Perforation of the Diverticulum in the Sigmoid Colon Following Administration of Tocilizumab for Treatment of Coronavirus Infection-Associated Pneumonia: A Case Report

A 63-year-old man was diagnosed with coronavirus infection on day 5 after onset of symptoms and treated at home. On day 6, the patient developed moderate oxygenation failure and was admitted to hospital for initiation of treatment with dexamethasone and remdesivir. On day 9, the condition deteriorated critically and a single dose of tocilizumab was administered. On day 19 post-symptom onset, the patient presented with abdominal pain, and abdominal CT indicated a perforated diverticulum in the sigmoid colon and diffuse peritonitis. In emergency surgery, laparoscopic observation revealed a large amount of pus and severe inflammation of the sigmoid colon. Sigmoid colon resection, colostomy, and intraperitoneal lavage and drainage were performed. On day 28 post-symptom onset, there was acute exacerbation of pneumonia in response to the coronavirus infection during steroid dose reduction. The condition subsequently improved with steroid pulse therapy, and transfer to another hospital was possible at 48 days post-symptom onset. We report this case as an example of perforation of the diverticulum in the sigmoid colon following administration of tocilizumab for treatment of coronavirus infection-associated pneumonia © 2022 The Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery

Analysis of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 from surge 3 to 5 of the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This study was aimed at clarifying the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and the treatment strategies for COVID-19 in each surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Subjects and methods: We retrospectively examined the data of 358 patients with confirmed COVID-19 (116 in surge 3, 137 in surge 4, and 105 in surge 5) who were admitted to the Yoshijima Hospital.

Teleworker Performance in the COVID-19 Era in Japan

This paper investigates teleworker efficiency in Japan in the COVID-19 era by using unique survey data on telework. Many Japanese workers started teleworking during the pandemic and found both benefits as well as impediments. Overall, we find that telework experience and the work environment (e.g., having clearly specified tasks and a flexible working system), changes in work-life balance (e.g., working time), and good mental health improves teleworker efficiency.