Artur Z Santos , Pierangelo T Baglio MD , Gabriel da S Viana MD , Guilherme M Hetzel MD , Carla T de Souza PT , Marcelo B Gazzana MD PhD , Cristiano F Andrade MD PhD , Danilo C Berton MD PhD
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Pulmonary function testing (PFT) is paramount in assessing patients with respiratory symptoms and chronic cardiopulmonary diseases. Although seminal studies have demonstrated that PFT generates aerosols, this simple observation does not confirm the potential for enhanced pathogen transmission.
Objective
We aimed to describe the frequency of patients who developed suspected symptoms of COVID-19, prompting SARS-CoV-2 testing after undergoing PFT during the reopening of a laboratory amid the deceleration of the pandemic.
Methods
We analyzed a retrospective cohort of individuals referred for PFT between May and August 2021. Two weeks post-PFT, phone calls were made asking about suspected symptoms of COVID-19, leading to SARS-CoV-2 testing. The medical data of the participants who did not answer the phone calls were reviewed through institutional electronic records. The minimum sample size of 338 individuals was calculated to detect an incidence of COVID-19 at least ten times higher than the surrounding local rate (0.08 %).
Results
Three hundred and sixty patients (40.6 % men; 56.5 ± 17.6 years) were included. PFT was primarily indicated for functional and prognostic assessments of chronic respiratory diseases. Three hundred and sixteen patients answered the follow-up phone calls. Following PFT, most patients (357/360) did not report suspected symptoms leading to COVID-19 confirmation testing. Three patients underwent RT-PCR testing, which yielded negative results.
Conclusion
Patients in this real-life cohort, after performing PFT, did not experience an outbreak (with a rate of at least ten times the surrounding local rate) or a cluster (with two or more cases) of symptomatic COVID-19.
期刊介绍:
Heart & Lung: The Journal of Cardiopulmonary and Acute Care, the official publication of The American Association of Heart Failure Nurses, presents original, peer-reviewed articles on techniques, advances, investigations, and observations related to the care of patients with acute and critical illness and patients with chronic cardiac or pulmonary disorders.
The Journal''s acute care articles focus on the care of hospitalized patients, including those in the critical and acute care settings. Because most patients who are hospitalized in acute and critical care settings have chronic conditions, we are also interested in the chronically critically ill, the care of patients with chronic cardiopulmonary disorders, their rehabilitation, and disease prevention. The Journal''s heart failure articles focus on all aspects of the care of patients with this condition. Manuscripts that are relevant to populations across the human lifespan are welcome.