May 27th, 2020 - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is disrupting health services worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the provision of obstetrics and gynaecology services in the UK during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interview-based national survey. Women's healthcare units in the National Health Service. Junior doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology. Participants were interviewed by membe...

May 27th, 2020 - The rapid spread of COVID-19 has placed tremendous strain on the American healthcare system. Few prior studies have evaluated the well-being of or changes to training for American resident physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to study predictors of trainee well-being and changes to clinical practice using an anonymous survey of American urology residents. An anonymous, voluntary, 47-...

May 27th, 2020 - The morbidity, mortality and blistering pace of transmission of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an unprecedented worldwide health crisis. COVID-19, the disease produced by SARS-CoV-2 infection, is remarkable for persistent, severe respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation that places considerable strain on critical care resources...

May 26th, 2020 - SARS-CoV-2 is usually transmitted through air however several recent reports have found the virus in urine. Only 187 urine samples have been reported to have been tested in the literature to date despite over 4 million cases of respiratory Covid 19 positive cases being reported worldwide. Of these 187 urine tests 6 were positive for the virus and this persisted in urine in once case for up to 4...

May 26th, 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic has had major implications for the United States healthcare system. This survey study sought to identify practice changes, understand current personal protection equipment (PPE) use, and determine how caring for patients with COVID-19 differs for vascular surgeons practicing in states with high COVID-19 case numbers versus low case numbers. A fourteen-question online surve...

May 26th, 2020 - For Immediate Release: May 26, 2020 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the following actions taken in its ongoing response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic: The FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in response to concerns relating to insufficient supply and availability of gowns and other apparel, such as operating-room shoe covers, for use by health care personnel ...

May 25th, 2020 - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new report supports continuing international medical electives to resource-poor countries in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Writing in the Journal of Travel Medicine, two medical students in the U.K. and a physician in Benin argue that students taking an elective can bring much-needed medical expertise to assist overburdened healthcare systems in poor countries...

May 25th, 2020 - Various cardiovascular complications have been reported in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Common complications include acute myocardial injury, myocarditis, arrhythmia, pericarditis, heart failure, and shock. We present a case of cor pulmonale diagnosed with serial point of care ultrasound. Given the current shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and high infectivity of this v...

May 24th, 2020 - Practices dramatically reduced endoscopy services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As practices are now considering reintroduction of elective endoscopy, we conducted a survey of North American practices to identify reactivation barriers and strategies. We designed and electronically distributed a web-based survey to North American gastroenterologists consisting of seven domains: institutional dem...

May 23rd, 2020 - Healthcare professionals' capacity to protect themselves, while caring for infected patients during an infectious disease pandemic, depends on their ability to practise universal precautions. In turn, universal precautions rely on the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE). During the SARS-CoV2 outbreak many healthcare workers across the globe have been reluctant to provide patient...

May 22nd, 2020 - OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to present strategies and guidelines that can be implemented in the performance of cross-sectional interventional procedures during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. CONCLUSION. Radiologists who perform cross-sectional interventional procedures can take several steps to minimize the risks to patients and radiology personnel, including screeni...

May 22nd, 2020 - The ACR recognizes that radiology practices are grappling with when and how to safely resume routine radiology care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although it is unclear how long the pandemic will last, it may persist for many months. Throughout this time, it will be important to perform safe, comprehensive, and effective care for patients with and patients without COV...

May 22nd, 2020 - EEC staff were provided with rapidly changing personal PPE guidance by Public Health England (PHE) with specific subspecialty advice from the British Emergency Eye Care Society (BEECS) and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) UK during the COVID19 pandemic. BEECS undertook a baseline survey of its members after the initial response from the RCOphth 16/3/20 mirroring Public Health Eng...

May 22nd, 2020 - Shortages of vital PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 22nd, 2020 - The delivery of endoscopic care is changing rapidly in the era of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) Endoscopy and Procedures Committee has formulated this statement to offer practical guidance to help standardize endoscopy services for pediatric patients with the aim of minimizing COVID-19 transmi...

May 22nd, 2020 - For Immediate Release: May 22, 2020 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the following actions taken in its ongoing response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic: Today, FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture released recommendations to help address shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), cloth face coverings, disinfectants, and sanitation supplies in the food and agri...

May 21st, 2020 - Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's  Coronavirus Resource Center. Soon after the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the Netherlands, a substantial number of healthcare workers (HCWs) at two hospitals there — about 1% — tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a study published online May 21 in JAMA Network Open. "This unexpected high prev...

May 21st, 2020 - To report a clinical case of a patient with a compatible HRCT scan and two negative SARS-CoV-2 RNA upper respiratory tract specimens but with a confirmed viral infection by BAL (19 days after symptom onset). Revision of a patient's clinical charts with COVID-19 admitted at INMI L. Spallanzani Hospital RESULTS: Two oropharyngeal swab tests of SARS-CoV-2 by qualitative real-time reverse-transcrip...

May 21st, 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic has required the adaptation of hyperacute stroke care (including stroke code pathways) and hospital stroke management. There remains a need to provide rapid and comprehensive assessment to acute stroke patients while reducing the risk of COVID-19 exposure, protecting healthcare providers, and preserving personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies. While the COVID infectio...

May 20th, 2020 - During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, infectious disease control is of utmost importance in acute stroke treatment. This is a new situation for most stroke teams that often leads to uncertainty among physicians, nurses, and technicians who are in immediate contact with patients. The situation is made even more complicated by numerous new regulations and protocols that are rel...