CT of Post-Acute Lung Complications of COVID-19.

The acute course of COVID-19 is variable and ranges from asymptomatic infection to fulminant respiratory failure. Patients recovering from COVID-19 can have persistent symptoms and CT abnormalities of variable severity. At 3 months after acute infection, a subset of patients will have CT abnormalities that include ground-glass opacity (GGO) and subpleural bands with concomitant pulmonary function abnormalities. At 6 months after acute infection, some patients have persistent CT changes to include the resolution of GGOs seen in the early recovery phase and the persistence or development of changes suggestive of fibrosis, such as reticulation with or without parenchymal distortion. The etiology of lung disease after COVID-19 may be a sequela of prolonged mechanical ventilation, COVID-19-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or direct injury from the virus. Predictors of lung disease after COVID-19 include need for intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, higher inflammatory markers, longer hospital stay, and a diagnosis of ARDS. Treatments of lung disease after COVID-19 are being investigated, including the potential of antifibrotic agents for prevention of lung fibrosis after COVID-19. Future research is needed to determine the long-term persistence of lung disease after COVID-19, its impact on patients, and methods to either prevent or treat it. © RSNA, 2021.

Pulmonary Embolism Response Team activation during the COVID-19 pandemic in a New York City Academic Hospital: a retrospective cohort analysis.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with increased rates of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams (PERT) have previously been associated with improved outcomes. We aimed to investigate whether PERT utilization, recommendations, and outcomes for patients diagnosed with acute PE changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a retrospective cohort study of all adult patients with acute PE who received care at an academic hospital system in New York City between March 1st and April 30th, 2020. These patients were compared against historic controls between March 1st and April 30th, 2019. PE severity, PERT utilization, initial management, PERT recommendations, and outcomes were compared. There were more cases of PE during the pandemic (82 vs. 59), but less PERT activations (26.8% vs. 64.4%, p < 0.001) despite similar markers of PE severity. PERT recommendations were similar before and during the pandemic; anticoagulation was most recommended (89.5% vs. 86.4%, p = 0.70). During the pandemic, those with PERT activations were more likely to be female (63.6% vs. 31.7%, p = 0.01), have a history of DVT/PE (22.7% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.01), and to be SARS-CoV-2 PCR negative (68.2% vs. 38.3% p = 0.02). PERT activation during the pandemic is associated with decreased length of stay (7.7 ± 7.7 vs. 13.2 ± 12.7 days, p = 0.02). PERT utilization decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic and its activation was associated with different biases. PERT recommendations and outcomes were similar before and during the pandemic, and led to decreased length of stay during the pandemic.