علیرضا داوودی بدابی

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory disease that results in high mortality. Evidence suggests that micronutrients affect viral and bacterial infections. This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of micronutrients (vitamin D, vitamin C, and selenium) on the disease severity in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

This retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out in patients with diagnosis of COVID-19 in Qaemshahr Razi Hospital, 2020. Medical records were reviewed and 42 were selected. Data of patients that received micronutrients including vitamin D, vitamin C, and selenium and those that did not receive these supplements were compared. Duration of hospitalization, respiratory support, oxygen therapy, requiring invasive/non-invasive mechanical ventilation, and incident of death were investigated. Statistical analysis was done in SPSS V25.

Survival rates in the groups receiving vitamin C, D, and selenium were not significantly different from the groups that did not receive these supplements (P= 0.42, 0.63, 0.084, respectively). The study showed no significant relationship between vitamin D, C, and selenium intake and the need for ventilation due to respiratory distress (P= 0.139, 0.2, and 0.8, respectively).

No remarkable difference was seen between the recipients of vitamin C, D, and selenium and those who did not receive supplements in terms of survival and the need for mechanical ventilation. So, these supplements did not affect the clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19.

Background and Infection is one of the most important complications after coronary artery bypass surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for infection in these patients. A descriptive prospective study was performed in 986 patients hospitalized in Sari Fatemeh Zahra hospital, Iran 2014-2015. Possible risk factors for infection (before, during and after the surgery) were recorded. Patients were followed up for possible infection until 30 days after surgery. Data was analyzed in SPSS applying t-test and Chi-Square. The p value less than. 05 was considered significant. Totally, 52 patients (5.3%) developed infection including sepsis (28.8%), pneumonia (17.7%), mediastinitis (15.3%) and deep incisional surgical site infection (11.5%). Significant associations were found between developing infection following coronary artery bypass and prolonged use of Foley catheter, the balloon inside the artery during surgery, using internal mammary artery as a graft, left ventricular outputs, high blood pressure in the morning of surgery, days of hospitalization before and after the surgery, duration of intubation after surgery, duration of ICU stay, duration of bypass surgery, high BMI, and reoperation following complications (P> 0.05). In this study, the risk factors during and after the surgery were more responsible for infection after coronary artery bypass surgery compared to preoperative conditions.