Alarm tests to reduce Covid mortality rates on the cards
BENGALURU: The Critical Care Support Team (CCST), constituted by the State Government, will conduct alarm tests on people with Covid-19 symptoms and those who have Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) to ascertain if their condition is deteriorating so that they can be treated in time.
In mid-April, the intensive care units of all designated Covid-19 hospitals across the state were brought under the purview of the CCST to monitor critical patients and reduce fatalities. The CCST has now decided to perform Lactate Dehydrogenase Test (LDH), D-Dimer, Ferritin tests on symptomatic Covid-19 and SARI patients for timely intervention. Special Officer, CCST, Dr Thrilok Chandra said, “Alarm tests will help in easily identifying whether a patient’s condition is deteriorating. If their tests show any problem, we can ensure quick intervention so that the patient is stabilised.”
Nodal officers will be guided by experts
Dr Thrilok Chandra said that hospitals at the district level have been instructed to track SARI cases every day, including monitoring their oxygen saturation levels. “We have instructed them to keep a close eye on them as the chances of their condition deteriorating are high,” Chandra said. The CCST has identified 115 people as high risk, including patients aged over 50, pregnant women, patients with comorbidities, and children aged below 10. “We have seen a high number of such cases in Bengaluru Urban, Davanagere, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Belagavi, Kalaburagi.
A team of specialists in these districts will look into it,” he said. Arrangements have also been made for a team of specialists from Manipal Hospitals and Columbia Asia Hospitals to guide district nodal officers via video conference. Also, a team of interns at Ambedkar Medical College, RR Medical College, Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Ramaiah Memorial Hospital in Bengaluru will work in three shifts to monitor critical patients across the state.
Dr Chandra also said that a study found that many people with symptoms turned up very late at hospitals, which resulted in delayed diagnosis. The study found about 10 cases in which patients had reported to hospital an hour before they died and their test results came back positive for Covid-19. “People with symptoms must immediately go to designated Covid-19 hospitals and get themselves checked instead of delaying treatment,” he added.