ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Ozone therapy has tremendous therapeutic potential owing to its antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and potential to improve oxygenation. A pilot clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy ofintravenous ozonised saline treatment in patients with moderate COVID-19 pneumonia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 10 patients were administered 200 ml freshly prepared ozonised saline intravenously over 1 h once a day for 8 days along with standard medical treatment. Clinical symptoms were monitored everyday and laboratory biomarkers, radiological findings at 1,3,6,10 days. Telephonic follow up was done for all after discharge till Day 14. 7 out of 10 patients required oxygen supplementation at recruitment. RESULTS: There was severe adverse event recorded in the study group.All patients improved from moderate to mild category in average 8 days and were discharged in average 9.7 days. None deteriorated to severe stage. All clinical symptoms resolved within 6 days and oxygen supplementation requirement reduced to none within 4.1 days. There wasstatistically significant reduction inCRP (p = 0.003), D-Dimer (p = 0.049), IL6 (p = 0.002)and statistically significant improvement (p = 0.001) in SpO2/FiO2 ratio. Change in LDH was borderline statistically not significant (p = 0.058).All patients showed significant resolution of bilateral interstitial infiltrates at the end of 10 days. CONCLUSION: Resolved clinical symptoms, improved oxygenation, clearance of infiltrates on Chest X-ray and improvement in biomarkers in a short period with non-progression of the disease showed that IV ozonised saline therapy was safe and effective to prevent disease progression in COVID-19, making it an effective novel therapeutic tool.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Ozone/therapeutic use , Administration, Intravenous , Adult , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , SARS-CoV-2 , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 presenting as SARI (severe acute respiratory syndrome) mandates the need for ICU (intensive care unit) hospitalization, increasing healthcare burden. This study aims to determine knowledge of healthcare professionals towards management of SARI in COVID-19 suspected cases. METHODS: A total of 313 healthcare professionals from the state of Maharashtra, India completed a questionnaire-based survey study adapted from the WHO interim guidance for management of SARI in COVID-19 suspected cases. Convenience sampling method was used and the distribution of responses was presented as frequencies and percentages. Sub-groups were classified on the basis of gender, age, profession and ICU vs. Non-ICU setting. Descriptive statistics were performed for all groups based on percentage of correct responses and individual pairwise comparisons were done using the Chi-Square test. RESULTS: The median and mean percentage of correct responses for all sub groups was only 66.80% and 58.62% respectively. A higher percentage of total correct responses were those from the ICU setting with a higher overall performance from medical postgraduates. The nursing and allied healthcare professionals had a poor overall performance. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate lacunae in several aspects of SARI management which calls for nationwide studies and implementation of comprehensive training programmes. A uniform structured training program with team-oriented crisis resource management suitable for all healthcare professionals irrespective of prior training in COVID-19 management must be implemented. Furthermore, the findings of this study can serve as a baseline to develop training resources for healthcare professionals for COVID-19 management.
ABSTRACT
Background and objectives The rapid and extensive spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a major cause of concern for the healthcare profession. The aim of this study is to assess the awareness of COVID-19 disease and related infection control practices among healthcare professionals and students in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Materials and methods A total of 1562 responders from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region completed a questionnaire-based survey on the awareness, knowledge, and infection control practices related to COVID-19 infection in the healthcare setting. The questionnaire was adapted from the current interim guidance and information for healthcare workers published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Convenient sampling method was used for data collection and the distribution of responses was presented as frequencies and percentages. Descriptive statistics were performed for all groups and subgroups based on the percentage of correct responses. Individual pairwise comparisons were done using the median test for the percentage of correct responses. Results The overall awareness for all subgroups was adequate with 71.2% reporting correct answers. The highest percentage of correct responses were from undergraduate medical students and the lowest was from non-clinical/administrative staff. Less than half of the total respondents could correctly define "close contact." More than three-fourths of the responders were aware of the various infection control measures like rapid triage, respiratory hygiene, and cough etiquette and having a separate, well ventilated waiting area for suspected COVID-19 patients. However, only 45.4% of the responders were aware of the correct sequence for the application of a mask/respirator, and only 52.5% of the responders were aware of the preferred hand hygiene method for visibly soiled hands. Conclusion There is a need for regular educational interventions and training programs on infection control practices for COVID-19 across all healthcare professions. Occupational health and safety are of paramount importance to minimize the risk of transmission to healthcare students and professionals and provide optimal care for patients.