Introduction Although patients’ clinical conditions have been shown to be associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) severity and outcome, their impact on hospital costs are not known. This economic evaluation of COVID-19 admissions aimed to assess direct and fixed hospital costs and describe their particularities in different clinical and demographic conditions and outcomes in the largest public hospital in Latin America, located in São Paulo, Brazil, where a whole institute was exclusively dedicated to COVID-19 patients in response to the pandemic. Methods This is a partial economic evaluation performed from the hospital´s perspective and is a prospective, observational cohort study to assess hospitalization costs of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted between March 30 and June 30, 2020, to Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo Medical School (HCFMUSP) and followed until discharge, death, or external transfer. Micro- and macro-costing methodologies were used to describe and analyze the total cost associated with each patient's underlying medical conditions, itinerary and outcomes as well as the cost components of different hospital sectors. Results The average cost of the 3,254 admissions (51.7% of which involved intensive care unit stays) was US$12,637.42. The overhead cost was its main component. Sex, age and underlying hypertension (US$14,746.77), diabetes (US$15,002.12), obesity (US$18,941.55), chronic renal failure (US$15,377.84), and rheumatic (US$17,764.61), hematologic (US$15,908.25) and neurologic (US$15,257.95) diseases were associated with higher costs. Age strata >69 years, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed COVID-19, comorbidities, use of mechanical ventilation or dialysis, surgery and outcomes remained associated with higher costs. Conclusion Knowledge of COVID-19 hospital costs can aid in the development of a comprehensive approach for decision-making and planning for future risk management.

BackgroundHepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a severe and progressive functional renal failure occurring in patients with cirrhosis and ascites. Terlipressin is recognized as an effective treatment of HRS, but it is expensive and not widely available. Norepinephrine could be an effective alternative. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of norepinephrine compared to terlipressin in the management of HRS.MethodsWe searched the Medline, Embase, Scopus, CENTRAL, Lilacs and Scielo databases for randomized trials of norepinephrine and terlipressin in the treatment of HRS up to January 2014. Two reviewers collected data and assessed the outcomes and risk of bias. The primary outcome was the reversal of HRS. Secondary outcomes were mortality, recurrence of HRS and adverse events.ResultsFour studies comprising 154 patients were included. All trials were considered to be at overall high risk of bias. There was no difference in the reversal of HRS (RR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.76 to 1.23), mortality at 30 days (RR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.68 to 1.17) and recurrence of HRS (RR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.36 to 1.45) between norepinephrine and terlipressin. Adverse events were less common with norepinephrine (RR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.15 to 0.83).ConclusionsNorepinephrine seems to be an attractive alternative to terlipressin in the treatment of HRS and is associated with less adverse events. However, these findings are based on data extracted from only four small studies.

No predictor of NASH was found. Surgeons' evaluation could not identify NASH individuals. Routine liver biopsy during bariatric operations is mandatory to differentiate NASH and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background:Computed tomography volumetry (CTV) is a useful tool for predicting graft weights (GW) for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Few studies have examined the correlation between CTV and GW in normal liver parenchyma. Aim:To analyze the correlation between CTV and GW in an adult LDLT population and provide a systematic review of the existing mathematical models to calculate partial liver graft weight. Methods:Between January 2009 and January 2013, 28 consecutive donors undergoing right hepatectomy for LDLT were retrospectively reviewed. All grafts were perfused with HTK solution. Estimated graft volume was estimated by CTV and these values were compared to the actual graft weight, which was measured after liver harvesting and perfusion. Results:Median actual GW was 782.5 g, averaged 791.43±136 g and ranged from 520-1185 g. Median estimated graft volume was 927.5 ml, averaged 944.86±200.74 ml and ranged from 600-1477 ml. Linear regression of estimated graft volume and actual GW was significantly linear (GW=0.82 estimated graft volume, r2=0.98, slope=0.47, standard deviation of 0.024 and p<0.0001). Spearman Linear correlation was 0.65 with 95% CI of 0.45 - 0.99 (p<0.0001). Conclusion:The one-to-one rule did not applied in patients with normal liver parenchyma. A better estimation of graft weight could be reached by multiplying estimated graft volume by 0.82.