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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (4 results)

  • Article
  • Peer Reviewed
UC San Francisco Previously Published Works (2023)
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains one of the largest global health crises of the last century. Fortunately, COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be one of the most promising options in halting the progression of the pandemic. As more and more people receive COVID-19 vaccines, the medical community has learned a great deal about their efficacy and the occurrence of very rare adverse effects. While the number of thromboembolic events post-adenoviral vaccines has been well-documented in the medical literature, there has been limited information regarding thrombosis development after receiving a messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine. This case series highlights four different patients who received an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine and subsequently developed venous thromboembolism. Therefore, we hope that after reviewing this article, physicians will be more aware of thrombosis-related developments following mRNA vaccine administration for COVID-19. Fortunately, with early diagnosis and prompt treatment, patients can still expect full recovery from any vaccine thrombosis-associated complications, and the benefits of receiving an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine still outweigh the risks of post-vaccination complications.
    Cover page: Thrombosis Development After mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Administration: A Case Series.
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC San Francisco Previously Published Works (2016)

    Background

    Child health is a key priority on the global health agenda, yet the provision of essential and emergency surgery in children is patchy in resource-poor regions. This study was aimed to determine the mortality risk for emergency abdominal paediatric surgery in low-income countries globally.

    Methods

    Multicentre, international, prospective, cohort study. Self-selected surgical units performing emergency abdominal surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive children aged <16 years during a 2-week period between July and December 2014. The United Nation's Human Development Index (HDI) was used to stratify countries. The main outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality, analysed by multilevel logistic regression.

    Results

    This study included 1409 patients from 253 centres in 43 countries; 282 children were under 2 years of age. Among them, 265 (18.8%) were from low-HDI, 450 (31.9%) from middle-HDI and 694 (49.3%) from high-HDI countries. The most common operations performed were appendectomy, small bowel resection, pyloromyotomy and correction of intussusception. After adjustment for patient and hospital risk factors, child mortality at 30 days was significantly higher in low-HDI (adjusted OR 7.14 (95% CI 2.52 to 20.23), p<0.001) and middle-HDI (4.42 (1.44 to 13.56), p=0.009) countries compared with high-HDI countries, translating to 40 excess deaths per 1000 procedures performed.

    Conclusions

    Adjusted mortality in children following emergency abdominal surgery may be as high as 7 times greater in low-HDI and middle-HDI countries compared with high-HDI countries. Effective provision of emergency essential surgery should be a key priority for global child health agendas.

    Trial registration number

    NCT02179112; Pre-results.
      Cover page: Determinants of morbidity and mortality following emergency abdominal surgery in children in low-income and middle-income countries
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC San Francisco Previously Published Works (2019)

      Background

      The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy.

      Methods

      In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation.

      Results

      Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89·6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60·6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0·17, 95 per cent c.i. 0·14 to 0·21, P < 0·001) or low (363 of 860, 42·2 per cent; OR 0·08, 0·07 to 0·10, P < 0·001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -9·4 (95 per cent c.i. -11·9 to -6·9) per cent; P < 0·001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+12·1 (+7·0 to +17·3) per cent; P < 0·001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0·60, 0·50 to 0·73; P < 0·001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries.

      Conclusion

      Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.
        Cover page: Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy
        • Article
        • Peer Reviewed
        UC San Francisco Previously Published Works (2019)

        Background

        End colostomy rates following colorectal resection vary across institutions in high-income settings, being influenced by patient, disease, surgeon and system factors. This study aimed to assess global variation in end colostomy rates after left-sided colorectal resection.

        Methods

        This study comprised an analysis of GlobalSurg-1 and -2 international, prospective, observational cohort studies (2014, 2016), including consecutive adult patients undergoing elective or emergency left-sided colorectal resection within discrete 2-week windows. Countries were grouped into high-, middle- and low-income tertiles according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Factors associated with colostomy formation versus primary anastomosis were explored using a multilevel, multivariable logistic regression model.

        Results

        In total, 1635 patients from 242 hospitals in 57 countries undergoing left-sided colorectal resection were included: 113 (6·9 per cent) from low-HDI, 254 (15·5 per cent) from middle-HDI and 1268 (77·6 per cent) from high-HDI countries. There was a higher proportion of patients with perforated disease (57·5, 40·9 and 35·4 per cent; P < 0·001) and subsequent use of end colostomy (52·2, 24·8 and 18·9 per cent; P < 0·001) in low- compared with middle- and high-HDI settings. The association with colostomy use in low-HDI settings persisted (odds ratio (OR) 3·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·35 to 7·57; P = 0·008) after risk adjustment for malignant disease (OR 2·34, 1·65 to 3·32; P < 0·001), emergency surgery (OR 4·08, 2·73 to 6·10; P < 0·001), time to operation at least 48 h (OR 1·99, 1·28 to 3·09; P = 0·002) and disease perforation (OR 4·00, 2·81 to 5·69; P < 0·001).

        Conclusion

        Global differences existed in the proportion of patients receiving end stomas after left-sided colorectal resection based on income, which went beyond case mix alone.
          Cover page: Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation following left‐sided colorectal resection
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