Search

One of the main concerns of the medical community during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the management of the immunosuppression accompanying the disease, particularly in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) patients. More recently, the focus has shifted towards the management of the persistent immunosuppression post-acute COVID-19 and its complications. The rate of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) had been declining before the pandemic, but has since started to increase once more. Due to multiple factors - unnecessary antibiotherapy, disorganized medical facilities, inadequate personal protection equipment etc. - there have been increasing reports of coinfections and secondary infections with multidrug-resistant bacteria in COVID-19 patients. We present a case report of a patient with no history of clinically overt immunosuppression before developing critical SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. The patient had no need for antibiotic treatment during his hospitalization and was discharged in a stable state, being consequently readmitted multiple times for different healthcare-associated multidrug-resistant infections, over time developing other hospital-related complications. The case raises a discussion about the bidirectional relationship between post-COVID immunosuppression and the possible inadvertent excess in antibiotic therapy that has accompanied the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in early 2020, surgery has seen shifts in diagnostic and management paradigms, with a new focus on maintaining a safe environment for both patient and surgeon, all the while ensuring the proper medical care. Despite rRT-PCR testing being the preferred method of diagnosing the infection, multiple studies have shown that chest CT has exhibited superior specificity. We present the case of an 84-year old patient who presented with fever, abdominal pain and multiple chronic ailments, as well as recent hospitalization in another unit that had multiple COVID-19 patients diagnosed shortly after her discharge. She tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 but had suggestive radiological signs, hence she was treated as a suspect. Forty-eight hours after admission her state worsened and emergency surgery was performed, which revealed gangrenous Meckel's diverticulum. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 5, but she tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 six days after discharge (screening testing). She remained in good health 30 days postoperatively and did not need intensive care measures for COVID-19. This underlines two issues brought forth by the pandemic in 2020: that chest CT should always be performed preoperatively, even in patients whose rRT-PCR tests are negative, and that geriatric patients can easily be misdiagnosed due to abnormal clinical manifestations and this can be overlooked while doctors are busy looking for COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]