Open AccessThe suspected SARS-Cov-2 infection in a Charcot-Marie-Tooth patient undergoing postsurgical rehabilitation: the value of telerehabilitation for evaluation and continuing treatment
Author(s) -
Valeria Prada,
Emilia Bellone,
Angelo Sche,
Marina Grandis
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of rehabilitation research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.452
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1473-5660
pISSN - 0342-5282
DOI - 10.1097/mrr.0000000000000418
Subject(s) - telerehabilitation , medicine , tooth disease , covid-19 , rehabilitation , pandemic , anticipation (artificial intelligence) , limiting , telemedicine , disease , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , health care , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , mechanical engineering , artificial intelligence , computer science , engineering , economics , economic growth
We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of a probable COVID-19 infection in a 28-year-old man with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The diagnosis was established through a remote interaction with the patient after early discharge from outpatient therapy due to upcoming traveling restrictions. The COVID-19 disease appeared mild, without major respiratory problems, and no obvious neuromuscular deterioration was reported or observed. Telerehabilitation provided an opportunity to continue with hand rehabilitation after tendon transfer surgery, perform an ad-hoc online evaluation, and advise the patient how to prevent the spread of infection and cope with restrictions limiting outpatient visits. This experience seems valuable for further development of telerehabilitation in anticipation of future pandemics or adversarial events since it allows reaching out to patients unable to travel and overcomes the need for regular outpatient visits.