Safe performance of echocardiography during the COVID-19 pandemic: a practical guide.
Rev Cardiovasc Med
; 21(2): 217-223, 2020 06 30.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-675944
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has become a worldwide healthcare emergency, with continuously growing number of infected subjects. Considering the easy virus spread through respiratory droplets produced with cough, sneezes or spit or through close contact with infected people or surfaces, healthcare workers are further exposed to COVID-19. Particularly, echocardiography remains an essential diagnostic service which, due to the close contact with patients during the exam, provides echocardiographers high-risk of contagion. Therefore, the common modalities of performing echocardiography should be improved in this scenario, avoiding performing unnecessary exams, using the appropriate personal protective equipment depending on patients' status and location, optimizing time-effectiveness of the echocardiographic study and accurately sanitizing the environment and devices after each exam. This paper aims to provide a simple guide for the clinicians to balance between providing the best care to each patient and protecting themselves and other patients from the spread of the virus. It also proposes the use of the mnemonic PREVENT to resume the crucial indications to be followed for the execution of appropriate echocardiographic examination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Echocardiography
/
Infection Control
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Pandemics
/
Personal Protective Equipment
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Rev Cardiovasc Med
Journal subject:
Vascular Diseases
/
Cardiology
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.rcm.2020.02.90
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