HJNO Jan/Feb 2021

62 JAN / FEB 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS Hospital Rounds key findings from a retrospective study comparing COVID-19 mortality rates in positive patients with and without cancer in Louisiana. It was published last week in Cancer . The study evaluated 312 Och- sner Health cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 1 and April 30, 2020 and compared that group’s mortality rates with 4,833 Ochsner Health COVID-19-positive patients without cancer during that same time period. Multivariate Mortality Analyses in COVID-19: Comparing Patients With Cancer and Patients Without Cancer in Louisiana is the largest study of COVID-19-positive patients with cancer versus patients without cancer to date and is the first multivariate analysis study comparing these two patient populations. It was an observational analy- sis that included 36 different Ochsner Health hos- pitals and clinics across Louisiana. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes were used to identify adult patients with active cancer or a history of cancer within the Och- sner Health system. To meet the criteria to be included in the non-cancer population studied, adult patients had to have at least one encoun- ter in the Ochsner Health system between Jan. 1, 2019 and the date of their COVID-19 test and no cancer diagnosis recorded between Jan. 1, 2019 and the date of their COVID-19 test. Key Findings: • In the study’s cohort of patients with can- cer who were also infected with COVID-19, the mortality rate was 21.2%. In the non-can- cer group, the COVID-19 mortality rate was 8.7%. • Patients with cancer who are 65 years of age or older and those with certain comorbidi- ties have the greatest risk of death. • Patients with cancer and a history of smok- ing are four times more likely to die from COVID-19. • Recent cancer-directed therapy, type of can- cer and disease progression also played roles in mortality. This is the first study that suggests cancer patients receiving recent cancer-directed therapy are at increased risk of death. - Patients with a hematologic cancer (leu- kemia, lymphoma and other blood- related cancers) had a 31.1% increased mortality versus patients with an oncologic malignancy (breast, prostate and other cancerous masses) who had a 18.7% increase in mortality. - 36.4% of patients who died had active or progressive cancer at the time of infec- tion and 17.7% died during post-treat- ment follow-up or maintenance therapy. - Those with a recent diagnosis were more likely to die than those with a distant his- tory of cancer (32.8% vs. 12%). - Although the majority of patients stud- ied in the cancer population were non- Hispanic Black (63.1%), mortality was not statistically affected by race. What the Study Tells Us: • Confirms that patients with cancer are at increased risk of death from COVID-19 and there is great potential and necessity to cre- ate and adopt strategies to protect this pop- ulation in future outbreaks. Both the study and the published article were written by Principal Investigator Michael Lunski, MD, hematology/medical oncology fellow at The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. LakeviewRegional Physician Group Appoints NewDirector of Physician Services Lakeview Regional Medical Center, a campus of Tulane Medical Center, announced the appoint- ment of Charles Givens as the new director of physician services at Lakeview Regional Physician Group. Givens has served as the interim market manager for Lakeview Regional since January of 2020. He earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Saint Leo University in 2009 and is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Thibodaux Regional Health SystemWelcomes EbonyMcKinnies, MD, to theMedical Staff Thibodaux Regional Health System announced the addition of Ebony McKinnies, MD, to the active medical staff. McKinnies is available to care for patients at Thibodaux Regional Neurol- ogy Clinic, 726 North Acadia Road, Suite 2300 in Thibodaux. McKinnies received an undergraduate degree from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. She earned a medical degree from Lou- isiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans where she also performed a neurol- ogy residency and internal medicine internship. Additionally, McKinnies completed a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at Louisiana State Uni- versity Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Clinical Neurophysiol- ogy Society, and the National Medical Association. McKinnies specializes in the diagnosis and treat- ment of a variety of neurological conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, migraine, other headache dis- orders, neuropathy, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease. Ochsner, State Leaders Announce 10-Year Vision for a Health State Ochsner Health, Governor John Bel Edwards, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng, Xavier Uni- versity of Louisiana President Reynold Verret, and other state and local leaders announced a long- term vision to improve the overall health of the state with a comprehensive strategy to enhance healthcare access, improve health equity, and health outcomes. This 10-year commitment includes an initial investment of $100 million dur- ing the next five years. Investments will support projects that eliminate barriers to healthcare; bring resources into underserved, urban, and rural communities; collaborate with partners to research and better understand health disparities; utilize technology and innovation to improve out- comes; and invest in Louisiana’s next generation of healthcare providers and frontline staff. Louisiana’s First Prosthetic Iris Implant Performed at AVALA Louisiana’s first prosthetic iris implant was per- formed at AVALA by Satya Reddy, MD, with Louisi- ana Cornea Specialists. The CUSTOMFLEX ARTI- FICIALIRIS Veo Ophthalmics implant was used to treat disabling glare as a result of infection over 15 years ago. “This surgery has never been performed in Lou- isiana, and AVALA is one of only two hospitals