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Abstract: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic. Invasive mechanical ventilation is recommended for the management of patients with COVID-19 who have severe respiratory symptoms. However, various complications can develop after its use. The efficient and appropriate management of patients requires the identification of factors associated with an aggravation of COVID-19 respiratory symptoms to a degree where invasive mechanical ventilation becomes necessary, thereby enabling clinicians to prevent such ventilation. This retrospective study included 138 inpatients with COVID-19 at a tertiary hospital. We evaluated the differences in the demographic and clinical data between 27 patients who required invasive mechanical ventilation and 111 patients who did not. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the duration of fever, national early warning score (NEWS), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels on admission were significantly associated with invasive mechanical ventilation in this cohort. The optimal cut-off values were: fever duration ≥1 day (sensitivity 100.0%, specificity 54.95%), NEWS ≥7 (sensitivity 72.73%, specificity 92.52%), and LDH >810 mg/dL (sensitivity 56.0%, specificity 90.29%). These findings can assist in the early identification of patients who will require invasive mechanical ventilation. Further studies in larger patient populations are recommended to validate our findings., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Little is known about the damage to the respiratory system in asymptomatic patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19)., Objective: Herein, we evaluate the findings of chest computed tomography (CT) and radiography in patients with COVID-19 who were asymptomatic., Methods: We retrospectively investigated patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 but who did not show any symptoms. Among the 139 patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized in Yeungnam University Hopistal in Daegu, South Korea, 10 (7.2%) were asymptomatic. Their chest CT and radiographic findings were analyzed., Results: In the results, all patients (100%) had ground-glass opacity (GGO) on chest CT. Further, the GGO lesions were predominantly distributed peripherally and posteriorly in all patients. In 9 (90%) patients, the GGO lesions were combined with reticular opacity. Air bronchogram due to bronchiolectasis surrounded by GGO was observed in 8 patients (80%). Additionally, the lung lesions were dominant on the right side in all patients., Conclusions: In conclusion, considering our results that the lung is affected in asymptomatic patients, it will be necessary to extend the indications of COVID-19 testing for effective management of COVID-19 during the pandemic., (© 2020 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Introduction: In the current study, we evaluated factors that increase the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient death rate by analyzing the data from two cohort hospitals. In addition, we studied whether underlying neurological diseases are risk factors for death. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included 103 adult inpatients (aged ≥ 18 years). We evaluated differences in demographic data between surviving and non-surviving COVID-19 patients. Results: In a multivariate logistic analysis, age and the presence of chronic lung disease and Alzheimer's dementia (AD) were the only significant parameters for predicting COVID-19 non-survival (p < 0.05). However, hypertension, coronary vascular disease, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and history of taking angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, as well as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), were not significantly associated with the death of COVID-19 patients. The optimal cutoff value obtained from the maximum Youden index was 70 (sensitivity, 80.77%; specificity, 61.04%), and the odds ratio of non-survival increased 1.055 fold for every year of age. Conclusions: Clinicians should closely monitor and manage the symptoms of COVID-19 patients who are over the age of 70 years or have chronic lung disease or AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading worldwide. Although 10-20% of patients with COVID-19 have severe symptoms, little is known about the risk factors related to the aggravation of COVID-19 symptoms from asymptomatic or mild to severe disease states.Methods: This retrospective study included 211 patients who were asymptomatic or with mild presentations of COVID-19. We evaluated the differences in demographic and clinical data between the cured (discharged to home) and transferred (aggravated to severe-stage COVID-19) groups.Results: A multivariate logistic analysis showed that body temperature, chills, initial chest X-ray findings, and the presence of diabetes were significantly associated with predicting the progression to severe stage of COVID-19 (p < 0.05). The odds ratio of transfer in patients with COVID-19 increased by 12.7-fold for abnormal findings such as haziness or consolidation in initial chest X-ray, 6.32-fold for initial symptom of chills, and 64.1-fold for diabetes.Conclusions: Even if patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, clinicians should closely observe patients with COVID-19 presenting with chills, body temperature > 37.5 °C, findings of pneumonia in chest X-ray, or diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic as it had spread to more than 100 countries worldwide. It mentions that COVID-19 seems highly contagious, as seen in the case of infection in a church group and call center in South Korea; and also mentions that high false-negative rates in real-time polymerase chain reaction tests for 2019-nCoV have been reported.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged from China and rapidly spread to many other countries. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among patients with COVID-19 who were treated and discharged from a university hospital in Daegu, Korea. Methods: In total, 64 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and then hospitalized, treated and discharged from the university hospital between February and April 2020 participated in our study. We conducted telephone interviews with the participants and evaluated the presence of PTSD using the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5 (PCL-5) based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; score range: 0–80). If a score of ≥33 was obtained, then a diagnosis of PTSD was made. We analyzed the association between PTSD and demographic and clinical characteristics using the Mann–Whitney U and chi-square tests. Results: In total, 13 patients had a PCL-5 score of ≥33, which indicated that 20.3% (n = 64) of the patients had PTSD. No significant differences were observed in demographic characteristics, including, sex, age, hospitalization time and duration after discharge, between patients with PTSD and those without PTSD. Conclusions: The prevalence rate of PTSD was 20.3% in patients with COVID-19 who had been hospitalized, treated and discharged. Accordingly, clinicians should be aware of the high possibility of PTSD among COVID-19 patients. Mental health interventions supporting the mental health of patients should be provided to affected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Korea has experienced difficulty in controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during the early stages of the outbreak. South Korea remains passionately determined to protect Koreans against COVID-19 and through trial and error hopes to improve the strategies used to limit the outbreak. Here, we review how COVID-19 spread and what prevention strategies were implemented during the early stages of the outbreak in South Korea. We investigated online newspapers published in South Korea from 21 January 2020 to 20 March 2020, and reviewed academic medical articles related to COVID-19. Additionally, we acquired data on COVID-19 cases through the official website for COVID-19 in South Korea. To date, numerous measures have been applied by the government and the medical community during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak including the reporting of methods for diagnostic testing, patient classification, the introduction of drive-through screening centers, COVID-19 preventive measures, implementation of government policies for the shortage of face masks, and entry restrictions. Here, we present data from the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak and measures to prevent its spread in South Korea. We believe that sharing the experience of South Korea during the COVID-19 outbreak can help other countries to implement strategies to prevent its rapid transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread rapidly worldwide. We aimed to review the strategies used by our university hospital in Daegu (South Korea) to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 within our institution. We also investigated the actual situation at our hospital against the recommended guidelines. We conducted a survey among patients and staff in our hospital. Additionally, patients' electronic medical records were reviewed along with closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings. Various strategies and guidelines developed by our hospital have been implemented. A total of 303 hospital staff and patients had exposure to 29 confirmed COVID-19 patients. Of them, three tested positive for COVID-19 without further transmission. The intra-hospital infection of the disease occurred when the recommended strategies and guidelines such as wearing a mask and isolating for 2 weeks were not followed. In conclusion, the implementation of robust guidelines for preventing the intra-hospital transmission of COVID-19 is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of a drive-through (DT) screening system for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by comparing it with a conventional screening system. We reviewed and analyzed the SARS-CoV-2 screening data obtained at our university hospital. We compared the number of tests for SARS-CoV-2 (using real-time polymerase chain reaction) performed using two different specimen collection systems—DT and conventional—during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Daegu. Based on the results, the DT screening system collected 5.8 times more specimens for testing than the conventional screening system. From 27 January to 31 March 2020, 6211 individuals were screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection using either the DT or conventional system. In total, 217 individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (positive rate: 3.50%). Of the 6211 individuals, 3368 were symptomatic or had a history of contact with COVID-19 patients, and 142 of them tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (positive rate: 4.22%). Further, 2843 individuals were asymptomatic and had no history of contact with COVID-19 patients, and 75 of them tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (positive rate: 2.64%). In conclusion, the DT system allowed clinicians to collect specimens for SARS-CoV-2 screening more efficiently than the conventional system. Furthermore, as there might be several COVID-19 patients who remain asymptomatic, expanding the screening test to asymptomatic individuals would be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]