Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1414493
16 PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES CDC examines adverse reactions to J&J shot: 7 things to know By Gabrielle Masson T he CDC on Aug. 13 published findings about individuals who reported adverse reactions aer receiving Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine. Using data reported to the CDC's vaccine adverse events reporting system, researchers assessed the number of Guillain-Barré syndrome patients within 42 days of vaccination per million doses admin- istered through June 30, as well as the number of patients with thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome aer vaccination through July 8. Seven report findings: 1. About 12.6 million doses of J&J's COVID-19 vac- cine had been administered in the U.S as of June 30. 2. From Feb. 27 to June 30, 100 cases of GBS — a rare autoimmune neurologic disorder characterized by increasing weakness and paralysis — were re- ported aer J&J vaccination. e GBS reporting rate was 7.8 cases per million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered. e reporting rate was highest among men 50-64 years, with 15.6 cases per million doses administered. 3. e median GBS patient age was 57, and 61 percent of patients were men. e median interval from vaccination to symptom onset was 13 days. Ninety-five percent of GBS patients were hospital- ized, and 10 percent required intensive care. 4. One GBS patient death was recorded. 5. rough July 8, 38 cases of TTS within 15 days of J&J vaccination were reported. e overall reporting rate was 3 cases per million doses administered. e reporting rate was highest among women 30-49 years, with 8.8 TTS cases per million doses admin- istered. 6. Four TTS patients died. 7. e estimated benefits (prevention of COVID-19 disease and associated hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths) of J&J vaccination still outweigh the risks in all persons older than 18, the CDC reported. n Don't let the term 'elective' fool you, physicians urge the public By Molly Gamble A s a growing number of hospitals pressed for resources due to the COVID-19 surge suspend elective surgeries, some healthcare professionals want the public to know exactly how important an "elective" procedure can be. The term "elective surgery" does not describe the acuity of the medical condition or necessity of the procedure. Rather, the use of "elective" distinguishes surgeries that are scheduled in advance from emergency surgeries, such as trauma cases. As Americans learn of elective surgeries once again being postponed, physicians are taking to the web to debunk what can be a misnomer. "The term 'elective' can sometimes be deceiving," Joseph Sakran, MD, a trauma surgeon with Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine, tweeted Aug. 10. "In general, we are NOT talking about people who are having to delay cosmetic surgery (as someone jokingly mentioned to me). Whether it's pain from a chronic her- nia or the inability to adequately eat because of biliary disease, these issues can be debilitating." "Saying 'oh, it's only elective surgeries being cancelled' undermines so much of how healthcare is in crisis mode with this prolonged pan- demic that we are back at this point," Avital O'Glasser, MD, associate professor of medicine with Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, tweeted Aug. 10. "Friendly reminder that 'elective' surgery doesn't mean optional, it just means it doesn't have to happen right now at 3 a.m.," N. Seth Trueger, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine with Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine, tweeted. "Most cancer and heart surgery, for example, are 'elective' in that we can schedule them for Tuesday." Dr. Sakran said postponing surgeries now is even more demoral- izing for patients whose suffering is prolonged and for healthcare professionals given the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. "Well it's one thing to cancel surgery when we had no choice and no vaccine was available," he tweeted. "We did the best we could with what we had. However, we are moving backwards. With a safe and effective vaccine available, this is frankly unacceptable." Across the U.S., a growing number of hospitals and health systems are pushing back surgeries. On Aug. 9, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asked hospitals in the state to voluntarily postpone some elective procedures to preserve resources for COVID-19 patients. Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the top hospital in the state, is rescheduling surgeries for the same reason. Several hospitals in Florida are suspending surgeries as COVID-19-related hospitalizations surge. n