Managing COPD exacerbation at home- Teleconsultations amid COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Due to an enormous health care crisis arising out of COVID-19 pandemic, alternate methods of seeking treatment like tele-consultation proved useful to patients. We assessed the role of teleconsultation in managing COPD exacerbations at home in the times of COVID-19 crisis. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of 527 diagnosed cases of COPD seeking treatment for exacerbation of their illness telephonically because of difficulty in visiting the hospitals created by the COVID-19 lockdown. Data were collected telephonically and via social media platforms from April 7,2020 to October 29, 2020. The patients were treated for exacerbation and followed telephonically at day 3,5,7, 14 and day 30. Patients who turned to be COVID-19 positive were referred to COVID health facility centers. Results: 509 patients out of 527 patients were treated for exacerbation of COPD, 18 patients tested positive for COVID-19. Out of 509, 13 patients did not improve and had to be referred to hospital. All of them had acute respiratory failure (Type 2) as documented by their arterial blood gas analysis. 2 out of them did not survive. 496 out of 509 (97.4%) patients of COPD exacerbation were successfully treated via teleconsultations and with a follow-up of 4 weeks period minimum for all the patients. Conclusion: Teleconsultation provided excellent means to manage COPD exacerbation remotely with equally effective outcome as seen in hospital care in the times of health care crises due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

• copd
• covid-19
• exacerbation
• lockdown
• teleconsultation