Tag: Disaster Planning

New algorithm for PPE use aims to protect OR teams from COVID-19 virus

Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Stanford University create an algorithm to protect OR teams who perform urgent and emergency surgical procedures from the coronavirus and rationally conserve the personal protective equipment (PPE) they wear. Incuded in the decision tree algorithm: Patients were triaged by severity of illness into…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 6, 2020
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CDC begins weekly COVID-19 surveillance report

Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) announced April 3 that it is modifying existing surveillance systems to track COVID-19 and will be posting weekly reports each Friday. The report, “COVIDView,” summarizes and interprets key indicators, including information related to COVID-19 outpatient visits, emergency department visits, hospitalizations,…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 6, 2020
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Early transmission dynamics in coronavirus-infected pneumonia patients

Editor's Note Human-to-human transmission of novel coronavirus (2019-nCOV)-infected pneumonia (NCIP) has been occurring among close contacts since the middle of December 2019, with the initial cases in Wuhan, China, and the epidemic has been gradually growing in recent weeks, this study finds. Researchers analyzed the first 425 patients with confirmed…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 2, 2020
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Case series of critically ill COVID-19 patients in Seattle

Editor's Note During the first 3 weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Seattle area, the most common reasons for ICU admission were hypoxemic respiratory failure leading to mechanical ventilation and/or hypotension requiring vasopressor treatment, and mortality was high in these critically ill patients, this study finds. In this analysis…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 2, 2020
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Joint Commission issues statement on face masks from home

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 31 issued a statement saying it supports letting healthcare staff bring their own standard face masks or respirators from home when their facilities cannot provide access to protective equipment that is equivalent to their exposure risk, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In taking this…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 2, 2020
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ACS issues statement on PPE shortages

Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on April 2 issued a statement on shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks, gowns, and respirators, during the COVID pandemic. ACS says it believes it is essential that surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other healthcare personnel speak freely, without fear…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 2, 2020
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Hospitals redeploy surgical specialists to front lines to fight COVID-19

Editor's Note Specialists like cardiac and orthopedic surgical teams as well as anesthesiologists and cardiologists are being redeployed in hospitals to help treat the rising number of COVID-19 patients, the March 30 Modern Healthcare reports. What used to be the heart team at Manhattan’s Mount Sinai Morningside is now a…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 1, 2020
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Sputum, feces remain SARS-CoV-2-positive in patients after conversion of pharyngeal samples to negative

Editor's Note In 22 patients in China with confirmed COVID-19 infection, sputum and feces remained positive for SARS-CoV-2 after pharyngeal samples were negative, this study finds. A total of 545 specimens were collected from the 22 COVID-19 patients, including 209 pharyngeal swabs, 262 sputum samples, and 74 feces samples. In…

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By: Judy Mathias
March 31, 2020
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Retired physicians, nurses, students being called back to work

Editor's Note California Gov Gavin Newsom is calling for retired physicians, nurses, and medical and nursing students to help staff emergency hospital sites, the March 30 Modern Healthcare reports. These sites could include the Los Angeles Coliseum and other sports arenas that will be converted to field hospitals to handle…

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By: Judy Mathias
March 31, 2020
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Treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma

Editor's Note In this preliminary uncontrolled case series of five critically ill COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients, administration of convalescent plasma containing neutralizing antibody was followed by improvement in their clinical status. All five patients (age 36-65 years, 2 women and 3 men) were on mechanical ventilation,…

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By: Judy Mathias
March 30, 2020
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