Measure Two Easy Signs At Home to Prevent COVID-19 Mortality

Abnormal blood-oxygen levels and breathing rates are strong predictors of poor patient outcomes in COVID-19.

Abnormal blood-oxygen levels and breathing rates are two easily measurable signs at home that are also the strong predictors of poor patient outcomes in-hospital and is associated with higher COVID-19 mortality rates as per a study at the University Of Washington School Of Medicine/UW Medicine, published in the journal Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.

The current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lacks this content, which tells people with COVID-19 to seek medical attention when they experience overt symptoms such as "trouble breathing" and "persistent pain or pressure in the chest". These indications may also be absent sometimes even when respiration and blood oxygen have reached dangerous levels.

COVID-19 Pandemic reported as being most Traumatic by Neurotic Personalities
With the devastating effects of COVID-19, neurotic personalities found the pandemic most traumatic.

‘Abnormal blood-oxygen levels and breathing rates are strong predictors of poor patient outcomes in-hospital that are associated with higher COVID-19 mortality rates. It is thereby recommended that people with positive COVID-19 test results, particularly those at higher risk of advanced age or obesity, should monitor for blood oxygen below 92% using a pulse oximeter at home and. This aids in preventing the severity of the COVID-19.’

The study evaluated 1,095 patients of age 18 and older hospitalized between March 1 to June 8, 2020, at UW Medicine hospitals in Seattle or to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago with COVID-19. It was discovered that two easily measurable signs of health at home – respiration rate and blood-oxygen saturation are distinctly predictive of higher mortality rate.

These data help one predict the progress of their illness and the right time to seek hospital admission for early medical intervention.

Early Signs to measure COVID-19 Severity

Black Fungus of Intestine: New COVID-19 Complication
In Delhi, a new complication of mucormycosis or black fungal infection infecting the lower intestine of two patients has been detected.

"Initially, most patients with COVID don't have difficulty breathing. They can have quite low oxygen saturation and still be asymptomatic. If patients follow the current guidance, because they may not get short of breath until their blood oxygen is quite low, then we are missing a chance to intervene early with life-saving treatment," says Dr. Nona Sotoodehnia, fellow cardiologist and co-lead author of the study, University of Washington School of Medicine.

It was seen that only a few reported feeling short of breath or coughing regardless of blood oxygen while other patients frequently had hypoxemia (low blood-oxygen saturation; 91% or below for this study) or tachypnea (fast, shallow breathing; 23 breaths per minute for this study).

Samsung Biologics Agrees for Vaccine Production Deal With Moderna
Samsung Biologics, a South Korean biopharmaceutical firm, has signed a deal to manufacture Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine at its local factory.

All-cause in-hospital mortality was measured in the study. It was also found that overall, 197 patients died in the hospital. Mortality risk was 1.8 to 4.0 times greater in hypoxemic patients when compared to those admitted with normal blood oxygen. Similarly, compared to patients admitted with normal respiratory rates, those with tachypnea had a mortality risk of 1.9 to 3.2 times greater. By contrast, other clinical signs at admission, including temperature, heart rates, and blood pressure, were not associated with mortality. Supplemental oxygen was required by nearly all patients with hypoxemia and tachypnea which, when paired with inflammation-reducing glucocorticoids, can effectively treat acute cases of COVID-19.

It was noted that only patients on supplemental oxygen benefit from the life-saving effects of glucocorticoids. The findings have relevance for family-medicine practitioners and virtual-care providers, who typically are first-line clinical contacts for people who have received a positive COVID-19 test result and want to monitor meaningful symptoms.

Doctors Advise Not to Believe in Prescriptions on Social Media
Even as recovery rate in India is improving, doctors advise people not to believe in prescriptions given in social media and to take proper care of their body post COVID-19.

"We recommend that the CDC and [World Health Organization] consider recasting their guidelines to account for this population of asymptomatic people who actually merit hospital admission and care. But people don't walk around knowing WHO and CDC guidelines; we get this guidance from our physicians and news stories. An even simpler measure is respiratory rate - how many breaths you take in a minute. Ask a friend or family member to monitor you for a minute while you're not paying attention to your breathing, and if you hit 23 breaths per minute, you should contact your physician," says Dr. Neal Chatterjee of the University of Washington School of Medicine.

The authors thereby recommend that people with positive COVID-19 test results, particularly those at higher risk of adverse outcomes due to advanced age or obesity, should buy or borrow a pulse oximeter (clip-like devices fit over a fingertip) and monitor for blood oxygen below 92%.

Source-Medindia