Podcast 560:  Imaging in a COVID world

Podcast 560: Imaging in a COVID world

Contributor: Don Stader, MD

Educational Pearls:

  • COVID-19 commonly appears as a bilateral patchy infiltrate on chest radiograph, but this is a non-specific finding
    • Sensitivities range from 17-70% for COVID-19
    • Many other viral pneumonias such as RSV and influenza can have similar findings
  • Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) demonstrates B-lines, water-fall sign, or hepatization of the lung, but these are also non-specific
  • Computerized tomography (CT) appears to be one of the more sensitive tests for detecting COVID-19, demonstrating ground-glass opacities - often before or without the patient having symptoms
    • However, routine use of CT for diagnosis COVID-19 is strongly discouraged by many medical societies and the CDC
  • Imaging may not be necessary in most patients presenting with suspected COVID-19 for multiple reasons:
    • Diagnosis is often clinical suspicion, with or without confirmatory PCR testing (if available)
    • Imaging does little to change the management in the majority of patients with COVID-19
    • Obtaining imaging exposes additional healthcare workers
    • Cleaning protocols for units (especially CT) can be extensive and require significant downtime of the machine, thereby leading to delays in care

References

  1. Farkas, Josh. "COVID-19." EMCrit Project, 21 Apr. 2020, emcrit.org/ibcc/covid19/#labs.
  2. Guan W. et al. Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China. February 28, 2020, updated on March 6, 2020, at NEJM.org. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2002032

Summarized by Jackson Roos, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD

Jaksot(1146)

Podcast #286: Coronary Vascular Conditions that aren't STEMI

Podcast #286: Coronary Vascular Conditions that aren't STEMI

Author: Don Stader, M.D. Educational Pearls While we usually associate the coronary vasculature with STEMIs, there are other pathologies that can affect the heart's blood supply. Kounis syndrome: an ...

3 Tammi 20184min

Podcast #285: C Diff

Podcast #285: C Diff

Author: Aaron Lessen, M.D. Educational Pearls While C. difficile infections are generally thought of as nosocomial, there is a subset of patients who acquire the infection in the community. One rece...

1 Tammi 20182min

Podcast #284: Plane Emergencies

Podcast #284: Plane Emergencies

Author: Erik Verzemneicks, M.D. Educational Pearls 1/600 flights has an on-board request for medical assistance. Most common complaints on board include: syncope, respiratory complaints, and GI compl...

29 Joulu 20173min

Podcast #283: Snow Blindness

Podcast #283: Snow Blindness

Author: John Winkler, M.D. Educational Pearls Photokeratitis is a UV burn of the sclera and cornea, which can cause blindness. UV light causes eyelid swelling with diffuse scarring of the eye (wides...

27 Joulu 20173min

Podcast #282: EKG Changes in DKA

Podcast #282: EKG Changes in DKA

Author: Dave Rosenberg, M.D. Educational Pearls EKG changes that can be seen in DKA include ST elevation and peaked T-waves secondary to derangements in K levels. In DKA, serum K is high, but total ...

25 Joulu 20173min

Deep Dive #8: Wintertime Wilderness Medicine

Deep Dive #8: Wintertime Wilderness Medicine

Author: John Winkler, M.D. Dr. Winkler shares his knowledge of wilderness medicine and provides insight on how to prevent and treat conditions such as hypothermia, frostbite and sun blindness. More im...

18 Joulu 201729min

Podcast #281: Intracranial Hemorrhage Treatment

Podcast #281: Intracranial Hemorrhage Treatment

Podcast #281: Intracranial Hemorrhage Treatment Author: Don Stader, M.D. Educational Pearls Types of traumatic bleeds include subdural, epidural, and subarachnoid. Treatment for a traumatic bleed inc...

15 Joulu 20172min

Podcast #280: Isolated Aphasia in Stroke

Podcast #280: Isolated Aphasia in Stroke

Author: Aaron Lessen, M.D. Educational Pearls Patients with an ischemic stroke from occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery often present with aphasia in addition to other neurological deficits....

11 Joulu 20171min

Suosittua kategoriassa Tiede

rss-poliisin-mieli
tiedekulma-podcast
rss-mita-tulisi-tietaa
docemilia
rss-luontopodi-samuel-glassar-tutkii-luonnon-ihmeita
rss-duodecim-lehti
utelias-mieli
radio-antro
rss-astetta-parempi-elama-podcast
rss-lapsuuden-rakentajat-podcast
rss-lihavuudesta-podcast
rss-sosiopodi