ObjectiveTo undertake a case review of deaths in a 6-week period during the COVID-19 pandemic commencing with the first death in the hospital from COVID-19 on 12th of March 2020 and contrast this with the same period in 2019.SettingA large London teaching hospital.ParticipantsThree groups were compared: group 1—COVID-19-associated deaths in the 6-week period (n=243), group 2—non-COVID deaths in the same period (n=136) and group 3—all deaths in a comparison period of the same 6 weeks in 2019 (n=194).Primary and secondary outcome measuresThis was a descriptive analysis of death case series review and as such no primary or secondary outcomes were pre-stipulated.ResultsDeaths in patients from the Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities in the pandemic period significantly increased both in the COVID-19 group (OR=2.43, 95% CI=1.60–3.68, p<0.001) and the non-COVID group (OR=1.76, 95% CI=1.09–2.83, p=0.02) during this time period and the increase was independent of differences in comorbidities, sex, age or deprivation. While the absolute number of deaths increased in 2020 compared with 2019, across all three groups the distribution of deaths by age was very similar. Our analyses confirm major risk factors for COVID-19 mortality including male sex, diabetes, having multiple comorbidities and background from the BAME communities.ConclusionsThere was no evidence of COVID-19 deaths occurring disproportionately in the elderly compared with non-COVID deaths in this period in 2020 and 2019. Deaths in the BAME communities were over-represented in both COVID-19 and non-COVID groups, highlighting the need for detailed research in order to fully understand the influence of ethnicity on susceptibility to illness, mortality and health-seeking behaviour during the pandemic.

Transplantation into an ileal conduit is an established option for patients with end-stage renal failure and a nonfunctioning urinary tract. Urinary fistulae are more common following these complex transplants. Urinary fistula in this scenario can cause substantial morbidity and even result in graft loss. The management options depend on the viability of the transplant ureter, the level of local sepsis and the overall condition of the patient. Urinary diversion with a nephrostomy and ureteric stents has been described in aiding the healing of urinary leaks in renal transplants into a functioning urinary tract. We describe the successful use of negative wound pressure therapy to eradicate the local sepsis and help the healing of a recurrent urinary fistula following kidney transplantation into an ileal conduit. To our knowledge these are the first such cases reported in the literature.Key words: Ileal conduit, negative pressure wound therapy, renal transplantation, urinary fistula Abbreviations: HLA, human leucocyte antigen; MAG-3, mercaptuacetyltriglycine; NWPT, negative pressure wound therapy.

Renal transplantation is considered more technically challenging in small children compared to adults, especially when live donor adult kidneys are used. Transplanted kidneys have traditionally been placed intraperitoneally, although over the last decade extraperitoneal positioning has been attempted. The aim of this study was to establish whether there is a difference in kidney function and outcome dependent on the surgical approach to transplantation. The medical notes of all children under the age of six who received a renal transplant at our unit between January 1998 and October 2009 were reviewed. Demographic data, operation details, HLA mismatch, immunosuppression regime, complications, and function of the graft were analyzed. A total of 30 transplants were performed in children under six yr of age. The one-yr patient and graft survival were 97% and 93%, respectively. Eighteen were undertaken via an intraperitoneal approach, with the remaining being placed extraperitoneally. There were no significant differences in the number of complications observed between the two groups, and median length of stay was comparable (extraperitoneal 19.5 days vs. intraperitoneal 20.5 days). The plasma creatinine values for the two groups were compared using multivariate linear regression analysis and adjusted for age, weight, gender and baseline plasma creatinine. Between days 2 and 14 post-operatively, there was a significant difference in absolute plasma creatinine between the two surgical approaches. However, the trend of change in mean plasma creatinine values over time did not differ significantly between the two groups. Extraperitoneal kidney transplantation in small children is safe and technically feasible. From our series, there appears to be early improved function, although there is no long-term difference in function between approaches.

Background: Plasma ammonia (PA) measurement is of key importance in the diagnosis and monitoring of some inherited metabolic disorders and to monitor subsequent treatment of hyperammonaemia. Methods: Over a six-month period, patients' ammonia concentrations were measured in parallel, using an enzymatic-UV kit (Infinity Ammonia Liquid Stable Reagent, Thermo Electron Corporation, Australia) on an Olympus AU640 analyser (Olympus UK Ltd, Hertfordshire) and on our current dry chemistry system (Vitros 250, Ortho Clinical Diagnostic). Alanine amino transferase (ALT) was added to a human plasma sample to investigate its effect on the assessment of ammonia concentration. Results: Both methods correlated well (Infinity TM kit ¼ 1.12 Â Vitros 250 þ 39, R 2 ¼ 0.95, n ¼ 105). However, clinically