Swiss Medical Weekly

Sickle cell disease today: a 75-year journey from “first molecular disease” to “first gene-editing therapy” Knowledge of sickle cell disease is essential for fully understanding the rationale behind the development of exa-cel, a novel one-time gene-editing therapy that promises to dramatically change the lives of patients with this disease. https://lnkd.in/e2n-reEg

Exploring viral aetiology in upper respiratory tract infections: insights from metagenomic next-generation sequencing in Swiss outpatients before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic https://lnkd.in/e9-WA7ca Assuming reduced turnaround times, mNGS has the potential to directly guide the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. On an epidemiological level, this study highlights the utility of mNGS in respiratory infection surveillance, allowing early detection of epidemics and providing information crucial for prevention.

Unlicensed drugs are frequently prescribed in this paediatric hospital setting in Switzerland. Around every tenth prescription is an unlicensed drug. To increase medication safety in paediatrics in Switzerland, efforts are necessary to increase the number of suitable licensed drug formulations for paediatric patients, including developing new innovative drug formulations for children. https://lnkd.in/gDHqMtiD

Evaluation of a surveillance system for Clostridioides difficile infections for Swiss hospitals: This study underscores the importance of a joint effort towards standardized surveillance practices in providing comprehensive insights into C. difficile infection epidemiology and effective prevention strategies in Swiss healthcare settings. The patient-related approach remains the gold standard for C. difficile infection surveillance, although it demands substantial resources and provides results only annually. The proposed implementation of nationwide automated laboratory-based surveillance would be pragmatic and efficient, empowering authorities and hospitals to detect outbreaks promptly and to correlate infection rates with antibiotic consumption. https://lnkd.in/gRDwJAPz

Who was at risk of trauma-related injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic? This Swiss study showed a significant drop in trauma-related presentations of more than one third during the most rigorous stay-at-home order of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors found a marked reduction in snow sports-related accidents. No change was observed in epidemiology of trauma in the elderly.  https://lnkd.in/gEUU4Ax9

Growing evidence raises doubts about the need for routine hip precautions after primary total hip replacements to reduce the risk of postoperative dislocation. However, hip precautions are still routinely and widely prescribed in postoperative care in Switzerland. The authors of this article aimed to investigate experts’ clinical reasoning for hip precaution recommendations after total hip arthroplasty. https://lnkd.in/dxZ3fkcY

Digital care conferences are perceived as a feasible and useful tool by healthcare professionals in a local palliative care network in Switzerland. A pilot phase will be the next step towards systematic integration of this telemedicine modality into outpatient palliative care. https://lnkd.in/dKdBm3tS

Associations of chocolate consumption with neurocognitive function, brain lesions on MRI and cardiovascular outcome in patients with atrial fibrillation: data from two prospective multicentre atrial fibrillation cohort studies. - https://lnkd.in/e-iA7f8X

Management of abdominal pseudotumours in haemophilia: a systematic review Haemophilic pseudotumours are complications in patients with haemophilia A or B and result from locally repetitive bleeding, mainly in the musculoskeletal system. Abdominal haemophilic pseudotumours are exceptionally rare but may cause severe complications. This systematic review aimed to evaluate therapy strategies for symptomatic abdominal haemophilic pseudotumours. https://lnkd.in/ekfa9-Bv

Interdisciplinary Swiss consensus recommendations on staging and treatment of advanced prostate cancer The management of prostate cancer is undergoing rapid changes in all disease settings. Novel imaging tools for diagnosis have been introduced, and the treatment of high-risk localized, locally advanced and metastatic disease has changed considerably in recent years. From clinical and health-economic perspectives, a rational and optimal use of the available options is of the utmost importance. While international guidelines list relevant pivotal trials and give recommendations for a variety of clinical scenarios, there is much room for interpretation, and several important questions remain highly debated. The goal of developing a national consensus on the use of these novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in order to improve disease management and eventually patient outcomes has prompted a Swiss consensus meeting. Experts from several specialties, including urology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology and nuclear medicine, discussed and voted on questions of the current most important areas of uncertainty, including the staging and treatment of high-risk localized disease, treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) and use of new options to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). https://lnkd.in/eMRYS9r9