ABSTRACT
The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a global pandemic of unprecedented proportions. Management of patients infected with COVID-19 has led to a great risk of hospital-based transmission of infection to health-care professionals (HCPs). The HCPs at various levels in a multispecialty health-care setup are at risk of contracting the virus. Those who are involved with performing or assisting in aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) have a potentially higher risk of developing the infection. The AGPs involve a wide range of procedures such as pulmonary function testing, high-flow oxygen administration, endotracheal intubation, nebulization, application of ventilators, weaning and extubation, bronchoscopy, tracheostomy, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Hence, understanding the overall nature of the disease is of vital importance to develop preventive strategies to reduce transmission of the virus through aerosols. This review article intends to elucidate the port of entry associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and its spread through the AGPs. We also intend to focus on methods to prevent aerosol-related transmission of infection to HCPs by illustrating clinically practiced evidence-based protocol followed in our multispecialty health-care setup.
ABSTRACT
A recent global pandemic has resulted from the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection. One of the key clinical features of this infection is the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus. The port of entry for COVID-19 is the lung and if the infection worsens, it progresses to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). As the pandemic continue to surge, findings from studies and case reports suggest that the ARDS caused by COVID-19 might have different characteristics than what we refer to as non-COVID-19 (Typical) ARDS. By applying the differences in clinical features between COVID-19-related ARDS and typical ARDS, clinicians may develop appropriate therapeutic protocols to treat these patients effectively. Our review article intends to elucidate these differences in clinical features based on time of onset, radiological specifications, lung mechanics, phenotypical characters, inflammatory mediator response, and nature of coagulation abnormality.