Articles: covid-19.
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Multicenter Study
Practical Guidance for Managing EMG Requests and Testing during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated cancelation of elective or nonurgent contact with the healthcare system, including nonurgent nerve conduction studies and electromyography (electrodiagnostic [EDX] studies). The definitions of elective and nonurgent are physician judgments, and often are not straightforward. Clinical care must be provided to help our patients in a timely manner, while keeping them, healthcare personnel, and the community safe. ⋯ For each category, we provide a rationale and some examples. However, each referral must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and the clinical situation will evolve over time, necessitating flexibility in managing EDX triaging. Engaging the referring clinician and, at times, the patient, may be useful in the triage process.
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Jul 2020
Multicenter Study Observational StudyFactors Associated With Intubation and Prolonged Intubation in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19.
To identify risk factors associated with intubation and time to extubation in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ⋯ In addition to clinical signs of respiratory distress, patients with COVID-19 who are older, male, or diabetic are at higher risk of requiring intubation. Among intubated patients, older and more obese patients are at higher risk for prolonged intubation. Otolaryngologists consulted for airway management should consider these factors in their decision making.
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Multicenter Study
Thousands Of Lives Could Be Saved In The US During The COVID-19 Pandemic If States Exchanged Ventilators.
It is thought that there are not enough mechanical ventilators in the United States for every patient who may need one during the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, there has been no analysis that measures the potential magnitude of the problem or proposes a solution. ⋯ I evaluate versions of this proposal, including use of the national stockpile, to estimate the potentially substantial number of lives that could be saved. In the absence of other viable solutions, the government should begin this effort in earnest, or else make preparations for such coordination should the country face another pandemic in the future.
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J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. · Jul 2020
Multicenter StudyHemodialysis with Cohort Isolation to Prevent Secondary Transmission during a COVID-19 Outbreak in Korea.
Health care-associated infections during previous coronavirus epidemics involving severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome resulted from human-to-human transmission in hemodialysis (HD) facilities. The effect of a strategy of HD with cohort isolation-separate dialysis sessions for close contacts of patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-on the prevention of secondary transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in HD units is unknown. ⋯ The transmission of COVID-19 can be controlled without closure of HD centers by implementing preemptive activities, including early detection with rapid testing, cohort isolation, collaboration between institutions, and continuous monitoring of infection. Our strategy and experience may provide helpful guidance for circumstances involving the rapid spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
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Multicenter Study
Status and strategies for the management of head and neck cancer during COVID-19 pandemic: Indian scenario.
In India, oral cancer is the most common head and neck cancer (HNC) in men, mainly caused by the consumption of smoked and smokeless tobacco. During the current pandemic, delaying surgery for even 1 or 2 months may lead to more extensive surgery or inoperability, where only supportive care can be provided. ⋯ This study was conducted to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and inability of the health system to treat HNC in a timely fashion and how surgeons are coping to this emergent situation. This article highlights the situation in India, a country burdened with one of the highest incidence rates of HNC.