Background The viral illness severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), more commonly known as coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), has become a global pandemic, infecting over 100 million individuals worldwide. Objectives The objective of this study was to compare the test characteristics of point-of-care lung ultrasound (LUS) with chest x-ray (CXR) at radiographically detecting COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods This was a single-center, prospective, observational study at an urban university hospital with >105,000 patient visits annually. Patients > 18 years old, who presented to the emergency department with predefined signs and symptoms of COVID-19, were eligible for enrollment. Each patient received a LUS using a portable, handheld ultrasound followed by a single view, portable anteroposterior CXR. Patients with an abnormal LUS or CXR underwent a non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (NCCT). The primary outcome was the radiographic diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia on NCCT. Results 110 patients underwent LUS, CXR, and NCCT. 99 LUS and 73 CXRs were interpreted as positive. 81 NCCT were interpreted as positive providing a prevalence of COVID-19 pneumonia of 75% (95% CI 66-83.2) in our study population. LUS sensitivity was 97.6% (95% CI 91.6-99.7) vs 69.9% (95% CI 58.8-79.5) for CXR. LUS specificity was 33.3% (95% CI 16.5-54) vs 44.4% (95% CI 25.5-64.7) for CXR. LUS positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 81.8% (95% CI 72.8-88.9) and 81.8% (95% CI 48.2-97.7) vs. 79.5% (95% CI 68.4-88) and 32.4% (95% CI 18-49.8) for CXR. Conclusion LUS was more sensitive than CXR at radiographically identifying COVID-19 pneumonia.

Introduction: Very little is known about the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated social distancing practices on trauma presentations to the emergency department (ED). This study aims to assess the impact of a city-wide stay at home order on the volume, type, and outcomes of traumatic injuries at urban EDs. Methods: The study was a retrospective chart review of all patients who presented to the ED of an urban Level I Trauma Center and its urban community affiliate in the time period during the 30 days before the institution of city-wide shelter-in-place (preSIP) order and 60 days after the shelter-in-place (SIP) order and the date-matched time periods in the preceding year. Volume and mechanism of traumatic injuries were compared using paired T-tests. Results: There was a significant decrease in overall ED volume. The volume of certain blunt trauma presentations (motor vehicle collisions) during the first 60 days of SIP compared to the same period from the year prior also significantly decreased. Importantly, the volume of penetrating injuries, including gunshot wounds and stab wounds, did not differ for the preSIP and SIP periods when compared to the prior year. The mortality of traumatic injuries was also unchanged during the SIP comparison period. Conclusion: While there were significant decreases in visits to the ED and overall trauma volume, penetrating trauma, including gun violence, and other severe traumatic injuries remain a public health crisis that affects urban communities despite social distancing recommendations enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We report spectroscopic observations of the red giant star HR 5692, previously known to be a binary system both from other spectroscopic work and from deviations in the astrometric motion detected by the Hipparcos satellite. Earlier International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) observations had shown the presence of a hot white dwarf companion to the giant primary. We have combined our radial velocity observations with other existing measurements and with the Hipparcos intermediate astrometric data to determine a complete astrometric-spectroscopic orbital solution, providing the inclination angle for the first time. We also determine an improved parallax for the system of 10.12 ± 0.67 mas. We derive the physical properties of the primary, and with an estimate of its mass from stellar evolution models (1.84±0.40 M), we infer the mass of the white dwarf companion to be M WD = 0.59 ± 0.12 M. An analysis of an IUE white dwarf spectrum, using our parallax, yields T eff = 30,400 ± 780 K, log g = 8.25 ± 0.15, and a mass M WD = 0.79 ± 0.09 M , in marginal agreement with the dynamical mass.

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