Long-term nutritive support and intestinal oxygenotherapy in a patient with COVID-19 associated respiratory failure and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only the so-called «trophic» enteral tube feeding was recommended in critically ill patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Since ECMO has been carried out for a short time in most cases, there are almost no clinical guidelines on nutritional support for patients eligible for long-term extracorporeal life support. In this report, we present a part of multidirectional intensive care in a patient with extremely severe COVID-19 associated respiratory failure. A particular attention is paid to metabolic status, nutritional support and enteral oxygen therapy during ECMO. The most principal provisions characterizing specifics of enteral nutritional support combined with intestinal oxygen therapy in a patient on veno-venous ECMO are highlighted. © 2022, Media Sphera Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

A case of the rapid course of the novel coronavirus infection (Covid-19) in a pregnant woman

The novel coronavirus infection is a global pandemic with a continuing upward trend for global cases. The virus can infect any person;however, pregnant women may be more susceptible due to physiological changes in the body. This paper describes a clinical case of the rapid course of COVID-19 pneumonia in a pregnant patient without substantial risk factors for a severe, complicated form of the disease. Patient Zh. was infected with COVID-19 at 37-38 weeks’ gestation. The first clinical manifestations of the disease were sore throat accompanied by a rise in temperature up to 38° C. Taking into consideration that the patient felt worse, cough and fever appeared, she was admitted to a specialized hospital on day 5 after the onset of the disease. On day 7 of hospitalization, worsening respiratory symptoms and intoxication syndrome led to the development of acute cardiopulmonary failure that was the cause of death in the pregnant woman and her fetus. Despite the relatively small number of maternal deaths due to COVID-19, obstetricians/gynecologists and other health care workers need additional data on the characteristics of the course of the disease and possible adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Conclusion. Physicians should be informed about mortality and its associated clinical characteristics in patients mainly because the median time from the onset of symptoms of the infectious process to the fatal outcome can be as little as two weeks. © A group of authors, 2021.