International Symposium on COVID-19 Prevention and Control by PKU medical team to Hubei
May 11, 2020
Peking University, May 11, 2020: On the night of May 8, the “International Symposium on COVID-19 Prevention and Control by Peking University National Hubei Anti-epidemic Medical Taskforce” was held online. The conference was co-organized by Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University First Hospital and Peking University People’s Hospital, and was sponsored by Shenzhen Mindray Corporation. The conference was held as a global live broadcast, hosted by Shen Ning, vice president of the Third Hospital. It achieved eminent success by having 43,000 members viewing the live stream, with approximately 23,000 being Chinese participants and 20,000 originating from abroad.
Qiao Jie, executive vice president of the Peking University Health Science Center, leader of PKU’s National Medical Corps sent to aid Hubei province against the COVID-19 epidemic, and president of the Peking University Third Hospital, provided an overview of the vital tasks that were completed by on-site medical corps when the epidemic first broke out in Wuhan. Qiao, who was part of the leading aid efforts, mentioned prominent accomplishments fulfilled by more than 400 medical professionals who were sent to Wuhan as PKU’s medical rescue team, and elaborated on the important case studies that were collected from many doctors on the front line and subsequently evaluated. Qiao stated that in the face of the widespread pandemic, PKU medical rescue team was given the rare opportunity to handle the outbreak in advance, therefore the invaluable experiences they have gathered from their mission can act as a crucial resource for other countries to analyze, adopt from, and integrate into their own treatment strategies. The sole purpose of the conference was to share those insights and expertise with the world, thereby contributing to the global battle against COVID-19.
Liu Xinmin, a renowned respiratory specialist and president of the Peking University First Hospital, delivered a report titled "Thoughts and Practices in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe and Critical Cases of COVID-19". Starting from the clinical manifestations and symptoms of COVID-19, Liu made an in-depth analysis of the prognosis of critically ill patients based on extant case studies, various clinical examinations and computed tomography. The speech was conducted in an interactive setting, which enabled participants to partake in the most intuitive and profound learning experience. Based on his experience working as a front-line doctor, Liu proposed mechanical ventilation strategies, as well as stratified treatment guidelines that can be used in clinical practices. Furthermore, Liu expressed his sagacious views on the pressing topics such as cytokine storm immune responses, hormonal treatment strategies and refractory hypoxemia.
Jiang Baoguo, president of Peking University People's Hospital, elaborated on the experience his medical team has endured and learned from during their mission working at the intensive isolation unit of Wuhan Tongji Hospital. The team's core mission was to save as many lives as they could in a limited amount of time. With this goal in mind, as they were immediately placed to take charge of an entire isolation unit in Wuhan, the team followed the concept of stratified treatment, which separated patients according to the severity and distinct characteristics of their illnesses. The team also conducted a retrospective study on 278 patients with existing complications of pneumonia, all of whom were re-evaluated based on clinical characteristics of COVID-19, and subsequently analyzed their chances of survival if comorbidities occurred. The results have shown that with complications of pneumonia, patients were more likely to develop severe cases of COVID-19, more prone to complications such as ARDS, and had a higher mortality rate within 28 days, especially when existing chronic symptoms such as diabetes served as a contributing factor. Jiang emphasized that patients with pre-existing complications, most of whom were part of the elderly population, should be prioritized when conducting individualized treatments.
Qiao Jie proceeded to introduce the various precautions that were taken to avoid hospitalized cross-contamination occurring between newborns and their mothers during the COVID-19 outbreak. Qiao specifically detailed the management tactics that took place behind the recorded cases of mothers-to-be infected with COVID-19 during their different stages of pregnancy, and provided insightful suggestions regarding the topic. Research was conducted concerning the vertical transmission from mother to child, which as of yet, has had no direct evidence found suggesting that COVID-19 can be transmitted in such means. As for assisted reproduction technology during the epidemic, Qiao proposed that it would be gradually resumed according to the varying levels of recovery in different regions, however it could be delayed appropriately for the regions that remained heavily affected.
On the other side of the globe, Dr. Erez Barenboim, president of Assuta Healthcare Center in Israel, pointed out the innovations and adjustments that were already implemented in various hospitals to combat COVID-19 more competently, which included changes that were made in regards to humanistic care and medical treatment mediums during the epidemic.
During the latter half of the conference, the respective Vice Presidents of three hospitals affiliated with Peking University - Li Haichao from Peking University First Hospital, Wang Tianbing from Peking University People’s Hospital and Shen Ning from Peking University Third Hospital all presented their topics revolving prevention and control strategies of COVID-19.
Li Haichao compared the fatality rates caused by COVID-19 between different countries and regions and dissected the potential causes that could be underlying this revelation. Wang Tianbing utilized the theme of “multidisciplinary collaboration” to highlight the need for a stratified treatment strategy plan when tending patients with simple pneumonia, pneumonia accompanied by underlying diseases and patients with multiple organ function injuries. Wang Tianbing pointed out that all medical professionals should attach utter importance to multidisciplinary cooperation, dynamically monitor the changes of such patients' comorbidities, and provide individualized evaluation and treatment plans. Shen Ning used terminologies from virus epidemiology to explore the characteristics of the NCP (“Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia”), and provided standardized guidelines custom designed to prevent cross-contamination in hospitals, ensuring that hospital infection rates are reduced to a minimum and hospital staff would remain safe when on task.
Towards the end of the conference, all speakers from China and Israel held heated discussions online and continued with in-depth communication on the development and prognosis of COVID-19. Related hospital management policies and future directions were also discussed in the mean time.
In general, PKU’s Medical Corps to Wuhan has achieved success in countless ways, bringing much-needed expertise and knowledge to the rest of the world as the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread across the globe. In the face of the pandemic, no country or nation should be isolated. China believes that assistance should be provided to the countries who stand firm in combating this virus. With the success of this symposium, PKU is hoping that all countries can exchange invaluable medical expertise with one another and achieve unified success against COVID-19.
Written by: Rose Li
Edited by: Huang Weijian
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
