Impact of Early Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Postacute COVID Disease: A Single-Center Experience From India – A Quasi-Experimental Study

Background: It was observed that post?COVID patients reported persistent exertional dyspnea, cough, fatigue, or chest pain. About 10%–20% of patients may progress to pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary rehabilitation has been proven to be useful in improving effort tolerance and quality of life in chronic respiratory diseases. Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation in improving 6?min walk distance (6 MWD), peak flow, fatigue, anxiety, and depression in early postacute COVID disease. Materials and Methods: This quasi?experimental study was conducted during January 2021 to March 2021. The patients who recovered from COVID?19 and having persistent exertional dyspnea and fatigue after 3 weeks of recovery were included in the study. Baseline and postintervention assessment of 6 MWD, Visual Analog Scale for Fatigue (VAS?F), peak flow, and Hamilton rating scales (HAM) scales after 4 weeks were done. Compliance was ensured with weakly telemonitoring. Results: Significant improvement in peak flow, 6 MWD, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), and VAS-F (P < 0.01) after 4 weeks of pulmonary rehabilitation. Conclusion: Early pulmonary rehabilitation in post?COVID syndrome can contribute to statistically significant improvement in functional and psychological parameters as well as post-COVID fatigue.

Audiovisual aids: guidelines for the use of overhead projector.

The overhead projector is a versatile audio-visual (AV) aid. When used effectively, it can render a presentation very impressive. It is easy to maintain and operate, and offers considerable flexibility of text and image projection. It is the most commonly used AV aid in teaching institutions and an appreciation of its strengths and weaknesses can be useful to teachers and students alike.

Nd-YAG laser therapy for palliation of obstructed colorectal carcinomas.

Twenty three cases of colorectal carcinoma with partial or complete obstruction were managed by laser ablation of tumour tissue. There were 14 males and 9 females with a mean age of 63 years (30-87). Nineteen cases (82.6%) were in the rectosigmoid while two cases each were in the anal canal and descending colon. Fifteen (65.2%) were proliferative growths and the remaining (8, 34.7%) were circumferential growths. Prior dilatation under fluoroscopic control was done where required. Lumen was achieved in a single sitting in 14 (60.8%) cases, while in the others two to five sittings were required. None of the patients required colostomy. Thirteen (56.5%) of these patients have died during the follow up period, lasting from 4 to 27 months (mean 10.4 months). There were no major complications related to the procedure.