Abstract

The world is facing a major epidemic of 2019 novel corona virus and according to WHO, there are more than 2.5 million cases worldwide and greater than 1lac deaths with 6% mortality rate. Currently, people of all ages are found to be susceptible but severe illness was rarely seen in children. About 5% of adults, especially those with comorbidities, get critically ill and require intensive care unit (ICU) care with prolonged hospitalization, increasing the health care burden and costs. Currently, chronic wounds are also the leading cause of hospitalization. However, the current global corona virus disease, 2019 pandemic has increased the demand for more hospital beds. Hence, clinicians should provide evidence based care and triage their chronic wound patients, during this COVID-19 crisis that will ultimately help to cope up current hospital bed capacity situation. There are several challenges faced by any clinician while managing chronic wounds during COVID-19 pandemic situation. During such crisis, providing best practice is challenging due to inadequate staff and their availability, patients self-isolation and real or perceived risk of COVID-19 infection. Thus, considering the current situation, goal of every clinician treating chronic wounds showed aim at, early successful treatment of wound infections such that complications can be prevented and thereby preventing amputations and decreasing hospital stay of inpatients. Hence, specific triage is required to differentiate between critical, severe and stable patients followed by focused treatment approach. Importantly, first priority should only be given to critical patients with ICU care. Alternative services like telemedicine with proper patient education should be adopted and homecare services should be provided as continuity of care. ICU facilities and available resources should be used sensibly so that it does not create stress to the hospital services during the pandemic. Thus, every clinician should aim at keeping the chronic wound patients and related health care workers safe during such a highly infective stage of COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Chronic; Wounds; Corona Virus Disease (COVID); Pandemic; Triage; Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

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