Critical Care Management of Patients with COVID-19: Early Experience in Thailand

Ranistha Ratanarat, Chaisith Sivakorn, Tanuwong Viarasilpa, Marcus J. Schultz

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Since late December 2019, the world has been challenged with an outbreak of COVID-19. In Thailand, an upper middle-income country with a limited healthcare infrastructure and restricted human resources, nearly 3,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported as of early May 2020. Public health policies aimed at preventing new COVID-19 cases were very effective in halting the pandemic in Thailand. Case fatality in Thailand has been low (1.7%), at least in part due to early stratification according to risk of disease severity and timely initiation of supportive care with affordable measures. We present our initial experience with COVID-19 in Thailand, focusing on several aspects that may have played a crucial role in curtailment of the pandemic, and elements of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients, including stratification, isolation, and affordable diagnostic approaches and supportive care measures. We also discuss local considerations concerning some proposed experimental treatments.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)48-54
Number of pages7
JournalAmerican journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
Volume103
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2020

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