COVID-19 and Medical Imaging

How can medical imaging be used to detect COVID-19?

Life as we knew it has changed since COVID-19 interrupted our daily lives. As professionals scramble to look for solutions and vaccines to allow us to live with the virus, our job is as simple as ABC: to educate ourselves. Join us as we go through common questions about the virus and how to prevent its spread in order to protect the most vunerable in our society!

Let’s Get Started!

Protect Yourself

and others! ✨

😷

Wear a mask

Prevent it from entering your body and becoming a host

🧼 🖐️

Wash your hands frequently with soap

Stay hygienic

💧

Use alcohol-based hand sanitiser

Kill any viruses from surfaces you might have touched

Avoid physical contact

Contact is a primary method of spreading the virus

📆

Quarantine for 14 days if you have any symptoms

Stay home if you’re feeling sick (get well soon!)

😄

Stay positive

Reach out to friends or immerse in your hobbies

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What to expect if someone you know is admitted to hospital with COVID-19

We know that being admitted to hospital can be a worrying time for all those involved; this is made more difficult by not being able to visit your friend or family member at this time. Below we explain more about coronavirus and what to expect if your family member or friend is admitted to one of our hospitals with COVID-19.

Computed Tomography (CT) Scan of the Chest

CT scan is a type of imaging test. It uses X-ray and computer technology to make detailed pictures of the organs and structures inside your chest. These images are more detailed than regular X-rays. They can give more information about injuries or diseases of the chest organs.

COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

An unemployment scheme for those who have lost their job on or after March due to the pandemic

How COVID-19 can damage the brain

Some people who become ill with the coronavirus develop neurological symptoms. Scientists are struggling to understand why.

What you need to know about neurological symptoms after COVID-19.

At Nuvance Health, we’re seeing patients who are thankful because they recovered from COVID-19, but are now worried because they have lingering neurological symptoms. Nationwide, a small number of people who recovered from COVID-19 are reporting neurological concerns such as headache, dizziness, lingering loss of smell or taste, muscle weakness, nerve damage, and trouble thinking or concentrating — sometimes called “COVID fog” or “brain fog”.

COVID-19 brain abnormalities on MRI in patients with neurological symptoms

There is growing evidence that, in addition to attacking patients’ lungs, the coronavirus also targets the central nervous system, causing adverse neurological symptoms.

Diabetes and COVID-19

It is unclear if people with diabetes are at increased risk of getting COVID-19 (coronavirus), but if you get infected you are more at risk of serious complications.

How does COVID-19 affect people with diabetes?

In the majority of people, the symptoms of COVID-19 are relatively mild and do not require specialist treatment in a hospital. Mild symptoms may include a fever, a cough, a sore throat, tiredness, and shortness of breath. However, people with diabetes may have a higher risk of developing severe complications, such as difficulty breathing or pneumonia.

Use of chest imaging in COVID-19

This rapid advice guide examines the evidence and makes recommendations for the use of chest imaging in acute care of adult patients with suspected, probable or confirmed COVID-19. Imaging modalities considered are radiography, computed tomography and ultrasound. This guide addresses the care pathway from presentation of the patient to a health facility to patient discharge. It considers different levels of disease severity, from asymptomatic individuals to critically ill patients. Accounting for variations in the benefits and harms of chest imaging in different situations, remarks are provided to describe the circumstances under which each recommendation would benefit patients. The guide also includes implementation considerations for different settings, provides suggestions for impact monitoring and evaluation and identifies knowledge gaps meriting further research.

Cancer Patients and COVID-19 (HSE)

Having cancer may put you at a higher risk of serious illness if you get COVID-19 (coronavirus). Some cancer treatments can cause a weak immune system. You need to take extra care to protect yourself.

Covid-19 testing issues could sink plans to re-open the country. Might CT scans help?

There is growing evidence that, in addition to attacking patients’ lungs, the coronavirus also targets the central nervous system, causing adverse neurological symptoms.

ACR Recommendations for the use of Chest Radiography and CT for Suspected COVID-19 Infection

As COVID-19 spreads in the U.S., there is growing interest in the role and appropriateness of chest radiographs (CXR) and computed tomography (CT) for the screening, diagnosis and management of patients with suspected or known COVID-19 infection. Contributing to this interest are limited availability of viral testing kits to date, concern for test sensitivity from earlier reports in China, and the growing number of publications describing the CXR and CT appearance in the setting of known or suspected COVID-19 infection.

Chest CT shows COVID-19 damage to the lungs

Several new studies present peer-reviewed cases of COVID-19 in order to ensure that the disease is diagnosed as rapidly as possible, and thus help prevent an overwhelming spike in infections in any one place during the course of the current pandemic. Much interest has been shown in the possibility of using chest X-rays, and computed tomography (CT) scans to screen for and diagnose patients with this illness, whether suspected or confirmed.

CT (Computed Tomography) Scan

A computerized tomography scan (CT or CAT scan) uses computers and rotating X-ray machines to create cross-sectional images of the body. These images provide more detailed information than normal X-ray images. They can show the soft tissues, blood vessels, and bones in various parts of the body.

American Diabetes Association

A website dedicated to informing people about diabetes written by the American Diabetes Association.

Cancer Ireland

A website dedicated to the compilation of research done on cancer and ways on how to support patients ill with it.

Coronavirus (WHO)

Studies and information collected by WHO and compiled for the general public.

COVID-19 (coronavirus) by HSE

A government sourced compilation of information about COVID-19.

COVID-19 Basics (Harvard Medical School)

Essential information compiled by Harvard Medical School on COVID-19.

How to Cocoon If You Are at Very High Risk

This is a recommendation by the HSE on how to protect yourself for the vunerable in our society.

Lungevity

LUNGevity research is 100% patient-focused. We conduct and fund research that has potential to revolutionize outcomes for those diagnosed with lung cancer. With our strategic approach to translational research in two priority areas—finding lung cancer early and treating it more effectively—our research speeds breakthroughs to patients so people can live longer and better lives.

MRI Scan - An Overview

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body.

Protect yourself and others from COVID-19

This is a recommendation from the HSE on how to protect yourself and others from infection.

Radiopaedia COVID-19

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a strain of coronavirus. The first cases were seen in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 before spreading globally, with more than 1.2 million deaths and 47 million cases now confirmed. The current outbreak was officially recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 11 March 2020.

Meet the Team

Researchers

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Anna Fennell

First Year Radiography Student

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Eve Cotter

First Year Medicine Student

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Jeanne Trixie Magallones

Third Year Astrophysics Student

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Mayesha Choudhury

First Year Radiography Student

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Nayab Gohar

First Year Medicine Student

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Olivia O' Neill

First Year Radiography Student

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Sarah McHale

First Year Medicine Student

Code Compilers

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Jeanne Trixie Magallones

Third Year Astrophysics Student