Autor: |
Briones-Claudett, Killen H., Briones-Claudett, Mónica H., Briones-Zamora, Killen H., Briones-Márquez, Diana C., Icaza-Freire, Andrea, Grunauer, Michelle |
Předmět: |
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Zdroj: |
Eurasian Journal of Medicine; Jun2021, Vol. 53 Issue 2, p155-157, 3p |
Abstrakt: |
Ecuador, despite having taken aggressive and early measures to stop the progression of the pandemic (COVID-19), ended up becoming an epicenter of the pandemic in Latin America, and with the collapse of its health care system. The authors describe three patients who had confirmed COVID-19 and met the criteria for hospital admission but could not be assigned a hospital bed in a resource-limited country. The patients included a 72-year-old male, an 82-year-old female, and a 56-year-old male. They typically presented with fever, dyspnea, loss of taste and smell, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Oxygen saturation during the initial evaluation ranged from 80-89%. Laboratory results reported lymphopenia and neutrophilia, with leukocytosis in two patients. Inflammatory markers were also elevated for all three patients. CT scan findings showed bilateral ground-glass pulmonary opacities. SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed in all three patients by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing. Home-based treatment was established. At the time of writing this report, all patients remain asymptomatic and with negative COVID-19 testing. Telemedicine and home-based treatment were essential assets in the care of these severely ill patients living in a low-resource setting where not all patients who have criteria to be admitted into the hospital are able to find a place in a collapsed health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
Externí odkaz: |
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