The COVID-19 vaccine may rise, but the pandemic has gone nowhere. But it’s not just the virus that is lingering – many previously infected patients are still feeling the effects of the disease.
The diagnosis of COVID-19-positive patients during the early stages of the pandemic has a heavy weight on radiology, and according to Lillian Chiu, MD, a radiologist at New York Medical College, as more patients become ‘long-distance staff’, patients who experiencing prolonged symptoms, that the pressure on radiologists and imaging services may increase.
In a poster presented at the US Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting, a Chiu-led team outlined how an ongoing pandemic could affect radiology and what departments and imaging clinics could do to promote themselves. prepare.
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Knowledge of COVID-19 is still growing, and the past year has already shown that radiology services are critical to proper patient care, the team said.
“Although we still know little about this disease and its short- and long-term effects, we expect radiological imaging studies to be increased to define complications and long-term sequences of COVID-19,” they said.
This rise can occur in various areas, including brain and heart images, as well as follow-up studies for lung ailments.
COVID-19 “long guards” are largely uncommon among patients recovering. Instead of overcoming the classic virus symptoms – cough, shortness of breath and fatigue – within two to six weeks, these individuals have persistent or recurrent symptoms for months. These problems may include the characteristic symptoms as well as chest and joint pain, arrhythmias, brain fog, headache, loss of taste or smell and sore throat. According to them, the results of one Italian study revealed that 87.4 percent of the patients have at least one persistent symptom.
Most of these patients are over 50 and have additional co-morbidities, such as high blood pressure, obesity, chronic psychiatric conditions, and immunosuppressive diseases. In many cases, they will need more and longer rehabilitation, with up to 50 percent needing hospitalization. They are also experiencing a reduced quality of life associated with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, the team said.
And these problems show no signs of slowing down.
“The effects we are seeing are perhaps just the tip of the iceberg,” they said.
With persistent impact on patients comes the possible long-term impact on radiology. From day one, radiology played an important role in the diagnosis, management, and monitoring of COVID-19 patients, and the economic toll was significant. In most outpatient imaging clinics, their volumes fell by about 50 percent in March 2020, with the largest impact on mammography and elective services.
The pandemic has also changed the way radiologists work while many are off work to work from home during the peak of the outbreak. Although it provides greater levels of safety, the team said, it has also created distance between radiologists and imaging staff.
Although most healthcare facilities have tried as much as possible to return to provide services on a pre-pandemic, the horizon is not clear. Consequently, radiology practices need to be prepared for possible increases in case loads and a multitude of requests from referring physicians, the team said.
“As cases continue to increase across the country and around the world, the number of long haulers could increase,” they said. ‘While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, radiology departments and leaders need to adapt and prepare for the future. Organizations planning for negative scenarios will be able to adapt and recover more easily. ”
In general, according to the Chiu team, the preparation plans should take into account personnel, availability of equipment and cooperation between departments. They should also evaluate their cyber security measures and draw up plans for dealing with any sudden influx of imaging.
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