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Letters to the editor
Author(s) -
Gruel Suzann M.,
Monsivais Jose J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
microsurgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.031
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1098-2752
pISSN - 0738-1085
DOI - 10.1002/micr.1920120313
Subject(s) - citation , gateway (web page) , library science , medicine , memphis , associate editor , world wide web , computer science , botany , biology
We surveyed 603 long-term ventilation (LTV) patients in two large centres, Nottingham University Hospitals and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, about shielding, and 86.6% reported observing strict adherence to shielding. Of those surveyed, 30 (5%) reported having developed COVID-19 symptoms but only two (0.33%) tested positive with none requiring admission. Figure 1 shows comparative retrospective data from our LTV patients demonstrating a 76% reduction in hospital admissions between March to June 2019 and 2020. Similarly, a 37% reduction was also observed in all-cause acute NIV admissions (54 in 2019 to 34 in 2020). These reductions are superior to what can be achieved by pulmonary rehabilitation (33%)1 or by using combined inhaler therapy for COPD (24%).2 It is likely that these vulnerable patients were trying to avoid hospital admission, but it would be dif cult to be treated in the community for severe hypercapnic respiratory failure requiring non-invasive ventilation.