ABSTRACT
Pain is one of the most common causes of seeking medical care. In the day to day clinical practice, incidence of pain of some origin is next only to common cold. The average life span of an Indian has also increased and this population is vulnerable to chronic and cancer pain. Anaesthesiologists are well-versed with the art and science of treating pain and their role as pain physician is a natural extension of the professional work. 'Pain Medicine' is growing as a speciality. Last two decades have seen an explosive growth in the scientific study of pain and anaesthesiologists taking up pain medicine as a career. Postgraduate students can certainly adopt this super speciality. This article highlights the merits and depicts various aspects of 'pain medicine' as a career.
ABSTRACT
Treatment of chronic pain is an essential service. Due to lockdown, travel restrictions, social and physical distancing requirements or fear that health care facilities may be infected; patients may avoid visiting health care facilities in person. It is also imperative to decrease the risk of exposure of the health care workers (HCWs) to severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS CoV2) and to ease the overtly burdened health care system. But any disruption in pain practice will have alarming consequences for individuals, society, and whole of health care system and providers. In the current scenario of COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine is emerging as a key technology for efficient communication and sustainable solution to provide essential health care services and should be considered for chronic pain patients (CPPs). Recently, Board of Governors in supersession of Medical Council of India along with National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) released "Telemedicine Practice Guidelines" enabling registered medical practitioners to provide healthcare using telemedicine. This article describes the challenges in CPPs during COVID-19 pandemic and the use of telemedicine as the rescue management vehicle for CPPs in current scenario.
ABSTRACT
The world has changed due to COVID-19 pandemic. Global spread of COVID-19 has overwhelmed all health systems and has incurred widespread social and economic disruption. The authorities are struggling to ramp up the healthcare systems to overcome it. Anaesthesiologists are facing long duty hours, have fear of bringing disease home to their families, being companion to critically ill patients on long term life support, being on front line of this pandemic crisis, may take toll on all aspects of health of corona warriors- physical, mental, social as well as the emotional.At this juncture, we must pause and ask this question to ourselves, "Buried under stress, are we okay?"
ABSTRACT
Management of the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) remains challenging. The challenges are not only limited to its preventive strategies, but also extend to curative treatment, and are amplified during the management of critically ill patients with COVID-19. Older persons with comorbidities like diabetes mellitus, cardiac diseases, hepatic impairment, renal disorders and respiratory pathologies or immune impairing conditions are more vulnerable and have a higher mortality from COVID-19. Earlier, the Indian Resuscitation Council (IRC) had proposed the Comprehensive Cardiopulmonary Life Support (CCLS) for management of cardiac arrest victims in the hospital setting. However, in patients with COVID-19, the guidelines need to be modified,due to various concerns like differing etiology of cardiac arrest, virulence of the virus, risk of its transmission to rescuers, and the need to avoid or minimize aerosolization from the patient due to various interventions. There is limited evidence in these patients, as the SARS-CoV-2 is a novel infection and not much literature is available with high-level evidence related to CPR in patients of COVID-19. These suggested guidelines are a continuum of CCLS guidelines by IRC with an emphasis on the various challenges and concerns being faced during the resuscitative management of COVID-19 patients with cardiopulmonary arrest.