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. 2022 Mar-Apr;39(2):152-157.
doi: 10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_94_21.

Interventional pulmonology during COVID times: A look back at the year gone by

Ramasubramaniam Kottaisamy  1 , Manish Kumar Aggarwal  1 , Rajiv Goyal  1
Affiliations

Interventional pulmonology during COVID times: A look back at the year gone by

Ramasubramaniam Kottaisamy et al. Lung India. 2022 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis, affecting every sphere of human life. A major challenge for health care workers (HCWs) is to care for patients with a highly contagious airborne disease, while making sure of their own safety. Interventional pulmonology (IP) procedures, like bronchoscopy, are particularly risky due to significant aerosol generation. Guidelines by several scientific bodies were framed on the precautions to be taken while performing IP procedures. We evaluated the IP procedures performed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether the precautions adopted proved adequate in preventing transmission amongst the HCWs involved in these procedures.

Method: We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent IP procedures between March 2020 and November 2020, at a tertiary cancer hospital. We also evaluated the proportion of HCWs, who were involved in these procedures, and were affected by COVID-19, through their health care records.

Results: We performed a total of 506 IP procedures. Two of the 18 HCWs, working in that unit, suffered from COVID-19 and recovered after a mild illness. Three HCWs were isolated with suspected infection but proved to be negative. The procedures in our IP unit were uninterrupted for the entire duration of the study period.

Conclusion: IP procedures can be safely performed even in the presence of a highly contagious viral pandemic with adequate precautions.

Keywords: Interventional pulmonology; SARS-CoV-2; bronchoscopy.

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Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Methodology for elective procedures
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a and b) Protective Aerosol box used during bronchoscopic procedure. (c) Pulmonologist with protective gears while performing bronchoscopy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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