ESPGHAN recommendations on treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in adolescents and children including those living in resource-limited settings.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, with more than three million viraemic adolescents and children. Treatment of adults with HCV infection and HCV-related liver disease has advanced considerably thanks to development and improvements in therapy. Direct-acting antiviral regimens are safe and effective. Three regimens with pangenotypic activity (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, sofosbuvir/velpatasvir and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir) and three regimens with genotype-specific activity (sofosbuvir/ribavirin, sofosbuvir/ledipasvir and elbasvir/grazoprevir) have been approved with age-specific limitation for treatment of children with chronic hepatitis C by the European Medicines Agency and the United States Food and Drug Administration. The World Health Organization has set the ambitious target to eliminate hepatitis C as a major public health threat by 2030 and based its actions against HCV on the large use of direct acting antivirals. These updated European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition recommendations on treatment of hepatitis C describe the optimal therapeutic management of adolescents and children with HCV infection including specific indications for those living in resource-limited settings.

Does acute isolated sphenoidal sinusitis meet the criteria of the recent acute sinusitis guidelines, EPOS2020?

INTRODUCTION: Isolated sphenoidal sinusitis (ISS) is a rare disease with non-specific symptoms and a potential for complications. Diagnosis is made clinically, endoscopically, and with imaging like CT scans or MRIs. This study aimed to evaluate if ISS meets the EPOS 2020 criteria for diagnosing acute rhinosinusitis and if new diagnostic criteria are needed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study analyzed 193 charts and examination records from 2000 to 2022 in patients diagnosed with isolated sphenoidal sinusitis at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, Israel. Of the 193, 57 patients were excluded, and the remaining 136 patients were included in the final analysis. Patients were evaluated using Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), neurological and sinonasal video endoscopy, radiological findings, demographic data, symptoms and signs, and laboratory results. All these findings were reviewed according to the EPOS 2020 acute sinusitis diagnosis criteria and were analyzed to determine if ISS symptoms and signs fulfilled them. RESULTS: The patients included 40 men and 96 women, ranging in age from 17 to 86 years (mean ± SD, 37 ± 15.2 years). A positive endoscopy and radiography were encountered in 29.4%, and headache was present in 98%; the most common type was retro-orbital headache (31%). The results showed that there is no relationship between the symptoms of isolated sphenoidal sinusitis and the criteria for diagnosing acute sinusitis according to EPOS 2020. CONCLUSION: ISS is an uncommon entity encountered in clinical practice with non-specific symptoms and a potential for complications. Therefore, the condition must be kept in mind by clinicians, and prompt diagnosis and treatment must be initiated. This kind of sinusitis does not fulfill the standard guidelines for acute sinusitis diagnosis criteria.

Nomenclature of allergic diseases and hypersensitivity reactions: Adapted to modern needs: An EAACI position paper.

The exponential growth of precision diagnostic tools, including omic technologies, molecular diagnostics, sophisticated genetic and epigenetic editing, imaging and nano-technologies and patient access to extensive health care, has resulted in vast amounts of unbiased data enabling in-depth disease characterization. New disease endotypes have been identified for various allergic diseases and triggered the gradual transition from a disease description focused on symptoms to identifying biomarkers and intricate pathogenetic and metabolic pathways. Consequently, the current disease taxonomy has to be revised for better categorization. This European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Position Paper responds to this challenge and provides a modern nomenclature for allergic diseases, which respects the earlier classifications back to the early 20th century. Hypersensitivity reactions originally described by Gell and Coombs have been extended into nine different types comprising antibody- (I-III), cell-mediated (IVa-c), tissue-driven mechanisms (V-VI) and direct response to chemicals (VII). Types I-III are linked to classical and newly described clinical conditions. Type IVa-c are specified and detailed according to the current understanding of T1, T2 and T3 responses. Types V-VI involve epithelial barrier defects and metabolic-induced immune dysregulation, while direct cellular and inflammatory responses to chemicals are covered in type VII. It is notable that several combinations of mixed types may appear in the clinical setting. The clinical relevance of the current approach for allergy practice will be conferred in another article that will follow this year, aiming at showing the relevance in clinical practice where various endotypes can overlap and evolve over the lifetime.

Nutraceutical approaches to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): A position paper from the International Lipid Expert Panel (ILEP).

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a common condition affecting around 10-25% of the general adult population, 15% of children, and even > 50% of individuals who have type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is a major cause of liver-related morbidity, and cardiovascular (CV) mortality is a common cause of death. In addition to being the initial step of irreversible alterations of the liver parenchyma causing cirrhosis, about 1/6 of those who develop NASH are at risk also developing CV disease (CVD). More recently the acronym MAFLD (Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease) has been preferred by many European and US specialists, providing a clearer message on the metabolic etiology of the disease. The suggestions for the management of NAFLD are like those recommended by guidelines for CVD prevention. In this context, the general approach is to prescribe physical activity and dietary changes the effect weight loss. Lifestyle change in the NAFLD patient has been supplemented in some by the use of nutraceuticals, but the evidence based for these remains uncertain. The aim of this Position Paper was to summarize the clinical evidence relating to the effect of nutraceuticals on NAFLD-related parameters. Our reading of the data is that whilst many nutraceuticals have been studied in relation to NAFLD, none have sufficient evidence to recommend their routine use; robust trials are required to appropriately address efficacy and safety.

EHRA expert consensus document on the management of arrhythmias in frailty syndrome, endorsed by the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), Latin America Heart Rhythm Society (LAHRS), and Cardiac Arrhythmia Society of Southern Africa (CASSA).

There is an increasing proportion of the general population surviving to old age with significant chronic disease, multi-morbidity, and disability. The prevalence of pre-frail state and frailty syndrome increases exponentially with advancing age and is associated with greater morbidity, disability, hospitalization, institutionalization, mortality, and health care resource use. Frailty represents a global problem, making early identification, evaluation, and treatment to prevent the cascade of events leading from functional decline to disability and death, one of the challenges of geriatric and general medicine. Cardiac arrhythmias are common in advancing age, chronic illness, and frailty and include a broad spectrum of rhythm and conduction abnormalities. However, no systematic studies or recommendations on the management of arrhythmias are available specifically for the elderly and frail population, and the uptake of many effective antiarrhythmic therapies in these patients remains the slowest. This European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) consensus document focuses on the biology of frailty, common comorbidities, and methods of assessing frailty, in respect to a specific issue of arrhythmias and conduction disease, provide evidence base advice on the management of arrhythmias in patients with frailty syndrome, and identifies knowledge gaps and directions for future research.

Critical appraisal of technologies to assess electrical activity during atrial fibrillation: a position paper from the European Heart Rhythm Association and European Society of Cardiology Working Group on eCardiology in collaboration with the Heart Rhythm Society, Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society, Latin American Heart Rhythm Society and Computing in Cardiology.

We aim to provide a critical appraisal of basic concepts underlying signal recording and processing technologies applied for (i) atrial fibrillation (AF) mapping to unravel AF mechanisms and/or identifying target sites for AF therapy and (ii) AF detection, to optimize usage of technologies, stimulate research aimed at closing knowledge gaps, and developing ideal AF recording and processing technologies. Recording and processing techniques for assessment of electrical activity during AF essential for diagnosis and guiding ablative therapy including body surface electrocardiograms (ECG) and endo- or epicardial electrograms (EGM) are evaluated. Discussion of (i) differences in uni-, bi-, and multi-polar (omnipolar/Laplacian) recording modes, (ii) impact of recording technologies on EGM morphology, (iii) global or local mapping using various types of EGM involving signal processing techniques including isochronal-, voltage- fractionation-, dipole density-, and rotor mapping, enabling derivation of parameters like atrial rate, entropy, conduction velocity/direction, (iv) value of epicardial and optical mapping, (v) AF detection by cardiac implantable electronic devices containing various detection algorithms applicable to stored EGMs, (vi) contribution of machine learning (ML) to further improvement of signals processing technologies. Recording and processing of EGM (or ECG) are the cornerstones of (body surface) mapping of AF. Currently available AF recording and processing technologies are mainly restricted to specific applications or have technological limitations. Improvements in AF mapping by obtaining highest fidelity source signals (e.g. catheter-electrode combinations) for signal processing (e.g. filtering, digitization, and noise elimination) is of utmost importance. Novel acquisition instruments (multi-polar catheters combined with improved physical modelling and ML techniques) will enable enhanced and automated interpretation of EGM recordings in the near future.

An approach for determining allowable between reagent lot variation.

Clinicians trust medical laboratories to provide reliable results on which they rely for clinical decisions. Laboratories fulfil their responsibility for accurate and consistent results by utilizing an arsenal of approaches, ranging from validation and verification experiments to daily quality control procedures. All these procedures verify, on different moments, that the results of a certain examination procedure have analytical performance characteristics (APC) that meet analytical performance specifications (APS) set for a particular intended use. The APC can in part be determined by estimating the measurement uncertainty component under conditions of within-laboratory precision (uRw), which comprises all components influencing the measurement uncertainty of random sources. To maintain the adequacy of their measurement procedures, laboratories need to distinguish aspects that are manageable vs. those that are not. One of the aspects that may influence uRw is the momentary significant bias caused by shifts in reagent and/or calibrator lots, which, when accepted or unnoticed, become a factor of the APC. In this paper, we postulate a model for allocating a part of allowable uRw to between-reagent lot variation, based on the need for long-term consistency of the measurement variability for that specific measurand. The allocation manages the ratio between short-term and long-term variation and indicates laboratories when to reject or correct certain variations due to reagent lots.

Coronavirus disease 2019 in adults with congenital heart disease: a position paper from the ESC working group of adult congenital heart disease, and the International Society for Adult Congenital Heart Disease.

We are witnessing an unparalleled pandemic caused by the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Current data show that SARS-CoV-2 results in mild flu-like symptoms in the majority of healthy and young patients affected. Nevertheless, the severity of COVID-19 respiratory syndrome and the risk of adverse or catastrophic outcomes are increased in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. Patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD)-by definition-have underlying cardiovascular disease. Many patients with ACHD are also afflicted with residual haemodynamic lesions such as valve dysfunction, diminished ventricular function, arrhythmias or cyanosis, have extracardiac comorbidities, and face additional challenges regarding pregnancy. Currently, there are emerging data of the effect of COVID-19 on ACHD patients, but many aspects, especially risk stratification and treatment considerations, remain unclear. In this article, we aim to discuss the broad impact of COVID-19 on ACHD patients, focusing specifically on pathophysiology, risk stratification for work, self-isolation, hospitalization, impact on pregnancy, psychosocial health, and longer-term implications for the provision of ACHD care.

Placebo effects in allergen immunotherapy-An EAACI Task Force Position Paper.

The placebo (Latin "I will please") effect commonly occurs in clinical trials. The psychological and physiological factors associated with patients' expectations about a treatment's positive and negative effects have yet to be well characterized, although a functional prefrontal cortex and intense bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the immune system appear to be prerequisites for a placebo effect. The use of placebo raises certain ethical issues, especially if patients in a placebo group are denied an effective treatment for a long period of time. The placebo effect appears to be relatively large (up to 77%, relative to pretreatment scores) in controlled clinical trials of allergen immunotherapy (AIT), such as the pivotal, double-blind, placebo-controlled (DBPC) randomized clinical trials currently required by regulatory authorities worldwide. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) therefore initiated a Task Force, in order to better understand the placebo effect in AIT and its specific role in comorbidities, blinding issues, adherence, measurement time points, variability and the natural course of the disease. In this Position Paper, the EAACI Task Force highlights several important topics regarding the placebo effect in AIT such as a) regulatory aspects, b) neuroimmunological and psychological mechanisms, c) placebo effect sizes in AIT trials, d) methodological limitations in AIT trial design and e) potential solutions in future AIT trial design. In conclusion, this Position Paper aims to examine the methodological problem of placebo in AIT from different aspects and also to highlight unmet needs and possible solutions for future trials.

COVID-19 pandemic: Practical considerations on the organization of an allergy clinic-An EAACI/ARIA Position Paper.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has evolved into a pandemic infectious disease transmitted by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Allergists and other healthcare providers (HCPs) in the field of allergies and associated airway diseases are on the front line, taking care of patients potentially infected with SARS-CoV-2. Hence, strategies and practices to minimize risks of infection for both HCPs and treated patients have to be developed and followed by allergy clinics. METHOD: The scientific information on COVID-19 was analysed by a literature search in MEDLINE, PubMed, the National and International Guidelines from the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the Cochrane Library, and the internet. RESULTS: Based on the diagnostic and treatment standards developed by EAACI, on international information regarding COVID-19, on guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations, and on previous experience, a panel of experts including clinicians, psychologists, IT experts, and basic scientists along with EAACI and the "Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA)" initiative have developed recommendations for the optimal management of allergy clinics during the current COVID-19 pandemic. These recommendations are grouped into nine sections on different relevant aspects for the care of patients with allergies. CONCLUSIONS: This international Position Paper provides recommendations on operational plans and procedures to maintain high standards in the daily clinical care of allergic patients while ensuring the necessary safety measures in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Position paper of the EACVI and EANM on artificial intelligence applications in multimodality cardiovascular imaging using SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and cardiac CT.

In daily clinical practice, clinicians integrate available data to ascertain the diagnostic and prognostic probability of a disease or clinical outcome for their patients. For patients with suspected or known cardiovascular disease, several anatomical and functional imaging techniques are commonly performed to aid this endeavor, including coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and nuclear cardiology imaging. Continuous improvement in positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and CT hardware and software has resulted in improved diagnostic performance and wide implementation of these imaging techniques in daily clinical practice. However, the human ability to interpret, quantify, and integrate these data sets is limited. The identification of novel markers and application of machine learning (ML) algorithms, including deep learning (DL) to cardiovascular imaging techniques will further improve diagnosis and prognostication for patients with cardiovascular diseases. The goal of this position paper of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) is to provide an overview of the general concepts behind modern machine learning-based artificial intelligence, highlights currently prefered methods, practices, and computational models, and proposes new strategies to support the clinical application of ML in the field of cardiovascular imaging using nuclear cardiology (hybrid) and CT techniques.

ESC working group on cardiac cellular electrophysiology position paper: relevance, opportunities, and limitations of experimental models for cardiac electrophysiology research.

Cardiac arrhythmias are a major cause of death and disability. A large number of experimental cell and animal models have been developed to study arrhythmogenic diseases. These models have provided important insights into the underlying arrhythmia mechanisms and translational options for their therapeutic management. This position paper from the ESC Working Group on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology provides an overview of (i) currently available in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo electrophysiological research methodologies, (ii) the most commonly used experimental (cellular and animal) models for cardiac arrhythmias including relevant species differences, (iii) the use of human cardiac tissue, induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived and in silico models to study cardiac arrhythmias, and (iv) the availability, relevance, limitations, and opportunities of these cellular and animal models to recapitulate specific acquired and inherited arrhythmogenic diseases, including atrial fibrillation, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, sinus node, and conduction disorders and channelopathies. By promoting a better understanding of these models and their limitations, this position paper aims to improve the quality of basic research in cardiac electrophysiology, with the ultimate goal to facilitate the clinical translation and application of basic electrophysiological research findings on arrhythmia mechanisms and therapies.

Oral corticosteroids stewardship for asthma in adults and adolescents: A position paper from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are frequently used for asthma treatment. This medication is highly effective for both acute and chronic diseases, but evidence indicates that indiscriminate OCS use is common, posing a risk of serious side effects and irreversible harm. There is now an urgent need to introduce OCS stewardship approaches, akin to successful initiatives that optimized appropriate antibiotic usage. The aim of this TSANZ (Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand) position paper is to review current knowledge pertaining to OCS use in asthma and then delineate principles of OCS stewardship. Recent evidence indicates overuse and over-reliance on OCS for asthma and that doses >1000 mg prednisolone-equivalent cumulatively are likely to have serious side effects and adverse outcomes. Patient perspectives emphasize the detrimental impacts of OCS-related side effects such as weight gain, insomnia, mood disturbances and skin changes. Improvements in asthma control and prevention of exacerbations can be achieved by improved inhaler technique, adherence to therapy, asthma education, smoking cessation, multidisciplinary review, optimized medications and other strategies. Recently, add-on therapies including novel biological agents and macrolide antibiotics have demonstrated reductions in OCS requirements. Harm reduction may also be achieved through identification and mitigation of predictable adverse effects. OCS stewardship should entail greater awareness of appropriate indications for OCS prescription, risk-benefits of OCS medications, side effects, effective add-on therapies and multidisciplinary review. If implemented, OCS stewardship can ensure that clinicians and patients with asthma are aware that OCS should not be used lightly, while providing reassurance that asthma can be controlled in most people without frequent use of OCS.

Position paper from the Japan Thyroid Association task force on the management of low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (T1aN0M0) in adults.

The incidence of thyroid carcinoma has been increasing worldwide. This is interpreted as an increase in the incidental detection of papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMCs). However, mortality has not changed, suggesting overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Prospective clinical trials of active surveillance for low-risk PTMC (T1aN0M0) have been conducted in two Japanese institutions since the 1990s. Based on the favorable outcomes of these trials, active surveillance has been gradually adopted worldwide. A task force on the management of PTMC in adults organized by the Japan Thyroid Association therefore conducted a systematic review and has produced the present position paper based on the scientific evidence concerning active surveillance. This paper indicates evidence for the increased incidence of PTMC, favorable surgical outcomes for low-risk PTMC, recommended criteria for diagnosis using fine needle aspiration cytology, and evaluation of lymph node metastasis (LNM), extrathyroidal extension (ETE) and distant metastasis. Active surveillance has also been reported with a low incidence of disease progression and no subsequent recurrence or adverse events on survival if conversion surgery was performed at a slightly advanced stage. Active surveillance is a safe and valid strategy for PTMC, because it might preserve physical quality of life and reduce 10-year medical costs. However, some points should be noted when performing active surveillance. Immediate surgery is needed for PTMC showing high-risk features, such as clinical LNM, ETE or distant metastasis. Active surveillance should be performed under an appropriate medical team and should be continued for life.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: diagnosis and treatment of stable phase of disease; personalized treatment approach using phenotype features of the disease Summary of the 2020-2021 Czech Pneumological and Phthiseological Society position paper.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogenous condition affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. COPD is a major health problem associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In this review, the authors present the current concept of care for patients with COPD in the Czech Republic, along with a summary of treatment recommendations formulated by the expert group of the Czech Pneumological and Phthisiological Society. A more detailed version of the position paper was published in 2020. The aim of this work was to transform the most recent scientific knowledge into the context of daily practice in the Czech Republic. Our concept of care for patients with COPD uses a complex approach with special emphasis on individual phenotypic features of the disease. Maximal effort has been put into individualization of treatment according to the presence of certain clinical phenotypes/treatable traits with respect to current scientific knowledge.

The role of mobile health technologies in allergy care: An EAACI position paper.

Mobile health (mHealth) uses mobile communication devices such as smartphones and tablet computers to support and improve health-related services, data and information flow, patient self-management, surveillance, and disease management from the moment of first diagnosis to an optimized treatment. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology created a task force to assess the state of the art and future potential of mHealth in allergology. The task force endorsed the "Be He@lthy, Be Mobile" WHO initiative and debated the quality, usability, efficiency, advantages, limitations, and risks of mobile solutions for allergic diseases. The results are summarized in this position paper, analyzing also the regulatory background with regard to the "General Data Protection Regulation" and Medical Directives of the European Community. The task force assessed the design, user engagement, content, potential of inducing behavioral change, credibility/accountability, and privacy policies of mHealth products. The perspectives of healthcare professionals and allergic patients are discussed, underlining the need of thorough investigation for an effective design of mHealth technologies as auxiliary tools to improve quality of care. Within the context of precision medicine, these could facilitate the change in perspective from clinician- to patient-centered care. The current and future potential of mHealth is then examined for specific areas of allergology, including allergic rhinitis, aerobiology, allergen immunotherapy, asthma, dermatological diseases, food allergies, anaphylaxis, insect venom, and drug allergy. The impact of mobile technologies and associated big data sets are outlined. Facts and recommendations for future mHealth initiatives within EAACI are listed.

'Real-world' observational studies in arrhythmia research: data sources, methodology, and interpretation. A position document from European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), endorsed by Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Asia-Pacific HRS (APHRS), and Latin America HRS (LAHRS).

The field of observational studies or "real world studies" is in rapid development with many new techniques introduced and increased understanding of traditional methods. For this reason the current paper provides an overview of current methods with focus on new techniques. Some highlights can be emphasized: We provide an overview of sources of data for observational studies. There is an overview of sources of bias and confounding. Next There is an overview of causal inference techniques that are increasingly used. The most commonly used techniques for statistical modelling are reviewed with focus on the important distinction of risk versus prediction. The final section provides examples of common problems with reporting observational data.

Management of burning mouth Syndrome: A position paper of the Chinese Society of Oral Medicine.

BACKGROUND: Burning mouth syndrome is a syndrome with tongue as the main affected site and burning pain as the main complaint. Although a variety of therapies have been reported to treat BMS, there is a lack of widely recognized therapies and it is still a dilemma for clinicians to treat BMS. OBJECTIVE: To develop the position paper and provide the references for clinical practice of BMS in China. METHODS: Under the guidance of WHO (World Health Organization) Handbook for Guideline Development, we used the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach as a tool to develop this position paper in the following steps: setting up the groups, formulating the clinical questions and choosing the outcomes, retrieving and synthesizing of evidence, assessing the evidence, investigating the patients' values and preferences, developing the recommendations, reviewing the recommendations, and writing the position paper. RESULTS: The 27 recommendations were formed from the following 7 aspects: pre-treatment examination, removal of stimuli, medication, physical therapy, psychological therapy, and antipsychotics. There are 3 strong recommendations and 12 weak recommendations in pre-treatment examination and removal of stimuli, as well as 12 weak recommendations in therapies. CONCLUSION: The Chinese position paper for management of BMS has been developed, which could provide the references for clinical practice of BMS in China. Twenty-seven recommendations were formed based on consensus of experts on the balance of benefits vs side effects, evidence, cost, and patients' values and preferences, although the quality of evidence is relatively low.

Management of status epilepticus in adults. Position paper of the Italian League against Epilepsy.

Since the publication of the Italian League Against Epilepsy guidelines for the treatment of status epilepticus in 2006, advances in the field have ushered in improvements in the therapeutic arsenal. The present position paper provides neurologists, epileptologists, neurointensive care specialists, and emergency physicians with updated recommendations for the treatment of adult patients with status epilepticus. The aim is to standardize treatment recommendations in the care of this patient population.

Joint Statement on the Role of Respiratory Rehabilitation in the COVID-19 Crisis: The Italian Position Paper.

Due to the exponential growth of the number of subjects affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the entire Italian health care system had to respond promptly and in a very short time with the need of semi-intensive and intensive care units. Moreover, trained dedicated COVID-19 teams consisting of physicians were coming from different specialties (intensivists or pneumologists and infectiologists), while respiratory therapists and nurses have been recruited to work on and on without rest. However, due to still limited and evolving knowledge of COVID-19, there are few recommendations concerning the need in respiratory rehabilitation and physiotherapy interventions. The presentation of this paper is the result of a consensus promoted by the Italian societies of respiratory health care professionals who contacted pulmonologists directly involved in the treatment and rehabilitation of COVID-19. The aim was to formulate the more proper and common suggestions to be applied in different hospital settings in offering rehabilitative programs and physiotherapy workforce planning for COVID-19 patients. Two main areas of intervention were identified: organization and treatment, which are described in this paper to face the emergency.