Introduction Telehealth consists in the application of technology to provide remote health service. This resource is considered safe and effective and has attracted an exponential interest in the context of the COVID pandemic. Expanded to dizzy patients, it would be able to provide diagnosis and treatment, minimizing the risk of disease transmission. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common vestibular disorder. The diagnosis typically rests on the description of the symptoms along with the nystagmus observed at a well-established positional testing. Objectives The aim of the present study was to propose a teleconsultation and teletreatment protocol to manage patients with BPPV during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Specialists in the vestibular field met through remote access technologies to discuss the best strategy to manage BPPV patients by teleconsultation and teletreatment system. Additionally, several scientific sources were consulted. Technical issues, patient safety, and clinical assessment were independently analyzed. All relevant information was considered in order to design a clinical protocol to manage BPPV patients in the pandemic context. Results Teleconsultation for BPPV patients requires a double way (video and audio) digital system. An adapted informed consent to follow good clinical practice statements must be considered. The time, trigger and target eye bedside examination (TiTRaTe) protocol has proven to be a valuable first approach. The bow and lean test is the most rational screening maneuver for patients with suspected positional vertigo, followed by most specific maneuvers to diagnostic the sub-variants of BPPV. Conclusion Although with limited evidence, teleconsultation and teletreatment are both reasonable and feasible strategies for the management of patients with BPPV in adverse situations for face-to-face consultation.
Introduction Vestibular disorders (VDs) are highly prevalent in primary care. Although in general they comprise conditions that are not life-threatening, they are associated with significant functional and physical disability. However, the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed limitations on the standard treatment of benign conditions, including VDs. In this context, other resources may aid in the diagnosis and management of patients with VDs. It is well known that teleconsultation and teletreatment are both safe and effective alternatives to manage a variety of conditions, and we maintain that VDs should be among these. Objective To develop a preliminary model of clinical guidelines for the evaluation by teleconsultation of patients with suspected diagnosis of vestibular hypofunction during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Methods A bibliographic review of the diagnostic feasibility in VDs by teleconsultation was carried out in the LILACS, SciELO, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases; books and specialized websites were also consulted. The legal, regulatory, and technical issues involving digital consultations were reviewed. Results We found 6 field studies published between 1990 and 2020 in which the efficiency of teleconsultations was observed in the contexts of epidemics and environmental disorders and disadvantageous geographical conditions. After reviewing them, we proposed a strategy to examine and address vestibular complaints related to vestibular hypofunction. Conclusion The creation of a digital vestibular management algorithm for the identification, counseling, initial intervention, monitoring and targeting of people with possible vestibular hypofunction seems to be feasible, and it will provide a reasonable alternative to in-person evaluations during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Coronaviruses are known to be responsible for infections in humans since the 1960s and have accounted for epidemics in recent human history. More recently, in 2019, a disease caused by a new coronavirus appeared in China, in the province of Wuhan, with a characteristic of greater infectivity, called COVID-19, which has caused a new world pandemic. Considering the need to contain the advance in the number of cases, based on the high rate of transmissibility, several countries have adopted extreme social distancing measures, including the so-called ‘lockdown’. Despite the socioeconomic side effects, the aforementioned measure reduced the progression of the pandemic in countries that adopted it. In Brazil, the state of Ceará was one of the first epicenters of the disease in the country and the state capital city of Fortaleza, on May 8, implemented the lockdown measure to contain the increase in the number of cases. It was then observed, in a tertiary hospital, which is a referral for COVID-19 cases, a decrease in the daily occupancy rate of beds reserved for the pandemic after the lockdown onset, evidencing that this measure leads to a sustainable reduction in bed occupation rates, thus preventing the collapse and overload in health services.
Background Multiple small-bowel diverticulosis comprises a rare entity with probable underestimated incidence, and that may be the reason why it is sometimes overlooked when managing cases with peritonitis. Case report In the present paper, we report the case of a 76-year-old male presenting abdominal pain and fever in an acute setting. Computed tomography (CT) scans revealed jejunal thickening and numerous images of saccular addition that were interpreted as jejunoileal diverticulitis. After an initial period of clinical treatment, surgical management was indicated based on a worsening clinical picture and the presence of an extraluminal focus of gas detected in a subsequent CT scan. Through a laparoscopic approach, multiple small-bowel diverticula and a tamponade perforation were found. A segmental intestinal resection was performed, and the patient was discharged after a ten days. Conclusions Multiple jejunal diverticulosis is a rare condition that should be remembered in the setting of an acute abdomen. As it prevails among older patients, early diagnosis with radiological aid is crucial to establish the most adequate management, including intestinal resection, if necessary.
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