The “Santa Maria” Hospital of Terni puts in place all the best professionals at the service of long-Covid patients, ie the long-term sequelae that the Covid-19 infection leaves in patients recovered from the acute phase. In fact, it is estimated that about 25% of those affected by severe forms of Covid-19, such as those for whom hospitalization was necessary, experience the long-term persistence of symptoms and discomforts related to the chronic sequelae that the virus leaves at the level of various organs and systems, such as the lungs, heart, blood vessels and brain. For this reason, the only valid way to deal with what appears to be an epidemic within the epidemic, is to convey the experience of various professional figures, different professionals, such as pulmonologists, radiologists, psychologists, laboratory doctors, sports doctors, occupational doctors, in a single multidisciplinary team coordinated by internists and infectious disease doctors.
For several weeks the multidisciplinary team of the Hospital – coordinated by the Department of Internal Medicine directed by Professor Gaetano Vaudo and from the Infectious Diseases department directed by the professor Maria Bruna Pasticci, which sees the collaboration of the doctor’s Rehabilitation Maria Assunta Massetti, of Occupational Medicine, of the professor Ilenia Folletti, of the Department of Pneumology of dr Claudio Gradoli, Radiology of Dr. Giovanni Passalacqua and the Analysis Laboratory of Dr. Alessandro Mariottini – is at work and is already treating about 80 patients previously hospitalized for Covid-19 at Santa Maria.
The next step will be to extend outpatient services to patients residing in the province and neighboring territories, also by virtue of the fact that there are many patients who have presented serious forms of pathology and who have been treated at home.
Infectious diseases – Patients who have been admitted to the Covid departments of the hospital in different ways are followed up at the outpatient clinics of the Day Hospital of the Infectious Diseases Clinic: patients under the age of 70, already hospitalized with pneumonia ascertained by Sars- Cov2, not heart patients; patients already hospitalized in the clinic and who, two months after discharge, undergo a clinical visit, high resolution lung CT scan, serology for anti-Sars-Cov2 antibody research and according to clinical indication, a neuropsychological visit, cardiological visit or whatever else is necessary; patients referred to the attending physician with a referral for an infectious disease examination due to post-Covid syndrome.
Post-Covid Intensive Rehabilitation – From January 4, 2021, an intensive rehabilitation section for post-covid patients with six beds has been activated in the Intensive Rehabilitation department of the Terni Hospital, thus guaranteeing continuity of clinical and rehabilitation care that goes from the intensive phase of illness until the recovery of autonomy. Patients who come to the ward in most cases have tracheal cannula in medium-high flow oxygen therapy, are fed with a nasogastric tube, have severe bed rest syndrome, severe myopathies and neuropathies (critical illness neuromyopathy), damage to the central nervous system such as encephalopathy, encephalitis, ischemic lesions, cognitive disorders, psychological problems, and consequent serious impairment of functionality and quality of life, such as not to allow returning home.
Upon admission, patients undergo a complete clinical examination, assisted by instrumental tests, aimed at assessing cardiorespiratory function, always monitored during hospitalization, and are continuously supported from a clinical point of view thanks to the contribution of the multidisciplinary team. Patients are periodically subjected to functional evaluation and control through physiatric examination and administration of accredited scales to quantify residual muscle strength, compliance with duration exercise, the presence of damage to the peripheral and central nervous system, cognitive abilities with neuropsychological tests specific, in order to detect the effectiveness of the treatment program and the actual recovery.