Admission of a Terminally Ill Lung Cancer Patient With the Accidental Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 to a Palliative Care Unit Resulting in a SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak.
Workplace Health Saf
; 69(12): 580-584, 2021 Dec.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1571726
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic poses challenges for palliative care. Terminal patients cannot wear masks and may demonstrate unspecific symptoms reminiscent of those caused by COVID-19. This report is about a terminally ill patient with lung cancer who displayed fever, cough, and fatigue. During hospital admission screening, the patient tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. When admitting his wife to stay with him, she also had to test for SARS-CoV-2 and displayed a positive test result. Until the positive results were reported, six staff members were infected with SARS-CoV-2, even though they were routinely wearing respirators. This resulted in the palliative care unit having to be closed. Hospitals need strict and adequate testing and re-testing strategies even for intra-hospital transfers. Workers must strictly adhere to recommended respirator practices. Ventilation of patient rooms is essential due to the possible enrichment of particle aerosols containing viruses, as negative pressure rooms are not recommended in all countries.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Lung Neoplasms
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Workplace Health Saf
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS