Picture according to Xinhua News Agency
Recently, most people infected with the new coronavirus have gradually recovered from the disease and returned to normal work and life.
But at the same time, the emergence of persistent coughs and even "white lungs" has made many people fearful. Going to the hospital for a lung CT has become a must for some people infected with the new coronavirus, which also makes lung CT examinations "difficult to find."
The demand for lung CT examinations has surged
On December 29, Tianmu News reporters consulted many hospitals in Hangzhou and found that the respiratory medicine department was no longer available, and the number of patients who came to perform lung CT examinations was also "overcrowded." A staff member of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital told Tianmu News that the hospital has coordinated resources from other departments to support the emergency department, fever clinic, and respiratory department. Patients can call the hematology department, endocrinology department, and other departments, and they can also receive diagnosis and treatment related to new coronavirus infection. However, the staff member reminded that it would take a long time to undergo a lung CT examination.
In the Hematology Department of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, a relevant attending physician told Tianmu News that the positive patients who come to the hospital for examination basically want to have a lung CT examination. The demand for this examination has increased sharply, and currently the appointment can only be scheduled until January 2 at the earliest.
In addition, on December 30, Staff from Shaw Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang University told Tianmu News that there have been a lot of inquiries and consultations about lung CT examinations recently, and it is estimated that they will be queued for several days. The specific situation will be based on the situation on the day.
In addition, on December 29, Zhejiang Ningbo Broadcasting Network reported that Ningbo Beilun District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital said that the number of people who came to the hospital for lung CT examinations recently has reached 6 times the usual number. The official Douyin account of Xiaogan Central Hospital also announced that in order to cope with the surge in patient demand, the hospital has two CTs running in series, and usually one CT can meet the demand.
Against this background, some medical examination institutions have launched physical examination packages for patients infected with the new coronavirus after they recover. Tianmu News reporters found that on December 28, Meinian Health launched the "Yangkang Anxiety Examination - Post-COVID-19 Physical Function Assessment Series Package". This physical examination package is aimed at the damage to human body functions that may occur after the "Yangkang" of COVID-19 infection. The standard package includes routine examinations including general physical examination, internal medicine and surgery, ear, nose and throat, hematuria routine, as well as chest CT and other examination items.
Meinian Health staff told Tianmu News reporters that recently many people have inquired about lung CT health examinations, "but our institution does not provide single examinations. Users in need can choose this package." On the evening of December 30, the " Meinian Health Mall" mini program showed that more than 150,000 pieces of "Yangkang Anxin Examination Standard" have been sold, making it the highest-selling product in the mall.
Experts remind to prevent the risk of medical rush
"From last weekend to now, there have been a lot of people doing lung CT. Among them, some are patients with lung infection , and some are people who don't feel confident coming for examination after seeing the information on the Internet." Miao Xiaohui, former chief physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Second Military Medical University and deputy director of the Shanghai Society of Medical Virology, told Tianmu News.
And the information the public sees on the Internet is the recent discussion about "white lung".
On December 27, Jiao Yahui, Director of the Department of Medical Affairs of the National Health Commission, introduced at the press conference of the State Council Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism that the lungs are composed of alveoli, and the alveoli are filled with air. CT or X During line examination, the rays pass through the alveoli, and the image appears as a black area. However, when inflammation or infection occurs in the alveoli, and there are exudates and inflammatory cells, the alveoli are filled with these exudates and inflammatory cells, and the rays cannot penetrate, and white areas appear on the imaging . This white area reflects the imaging manifestations of exudation and does not mean that the lung tissue has turned solid white. As the exudate is absorbed and inflammation subsides, the "white lung" appearance will gradually subside, and the imaging findings of the lungs will gradually return to black areas.
"It does not mean that as long as there is inflammation in the lungs, it is called 'white lung'. 'White lung' should be a more serious symptom of pneumonia." Jiao Yahui said that generally speaking, when the inflammation in the lungs is relatively severe and there is a lot of exudation, that is, when the white image area reaches 70% to 80%, it is colloquially called "white lung" in clinical practice.
Miao Xiaohui said that there is no unified treatment method for "white lung" and it depends on the specific clinical situation of the patient, including the use of hormones and antiviral drugs. "As far as what I have encountered, the 'white lung' phenomenon is relatively rare."
Jiao Yahui said that patients in the "white lung" stage will suffer from hypoxemia or respiratory distress. This type of patients may appear clinically, especially in elderly patients with serious underlying diseases, but the proportion of such patients is very low. "Some of the 'white lungs' that people talk about on the Internet are not really 'white lungs', and some are not serious enough, but they are mistakenly called 'white lungs'."
Wang Hongju, director of the Respiratory and Cardiovascular Department of Ningbo Beilun District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said in an interview with the media He said that in fact, most patients with new coronavirus infection are mainly mild or ordinary, generally showing symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection such as fever and fatigue, sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, etc. The lungs are not involved, so there is no need to perform lung CT examination. The number of infected people is still increasing. If all of them need to undergo CT, it will inevitably cause congestion of medical resources .
