Comparison of two different lung ultrasound imaging protocols in COVID-19 pneumonia.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two different lung ultrasonography (LUS) methods that can be used in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to investigate their correlations with computed tomography (CT). METHODS: In this prospective, randomized, and single-blind study, 60 patients with COVID-19 were included. The patients were randomized to either the 12-zone LUS group (n=30) or the 14-zone LUS group (n=30). The correlation between LUS and thoracic CT scores was evaluated. As a secondary outcome measure, the characteristic features of the findings of thoracic CT and LUS were examined. RESULTS: The study was completed with a total of 59 patients. Moderate and high correlations were found between the total CT and LUS scores in the 12-zone and 14-zone study groups. There were no statistically significant differences in the lesion types detected in patients using LUS and CT (P>0.05). The left lung lower lobe CT scores were statistically significantly lower in the 14-zone study group than in the 12-zone group (P=0.019). The left lower lobe CT and LUS scores were highly correlated in the 14-zone group (P<0.001, r=0.902). CONCLUSION: The results of our study indicated that the two different LUS examination methods performed in different patients had similar findings in terms of the diagnosis and their correlations with CT results.

Knowledge Level of Intensive Care Unit and Operating Room Employees During the Early Days of Coronavirus Disease-2019: A Cross-sectional Survey from Turkey

Objective: Since the coronavirus is very infectious, preventive measures are at the forefront in the fight against coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). High disease prevalence, rapid increase in the number of patients and high additional workload increase the risk of transmission for health care workers (HCWs). This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge level of intensive care unit (ICUs) and operating room (ORs) employees about COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This study analysed questionnaires of 480 HCWs in the ICU and/or OR. The participants completed a survey consisting of 29 questions that measured the level of knowledge of HCW on COVID-19 through manual methods or online. Results: Our survey involved a total of 480 HCWs who comprised nurses (38.2%), doctors (27.7%), anaesthesia technicians (18.1%) and cleaning personnel (15.8%). For the question “What are high-risk factors of COVID-19?” the respondents answered age 61-80 years (90.6%), comorbidities (89.2%) and being a HCW (85.6%). On-the-job training on COVID-19 was given to only 46.9% of all participants. Moreover, 61.6% of the participants stated that they had hospital procedures on COVID-19. Social media (81.9%) was the most common source of information. In addition, 74.8% of the participants were anxious about COVID-19, and 63.4% said that they wear a surgical mask only when they contact patients. Conclusion: To ensure continuity in health care, HCWs, especially cleaning personnel who are often in contact with patients suspected with or patients with confirmed COVID-19, should use personal protective equipment, undergo on-the-job training programmes on the pandemic at regular intervals and be screened routinely. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Amaç: Koronavirüs çok bulaşıcı olduğu için koronavirüs hastalığı-2019 (COVID-19) ile mücadelede önleyici tedbirler ön plandadır. Yüksek hastalık prevalansı, hasta sayısındaki hızlı artış ve artan ek iş yükü, sağlık çalışanlarına bulaşma riskini artırır. Bu çalışmada, yoğun bakım ünitesi (YBÜ) ve ameliyathane çalışanlarının COVID-19 hakkındaki bilgi düzeylerini değerlendirmeyi amaçladık. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmada YBÜ ve/veya ameliyathanede 480 gönüllü sağlık çalışanlarının cevapladığı sorular analiz edildi. Katılımcılar COVID-19’da sağlık çalışanlarının bilgi düzeyini ölçen, 29 sorudan oluşan anketi elle veya internet üzerinden tamamladılar. Bulgular: Anketimize hemşire (%38,2), doktor (%27,7), anestezi teknisyeni (%18,1) ve temizlik personeli (%15,8) olmak üzere toplam 480 sağlık çalışanı katıldı. “Koronavirüsün bulaşma riskleri nelerdir?” sorusu: 61-80 yaş arasında olmak (%90,6), ek hastalıklara sahip olmak (%89,2) ve sağlık çalışanı olmak (%85,6) olarak yanıtlandı. Tüm katılımcıların sadece %46,9’una COVID-19 hakkında kurum içi eğitim verildiği belirlenmiştir. Katılımcıların %61,6’sı COVID-19’da hastane prosedürü olduğunu belirtmiştir. Sosyal medya (%81,9) bilgi almanın en yaygın yoluydu. Katılımcıların %74,8’i COVID-19 konusunda endişeliydi. Katılımcıların %63,4’ü sadece hasta ile temas ettiklerinde cerrahi maske taktıklarını söylemiştir. Sonuç: Sağlık hizmetlerinde sürekliliği sağlamak için, şüpheli/kesin COVID-19 ile temas halinde olan sağlık çalışanlarının özellikle de temizlik personellerinin kişisel koruyucu ekipmanları etkin bir şekilde kullanmaları, pandemi hakkında düzenli aralıklarla kurum içi eğitim programlarına katılmaları ve rutin olarak taranmaları gerektiğini düşünüyoruz. (Turkish) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Turkish Journal of Intensive Care is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Do initial hematologic indices predict the severity of COVID-19 patients?

Background/aim: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the initial hematological findings analyzed on admission in confirmed COVID-19 patients who were transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU), to predict possible hematological indices. Materials and methods: Initial neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), red cell distribution width to platelet ratio (RPR), mean platelet volume to platelet ratio, and lymphocyte multiplied by platelet count (LYM × PLT), of 695 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were investigated and comparisons were made between the mild/moderate and severe groups. Results: The proportion of COVID-19 cases admitted to the ICU was 3.9%. The median age of patients admitted to the ICU was significantly higher than those who were not; [68.5 (interquartile range (IQR); 21.5] years vs. 41.0 (IQR; 15.7) years; P < 0.001. Severe cases had higher NLR (6.6 vs. 2.4; P < 0.001), and MLR (0.40 vs. 0.28; P = 0.004) and lower PLR (180.0 vs. 129.0; P < 0.001) compared to that of mild or moderate patients. Among all of the parameters, the ROC curve of NLR gave us the best ability to distinguish serious patients at an early stage (AUC = 0. 819, 95% confidence interval 0.729­0.910; P < 0.001). Conclusion: These data showed that age, initial NLR, PLR, and LYM × PLT were associated with the severity of COVID-19 disease and patients' need for the ICU. Therefore, initial hemogram parameters may be essential to predict the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.