The timing of referral and the severity of condition in patients with lung damage and suspected novel coronavirus infection on admission to hospital during the beginning of the pandemic
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29296/25877305-2020-11-12
Issue:
11
Year:
2020
During the beginning of the pandemic, when a patient with lung damage was admitted to a hospital
unit of pulmonology, the algorithm of a physician’s actions included diagnosis of coronavirus infection
(COVID-19), determination of the severity of condition, and hospitalization decision. Objective: to study
the severity of condition in patients with lung damage and a high probability of the novel coronavirus
infection and the timing of referral to the general hospital’s unit of pulmonology during the beginning of
the pandemic. Subjects and methods. According to the hospital admission time after disease onset, the
investigators formed 2 groups: 1) less than 7 days after disease onset (n = 94); 2) more than 7 days (n =
49). Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and chest computed tomography (CT) were used
to diagnose lung damage with a high probability of COVID-19 infection. Results. The majority of patients
were admitted within the first week after the onset of symptoms (66%), while 55% of cases had moderate
disease. The swabs positive for SARS-CoV-2 were 32%. At the initial stage of the novel coronavirus
(COVID-19) infection pandemic, there were no significant differences in lung damage with negative and
positive PCR test results for SARS-CoV-2. By taking into account the commonness of manifestations in lung
damages, the patients with a negative PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus
COVID-19 infection that was highly probable by CT, which allowed a decision to transfer a healthcare
facility to the operating mode of a coronavirus hospital.
Keywords:
infectious diseases
pulmonology
COVID-19
timing of referral
severity of condition
community-acquired pneumonia
computed tomography
hospital
respiratory support
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