Long-term follow-up and health-related quality of life in COVID-19 patients treated in hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the persistence of symptoms and health-related quality of life of coronavirus disease-2019 patients. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from April to September 2020 at Health Sciences University, Yedikule Chest Diseases Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, and comprised patients of either gender who had to be hospitalised and treated for coronavirus disease-2019. Those who had spent <3 months (46-90 days) post-discharge formed Group 1, those having spent 3-6 were in Group 2, while those with >6 months post-discharge were in Group 3. Data was collected over the telephone Using the EuroQol's quality of life scale with 5 dimensions and 5 levels. The variables likely to affect the persistence of symptoms and the quality of life questionnaire scores were analysed using SPSS 16. RESULTS: Of the 225 subjects, 135(60%) were male and 90(40%) were female. The overall mean age was 55.7±19.91 years. There were 85(37.8%) participants in Group 1, 83(36.9%) in Group 2, and 57(25.3%) in Group 3. The age (p=0.09) and gender (p=0.23) distribution across the groups had no significant difference. Patients were called on an average 131.72±58.9 days after discharge (range: 46-279 days). Only 52 (23.1%) patients continued to show symptoms. Anxiety was the domain in which most patients 64(28.4%) reported deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients who have had coronavirus disease-2019COVID-19 after a long follow-up period did not show any symptoms or had any significant deterioration in their quality of life.

Airflow patterns in the trachebronchial tree of a patient with an accessory cardiac bronchus: A rare congenital anomaly.

Accessory cardiac bronchus (ACB) is a rare congenital anomaly mainly located in the medial wall of the intermediate bronchus. This anomaly can present with dyspnea, recurrent infections, and hemoptysis. It usually has a blind ending, which may have an impact on airflow patterns and lobar distribution regardless of its diameter and depth. There have been very few cases with ACB. However, the airflow pattern and lobar distribution have not been well studied. In our case with ACB, the proportion of airflow in the right lung was higher than in the model without ACB, while mean airflow velocities were similar in both models. In this regard, quantitative lung ventilation scintigraphy could be better than the anatomical formula in predicting postoperative forced expiratory volume 1 in patients with accessory cardiac bronchus who will undergo lung resection.