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Review
. 2022;11(1):115-120.
doi: 10.14283/jfa.2021.30.

Prone Positioning of Older Adults with COVID-19: A Brief Review and Proposed Protocol

D E Brazier  1 , N Perneta, F E Lithander, E J Henderson
Affiliations
Review

Prone Positioning of Older Adults with COVID-19: A Brief Review and Proposed Protocol

D E Brazier et al. J Frailty Aging. 2022.

Abstract

COVID-19 disproportionately affects older people, with higher rates of infection and a higher risk of adverse outcomes. A brief review of literature was undertaken to inform development of a protocol describing the indications and process of prone positioning to aid the management of COVID-19 infection in non-mechanically ventilated, awake older adults. PubMed was searched up to 14th January 2021 to identify English language papers that described prone positioning procedures used in non-mechanically ventilated patients. Data were pooled to inform the development of a prone positioning protocol for use in hospital ward environments. The protocol was trialled and refined during routine clinical practice. Screening of 146 articles yielded five studies detailing a prone positioning protocol. Prone positioning is a potentially feasible and tolerated treatment adjunct for hypoxaemia in older adults with COVID-19. Future studies should further establish the efficacy, safety, and tolerability in respiratory illnesses in non-intensive care settings.

Keywords: COVID-19; Prone position; non-pharmaceutical interventions; older adults; pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

DEB and FEL report grants from The Gatsby Foundation during the conduct of the study; NP has nothing to disclose; EJH reports grants from The Gatsby Foundation, The Dunhill Trust, and National Institute of Health Research, personal fees from Bial, Abbvie, Ever, Profile pharma, and Luye, outside the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prone positioning of older adults with COVID-19 infection
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prone positioning manoeuvre
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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