 hospitalised patients. 523 patients had valid FebriDx results for Myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA), an antiviral host response protein. The FebriDx test produced a pooled sensitivity of 0.920 (95% CI: 0.875-0.950) and specificity of 0.862 (0.819-0.896) compared with RT-PCR, where there was an estimated true COVID-19 prevalence of 0.405 (0.364-0.448) and overall FebriDx test yield was 99.2%. Patients were tested at a median of 4 days [interquartile range: 2:9] after symptom onset. No differences were found in a sub-group analysis of time tested since the onset of symptoms. Conclusions: Based on a large sample of patients from two studies during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the FebriDx POC test had reasonable diagnostic accuracy in a hospital setting with high COVID-19 prevalence, out of influenza season. More research is required to determine how FebriDx would perform in other healthcare settings with higher or lower COVID-19 prevalence, different patient populations, or when other respiratory infections are in circulation.

Meeting the standard for interhospital transfer of adults with severe head injury in the United Kingdom. Anaesthesia 1999; 54: 283±9. Consider position of patient to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia We read with interest the excellent review article by Young and Ridley (Anaesthesia 1999; 54: 1183±97). It highlights the importance of aspiration