Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at the end of December 2019, more than 85% of the population in China has been infected. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mainly affects the respiratory system, especially the lungs. The mortality rate of patients with severe infection is high. A percentage of 6% to 10% of patients will eventually develop into COVID-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS), which requires mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. Some patients who survive acute lung injury will subsequently develop post COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis (PCPF). Both fully treated CARDS and severe PCPF are suitable candidates for lung transplantation. Due to the special course, evaluation strategies are different from those used in patients with common end-stage lung disease. After lung transplantation in COVID-19 patients, special treatment is required, including standardized nucleic acid testing for the novel coronavirus, adjustment strategy of immunosuppressive drugs, and rational use of antiviral drugs, which is a big challenge for the postoperative management of lung transplantation. This consensus was evidence-based written and was reached by experts after multiple rounds of discussions, providing reference for assessment and postoperative management of patients with interstitial pneumonia after COVID-19 infection.
With the in-depth understanding of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, it has been found that the virus not only causes serious damage to the human respiratory system, but also damages the kidney system, which can be manifested as acute kidney injury, and in severe cases, renal failure can occur. Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 and chronic kidney disease are at higher risk of worsening their condition and even death. Therefore, early recognition and intervention of renal injury is particularly important for prognosis. In this paper, the clinical data of renal injury in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 were reviewed, and the possible pathogenesis, incidence, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment were proposed for reference in clinical decision-making.
From December 2022 to January 2023, 4 lung transplant recipients (3 males and 1 female, aged 52-60 years, all received transplantation less than 1 year) were hospitalized in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University due to COVID-19 after surgery. The clinical manifestations were mostly characterized by elevated body temperature accompanied by shortness of breath, and indicators such as heart rate, oxygen saturation, and oxygenation index could reflect the severity of the condition. The therapy was timely adjusted to immunosuppressive drugs, upgraded oxygen therapy, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal therapy, prone ventilation, general treatment, and anticoagulant therapy, depending on the situation. Finally, 3 patients were cured and discharged from hospital, and 1 died.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), more than 200 interventional clinical trials have been registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (www.chictr.org.cn) and the US Clinical Trials Registry (www.clinicaltrials.gov), testing or going to test treatments of COVID-19 in China from January 23rd, 2020 to March 5th, 2020. This situation has drawn attentions from various sectors of society. This article summarizes the basic design features of 249 registered COVID-19 clinical trials in China, compares them with National Clinical Trials Network practices in the USA, and describes a concept of national clinical trials network as a strategy to enhance quality and efficiency of clinical research in cases like COVID-19 outbreak as well as other disease fields.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical characteristics and contribution factors in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).MethodsThe clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, radiologic data, treatment strategies, and outcomes of 110 COVID-19 patients were retrospectively analyzed in these hospitals from Jan 20, 2020 to Feb 28, 2020. All patients were confirmed by fluorescence reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. They were classified into a non-severe group and a severe group based on their symptoms, laboratory and radiologic findings. All patients were given antivirus, oxygen therapy, and support treatments. The severe patients received high-flow oxygen therapy, non-invasive mechanical ventilation, invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The outcomes of patients were followed up until March 15, 2020. Contribution factors of severe patients were summarized from these clinical data.ResultsThe median age was 50 years old, including 66 males (60.0%) and 44 females (40.0%). Among them, 45 cases (40.9%) had underlying diseases, and 108 cases (98.2%) had different degrees of fever. The common clinical manifestations were cough (80.0%, 88/110), expectoration (33.6%, 37/110), fatigue (50.0%, 55/110), and chest tightness (41.8%, 46/110). Based on classification criteria, 78 (70.9%) non-severe patients and 32 (29.1%) severe patients were identified. Significant difference of the following parameters was found between two groups (P<0.05): age was 47 (45, 50) years vs. 55 (50, 59) years (Z=–2.493); proportion of patients with underlying diseases was 27 (34.6%) vs. 18 (56.3%) (χ2=4.393); lymphocyte count was 1.2 (0.9, 1.5)×109/L vs. 0.6 (0.4, 0.7)×109/L (Z=–7.26); C reactive protein (CRP) was 16.2 (6.5, 24.0) mg/L vs. 45.3 (21.8, 69.4) mg/L (Z=–4.894); prothrombin time (PT) was 15 (12, 19) seconds vs. 18 (17, 19) seconds (Z=–2.532); D-dimer was 0.67 (0.51, 0.82) mg/L vs. 0.98 (0.80, 1.57) mg/L (Z=–5.06); erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was 38.0 (20.8, 59.3) mm/1 h vs. 75.5 (39.8, 96.8) mm/1 h (Z=–3.851); lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was 218.0 (175.0, 252.3) U/L vs. 325.0 (276.5, 413.5) U/L (Z=–5.539); neutrophil count was 3.1 (2.1, 4.5)×109/L vs. 5.5 (3.7, 9.1)×109/L (Z=–4.077). Multivariable logistic analysis showed that there was positive correlation in elevated LDH, CRP, PT, and neutrophil count with the severity of the disease. Currently, 107 patients were discharged and 3 patients died. Total mortality was 2.7%.ConclusionsOld age, underlying diseases, low lymphocyte count, elevated CPR, high D-dimer and ESR are relevant to the severity of COVID-19. LDH, CPR, PT and neutrophil count are independent risk factors for the prognosis of COVID-19.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been evaluated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Although several vaccines with an efficacy of more than 50% have been developed, in terms of treatment, remdesivir remains the antiviral drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of COVID-19, while none of the other treatments has been recommended by FDA due to insufficient clinical data. A number of clinical trials have been registered to study therapeutic drugs or vaccines for COVID-19. To promote the collection, tabulation, analysis of COVID-19 clinical research data, improve the efficiency of clinical research, and facilitate the integration, sharing and secondary analysis of multiple similar research data, CDISC has developed a therapeutic area user guide for COVID-19 and resources for public health researchers. The resources included two documents, one is a SDTM annotated CRF based on ISARIC and WHO core COVID-19 case report form, and the other is SDTM and CDASH mapping spreadsheet. Moreover, CDISC has developed the guidance for ongoing studies disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic and interim ADaM guidance for ongoing studies disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic to help disrupted clinical trials to collect, store, and analyze relevant data. This paper introduced the structure and content of the guide and its related standards, with a view to promoting its application in COVID-19 clinical trials and in ongoing studies disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic.
Objective To understand the changing patterns and characteristics of the number of patients hospitalized with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) before, during, and in the post-epidemic period of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Association between acute respiratory infections and hospitalization of patients with AECOPD. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted to count the patients hospitalized for AECOPD in the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from July 2017 to June 2024. The pattern of change in the number of AECOPD hospitalizations and the associations with patients with respiratory tract infections in outpatient emergency departments were analyzed. Results During the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of hospitalizations of patients with AECOPD did not increase compared with the pre-epidemic period. Instead, it significantly decreased, especially in the winter and spring peaks (P<0.05). The only exception was a peak AECOPD hospitalization in the summer of 2022. COPD inpatient mortality and non-medical discharge rates tended to increase during the epidemic compared with the pre-epidemic period. Analysis of the curve of change in the number of patients with respiratory infections in our outpatient emergency departments during the same period revealed a downward trend in the number of patients with respiratory infections during the epidemic and an explosive increase in the number of patients with respiratory infections in the post epidemic period, whose average monthly number was more than twice as high as that during the epidemic. Correlation analysis of the number of patients with respiratory infections between AECOPD hospitalizations and outpatient emergency departments showed that there was a good correlation between the two in the pre-epidemic and post-epidemic periods, and the correlation between the two in the post-epidemic period was more significant in particular (r=0.84-0.91, P<0.001).In contrast, there was no significant correlation in 2021 and 2022 during the epidemic (r=0.24 and 0.50, P>0.05 ). The most common respiratory infection pathogens among AECOPD hospitalized patients during the post-epidemic period were influenza virus, COVID-19 virus, and human rhinovirus, respectively. Conclusions The pandemic period of COVID-19 infection did not show an increase in the number of AECOPD hospitalizations but rather a trend towards fewer hospitalizations. Respiratory infections were strongly associated with the number of AECOPD hospitalizations in the pre- and post-pandemic periods, while the correlation between the two was poorer during the pandemic period. Influenza virus was the most important respiratory infection pathogen for AECOPD during the post-epidemic period.
With the change of COVID-19, the prevention and control of COVID-19 infection epidemic entered a new stage in December 2022. How to quickly complete the emergency treatment of a large number of patients in a short period of time, and ensure that patients in emergency department can get rapid and effective medical treatment has always been an urgent problem that emergency department need to solve. The Department of Emergency Medicine of West China Hospital of Sichuan University has adopted patient-oriented management measures based on the core idea of the new public management theory, and has achieved remarkable results. Therefore, this article summarizes the workflow and nursing management strategies of the emergency department rescue area of West China Hospital of Sichuan University in dealing with the batch treatment of COVID-19 infected patients, including optimizing and correcting the environment layout of the ward, implementing the “secondary triage” mode in the rescue area, adding an inter-hospital referral platform for critical patients with COVID-19 emergency, building a conventional COVID-19 reserve material repository in the emergency department, setting up a field office for multi-department joint emergency admission service, optimizing emergency transport services for patients with COVID-19, scientific scheduling and reasonable human resource management, and providing humanistic care for employees, in order to provide reference for the management practice of the emergency department.