Becker's Hospital Review

97 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY Potential COVID-19 treatment could increase cardiac event risk if taken with certain drugs By Katie Adams A zithromycin, an antibiotic being studied as a potential COVID-19 treatment, could cause cardi- ac events if taken in combination with drugs that affect the heart's electrical rhythm, according to research pub- lished Sept. 16 in JAMA Network Open. The FDA issued a warning for azithro- mycin in 2012 saying it may be linked to cardiac events, but subsequent studies have not produced conclusive results. The study conducted by re- searchers from the University of Illinois Chicago found that the drug itself does not increase the risk of cardiac events, but it could if taken in combination with a QT-prolonging drug, which refers to a drug that affects the interval in the heart's electrical rhythm called the QT interval. Common QT-prolonging medications include blood pressure drugs, opioids, certain antidepressants, antimalarial drugs and some muscle relaxers. "Our findings should give researchers and clinicians looking at azithromycin as a potential treatment for COVID-19 pause," Haridarshan Patel, PharmD, one of the study's authors, said in a news re- lease. "We found that if taken togeth- er with drugs that affect the electrical impulses of the heart, the combination is linked with a 40 percent increase in cardiac events, including fainting, heart palpitations and even cardiac arrest." The study comes about three months after the FDA rescinded its emergency use authorization for hydroxychloro- quine, the antimalarial treatment used by some physicians as a COVID-19 treatment. The FDA's June 15 decision came after an impassioned debate in the medical community over hydroxy- chloroquine's reputation for increasing the risk of cardiac events. n COVID-19 patients twice as likely to report dining in restaurant, CDC study finds By Mackenzie Bean U .S. adults who test positive for COVID-19 are more likely to have dined at a restaurant in the previous two weeks, a September CDC study suggested. Researchers analyzed data on 314 U.S. adults who received a COVID-19 test at an outpatient testing site or healthcare center in 10 states from July 1-29. They also polled study participants on what community-based activities they participated in two weeks prior to the test. Of the 154 who tested positive, 42 percent reported having close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past two weeks. Only 14 per- cent of respondents who tested negative reported the same. Researchers found no significant differences in reported participation in the following activities among patients who tested positive for COVID-19: • Shopping • Going to an office, gym or hair salon • Gathering with fewer than 10 people in a home • Using public transportation • Attending a religious gathering However, people who tested positive were about two times more likely to have dined at a restaurant in the past 14 days compared to people who test- ed negative. The research does not differentiate between indoor and outdoor dining, which is one limitation of the study, researchers said. n 41% of US adults avoided care amid pandemic, CDC says By Anuja Vaidya A round 41 percent of Americans have delayed or avoided medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Sept. 11 CDC survey revealed. e survey polled 5,412 U.S. adults between June 24-30. Of the 5,412 participants, 4,975 provided complete data for the analysis. Five survey findings: 1. As of June 30, 40.9 percent of the 4,975 respondents reported having delayed or avoided any medical care. 2. About 12 percent reported avoiding urgent or emergency care, and 31.5 percent reported avoiding routine care because of concerns about COVID-19. 3. More than half of adults aged 18 to 24 (57.2 percent) and unpaid caregivers for adults (64.3 percent) said they avoided care. 4. About 55 percent of Hispanic adults and 50 percent of students also reported avoiding care. 5. Close to 55 percent of people with two or more underlying medical conditions said they avoided care. n

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