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Showing results for tags 'Medicine - Respiratory'.
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News Article
Winter warning as 35,000 respiratory diagnoses delayed due to pandemic
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Patients with respiratory disease have been overlooked during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the NHS storing up problems for the winter months, a group of experts including the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has warned. Analysis by the 34-member Taskforce for Lung Health showed that referrals for lung conditions fell by 70% in April, with two-in-five (39%) of CCGs seeing no appointment bookings for respiratory conditions for the whole of May. On average, the group calculated a weekly average of 3,399 lung patients missing out on urgent and routine referrals during the COVID-19 lockdown, amounting to a total of at least 34,780 people, based on NHS England data. This was blamed in part on a general reduction in routine procedures during the pandemic, which will have affected all disease areas, but also the limitations on clinicians including GPs to carry out spirometry due to the risk of COVID-19 infection spread. But the taskforce - which includes the RCGP and the Primary Care Respiratory Society, as well as the Royal College of Physicians and Asthma UK - is now calling on NHS England to urgently restore services to pre-pandemic levels to tackle the backlog of lung patients requiring support. It said that failure to do so risked causing the premature death of patients who require urgent diagnosis as well as overwhelming the NHS during the winter season, when respiratory symptoms worsen. Read full story Source: Pulse, 9 July 2020 -
Content ArticleAs COVID-19 spread throughout the world, clinicians and researchers rapidly published guidance and data and shared their experiences in the hope of understanding the virus better. Their shared purpose was to keep more patients safe from becoming acutely unwell or dying. While the initial focus was on treating the hospitalised, one Trust was also thinking ahead to the challenging recovery many would face.
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News Article
Coronavirus: Warning thousands could be left with lung damage
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Tens of thousands of people will need to be recalled to hospital after a serious OVID-19 infection to check if they have been left with permanent lung damage, doctors have told the BBC. Experts are concerned a significant proportion could be left with lung scarring, known as pulmonary fibrosis. The condition is irreversible and symptoms can include severe shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue. Research into the prevalence of lung damage caused by COVID-19 is still at a very early stage. It's thought those with a mild form of the disease are unlikely to suffer permanent damage. But those in hospital, and particularly those in intensive care or with a severe infection, are more vulnerable to complications. In a study from China, published in March, 66 of 70 patients still had some level of lung damage after being discharged from hospital. Radiologists in the UK say, based on the early results of follow-up scans, they are concerned about the long term-effects of a serious infection. Prof Gisli Jenkins, of the National Institute for Health Research, is running assessment clinics for those discharged from hospital with COVID-19. He said: "My real concern is that never before in our lifetime have so many people been subject to the same lung injury at the same time." NHS England has said it is planning to open a number of specialist COVID-19 rehabilitation centres to help patients recover from long-term effects, including possible lung damage. Read full story Source: BBC News, 24 June 2020 -
Content ArticleCOVID-19 rehabilitation will improve exercise tolerance, muscle strength, and help patients manage breathlessness, and potentially allow someone to be discharged earlier. The treatments in this guide, produced by Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, focus on breathing, functional and physical exercises. Only complete exercises at home and in hospital that have been discussed with a clinician.
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Content ArticleThis patient information pack has been produced by staff at Homerton University Hospital. It is designed to help people recover and manage their symptoms following COVID-19.
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News ArticleDemand for oxygen from COVID-19 patients recovering at home is set to place the NHS under strain, the health service has warned. NHS England has issued guidance to out-of-hospital health providers on the extra demands likely to be placed on them given the number of people recovering after a hospital stay with the coronavirus. It warns that the provision from its home oxygen services and community respiratory teams across the NHS is expected to be an issue as the scale of demand increases. Andrew Whittamore, a practising GP and clinical lead for the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation partnership, said concerns about the potential for hospitals to be overwhelmed in the early part of the pandemic had led to community oxygen teams being primed to take on more patients – but he described that ramping up as “a short-term fix”. “We don’t know how long people are going to need oxygen or other services for,” he said. “There are definitely going to be extra patients added on to our community teams’ workloads.” The Taskforce for Lung Health – of which the British Lung Foundation is a member – has raised particular concerns about access to pulmonary rehabilitation. An education- and exercise-based treatment, which is proven to be more effective for lung patients than many drug-based treatments, and face-to-face classes have been suspended during the pandemic. It may be that such treatment would also be helpful for some patients recovering from COVID-19. Jackie Eagleton, policy officer at the British Lung Foundation, said there had been issues with access to pulmonary rehabilitation for a long time, but the need to offer this form of support to people with lung conditions “has never been more pressing than it is now”. Read full story Source: The Independent, 16 June 2020
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Content ArticleThis statement outlines the UK's four nations’ collective strategic priorities and approach to Allied Health Professional (AHP) rehabilitation leadership during and after COVID-19. Rehabilitation is critical to ensuring our population’s recovery from the impacts of the pandemic and the long-term sustainability of the health and social care system. AHPs are at the centre in shaping the rehabilitation agenda while working as part of the wider multidisciplinary and multiagency teams across all sectors.
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Content ArticleAsthma UK and British Lung Foundation have created a post-COVID hub. This part of their hub provides support for patients who have breathing difficulties after having COVID-19.
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Content ArticleThis document from the British Thoracic Society is designed to provide brief guidance for the management of non-invasive ventilation in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, if the patient was suspected or confirmed as being COVID positive. They are not intended to be prescriptive, and close liaison with the hospital based long-term ventilation teams is still required.
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Content ArticleThis document from the British Thoracic Society provides a list of resources that are available free of charge and can be used by people with chronic lung disease (and pulmonary rehabilitation professionals) while face-to-face pulmonary rehabilitation is not possible. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Content ArticleThis document from the British Thoracic Society is intended to be used as a resource for pulmonary rehabilitation healthcare professionals conducting assessments remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Content ArticleAsthma UK and British Lung Foundation have created a post-COVID hub. This part of the hub provides healthcare professionals with the latest guidelines on supporting people with post-COVID breathlessness.
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Content ArticleVentilator-associated pneumonia is an important healthcare-associated infection. Interventions for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia are often used within bundles of care. Recent evidence has challenged widespread practices mandating a review of subject. This article outlines guidance for ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention.
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Content ArticleHealthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to a range of high and low molecular weight agents that are allergic sensitisers or irritants, including cleaners and disinfectants, natural rubber latex, and various medications. Studies have shown that exposed HCWs are at risk for work-related rhinitis and asthma (WRA). Work-related rhinitis may precede development of WRA and should be considered as an early marker of WRA. Avoidance of causative exposures through control strategies such as elimination, substitution, engineering controls, and process modification is the preferred primary prevention strategy for preventing development of work-related allergic diseases. There is limited evidence for the effectiveness of respirators in preventing occupational asthma. If sensitizer-induced WRA is diagnosed, it is important to avoid further exposure to the causative agent, preferably by more rigorous application of exposure control strategies to the workplace. This review from Mazurek and Weissman focuses on allergic occupational respiratory diseases in HCWs.
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Content ArticleThis webpage from Asthma UK explains how to cut the risk of getting coronavirus and what happens to your usual asthma care.
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Content ArticlePaediatric cardiac arrest is unlikely to be caused by a cardiac problem and is more likely to be a respiratory one, making ventilations crucial to the child’s chances of survival. However, for those not trained in paediatric resuscitation, the most important thing is to act quickly to ensure the child gets the treatment they need in the critical situation. This page contains:an EPALS algorithm for paediatric COVID-19 patients.a flowchart on the resuscitation of paediatric COVID-19 patients in hospital.
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Content ArticleThe Surviving Sepsis Campaign panel recently recommended that “mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 should be managed similarly to other patients with acute respiratory failure in the ICU.” However, COVID-19 pneumonia, despite falling in most of the circumstances under the Berlin definition of ARDS, is a specific disease, whose distinctive features are severe hypoxemia often associated with near normal respiratory system compliance. In their paper published in Intensive Care Medicine, Gattinoni et al. hypothesise that the different COVID-19 patterns found at presentation in the emergency department depend on the interaction between three factors: (1) the severity of the infection, the host response, physiological reserve and comorbidities; (2) the ventilatory responsiveness of the patient to hypoxemia; and (3) the time elapsed between the onset of the disease and the observation in the hospital.
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Content ArticleThis blog from the European Respiratory Society, discusses a joint statement that was signed by individuals working on behalf of the Italian Thoracic Society (ITS - AIPO), Association for the Rehabilitation of Respiratory Failure (ARIR) and the Italian Respiratory Society (SIP/IRS). They conclude that the dramatic spread of the current COVID-19 epidemic in Italy has spurred into action also respiratory rehabilitation specialists (pulmonologists and respiratory therapists), who have been engaged for years in the care of patients with disabilities secondary to respiratory diseases and/or conditions. Their experience acquired in the management of chronic and acute respiratory failure is proving to be a fundamental asset for the management of patients during COVID-19 epidemic. Hence, it is likely that the reorganisation involved in taking care of this scenario will not be a short-term matter.
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Content Article
British Thoracic Society: COVID-19 resources for people with lung disease
Claire Cox posted an article in Guidance
The British Thoracic Society have drawn together the following links to information for patients with lung disease and COVID-19. These include: asthma cystic fibrosis mesothelioma pulmonary fibrosis sarcoidosis UK travel advice for patients tuberculosis lung cancer -
Content ArticleThis document from the British Thoracic Society links to updated guidance in the treatment of COPD patients and COVID-19.
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Content ArticleThis page, created by the British Thoracic Society, contains information, guidance and resources to support the respiratory community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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News Article
NHS staff given conflicting advice over resuscitation of coronavirus patients
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors, nurses and paramedics have been given conflicting advice about when to start resuscitation for coronavirus patients, amid fears the procedure could put them at risk of infection. While Public Health England has said it does not believe CPR creates a risk, the UK’s Resuscitation Council – which is responsible for setting standards for resuscitation in the NHS – has said it believes there is a risk and staff should wear full equipment. The Independent has seen several examples of different messages being sent out to hospital staff and ambulance workers, and some NHS trusts were forced to change their guidance within a matter of days after PHE changed its stance. One set of guidance could mean a delay in starting CPR for patients while staff put on protective equipment, while the other means staff could be at risk of being infected with coronavirus. Ken Spearpoint, a former consultant nurse and resuscitation officer at Imperial College Healthcare Trust, said the situation had led to confusion and created an “ethical dilemma” for some staff who were being forced to choose between the Resus UK’s position and their trust’s guidance. Read full story Source: The Independent, 6 April 2020 -
Content ArticleSingle-use N95 respirators are critical to protect staff and patients from airborne infections, but shortages may occur during disease outbreaks and other crisis situations. Wearing an N95 respirator for hours at a time (i.e. extended wear) or reusing a respirator several times (i.e., donning and doffing between uses) are practices used to ease shortages. The potential risks and benefits of these practices may vary greatly across locations and may evolve rapidly during a crisis. This report’s conclusions are not intended as a practice endorsement or call to action. Rather, this report is intended to provide practical guidance on the potential risks and benefits that clinical centers should consider during decision making about N95 respirator reuse or extended use. ECRI is a US-based organisation.
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Content ArticleThis is a specification of the minimally (and some preferred options) clinically acceptable ventilator to be used in UK hospitals during the current SARS-CoV2 outbreak. It sets out the clinical requirements based on the consensus of what is ‘minimally acceptable’ performance in the opinion of the anaesthesia and intensive care medicine professionals and medical device regulators.
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News Article
Machine 'could quadruple' heart and lung transplants
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The number of heart and lung transplants could quadruple thanks to a "reanimation" machine used in a pioneering operation, a hospital says. The device, developed at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, managed to pump oxygenated blood into both organs in a world-first procedure. The machine can revitalise deteriorating organs allowing "donation after circulatory death" (DCD). Hospital surgeon Pedro Catarino said it was like "recharging the batteries". "It is reanimation and then it replenishes the energy stores of the heart, what we call reconditioning, which allows it be transplanted," he said. "We think it could at least double and perhaps quadruple the number of [heart and lungs] available for transplant." He said it was desperately needed, adding: "Patients die on the waiting list every day." Read full story Source: BBC News, 23 March 2020
