Articles: coronavirus.
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Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med · Sep 2020
Implementing a video call visit system in a coronavirus disease 2019 unit.
The lockdown and physical distancing strategies imposed to combat COVID-19 have caused seismic shifts at all levels of society. Hospitals have been particularly affected. Healthcare workers (HCW's) wore PPE during all patient interactions and visitors were prohibited. ⋯ In this article we discuss the elements of a successful implementation and potential pitfalls in the context of a pandemic, notably cross-infection and privacy. Rapid but responsible innovation using 21st century tools was required to address the many challenges of the pandemic, including improving the lived experience for patients and families. These should be intended to last after the pandemic has passed.
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European urology focus · Sep 2020
A Snapshot from the Department of Urology in Bergamo Evaluating the Timeline of the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak: Which Patients Are We Missing?
The province of Bergamo in Italy and in particular Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital was one of the first areas to be hit by the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and experience firsthand all the different phases of the crisis. We describe the timeline of the changes in overall urological workload during the outbreak period from lockdown to the slow reopening of activities. ⋯ PATIENT We present a snapshot of changes in urology during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in our hospital in Bergamo, Italy. The effect of medical lockdown on outcomes for untreated or underdiagnosed patients is still unknown.
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European urology focus · Sep 2020
Comment LetterRe: Maria J. Ribal, Philip Cornford, Alberto Briganti, et al. European Association of Urology Guidelines Office Rapid Reaction Group: An Organisation-wide Collaborative Effort to Adapt the European Association of Urology Guidelines Recommendations to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era. Eur Urol. In press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2020.04.056: Metastatic Prostate Cancer and COVID-19: Do Current Data Allow Modification of Established Treatment Recommendations?
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European urology focus · Sep 2020
ReviewForecasting the Future of Urology Practice: A Comprehensive Review of the Recommendations by International and European Associations on Priority Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The unprecedented health care scenario caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has revolutionized urology practice worldwide. ⋯ Overall, there was a large consensus among different urological associations/societies regarding the prioritization of most urological procedures, including those in the outpatient setting, urological emergencies, and many inpatient surgeries for both oncological and nononcological conditions. On the contrary, some differences were found regarding specific cancer surgeries (ie, radical cystectomy for higher-risk bladder cancer and nephrectomy for larger organ-confined renal masses), potentially due to different prioritization criteria and/or health care contexts. In the future, the outpatient procedures that are likely to impact the burden of urologists' workload most are prostate biopsies and elective procedures for benign conditions. In the inpatient setting, the most relevant contributors to this burden are represented by elective surgeries for lower-risk prostate and renal cancers, nonobstructing stone disease, and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
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The first cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) infections were recorded in China in November 2019. Since its appearance in China at the end of last year, the virus has spread to all continents causing a "global pandemic". To date, some aspects remain to be investigate about the pathophysiology of this viral infection. ⋯ RAS is a physiological system playing a key role in different human body functions regulation. SARS-CoV-2 uses the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), a component of RAS, as a potential factor of cell penetration and infectivity; in addition, in the different infection stages, a functional variation of the RAS has been noted. In this article, we discuss the correlation between the role of RAS and system-modifying agents, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and direct renin inhibitors (DRIs), with SARS-CoV-2 infection.