: Coronavirus disease 2019, known as COVID-19, was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and became a pandemic on Mar 11, according to the World Health Organization report. In the epidemic of COVID-19, many patients admitted to hospitals for other reasons may be silent carriers of COVID-19 and have the risk of infecting medical personnel. Thus, meticulous personal protection measures should be considered in suspicious patients, especially when close contact with the patient’s airway is anticipated. We introduce two airway trauma patients suspected of COVID-19 who required emergency tracheostomy. Patient one was a 29-year-old man who suffered facial trauma following a car accident. A chest CT scan showed peripheral ground-glass opacities suggestive for COVID-19. The second patient was a young elevator mechanic who experienced maxillofacial trauma after an elevator crash. The methods of anesthesia and airway protection and safety precautions are described.

Background: World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the outbreak of COVID-19 constituted a public health emergency of global concern. Objectives: Owing to limited data on critically ill patients admitted to ICU, we aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and prognosis of these patients based on ventilatory variables and clinical features. Methods: In this retrospective study, 45 critically ill patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) wards of the hospital from April 8 to May 9, 2020, were enrolled. Medical files of the patients were reviewed, and demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory data, lung CT scan findings, causes of intubation, and outcomes of the patients were all collected. Results: The median age of the patients was 67 years (range 22 to 91), 64% were men, and hypertension was the most common comorbidity. History of close contact with previously confirmed patients was positive in 62.2% of the patients. The mean time from symptom onset to hospital admission was 5.98 ± 2.93 days. The most common symptoms at the onset of illness were dyspnea (95.6%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (22.2%) were rare. The average length of the intubation was 4.84 ± 3.28 days. The distribution of intubation causes in the deceased patients was significantly more than the recovered patients (P = 0.031). The mean score of lung CT involvement in deaths (370.26 ± 207.50) was significantly higher than the recovered patients (235.71 ± 81.21) (P = 0.042). Length of the intubation had a statistically direct correlation with respiratory rate (P = 0.03). Conclusions: Most of the critically ill patients admitted to ICU were older men and had poor outcomes with a high mortality rate. Furthermore, the score of chest CT involvement and respiratory rate are important prognostic factors in determining the severity of the illness, requiring ventilatory support, and outcome.

Background: Knowledge about clinical features of critically ill patients with COVID-19 still lacks adequate information up to now. Objectives: We aimed to describe and compare the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in Rasoul Akram Hospital. Methods: In this case series, 70 critically ill patients with COVID-19 admitted in ICU wards of Rasoul Akram Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from 29 February to 25 April 2020 were enrolled. Demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and outcomes of the patients were all collected and compared between deceased and recovered patients. Results: Fifty-six cases had died of COVID-19, and 14 patients had fully recovered and discharged. The median age of the patients was 68 years old, ranging from 22 to 91 years, 66% were men, 80% had one or more comorbidities, and hypertension was the most common comorbidities (45% of deceased cases). The most common signs and symptoms at the onset of illness were SPO2 depression (92%) and dyspnea (90%). Dyspnea was significantly more common in deceased patients (95%) than recovered patients (70%) (P = 0.048). Most patients had lymphopenia (80%). The number of patients who needed mechanical ventilation in the deceased patients was 53 (95%), which was significantly more than the recovered patients (10 [70%]) (P = 0.048). Conclusions: The mortality rate of critically ill patients with COVID-19 is very high, and the patients with dyspnea and required mechanical ventilation are at higher risk for death.

: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was first experienced in 1938 and had been conducting without anesthesia for 30 years. In this study, the most common indication for ECT was mood disorder (major depressive disorder and bipolar I disorder). We introduce a patient with a history of COVID-19 and suicide who required emergency ECT. Electroconvulsive therapy can be life-saving in patients with suicide history or catatonic schizophrenia. Health workers are at the front line of the COVID-19 outbreak control and must follow health instructions. Aerosol-producing procedures such as suction in anesthesia for ECT may facilitate the transmission of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. When performing aerosol-producing procedures during the pandemic of novel coronavirus, every patient should be considered suspicious.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome caused by a structural or functional heart disorder. One of the most important challenges for anesthesiologists is the management of anesthesia in patients with severe heart failure, which has been facilitated by advanced monitoring systems. Case Presentation: The patient was a 42-year-old man with a history of hypertension (HTN) and HF with involvement of the three coronary arteries (3VD) with ejection fraction (EF) 15%. He was also a candidate for elective CABG. In addition to the insertion of arterial line in the left radial artery and the Swan-Ganz catheter in the pulmonary artery, the patient was also monitored by the Edwards Lifesciences Vigilance II for cardiac index (CI) and intravenous mixed blood oxygenation (ScvO2). Hemodynamic changes during and after surgery, as well as during inotrope infusion, were controlled, and the amount of fluid therapy was calculated by gold direct therapy (GDT) method. Conclusions: Using PA catheter with advanced monitoring and GDT-based fluid therapy guaranteed a safe anesthesia in this patient with severe heart failure and EF < 20%. Moreover, the postoperative complications and duration of ICU stays were significantly reduced.