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Aim: To examine patients with cerebral palsy (CP) undergoing open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for ankle fractures. Method: This was a retrospective study of adult patients undergoing ankle fracture ORIF for closed, isolated ankle fractures identified in between 2010 and 2021 in the Q1 PearlDiver M151 database. Patients with CP were identified with International Classification of Diseases (ICD)‐9 and ICD‐10 codes, and were matched to those without 1:10 on age, sex, and Elixhauser comorbidity index (ECI). Ninety‐day adverse events were assessed with multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 148 993 patients with isolated ankle fracture ORIF were identified, of whom 407 (0.27%) had CP. After matching, 3863 without CP were compared to 389 with CP. Patients with CP were at increased odds of: 90‐day urinary tract infection (odds ratios [OR] 6.26), pneumonia (OR 3.50), minor adverse events (OR 3.46), sepsis (OR 3.30), any adverse events (OR 3.04), emergency department visits (OR 2.28), serious adverse events (OR 1.77), and prolonged length of stay more than 4 days (OR 22.44) (p < 0.001 for all). Interpretation: Patients with CP undergoing ORIF for isolated, closed ankle fractures are at increased odds of several 90‐day adverse events and prolonged length of stay compared to matched patients without CP. What this paper adds: Patients with cerebral palsy (CP) undergoing ankle fracture open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) were at increased odds of 90‐day adverse events.Many of the 90‐day adverse events related to previously described comorbidities associated with CP.Patients with CP undergoing ankle fracture ORIF experienced increased rates of prolonged length of stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Following carpal tunnel release (CTR), patients may be indicated for subsequent hand surgery (contralateral CTR and/or trigger finger release [TFR]). While surgeons typically take pride in patient loyalty, the rate of returning to the same hand surgeons has not been previously characterized. Methods: Patients undergoing CTR were isolated from 2010–2021 PearlDiver M151 dataset. Subsequent CTR or TFR were identified and characterized as being performed by the same or different surgeon, with patient factors associated with changing to a different surgeon determined by multivariable analyses. Results: In total, 1,121,922 CTR patients were identified. Of these, subsequent surgery was identified for 307,385 (27.4%: CTR 289,455 [94.2%] and TFR 17,930 [5.8%]). Of the patients with a subsequent surgery, 257,027 (83.6%) returned to the same surgeon and 50,358 (16.4%) changed surgeons. Multivariable analysis found factors associated with changing surgeon (in order of decreasing odds ration [OR]) to be: TFR as the second procedure (OR 2.98), time between surgeries greater than 2-years (OR 2.30), Elixhauser-Comorbidity Index (OR 1.14 per 2-point increase), and male sex (OR 1.06), with less likely hood of changing for those with Medicare (OR 0.95 relative to commercial insurance) (p<0.001 for each). Pertinent negatives included: age, Medicaid, and having a 90-day adverse event after the index procedure. Conclusions: Over fifteen percent of patients who required a subsequent CTR or TFR following CTR did not return to the same surgeon. Understanding what factors lead to outmigration of patients form a practice may help direct efforts for patient retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal immunisation has the potential to substantially reduce morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases after birth. The success of tetanus, influenza, and pertussis immunisation during pregnancy has led to consideration of additional maternal immunisation strategies to prevent group B streptococcus and respiratory syncytial virus infections, among others. However, many gaps in knowledge regarding the immunobiology of maternal immunisation prevent the optimal design and application of this successful public health intervention. Therefore, we did an innovative landscape analysis to identify research priorities. Key topics were delineated through review of the published literature, consultation with vaccine developers and regulatory agencies, and a collaborative workshop that gathered experts across several maternal immunisation initiatives-group B streptococcus, respiratory syncytial virus, pertussis, and influenza. Finally, a global online survey prioritised the identified knowledge gaps on the basis of expert opinion about their importance and relevance. Here we present the results of this worldwide landscape analysis and discuss the identified research gaps.

Introduction: The incidence of varicella in Canada has decreased by almost 99% since vaccination was introduced. However, variation in the timing and eligibility of vaccination programs across the country has resulted in some cohorts being under-vaccinated and therefore potentially susceptible to infection. Methods: We used nationally representative specimens from the Biobank of Statistics Canada's Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) as well as residual specimens from Ontario collected between 2009–2014 to estimate population immunity across age-groups and geography, and identify any groups at increased risk of varicella infection. Results: The weighted proportion of specimens with antibody levels above the threshold of protection was 93.6% (95% CI: 92.4, 95.0). Protection was lowest among those aged 3–5 years (54.3%; 95% CI: 47.3, 61.4), but increased with age. Individuals born outside Canada had more than twice the odds of varicella susceptibility than those born in Canada (aOR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.4, 5.0; p = 0.004). There were no differences by sex or geography within Canada, and there were no statistically significant differences when Ontario CHMS sera were compared to Ontario residual sera, apart from in participants aged 12–19 year age-group, for whom the CHMS estimate (91.2%; 95% CI: 86.7, 95.7) was significantly higher (p = 0.03) than that from residual specimens (85.9%, 95% CI: 81.1, 90.8). Discussion: Varicella immunity in Canada is changing. Children appear to have low population immunity, placing them at greater risk of infection and at increased risk of severe disease as they age. Our results underscore the importance of performing periodic serosurveys to monitor further population immunity changes as the proportion of vaccine-eligible birth-cohorts increases, and to continually assess the risk of outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Campus outbreaks of meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (MenB) are rare, but case-fatality rates are 5.3%-10.0%, and 10%20% of survivors have long-term health effects (1). In addition, [...]

Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease in older adults is undercharacterized. To help inform future immunization policies, this study aimed to describe the disease burden in Canadian adults aged ≥50 years hospitalized with RSV. Methods Using administrative data and nasopharyngeal swabs collected from active surveillance among adults aged ≥50 years hospitalized with an acute respiratory illness (ARI) during the 2012–2013, 2013–2014, and 2014–2015 influenza seasons, RSV was identified using a respiratory virus multiplex polymerase chain reaction test to describe the associated disease burden, incidence, and healthcare costs. Results Of 7797 patients tested, 371 (4.8%) were RSV positive (2.2% RSV-A and 2.6% RSV-B). RSV prevalence varied by season from 4.2% to 6.2%. Respiratory virus coinfection was observed in 11.6% (43/371) of RSV cases, with influenza A being the most common. RSV hospitalization rates varied between seasons and increased with age, from 8–12 per 100 000 population in adults aged 50–59 years to 174–487 per 100 000 in adults aged ≥80 years. The median age of RSV cases was 74.9 years, 63.7% were female, and 98.1% of cases had ≥1 comorbidity. Among RSV cases, the mean length of hospital stay was 10.6 days, 13.7% were admitted to the intensive care unit, 6.4% required mechanical ventilation, and 6.1% died. The mean cost per RSV case was $13 602 (Canadian dollars) but varied by age and Canadian province. Conclusions This study adds to the growing literature on adult RSV burden by showing considerable morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs in hospitalized adults aged ≥50 years with ARIs such as influenza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]