Pulmonary Nodules Developed Rapidly in Staffs in the Isolation Ward of a Chinese Hospital during the COVID-19 Epidemic

• 作者: HE Bing JIN Xiao Dong LI Bo LI Yu Hua LUO Xin SUN Neng Jun YANG Jing YU Ke Wen
• 来源期刊: 生物医学与环境科学（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2020,（12）
• 所属期刊栏目: Letters to the Editor
• 页码范围: 930-934,中插3-中插6
• 页数: 1页
• 语种: 英文
• DOI: 10.3967/bes2020.127

摘要

In December 2019, the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan and spread all over the country. The Zibo Central Hospital had set up a febrile clinic and isolation ward for confirmed and suspected patients since January 23, 2020. Suspected patients were hospitalized immediately to the isolation ward. Every healthcare staff was authorized to undergo low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) of the chest free of charge before and after their assignment in the isolation ward. If suspected lesions were found on the second computed tomography (CT), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nucleic acid tests were carried out. Isolation was finished 2 weeks later if all examination results remained normal. During this period, we found that the number of pulmonary nodules markedly increased in the second CT in most of the healthcare staff, so we performed a retrospective analysis of the second chest CT images in 46 healthcare workers (subjects). The prevalence, characteristics, size, density, and distribution of pulmonary nodules on the second CT were analyzed. We attempt to reveal this phenomenon and call attention to the harm that an isolation environment can contribute to health care workers and help establish treatment for pulmonary nodules scientifically and rationally.