Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33465012›Full record

ArticleThe journal of spinal cord medicine2022

COVID-19 in spinal cord injury patients at a veterans administration hospital: A case series.

Marinella D Galea, Michael A Gelman, Vincent P Galea, Krutika Parasar Raulkar, Stephen Kornfeld, Swapna Johnson-Kunjukutty, Gang Li, Norbert Bräu

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of spinal cord medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Outcomes in patients with and without disability admitted to hospital with COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Marinella D GaleaSpinal Cord Injury and Disorders Department, The James J Peters VAMC, Bronx, New York, USA.
Michael A GelmanInfectious Disease Department, The James J Peters VAMC, Bronx, New York, USA.
Vincent P GaleaSchool of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA.
Krutika Parasar RaulkarPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation, New York Presbyterian Hospital Columbia and Cornell, New York, New York, USA.
Stephen KornfeldSpinal Cord Injury and Disorders Department, The James J Peters VAMC, Bronx, New York, USA.
Swapna Johnson-KunjukuttySpinal Cord Injury and Disorders Department, The James J Peters VAMC, Bronx, New York, USA.
Gang LiSpinal Cord Injury and Disorders Department, The James J Peters VAMC, Bronx, New York, USA.
Norbert BräuSpinal Cord Injury and Disorders Department, The James J Peters VAMC, Bronx, New York, USA.
New York Medical College · USIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · USCornell University · USNewYork–Presbyterian Hospital · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo describe the clinical features and disease course of COVID-19 in veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI).

designCase series of consecutive veterans with SCI treated at a single center.

settingSCI Unit at an urban Veterans Administration hospital at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US.

participantsSeven SCI veterans with confirmed COVID-19 infection by PCR; all veterans were male, mean age was 60.6. Five had cervical level of injury, and five had complete injury (AIS A). Six veterans had a BMI > 22; three had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; three had chronic kidney disease.

interventionsNone. OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of co-morbidities, diagnostic values, and clinical findings.

resultsEach case presented differently; the most common presenting sign was fever. In the three individuals with critical and fatal infection, pre-existing comorbidities were more common and inflammatory markers were markedly elevated.

conclusionLevel and completeness of SCI did not appear to correlate with COVID-19 severity, as mild and asymptomatic illness was noted in persons with high grade SCI. As has been shown to be the case in the general population, pre-existing comorbidities are the most reliable predictors of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection currently available for persons with chronic SCI. Contrary to concerns that SCI may mask the cardinal signs of COVID-19, such as fever and cough, by way of compromised thermoregulation and thoracoabdominal musculature, such signs were common in our series. To facilitate early detection, prompt treatment, and minimized viral spread, the implementation of preventive strategies by SCI units is recommended.

Indexed as

COVID-19Spinal Cord InjuriesVeteransFemaleHospitals, VeteransHumansMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsSARS-CoV-2United StatesUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsCOVID-19Spinal cord injury

Identifiers

PMID33465012
PMCPMC9542337
OpenAlexW3124994418

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.