Tag Archives: coronavirus

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Changed Your Practice

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19, also known as SARS-CoV-2) was declared an official pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020, with infections reported in all countries around the world. As of today, November 12, 2020, there have been almost 53 million cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide, with over 1.3 million COVID-19-associated deaths.

This pandemic is severe, and the mortality and morbidity associated with this disease cannot be overstated. Although most infected patients are either asymptomatic or experience mild symptoms, a significant number end up in serious or critical condition. This is the patient population that develops a number of complications that affect all body systems, and this group of patients should be very closely monitored in the hospital setting.

Radiology professionals play a significant role in the diagnosis of infected individuals, identification of complications that are not apparent on physical exam or laboratory analysis, and the follow-up imaging assessment of known COVID-related complications. Given that this virus is highly contagious, it became very apparent that safe methods for patient assessment had to be designed and implemented. Ultrasound serves as a first-line imaging modality for evaluation of a number of COVID-19 pathologies and related complications, including evaluation of pulmonary, hepatobiliary, renal, gastrointestinal, and cardiac manifestations. It is the modality of choice in the pediatric population and in pregnant patients. Moreover, ultrasound plays a critical role in the evaluation of patency of peripheral and central vascular systems, including both the arterial and venous circulation as well as solid organ perfusion.

Due to the highly contagious nature of COVID-19, our routine ultrasound radiology practice had to undergo dramatic changes in order to ensure proper infection prevention. We accomplished this through the establishment of control measures and good hygiene practices that were shown to limit spread of COVID‐19 and protect patients, sonographers, and physicians. In addition to following specific guidelines (established at the beginning of the pandemic by the ACR and the SRU) for cleaning and disinfection of ultrasound equipment and use of personal protective equipment (PPE), we also incorporated our own changes that we found to be beneficial in preventing spread of the infection and limiting staff exposure. 

At our institution, all patients are considered to be SARS-CoV-2 persons under investigation (PUI), including those without respiratory or digestive symptoms, and appropriate safeguards are taken while performing examinations.

Given the fact that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs primarily through respiratory droplets, fomites, and possibly aerosols, we emphasize the use of portable ultrasound imaging at the patient’s bedside whenever feasible, with the radiology staff wearing appropriate PPE, including an N95 mask, gloves, protective eyewear or an overlying face shield, and a disposable gown.We request that all patients wear surgical masks during the examination.    

Equipment must be disinfected after every exposure to COVID-19 positive or suspected positive patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), surfaces need to be either washed with soap and water or decontaminated using a low-level or intermediate-level disinfectant such as iodophor germicidal detergent solution, ethyl alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol. Vendors should be contacted to determine the safest disinfectant for each piece of equipment. Radiology technologists should perform sanitizing procedures while remaining in full PPE.    

It is uncertain how long the air within an examination room remains infectious. Contributing factors likely include the size of the room, the number of air exchanges per hour, the length of time the patient was in the room, type of filters installed in the room, and whether an aerosol-generating procedure was performed. Use of air exchange measures vary depending on the availability of equipment. At our institutions, a 20-minute downtime is mandated for disinfection of the air in an examination room.

The keyboard and monitor of the ultrasound equipment are covered with a plastic drape or cover, and only the required probes are utilized during specific examinations. External transducers require low-level disinfection between procedures, while internal transducers require a single-use transducer cover and high-level disinfection between patients. It should be noted that products that are alcohol-based should be avoided when cleaning keyboards and track balls. If possible, a dedicated machine should be utilized for COVID-positive or suspected-positive patients. The machine should be cleaned with an EPA-approved disinfectant for viral pathogens, by a technologist in full PPE.

One of the primary changes that we implemented within our ultrasound division is the utilization of abbreviated protocols while imaging COVID-19 patients. We found that abbreviated protocols are useful and sufficient for the diagnosis of most COVID-19-related pathologies and complications, and are usually able to provide answers to the questions posed by referring clinicians. We strongly believe that abbreviated protocols have allowed us to decrease technologists’ exposure to the infection and the amount of time spent during imaging exams. When performing ultrasound examinations, we focus only on the area of interest and acquire cine clips rather than still images during the exam. It has also been shown that post processing of images, including image labeling and parameter optimization, significantly decrease the amount of time spent on scanning.

Lastly, it is important to recognize that not every patient benefits from imaging. We carefully review requests for imaging studies with the patient providers and try to weigh the benefits of imaging against the risk of exposure. The guiding principle to keep in mind is that studies don’t need to be performed unless patient management is going to be affected by the imaging findings. 

The ultrasound workforce provides a valuable clinical service but is particularly vulnerable because of the prolonged close physical contact between staff and patients. Hopefully, this blog post will serve as a resource to help practitioners improve safety and minimize exposure risk during the performance of ultrasound examinations.

From top left: Basilic vein thrombosis, chest wall hematoma, gallbladder sludge, internal jugular vein occlusion, lung consolidation with air bronchograms, lung interstitial edema with B lines, popliteal artery occlusion, and urinary bladder clot.
Lung US annotated B lines and pleural thickening.

For additional reference:

  1. Revzin MV, Raza S, Warshawsky R, D’Agostino C, Srivastava NC, Bader AS, Malhotra A, Patel RD, Chen K, Kyriakakos C, Pellerito JS. “Multisystem Imaging Manifestations of COVID-19, Part 1: Viral Pathogenesis and Pulmonary and Vascular System Complications”. RadioGraphics 2020 Oct;40(6):1574–1599. doi: 10.1148/rg.2020200149 Monograph Issue.
  2. Revzin MV, Raza S, Srivastava NC, Warshawsky R, D’Agostino C, Malhotra A, Bader AS, Patel RD, Chen K, Kyriakakos C, Pellerito JS. “Multisystem Imaging Manifestations of COVID-19, Part 2: From Cardiac Complications to Pediatric Manifestations.” Radiographics 2020 Nov–Dec;40(7):1866–1892. doi: 10.1148/rg.2020200195.

Margarita V. Revzin, MD, MS, FSRU, FAIUM, is an Associate Professor of Diagnostic Radiology in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at Yale University School of Medicine, in New Haven, Connecticut.

Interested in learning more about ultrasound and COVID-19? Check out the following posts from the Scan:

Using AI and Ultrasound to Diagnose COVID-19 Faster

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly identified virus that has caused a recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses starting from an isolated event to a global pandemic. As of July 2020, there are over 2.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and over 11.4 million worldwide. In the United States alone, over 130,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, with no end in sight. A major cause of this rapid and seemingly endless expansion can be traced back to the inefficiency and shortage of testing kits that offer accurate results in a timely manner. The lack of optimized tools necessary for rapid mass testing produces a ripple effect that includes the health of your loved ones, jobs, education, and on the national level, a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but artificial intelligence and ultrasound may help.

STATE OF ART IN DIAGNOSIS

Prof. Alper Yilmaz, PhDCurrently, there are two types of tests that are conducted by healthcare professionals–diagnostic tests and antibody tests. The diagnostic test, as the name implies, helps diagnose an active coronavirus infection in a patient. The ideal diagnostic test and the “gold standard” according to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) is the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction, or simply, RT-PCR. RT-PCR is a molecular test not only capable of diagnosing an active coronavirus infection, but it can also indicate whether the patient has ever had COVID-19 or were infected with the coronavirus in the past. However, the time required to conduct the test limits its effectiveness when mass deployed.

A much faster but less reliable diagnostic test alternative to RT-PCR is an antigen test. Much like the gold standard, the antigen test is capable of detecting an active coronavirus infection in a much shorter timeframe. Although antigen tests produce rapid results, usually in about an hour, the results are deemed highly unreliable, especially with patients who were tested negative according to the US FDA.

In contrast, the antibody test is designed to search for antibodies produced by the immune system of a patient in response to the virus and is limited by its ability to only detect past infections, which is less than ideal to prevent an ongoing pandemic.

THE PROBLEM 

To combat the rapid expansion of an airborne virus such as COVID-19, or future variations of a similar virus, rapid and reliable solutions must be developed that aim at improving the limitations of current methods. Although highly accurate, methods such as RT-PCR do not meet the speed requirements needed for testing on a large scale. Depending on the location, diagnosis of an active coronavirus infection with RT-PCR may take anywhere between several hours and up to a week. When the number of daily human-to-human interactions are considered, the lack of speed in diagnosing an active coronavirus patient could be the difference between a pandemic or an isolated local event.

As an alternative to molecular tests, Computed Tomography (CT) scans of a patient’s chest have shown promising results in detecting an infection. However, in addition to not being recommended by the CDC to diagnose COVID-19 patients, there are many unwanted consequences with the use of CT scans. With CT scans used to diagnose multiple illnesses, some of which relate to serious emergencies such as brain hemorrhaging, they cannot be used as the primary tool for diagnosing COVID-19. This is especially true in rural areas where the healthcare infrastructure is underfunded. Mainly due to the required deep cleaning of the machine and room after each patient, which usually requires 60 to 120 minutes, many institutions are unable to provide CT scans as a viable primary diagnostic tool. Ultimately, given the need for CT scanners for several other health complications combined with limited patient capacity at each hospital, alternative methods must be developed to diagnose an active coronavirus patient.

THE SOLUTION 

Recently Point-of-Care (POC) devices have started to be adopted by many healthcare professionals due to its reliability and portability. An emerging popular technique, which adopts improvements made in mobile ultrasound technology, allows for healthcare professionals to conduct rapid screenings on a large scale.

Working since mid-March, when early cases of physicians adopting mobile ultrasound technology emerged, the research team at The Ohio State University, Dr. Alper Yilmaz and PhD student Shehan Perera, started developing a solution that can automate an already well-established process. Dr. Yilmaz is the director of the Photogrammetric Computer Vision lab at Ohio State. Dr. Yilmaz’s expertise in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and computer vision combined with the research experience of Shehan Perera laid a strong foundation to tackle the problem at hand. As it stands, the screening of a new patient, with the use of a mobile ultrasound device takes about 13 minutes, with the caveat that it requires a highly trained professional to interpret the results generated by the device. With the combination of deep learning and computer vision, the research team was able to use data generated from the ultrasound device to accurately identify COVID-19 cases. The current network architecture, which is the product of many iterations, is capable of detecting the presence of the virus in a patient with a high level of accuracy.

Many fields have been revolutionized with modern deep learning and computer vision technologies. With the methods developed by the research team, this technology can now allow any untrained worker to use a handheld ultrasound device, and still be able to provide a service that rivals that of a highly trained doctor. In addition to being extremely accurate, the automated detection and diagnosis process takes less than 10 minutes, which includes scanning time, and sanitation is as simple as removing a plastic seal that covers the device. The benefits of this technology can not only be useful for countries such as the United States, with a well-established healthcare system, but, more importantly, can significantly help countries and areas where medical expertise is rare.

CONCLUSION 

The United States healthcare system is among the best in the world, yet we are failing to provide the necessary treatment patients clearly need. The developments made in artificial intelligence, deep learning, and computer vision offer proven benefits, which can not only be leveraged to improve the current state of the global pandemic but can lay the foundation to prevent the next. Alternative testing methods such as mobile ultrasound devices combined with novel artificial intelligence algorithms that allow for mass production, distribution, and testing could be the innovation that could help decelerate the spread of the virus, reducing the strain on the global healthcare infrastructure.

Feel Free to Reach the Authors at: 

Photogrammetric Computer Vision Lab – https://pcvlab.engineering.osu.edu/
Dr. Alper Yilmaz, PhD
Email: Yilmaz.15@osu.du
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alper-yilmaz

Shehan Perera
Email: Perera.27@osu.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shehanp/

References 

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/coronavirus-testing-basics

https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/depth-look-COVID-19s-early-effects-consumer-spending-gdp/#:~:text=BEA%20estimates%20that%20real%20GDP,first%20decline%20in%20six%20years.&text=This%20drop%20in%20GDP%20serves,in%20response%20to%20COVID%2D19.

 

Interested in learning more about COVID-19 or AI? Check out the following posts from the Scan:

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The Invisible Front Line

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2020’s trials seem to have come on like a freight train; full steam ahead with no signs of stopping. Australia was still burning when we first heard stories of a novel virus with pandemic potential in Wuhan, China. Numbers and other details seemed to change daily. Weeks went by as we watched world news intently, taking note of the infection rate and death toll, all the while steeling ourselves for a possible outbreak at home. As much as we tried to go about our daily lives, Wuhan and the virus was never too far from our minds. Was this virus airborne? There were still so many unanswered questions, but one thing was certain; COVID-19 was spreading like wildfire and it was only a matter of time now before we would be on our own front line.Huang

Sonographers and other medical professionals soon began deployment into COVID wards in our own hospitals: areas that had been sealed off and outfitted as negative pressure cohort units to treat the infected patients. Then the deluge of daily updates and dizzying policy changes began as we tried to keep up with CDC guidelines. Rumors surfaced of limited PPE (personal protective equipment) supplies. Only doctors and nurses needed n95s? Regular procedure masks were fine for everyone else? Surely that was incorrect. Surely they knew what kind of prolonged contact sonographers have with our patients? X-ray was making contact with every patient under investigation (PUI). CT was scanning countless chests. Worries intensified as we all tried to navigate this new reality.

I’ll never forget my first assignment in the cohort. Only one other sonographer in my department had gone into the cohort at that time. He relayed seeing 3 morgue carts lining a hallway on his first trip inside. I thought about that often in the days that followed and I knew my turn was coming. How would I handle that? Some of our respiratory therapy (RT) and interventional radiology (IR) colleagues had tested positive by this time. I thought about my little boy. I saw news coverage of doctors and nurses who were self-quarantining after their shifts to decrease the potential spread to their families. I didn’t have that option as a single mother.

Finally, it came: my first COVID+ request. I told myself it would be fine. I just needed to be brave, be safe, and stay alert. I’ve never been to battle but having the media images in my mind and knowing the death toll numbers, I imagined this is what it might feel like on some small level. I thought about the PPE shortage and the rumors that we wouldn’t have access to n95s. I steeled my nerves and walked one foot in front of the other with Apollo (my LOGIQ E10). I arrived outside the cohort and was immediately greeted by the plastic sheeting that sealed off the unit. I found an anteroom with shelves overflowing with supplies. A lovely volunteer helped outfit me with everything I needed: a fresh n95, a surgical mask to go on top, a contact gown, shoe covers, eye protection, and a scrub hat. We exchanged nervous chatter for a moment as she gave me a once over to make sure I was ready. She opened the door and I exhaled as I walked inside.

As I made my way to my first patient, I noticed things were definitely different. Physicians and nurses donned full respirator masks, patient information was written on the room windows so staff could see information such as code status from the hallway, and iv poles with extra tubing sat outside of patient rooms so nurses could adjust pumps without going inside. I also learned that doctors were either doing virtual or modified rounds with one MD per team going into the patient’s room while the rest stayed outside. One came in during my 30-minute exam. As I stood hip-to-hip with my patient, he stood at the foot of the bed, asked the patient a few questions, and was gone in about 2 minutes. It struck me how much extra caution was being taken for doctors and nurses to limit their exposure times.

Some other things in the cohort looked like business as usual. I saw radiographers and cardiac sonographers going about their usual work. I saw food service delivering meals. I saw housekeeping working to stay on top of the mountains of doffed contact gowns and other garbage. Everyone was working individually on this front line for a common goal: our patients. Yet, as I arrived home that day and turned on the news, I was once again told by the media that nurses and doctors are the essential workers in this pandemic. While I absolutely believe nurses and doctors deserve every ounce of recognition they receive, I sometimes think people forget that it takes a team to deliver excellent patient care. I was fortunate enough to be able to share my experiences with Alison Bowen of the Chicago Tribune recently in the hopes of illuminating just some of what we do in a day as Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

My first patient had a seizure during my exam that day. As I approached my second patient’s room to perform a liver Doppler, a doctor sitting outside of the room informed me the patient had just passed away. My third patient was about to receive a Foley catheter and was extremely nervous. Her nurse asked me to help assist before I started my ultrasound. The patient was still very nervous so I went to the hallway to find extra help. I asked an employee there if she wouldn’t mind coming in and holding the patient’s hand. She looked behind herself and then back at me before stating, “I’m just EVS [environmental services] but I’m happy to help if it’s OK.” She donned a gown and jumped right in.

 

Angela Huang, BS, RDMS (AB,OB/GYN,PS), RVT, is a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer for a large research hospital in Chicago. She attended DePaul University for undergraduate studies where she majored in Biology. Huang went on to Sonography school at El Centro College in Dallas, Texas. Now, she has a 10-year-old son who keeps her laughing and they love to travel and explore.

Interested in learning more about COVID-19? Check out the following posts from the Scan:

 

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The Personal Touch: The importance of human interactions in ultrasound

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As I write this, the novel coronavirus COVID-19 is spreading across the globe, inciting fear and anxiety. Aside from frequent hand-washing and other routine precautions, many leaders, officials, and bloggers are advocating for limiting person-to-person contact. This has resulted in cancelation of many professional society meetings, sporting events, and social gatherings, and has stimulated new conversations regarding working from home and virtual meetings. Although these suggestions have many clear benefits (such as the decreased burden of commuting; limiting the spread of infection), there are additional reports describing the impact loss of face-to-face interactions may have on job satisfaction, workflow efficiency, and quality.Fetzer-David-14-2

The current practice of medicine, more than ever, relies on a team approach. No one individual has the time, knowledge, or experience to tackle all aspects of an individual’s care. No one is an island. Unlike many television shows that highlight a single physician performing everything from brain surgery to infectious disease testing, the reality is that we each rely on countless other members of the healthcare team. That practice of medical imaging, ultrasound, in particular, is no different. Whether we work in a radiology, cardiology or vascular, or obstetrical/gynecology practice, the team, and more importantly the relationship between team members, is paramount to an effective and impactful practice.

As a radiologist in a busy academic center, I rely on and value my personal relationship with my team of 50+ sonographers. These relationships have been facilitated by day-to-day, face-to-face interactions, allowing me to get to know the person behind the ultrasound images. These interactions foster an environment of trust. For my most experienced sonographers, my implicit trust ultimately leads to fast, efficient and precise exam interpretations, while for sonographers I rarely work with, my index of suspicion regarding a finding is naturally heightened, impacting my confidence in my diagnosis and thus affecting my interpretation, and ultimately how my report drives patient care.

The trust goes both ways: a strong relationship also fosters honest communication whereby sonographers can come to me with questions or concerns regarding exam appropriateness, adjustments to imaging protocols, and the relevance of a specific imaging finding. The direct interaction provides an opportunity for sonographers, new and experienced, to be provided immediate direct feedback regarding their study—they can learn from me, and often I from them, making us all that much better at the end of the workday.

In addition to trust, open communication allows for users of ultrasound to take advantage of one of the key differentiating features of ultrasound compared to other modalities: the dynamic, real-time nature of image acquisition. Protocol variations can be discussed on-the-fly. Preliminary findings can be shared with the interpreter, and additional images can be obtained immediately, without having to rely on call-backs, inaccurate reports, and reliance of follow up imaging (often by other modalities). This ultimately enhances patient care and decreases healthcare costs. In our practice, we have the ability to add contrast-enhanced ultrasound for an incidental finding, allowing us to make definitive diagnoses immediately, without having to recommend a CT or MRI—this would not be possible if it were not for a personalized checkout process.

We continue to hear about changes in ultrasound workflow across the country: sonographers and physicians, small groups and large, academic and private practices have all considered or have already implemented changes that minimize the communication between sonographer and study interpreter. This places more responsibility on the sonographer to function independently, and minimizes or even eliminates the opportunities for quality control and education. Sonographer notes and worksheets, and electronic QA systems, are poor substitutes for the often more nuanced human interaction. In my experience, these personal encounters enhance job satisfaction, and the lack of it risks stagnating learning and personal drive. There have been many sonographers that have left local practices to join our medical center specifically to take advantage of the sonographer-radiologist interaction we continue to nurture.

Some elements driving these transformations are difficult to change: growing numbers of patients; increasing reliance on medical imaging; medical group consolidation; etc. Many changes to sonographer workflow have been fueled by a focus on efficiency (decreasing scan time, improving modality turn-around times, etc.). Unfortunately, these changes have been made with little regard to how limiting team member communication impacts examination quality, job satisfaction, and patient outcomes; for those of you in a position to address workflow changes, consider these factors. For sonographers yearning for this relationship, do not be afraid to reach out to your colleagues and supervising physicians—ask questions, be curious, and engage with them. Nearly everyone appreciates a human interaction, and even the toughest personality can be cracked with a smile and some persistence. In the end, it is the human interactions and the open and honest communication that not only make us better healthcare providers but happier and healthier human beings.

 

David Fetzer, MD, is an assistant professor in the Abdominal Imaging Division, as well as is the Medical Director of Ultrasound in the Department of Radiology at the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

 

Interested in reading more about communication? Check out the following posts from the Scan: