Cycle threshold values of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in conjunctival swabs and nasopharyngeal secretions: a comparative study from a tertiary care center in India.

Purpose: To detect the viral RNA load of SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival swabs of COVID-19 patients, and compare with nasopharyngeal swabs.

Methods: Conjunctival swabs of COVID-19 patients (with PCR positive nasopharyngeal swabs) were subjected to quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The cycle threshold (Ct) values of Open Reading Frame 1 (ORF 1 Ab gene) and nucleoprotein (N gene) PCRs were used to assess the viral RNA load, and compare them with the baseline values of nasopharyngeal swabs.

Complex cyanotic congenital heart disease and cervical spine surgery: Ticking all the right boxes.

Although complex congenital heart disease (CHD) patients usually present in childhood, it is not rare to see adults well past middle age. These patients undergo continuous pathophysiological changes in their heart and blood vessels, making anesthetic management more challenging if surgery is required. Herein, we report a case in which understanding the anatomy and pathophysiology helped optimally manage a patient with a double outlet right ventricle (DORV) who underwent plating and fixation for a hangman's fracture in the prone position.

Preparing Intensive Care Unit in Resource-Constraint Setting Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: Our Experience and Review.

COVID-19 pandemic is an emerging, rapidly evolving public health emergency where a nation's health-care system can face a marked surge in demand for intensive care unit (ICU) beds and organ support. In regions with insufficient medical resources, it may further aggravate the existing shortage, limiting an ICU's ability to provide the normal standard of care. It can present ethically or legally demanding questions about how to prioritize the allocation of life-saving medical resources.