Best practices for sepsis care and recovery offer physicians numerous lessons to promote quicker recoveries for patients with severe COVID-19 cases, two physicians wrote in an op-ed published in JAMA.
The op-ed's authors are:
- Hallie Prescott, MD, associate professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor
- Timothy Girard, MD, associate professor of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh (Pa.) School of Medicine
Up to one-fifth of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 develop severe cases, which may entail viral sepsis or acute acute respiratory distress syndrome, Drs. Prescott and Girard said.
"Given that the acute manifestations of severe COVID-19 are similar in many ways to those of sepsis in general, survivors of severe COVID-19 are anticipated to experience similar challenges as other sepsis survivors," they said.
Research shows sepsis survivors face several long-term issues related to the condition, including post traumatic stress disorder, pulmonary dysfunction and decreased quality of life from health issues. Researchers said patients who have survived COVID-19 may experience issues even more severe than those of sepsis patients since the pandemic has interrupted normal healthcare practices.
Intensive care unit physicians can prevent some of these adverse outcomes by "prioritizing sedation minimization, daily breathing trials, early mobility and other evidence-based practices," the authors wrote. They acknowledged that some of these practices, which require a lot of time and clinical coordination, may not always be feasible for overwhelmed ICUs.
The authors also said patients who develop viral sepsis from COVID-19 may benefit from the following care recommendations:
- Anticipatory guidance about potential new problems
- Screening for new impairments at hospital discharge and early outpatient follow-up
- Anticipation and mitigation of risk for common and preventable health deterioration
- Medication optimization and referral or instructions for a structured exercise program
To view the full op-ed, click here.