Articles: coronavirus.
-
Extubation of patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a high risk procedure for both patients and staff. Shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE) and the high volume of contact staff have with COVID-19 patients has generated an interest in ways to reduce exposure that might be feasible especially during pandemic times and in resource limited healthcare settings. ⋯ We present a review of the current literature along with recommendations concerning safe extubation during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, a focused summary on the use of portable barrier hood devices, during the recent surge of COVID-19 is highlighted.
-
Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med · Aug 2020
ReviewTriaging Total Hip Arthroplasty During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The purpose of this review was to evaluate the available literature to determine what may be considered urgent indications for total hip arthroplasty, in the unprecedented setting of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus currently presenting in the form of a global pandemic, referred to as COVID-19. In this setting, multiple states have issued executive orders prohibiting "elective" surgery, including arthroplasty, in order to preserve healthcare resources. However, during this unprecedented reduction in elective surgery, there is likely to be some controversy as to what constitutes a purely "elective" procedure, versus an "urgent" procedure, particularly regarding hip arthroplasty. We reviewed the available literature for articles discussing the most commonly encountered indications for primary, conversion, and revision hip arthroplasty. Based upon the indications discussed in these articles, we further stratified these indications into "elective" versus "urgent" categories. In patients presenting with hip arthroplasty indications, the decision to proceed urgently with surgery should be based upon (a) the potential harm incurred by the patient if the surgery was delayed and (b) the potential risk incurred by the patient in the context of COVID-19 if surgery was performed. The authors present a decision-making algorithm for determining surgical urgency in three patients who underwent surgery in this context. Urgent total hip arthroplasty in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic is a complex decision-making process, involving clinical and epidemiological factors. These decisions are best made in coordination with a multidisciplinary committee of one's peers. Region-specific issues such as hospital resources and availability of PPE may also inform the decision-making process.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2020
CommentPalliative Care Utilization among Patients with COVID-19 in an Underserved Population: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.
As health-care institutions mobilize resources to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, palliative care may potentially be underutilized. It is important to assess the use of palliative care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ There was a low utilization rate of palliative care in patients with COVID-19. Conscious utilization of palliative care is needed at the time of COVID-19.
-
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by novel enveloped single stranded RNA coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), is responsible for an ongoing global pandemic. While other countries deployed widespread testing as an early mitigation strategy, the U. S. experienced delays in development and deployment of organism identification assays. ⋯ Key messagesDelayed testing deployment has led to uncertainty surrounding overall disease burden and community spread, severely hampering public health containment and healthcare system preparation efforts. A multi-tiered testing strategy incorporating rapid, host immune point-of-care tests can be used now and for future pandemic planning by effectively identifying patients at risk of disease thereby facilitating quarantine earlier in the progression of the outbreak during the weeks and months it can take for pathogen specific confirmatory tests to be developed, validated and manufactured in sufficient quantities. The ability to triage patients at the point of care and support the guidance of medical and therapeutic decisions, for viral isolation or confirmatory testing or for appropriate treatment of COVID-19 and/or bacterial infections, is a critical component to our national pandemic response and there is an urgent need to implement the proposed strategy to combat the current outbreak.