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Dec 2020
Covid-19 – study ‘identifies’ lung damage
An Oxford University of ten patients used a unique scanning technique to identify damage not picked up by conventional scans.
The technique uses a gas known as xenon during MRI scans to create images of damage to the lungs.
Lung experts have said that a test that was able to detect long-term damage would make a huge difference to Covid patients.
Professor Fergus Gleeson, who is leading the research, used the scanning technique on ten patients aged between 19 and 69. Eight had persistent shortness of breath and fatigue three months after being ill with coronavirus, even though none had been admitted to intensive care or needed ventilation, and conventional scans had detected no problems in their lungs.
In the eight patients who reported breathlessness, the scans shows signs of lung damage, by being able to highlight areas where air was not flowing easily into the blood.
The results have prompted Professor Gleeson to prepare for a trial involving up to 100 people to see whether the same is true in people who had not been admitted to hospital and had not suffered from such serious symptoms. He is planning to work with GPs to scan patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 across a range of age groups.
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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