COVID-19

Spoon Feed
There was a strong association with lower mortality and hospitalization in high-risk patients with COVID-19 who were treated with either nirmatrelvir/ritonavir or molnupiravir.

Source
Nirmatrelvir or Molnupiravir Use and Severe Outcomes From Omicron Infections. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Sep 5;6(9):e2335077. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.35077.

We're trying something new! Watch quick videos, with my personal take on the articles we cover each week and more! Here's the JournalFeed YouTube channel link. ~Clay

Spoon Feed
Modified dose nirmaltrevir-ritonavir is well-tolerated in patients with CKD as therapy for mild COVID-19 and effectively suppresses viral load.

Source
Safety Profile and Clinical and Virological Outcomes of Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Treatment in Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Aug 2:ciad371. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciad371. Epub ahead of print.

Spoon Feed
Infants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were less likely to have UTI, bacteremia, and bacterial meningitis. 

Source
Prevalence of Urinary Tract Infection, Bacteremia, and Meningitis Among Febrile Infants Aged 8 to 60 Days With SARS-CoV-2. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 May 1;6(5):e2313354. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.13354. 

Spoon Feed
We try really hard to spoon feed you good information that is scientifically accurate. We need to discuss the nuances of masking related to COVID and other respiratory viral illnesses.

Source
Jefferson T, Dooley L, Ferroni E, Al-Ansary LA, van Driel ML, Bawazeer GA, Jones MA, Hoffmann TC, Clark J, Beller EM, Glasziou PP, Conly JM. Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Jan 30;1(1):CD006207. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6.

Spoon Feed
A few notable demographic differences in critically ill children with influenza or COVID-19 were observed—influenza patients were younger, while COVID patients were more likely to be Black, Hispanic, and were more likely to be obese; a majority of both cohorts had one or more underlying medical condition.

Source
Life-Threatening Complications of Influenza vs Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in US Children. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Feb 8;76(3):e280-e290. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac477.

Spoon Feed
Patients at two separate urgent care locations—one with rapid influenza diagnostic testing (RIDT) and one without—were compared on several parameters. Importantly, antibiotic prescribing was significantly lower, and antiviral prescribing was significantly higher in the group with RIDT testing.

Source
The Influence of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Testing on Clinician Decision-making for Patients with Acute Respiratory Infection in Urgent Care. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Feb 1;ciad038. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciad038. Online ahead of print.

Spoon Feed
In this Cochrane review, hand-hygiene programs reduce the incidence of clinical acute respiratory illness (ARI), while masking probably does not provide additional benefit.

Source
Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Jan 30;1(1):CD006207. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6.

Spoon Feed
A negative D-dimer performed similarly in predicting a 30-day risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) regardless of a patient’s COVID-19 status.

Source
Prognostic association between d-dimer thresholds and 30-day pulmonary embolism diagnosis among emergency department patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection: a Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network study. CJEM. 2023 Feb;25(2):134-142. doi: 10.1007/s43678-022-00440-8. Epub 2023 Jan 10.

Spoon Feed
Zinc supplementation for patients with COVID-19 decreased 30-day ICU admission rate and led to shorter symptom duration. Subgroup analysis showed these effects were especially pronounced for elderly patients and those with comorbid conditions.

Source
Twice-Daily Oral Zinc in the Treatment of Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2023;76(2):185-191. doi:10.1093/cid/ciac807

Spoon Feed
Molnupiravir does not decrease death or hospitalization in vaccinated patients with COVID-19 at high risk for progression to severe disease.